The Trinity

Remember that monotheism and the Trinity are presuppositions of Christian theism.  This worksheet will explain what the Trinity is and why Christians hold to it.

The Trinity is one God who exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the same in one way, since they are all the same God, but they are different in another, since they are distinct persons.  The diagram below summarizes this idea:

Monotheism: One God

Some people believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate gods.  This belief is called tritheism.  However, the Bible teaches that only one God exists.  For example:

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." (Deuteronomy 6:4)

"This is what the LORD says—
       Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty:
       I am the first and I am the last;
       apart from me there is no God.
Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it.
       Let him declare and lay out before me
       what has happened since I established my ancient people,
       and what is yet to come—
       yes, let him foretell what will come.
Do not tremble, do not be afraid.
       Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago?
       You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me?
        No, there is no other Rock; I know not one." (Isaiah 44:6-8)

Three Persons

The Bible also teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons.  Each person is fully God, but the persons are also in some way different from the other two persons.  Since each person is fully God, it would be wrong to describe each person as being "part of God."  We may say that a mother is part of her family, but she is not the same thing as her family.  John 1:1, on the other hand, teaches that Jesus Christ was God from the beginning, not merely a part of God:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Now take a look at John 1:14:

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The phrase "the Word became flesh" indicates that the Word John is talking about in John 1:1 is Jesus Christ, who took on a human body ("became flesh").  Interestingly, John teaches that Jesus was God (1:1) but also teaches that Jesus was with God the Father ¹ (1:1) and came from the Father (1:14).  Even though God the Father and God the Son are both God, they are also different in some way.

The Bible also teaches that the Holy Spirit is God.  For example, when Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, he also lied to God.  (Acts 5:3-8)  The Holy Spirit is also described as the 'Spirit of the Lord' (verse 9).

Modalism

Some people believe that instead of being distinct persons, the Father, Son, and Spirit are just different ways that God expresses Himself.  This belief is called modalism.  Modalism is not consistent with Matthew 3:16-17:

"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Jesus the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Father were all in the same place at the same time, but they are not doing the same things.  If the three persons were not distinct from each other,this would not be possible.

The Trinity Is a Mystery

The Water Illustration

Many Christians explain the Trinity by saying, "You know that water can exist as ice.  When it melts, the water becomes a liquid.  Then it boils and comes a gas.  Even though water can exist in three states, it is still water the whole time."  Although this illustration is well-intentioned, it leads very easily to modalism or tritheism.

Remember that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are distinct persons, but they are all the same God at the same time.  A water molecule, on the other hand, can only be part of a solid, a liquid, or a gas at any one time.  It cannot be part of all three at the same time!  Applying this the water molecule illustration to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit would teach modalism, not the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity.

People who like the water illustration could then respond that many water molecules exist.  Since the molecules can be separated from each other, water can be a solid, a liquid, and a gas at the same time.  While this is true, the illustration they give actually illustrates tritheism.  The solid, liquid, and gaseous water contain different molecules.  Applying this illustration to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit would imply that they are different gods!

Is the Trinity a Contradiction, Then?

The Trinity is a mystery and cannot be fully understood by the human mind.  This does not make the Trinity a contradiction.  A contradiction is an argument that disproves itself.  For example, the statements "I cannot speak a sentence in English" and "Ideas cannot be communicated through sentences" are both contradictions.  A mystery is simply something we can't solve because we don't have enough information or because the problem is too complicated.  God can solve mysteries, while people cannot.  No one can make a contradiction true, not even God.²

Making the Water Illustration Accurate

If you still don't want to give up on the water illustration, there is still a way to make it work.  Think of the universal idea of water that applies to the solid, liquid, and gaseous water.  All three types of water are still water in that they are manifestations of that universal idea.  At the same time, ice, liquid water, and water vapor are still distinct from each other.  How exactly the universal idea of water and the particular manifestations are connected is called the problem of universals.  Philosophers have been trying to understand solve the problem of universals for thousands of years, and the solution still remains a mystery.  Since the Trinity itself is a mystery, Christians don't have to get too worried if our limited minds can't solve the problem of universals.  If God is a Trinity and He understands Himself, then His mind is also big enough to grasp the mystery of the problem of universals.

Discussion Questions

1. Find a passage in the Bible teaching that one God exists.  (Do not use the passages from this worksheet.)  Copy down at least one verse and reference from the passage.  Explain the original meaning of the passage.

2. Find a passage in the Bible teaching that either Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit is God.  (Do not use the passages from this worksheet.)  Copy down at least one verse and reference from the passage.  Explain the original meaning of the passage.

3. Compare and contrast the idea of mystery and the idea of contradiction.

4. Do you think that the existence of mystery should affect the way you live or your attitude toward school?  Why or why not?

5. Some atheists say that the Trinity is a contradiction.  For example: "We all know 'One God exists' and 'three gods exist' are separate teachings that contradict each other.  Unfortunately, the Trinity involves both ideas.  It holds that one God exists but that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all gods."  Write a paragraph explaining why an accurate understanding of the Trinity does not involve a contradiction.  Be sure to explain why the "one God/three gods" argument doesn't work, since the atheists are using that to try to show that the Trinity is a contradiction.

6. Do some Web or library research to find a religion that teaches tritheism, modalism, or some other non-Biblical view. (If you need help getting started, you may want to look at the Jehovah's Witnesses or the Mormons.)  Explain the areas where you think that religion is correct about the Trinity.  Then explain the areas where you think that religion is wrong about the Trinity.

End Notes

¹John says that the Word "came from the Father" in verse 14.  He also says "the Word was with God" in verse 1, and I assume that the word God in that verse refers to God the Father.  Since John uses the word God twice in verse 18, once to refer to the Father and once to refer to the Son, I think this is a good assumption.

²The Bible teaches that God can't do certain things, such as lie (Hebrews 6:18, Numbers 23:19, Titus 1:2, 1 Samuel 15:29) or change (Hebrews 13:8).  God also can't make logical contradictions become true without changing the assumptions behind them.  For example, consider this contradiction: "God is God and not God at the same time and in exactly the same way."  If God could make this contradiction true, He would stop being God!  If he stopped being God, he would also change, which would violate Hebrews 13:8.

References

"Theology." Lightbearers: A Biblical Christian Worldview Curriculum. Ed. David Noebel, Pat Maloy, and Kevin J. Bywater. Manitou Springs: Summit Ministries, 2004. 31-50.

"The Triunity of God." Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Sproul, R.C. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 1992. 35-36.