Menu

THE TRIUNE GOD

May 28, 2026 by James Pavlic (Re) Member

THE TRIUNE GOD

  Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy? Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?  Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ?

TRINITARIAN WORSHIP

"Living for the Glory of the Father, through the Son, by the Spirit"

  • We live to the glory of the Father in all of life.
  • We exalt Christ as the preeminent Savior, Redeemer, and King of our whole lives.
  • We live all of our lives in worship by the power of the Spirit.

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY “TRINITY”?

God as “three Persons in One” expresses the distinctive Christian understanding of God, and reflects our view at Christ Presbyterian Church. The Bible speaks of one God, but attributes the characteristics of God to three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father created all things and planned the redemption of his people from all eternity (Genesis 3:14–15; Ephesians 1:3–12); God the Son accomplished that redemption on the cross (Romans 3:21–24; Galatians 3:13–14); and God the Spirit applies the benefits of that eternal redemption to all believers (John 3:5–8; Titus 3:4–7).

The doctrine of the Trinity is a way of describing this biblical revelation of the nature of God. It states that God is one in essence, but that he exists in three Persons who are coequal and coeternal. We must note that our English word, “Persons,” falls short as a way to describe God because it can give the impression of three separate individuals; rather, a more accurate view is that God is one being with three personal self-distinctions.

WHY SHOULD WE USE THE WORD “TRINITY”?

We might wonder why we should accept the word “Trinity” as a way to describe God when it isn’t in the Bible. Heretical groups came on the early Church scene and denied either the deity of Christ or that of the Holy Spirit. This drove Christians to search the Scriptures to come up with a formal way to describe the Bible’s teaching on the nature of God, and the doctrine of the “Tri-unity” was the result.

Tertullian, an early Church father, was the first to use the term “Trinity” in 215 AD. Like the word “Trinity,” there are many words such as “omniscient,” “ineffable,” “omnipresent,” “self-existent” and “uncreated,” none of which is found in the Bible, but nevertheless, each of which can be extremely helpful for us in summarizing what the Bible clearly teaches about the character of our amazing God.

We often act as if the concept of the Trinity is something negative since it is difficult for us to grasp; rather, we should view it as something wonderful because it means not only that we have a God who is greater and more mysterious than our imaginings, but also that we have a God who seeks a personal relationship with us through the redemption of the Son and the presence of the Spirit. If God were not a Trinity, he would be the God of Deism or Islam, both impersonal and unknowable. Because he is a Trinity, God himself exists in community: three persons of one essence, who love one another with a perfect love and whose love overflowed in the creation and redemption of humanity. When God created humanity in his image, he created us as relational beings, created to love each other and our Creator.

BIBLICAL EVIDENCE FOR CONCEIVING OF GOD AS A TRINITY

The Bible teaches that we have One God (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10; 1 Corinthians 8:4–6; Ephesians 4:4–6). At the same time, that One God is revealed progressively throughout Scripture as three Persons:

  • God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are active in Creation (Genesis 1:1–2; Colossians 1:16–17)
  • Isaiah prophesies that the one born of the virgin would also be Immanuel, God with us (Isaiah 7:14) and later calls the Messiah “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father” (Isaiah 9:6)
  • The NT calls the Father God (John 6:27; 20:17; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 1:1; Ephesians 4:6; Philippians 2:11; 1 Peter 1:2)
  • The NT explicitly declares Jesus Christ to be God (John 1:1; 20:28; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8); it also applies the name Yahweh, the Lord God who created the universe, to Jesus (Philippians 2:8-11; Hebrews 1:10)
  • The NT writers recognize the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3–4; 1 Corinthians 2:10–11; 1 Corinthians 6:19; John 3:5-6, 8; Titus 3:5)
  • The NT writers speak of the presence and work of the Father, Son, and Spirit in one breath (Matthew 28:19; Mark 1:10–11; Luke 10:21, 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2)

Our awe and wonder at the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, compel us to embrace our core value of 'Trinitarian Worship.' We believe our highest calling is to worship God as He has revealed Himself: glorifying the Father in His sovereign love, exalting the Son in His redemptive work, and being empowered by the Spirit in our communion with God and one another. Every aspect of our corporate worship and personal devotion flows from this Trinitarian reality, seeking to honor each person of the Godhead.

HOW SHOULD WE ADDRESS GOD IN PRAYER?

Since God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are “Persons,” we should speak of them as such (e.g., the Holy Spirit is “He” and not “It”). Though we may certainly address any member of the Trinity in prayer, it may be helpful to follow the guidance of Scripture.

