In his letter to James Smith on December 8, 1822, Thomas Jefferson, wrote: The hocus-pocus phantasm of a God, like another Cerberus [the multi-headed dog that guards the gate to hell in Roman mythology], with one body and three heads, had its birth and growth in the blood of thousands and thousands of martyrs. The Athanasian paradox that one is three and three but one, is so incomprehensible to the human mind, that no candid man can say he has any idea of it, and how can he believe what presents no idea? He who thinks he does, only deceives himself He proves, also, that man, once surrendering his reason, has no remaining guard against absurdities the most monstrous, and like a ship without a rudder, is the sport of every wind. With such persons, gullibility, which they call faith, takes the helm of reason, and the mind becomes a wreck (Works, Vol. iv., p. 360).”
Thomas Jefferson was one of the America’s Founding Fathers, the chief author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third President of our nation, but contrary to popular opinion, he was not a Christian. He was what we call a “deistic Unitarian.” He believed that there was one true God who created the universe, but he denied the doctrines of the Trinity and the deity of Jesus Christ, and disbelieved that God is personally involved with his creation. Now Jefferson was correct when he said that the doctrine of the Trinity had its birth and growth in the blood of thousands of martyrs and that it is incomprehensible to the human mind, but he was wrong when he said that no candid man can say he has any idea of it! No one can fully understand the mystery of God being one and three at the same time, but the Holy Scriptures do testify to its reality and truth.
Even though the Bible never uses the term “Trinity,” the concept that God is a unified plurality and eternally existent in the three distinct persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is perfectly clear. In today’s sermon, I would like to present a thumbnail sketch of the Bible’s affirmation of the Trinity and its significance for our spiritual lives today.
God: A Unified Plurality in the Old Testament
Although the great emphasis of the Old Testament is on the unity of God, there are hints of a plurality in the Godhead and suggestions that this plurality is a Trinity. As the Bible begins to unfold in the Book of Genesis, we find an interesting repetition of God referring to himself plural personal pronouns. Let me highlight three places for you:
Genesis 1:26- Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Genesis 3:22- And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
Genesis 11:7- “Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
These three references, and others like it, certainly imply that God is a plurality. When the Old Testament uses the general name for God (Elohim), is it usually a reference to God the Father. “The Spirit of God” which is used throughout the Old Testament, obviously refers to the Holy Spirit. And when we see the oft-reoccurring phrase “the angel of the Lord, most biblical scholars believe it is a reference to the pre-incarnate second person of the Trinity. His appearances in the Old Testament foreshadow his coming in the flesh. In light of all of these hints, it is fair to conclude with theologian Louis Berkhof that, “The Old Testament contains a clear anticipation of the fuller revelation of the Trinity in the New Testament.”
God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the New Testament
As God continued to unfold his plan of redemption in history, the pivotal moment arrived at the incarnation, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All of the hints to God’s triune nature in the Old Testament are fully revealed in the New Testament, beginning with Christmas. God the Father’s plan to send God the Son to the earth in human form was accomplished through the overshadowing and conception by the Holy Spirit. And throughout the gospels, which reveal the life of Jesus Christ, each of the three persons of the Godhead are seen carrying out their unified yet distinctive divine roles. It would be impossible to discuss every biblical passage that displays these divine roles, but I would like to briefly highlight four New Testament passages where we see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the same time as co-equals.
The first place where we see the three persons of the Godhead together is a Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3:13-17. Right before Jesus launched his public ministry, he went to the Jordan River to be baptized by his cousin John the Baptist. As he emerged from the water, two miracles occurred. The Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form a dove and lightning and the Father spoke the infamous words, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” All three persons participate in the baptism in preparation for God’s redemptive plan to be accomplished.
Furthermore, at the end of Jesus’ ministry, after he was resurrected from the dead, he commissioned his disciples to carry-on his work in the world. In Matthew 28:19-20, he told them to “go and make disciples of all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” This baptismal formula was not coincidental, but Jesus wanted the Trinitarian expression to be a central part of his ongoing work in the world. The very names “Father” and “Son,” draw as they are from the family, the most fundamental of human institutions, indicate very strongly the distinct persons of both the Father and the Son. When the “Holy Spirit” is put in the same expression and on the same level as the other two persons, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the Holy Spirit is also viewed as a person and of equal standing with the Father and the Son.
And finally, the introductory paragraphs of Paul’s epistle to the Romans and Peter’s first epistle, these two chief apostles mention all three persons of the Godhead as co-equals but having different roles:
Romans 1:1-4- Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God–2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Peter 1:2– Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Even though the term “Trinity” is never used in Scripture, it is virtually impossible to read the whole Bible in context and deny the Holy Trinity. Ever since the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 right up until our modern day, the Trinity has been the chief doctrine to determine a person’s or church’s orthodoxy. This is why groups like the Unitarians and Jehovah’s Witnesses, which deny the Trinity, are not considered as true Christians.
The Significance of the Trinity
But even after hearing the biblical evidence for the triune nature of God, some of you may still be wondering why the early church was so concerned about the doctrine of the Trinity? Or you may be thinking, “Well, I affirm the doctrine of the Trinity, but I am not sure what difference it makes in my spiritual life today?” Allow me to answer these questions by highlighting two significant applications of this doctrine.
1.) The Prerequisite for Atonement
First, the Trinity fulfills the prerequisite for the atonement! Or let me put it this way, if Jesus Christ is merely a created being and is not fully God, it would have been impossible for him to live a life of sinless perfection. And if Jesus did not live a sinless life, then he is no different from the rest of us; he would be a sinner like you and me. And if Jesus is a sinner like us, he could not bear the full wrath of God and his death on the cross could not provide atonement for our sins. And if Jesus’ death did not pay the penalty for our sins, then we are still dead in our trespasses and sins and are condemned to hell!
So then, why is the doctrine of the Trinity so important? Because our very salvation depends upon it!
2.) The Model for Relationships
Second, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity provides the model for human relationships. Because God himself has both unity and diversity, it is not surprising that unity and diversity is reflected in the human relationships he has established. We see this in marriage. When God created humans in his own image, “male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). In marriage, a man and a woman remain distinct individuals, yet they are unified in body, mind, and spirit.
Likewise, the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the Godhead provides the perfect model for how we are to relate to one another. The three persons of the Godhead relate to one another in perfect love, equal respect, and mutual submission. There is no foolish pride, egotistic expectations, or selfishness desires. There is no arguing, bickering, or hurting each others’ feelings. They are always willing to sacrifice for the others.
There is not a single one of us who doesn’t have conflict in our relationships with other people. We bear the pain of miscommunication, broken expectations, and wounded emotions, but the Trinity gives us the model for the way relationships are supposed to be. Wouldn’t you like for your relationship with your family and friends to look like the relationship that exists between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?
Allow me to conclude by praising the Triune God with the words of Saint Gregory the Greats’ sixth century hymn Father, We Praise Thee:
Father, we praise thee, now the night is over;
active and watchful, stand we all before thee;
singing, we offer prayer and meditation;
thus we adore thee.
Monarch of all things, fit us for thy mansions;
banish our weakness, health and wholeness sending;
bring us to heaven, with thy saints united;
joy without ending.
All-holy Father, Son, and equal Spirit,
Trinity blessed, send us thy salvation;
thine is the glory, gleaming and resounding
through all creation.