Trinitarian Relationships

What is the most unique and mysterious doctrine of the Christian faith? For many the answer is the Trinity—one God who eternally exists in three Persons. (Of course, the word “Person” does not mean exactly the same thing as human persons.) How can you understand that concept? And if you can’t understand it, how can you explain it?

A key to understanding this doctrine is to focus on the life of Jesus as presented in the Gospels. In so doing, we can watch the relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit unfold in the narrative of Scripture. The following observations were a tremendous help when I began teaching the doctrine of the Trinity.

God the Son and God the Father

John begins his Gospel in this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1). Since “the Word” refers to Jesus, John’s opening statement asserts that Jesus was with God and Jesus was God. How can that be? How can you be both with someone and be that someone at the same time? You can’t. John’s statement takes us into a mystery about God. As we know many other New Testament passages Jesus is God the Son and he was with God the Father. According to Paul, before Jesus became a human he was “in very nature God” (Phil. 2:6). John continues by saying that through Jesus “all things were made” (Jn. 1:2). So Jesus was with God the Father before anything else existed, he was divine in nature, and he is the agent through which God made all things.

Out of love, God sent his Son into the world he created in order to save it. At birth the Son was given the name Jesus. Even at the age of 12, Jesus had a close relationship with God, calling him “my Father” (Lk. 2:49). When Jesus was about the age of 30, the Father announced his love for him at his baptism – “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (Lk. 3:22). Jesus demonstrated his love for his Father by perfectly obeying him (Jn. 14:31)—doing only what he saw his Father doing (Jn. 5:19) and speaking only what his Father told him to speak (Jn. 12:50). And Jesus’ perfect obedience found its greatest expression in his death on a cross (Phil. 2:8). In response, the Father vindicated his Son by raising him from the dead (Acts 2:32) and exalting him to the highest place (Phil. 2:9). Jesus is now seated at his Father’s right hand (Heb. 1:3; Col. 3:1). The Father has even entrusted final judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father (Jn. 5:22-23). And book of Revelation describes a worship scene where Jesus (or the Lamb) receives the same praise and honor as God the Father (5:13-14). After everything has been put under Christ’s feet, “Then the end will come, when the Son hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power” (1 Cor. 15:24).

God the Son and God the Spirit

The Spirit is so intricately connected to Jesus that he is referred to as the “Spirit of Jesus” (Acts 16:7) and the “Spirit of Christ” (Rom. 8:9). Mary’s miraculous conception of the baby Jesus was the work of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18, 20). Three decades later, while John was baptizing Jesus, the Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove (Lk. 3:22), and remained on him (Jn. 1:33). Following his baptism, the Spirit sent Jesus into the desert where he was tempted by Satan (Mk. 1:12-13). Returning from the desert in the power of the Spirit (Lk. 4:14), Jesus announced that the Spirit of the Lord had anointed him for his mission (Lk. 4:18-19) and by the Spirit he proceeded to drive out demons (Mt. 12:28). Before his crucifixion, Jesus taught his disciples in greater detail about the Spirit, explaining how the Spirit would be his replacement on earth by coming to aid his disciples in a variety of ways (Jn.14:16-17, 26; 16:13). Even during his suffering, the Spirit did not leave Jesus because it was through the eternal Spirit that Jesus offered himself to God (Heb. 9:14) then he died. But three days later Jesus was raised from the dead by the same Spirit (Rom. 1:4; 8:11). As promised, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit from the Father on his disciples (Acts 2:33), giving his followers power to be his witnesses.

Conclusion

What can we conclude from this information? Without the Father sending his Son into the world, no human would have ever met the Son. And without the Spirit enabling Mary to conceive, empowering Jesus for his mission, and raising him from the dead, no human would worship and follow Jesus. So here’s the point: You can’t have one member of the Trinity without the others. The Father, Son, and Spirit are each unique and divine but inseparable from one another—one God.

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. My latest book focuses on Paul’s work as a tentmaker and what it means for today.