Jesus addressed God as “Father” in his model prayer for his disciples (Matthew 6:9–13), and he told them to pray to the Father in his name once he was no longer on this earth (John 16:22–24). Since we have God’s Spirit dwelling in us, it is by his power that we cry out to God in prayer and seek his will (Romans 8:15–16; 26–27). Thus, in addressing God in prayer it can be helpful to think of praying to God the Father in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

JESUS: FULLY GOD AND FULLY MAN

Crucial to our understanding of the Trinity is the Bible’s presentation of Jesus Christ, at and forever after his incarnation, as fully man (Matthew 8:23–24; 21:18; John 11:32–36) and fully God (John 1:1–3; John 10:30; 17:4–5; Titus 2:13), in possession of both divine and human natures, unified in one person. The two natures coexist in union without confusion or change, separation or division. Jesus Christ had to possess both natures in order to be our Lord and Savior.

Because he was fully divine, Jesus is able to be the perfect and eternal sacrifice for the complete atonement of our sins, as well as our permanent high priest, allowing us to be eternally reconciled to God (Hebrews 7:23–28). Because he was fully human, Jesus was able to be our proper substitute on the cross to experience the wrath of God, and he is able to be a comfort and example for our daily living (Hebrews 2:14–18).

Being truly divine, Jesus could not sin, He was impeccable. God’s nature is unchangeably holy (John 5:19, 30), and because Jesus is the eternal Son of God, He was never capable of sinning. Yet as truly human, Jesus was also capable of being tempted in every way that we are, though without sin (Hebrews 4:15). This means His temptations were not less real, but in fact more terrible than ours.

Unlike us, who eventually give in, Jesus resisted every temptation to the end, bearing the full weight of it. Though He did not have sinful desires as we do, He still suffered in temptation through the pressures of the devil, the weakness of human flesh (like hunger, weariness, and sorrow), and the agony of the cross. Because He never yielded, He understands temptation more deeply than any of us ever could. That’s why Hebrews 2:18 brings such comfort: “Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.”

HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is fully God, equal with the Father and Son, whose primary ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ; he also convicts unbelievers of their need for Christ and imparts spiritual life through regeneration, the new birth (John 1:12-13; 3:1-15, 34). The Spirit permanently indwells, graciously sanctifies, lovingly leads, and empowers all who are brought to faith in Christ so that they might live in obedience to the inerrant Scriptures (John 14:12; 15:26-27; 16:7-15).

The model for our reliance upon the Spirit and our experience of his indwelling and empowering presence is the Lord Jesus Christ himself who was filled with the Spirit and entirely dependent upon his power for the performance of miracles, the preaching of the kingdom of God, and all other dimensions of his earthly ministry (Matthew 3:11; 12:28; Luke 4:1, 14; 5:17; 10:21). The Holy Spirit who indwelt and empowered Christ in like manner indwells and empowers us (Acts 2:14-21; 4:29-30; 10:38; Romans 8:9) through spiritual gifts he has bestowed for the work of ministry and the building up of the body of Christ (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-13; 12:28-31; 14:1-33). These spiritual gifts are divine provisions which are central to spiritual growth and effective ministry and are to be eagerly desired, faithfully developed, and lovingly exercised according to biblical guidelines (2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Galatians 3:1-5; Ephesians 1:13-14; 5:18). It is important to note that all spiritual gifts must be exercised in submission to Scripture and for the edification of the church.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR OUR CHURCH

Trinitarian worship matters because it reflects the very nature of God. God is one essence in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who eternally love and glorify one another. Because God is love within Himself, we, His people, are drawn into that eternal love. We worship a God who in His triune nature knows perfect communion.

Thus, as we worship the Triune God, we learn to reflect His love in our own relationships, living as His covenant family. Without the Trinity, we might imagine a God who only begins to love once He creates. But since God has always been triune, love is eternal, and we, in worship and community, mirror that eternal reality.

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW, THOUGHT & DISCUSSION

  1. What would be the implication for Christianity if Jesus had only been an ordinary human being? What would be the implication if Jesus had not really been human, but only God in disguise?
  2. Why is the concept of God as Trinity so important to our faith? What would we lose if we deny that God is both one and three? Compare our Trinitarian faith with other religions or systems of beliefs with which you are familiar.
  3. In what ways can your understanding of the Trinity instruct and enhance your devotional life? With which person of the Trinity do you most often interact? Why?
  4. In what ways do you live out Christian community?