A. There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in essence, equal in power and glory. (1 Cor. 8:6; John 10:30; John 14:9; Acts 5:3,4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)
Scripture Proofs
Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. (1 Cor. 8:6)
I and the Father are one. (John 10:30)
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?" (John 14:9)
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” (Acts 5:3, 4)
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. (Matt 28:19)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Cor. 13:14)
At the end of the last post, I asked the question of how both Jesus and the Father could be God if there is only one God. Well, we see in this question and answer that the dilemma is further complicated by a third person being in the mix: the Holy Spirit, who is apparently also God.
First, let's recall that the Bible is emphatically clear that there is only one God. "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deut. 6:4). No one doubts that Christianity is a monotheistic religion except those who gravely misunderstand this doctrine. However, the Bible is also clear that the Father is God (1 Cor. 8:6), Jesus is God (John 10:30), and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3, 4). Indeed, it also places the three in equal standing with one another (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14). That seems to be a contradiction, doesn't it?
Well, if the Bible really is the Word of God, then it can't be. God is the God of truth. He cannot lie and he tells no lies. If he tells us there is one God, that settles it. If he also tells us that three people are God, that settles it, too.
But how on earth does that work? Let's look at the answer given: "There are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in essence, equal in power and glory." All three of these people are one God. I've heard it explained like this: God is three in person and one in essence. He is not three in person and one in person, or three in essence and one in essence, for those would be contradictory. Rather, God has one essence and three persons who embody that essence. If that's hard to wrap your mind around, don't worry; it really, really is. We have no idea what that could possibly look like. How can three people be the same being at the same time? It's a mystery, but it's certainly not a contradiction.
I think one thing that sums this doctrine up very well is Chapter 2, paragraph 3 of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, which this catechism is based on:
In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided: the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son; all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him.
Don't be boggled by the archaic language; it's not that hard to understand if you read it closely. "In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences (referring to the persons of the Trinity), the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity." In other words, each of these beings possess all the attributes of God we discussed a few weeks ago. Continuing from this, we must also remember that each of these beings have "the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided," which means that each of these beings is fully God. They aren't each one-third of God, making one whole God together; each of them is fully and completely God. Someone - I don't remember who - once said that anything that can be stated about one person of the Trinity can be stated of the others. I wouldn't go quite that far; the Father didn't die on the Cross, for example. But when we say that Jesus is holy, or good, or loving, we can say the same about the Father and the Holy Spirit as well. Because they are all the same God, it's the same holiness, the same goodness, the same love.
It's important that we don't fall into the heresy of modalism; the heresy that teaches that God, who is one person only, manifests himself in three different ways at different times. The general belief, to my knowledge, is that God manifested himself as the Father in the Old Testament, Jesus during his earthly ministry, and now manifests himself as the Holy Spirit. Rather than being three distinct persons, God is one person who appears in three different ways. But that doesn't square with the Bible. Who exactly was Jesus praying to (Matt. 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; John 17)? What about John 1:1, which says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"? If modalism is true, there's no way the Word can be both God and with God at the same time; the verse may as well read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was God." But it doesn't. And what about how Jesus says he will send the Helper (the Holy Spirit) in John 15:26 and 16:7? If Jesus simply became the Holy Spirit, he's not exactly sending the Spirit. And in 16:7 especially, Jesus says he is going away and will send the Helper. If modalism is true, he would be going away and then coming back, not going away and sending someone else. So modalism doesn't pass the test of Scripture, and must be avoided.
This is our God, the three-in-one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, all of whom are fully God, all of whom are one in essence. May we worship our true, trinitarian God.
To read the full catechism, click here.
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