A Scriptural defense of the Holy Trinity

The Trinity has been and always will be a truth that has befuddled the minds of many, to the point where many heretics have actually rejected it or held to another model or form of the Trinity in which it loses all its grandeur. What this points to is the fact that the Trinity is a mystery, that is to say, it is a supernatural truth beyond human comprehension or reasoning. It is not something that mankind could ever reason to, thus God through sacred Scripture reveals this most holy truth, that he is a Triune God. 

Thus today we shall cover a basic overview of the doctrine of the Trinity, essentially covering what it means to say that there is one God, who is yet three Divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Once we have identified what is meant by the doctrine of the Trinity, we shall move forth to scriptural arguments in which it shall be shown that there is one God, and this one God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Finally in further proof of the Trinity in the biblical texts, we shall cover what the early church fathers had to say on the matter. After all of this has been shown through sacred scripture, which is God’s revelation of himself to mankind, it shall be made evident that the Trinity is true and is the backbone of all sacred scripture itself, in which all other mysteries such as the Incarnation of Christ depend for their true meaning.

To begin, the doctrine of the Trinity holds that there is only one God, who created all that is and in which everything depends for its existence at every moment. According to sacred Scripture, as we shall see, this same one God reveals himself as a Trinity or Triune God, in which this same one God is three persons, that is, the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. The first person, the Father, is the origin or source of the Son and Holy Spirit. The second person, the Son, eternally proceeds forth or is begotten from the Father, thus the Father is the principle or source of Son. The Third person, the Holy Spirit, eternally proceeds forth or is spirated from the Father and the Son, and thus the Father and the Son, together act as one principle of the Holy Spirit. When we say that the Son and Holy Spirit proceed from their sources, what is meant is that their personal existence is communicated from the Father, as in the case of the Son, or from the Father and Son, as with the Holy Spirit.

These processions in the Trinity, happen from eternity, that is to say, there was never a time when the Son was not in existence and proceeded from the Father and likewise with the Holy Spirit. To understand this, you might think of a river which flows forth to form another river, and from these two rivers, one more river is formed. They are three distinct rivers, but all bear the same essence or nature of being a river. Keep in mind though, this is merely an analogy when compared with the Trinity, it’s not meant to be perfectly adequate, for then it wouldn’t be an analogy. Thus to quickly summarize, the doctrine of the Trinity holds there is one eternal God, who is Triune, that is to say, is also three persons. The Father, who is the source of the Trinity and who begets the Son, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds forth from the Father and the Son as one principle. They are not three persons who are three separate God’s, but they are the same one God. The three persons are not merely roles that God takes on, as if he was an actor, but are three really distinct persons. Our minds cannot, and can never comprehend this supernatural truth, for there is nothing in creation that is one being yet three persons. And therefore this supernatural truth is a mystery beyond our comprehension.

Nevertheless, let us first show that there is only one God in scripture and not multiple, which generally is agreed upon even by most heretics, and so we won’t stay on this point too long. To show this to be true we can look at a multitude of verses for example: “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.” (Isaiah 44:6). And in another place we read: “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him.” (Deuteronomy 4:35). And finally we also read: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.” (James 2:19). As is clear, all of these verses show that there is only one eternal God of the universe, who created all of reality itself. So it is impossible for there to be multiple gods, according to sacred scripture, for there is only one. Thus we have already shown one important part of the doctrine of Trinity to be true.

Next we can now move onto showing the person of the Father as being divine. This also is not disputed by most, and so we will not spend too long on this point either. Some verses that demonstrate this are as follows: “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist” (1 Cor 8:6). And elsewhere: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 1:3). And finally, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26).

From these verses it is evident that there is the person of the Father, who is identified as God and is thus eternal. In confirmation, St Irenaeus of Lyon, who bears apostle teachings stemming from St John the Apostle, states: “Now, that this God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul the apostle also has declared, [saying,] ‘There is one God, the Father, who is above all, and through all things, and in us all.’” (Against Heresies, bk.2, ch.2). Therefore we have identified one essential aspect of the Trinity as holding true, that is, the person of the Father. But what is a Father without relation to a Son, therefore from here we can go on to identify the person of the Son who is also God and is distinct from the Father in sacred scripture. One of the clearest places this is established is through John chapter one, in which St John the apostle of Jesus Christ, identifies the Son, who is the Word, as God himself, and as having existed prior to creation itself, meaning he can’t be a part of creation.

We read:  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.” (John 1:1-3). This word of God, who is God, is not some idea in the mind of God, for St John clearly gives the pronoun of “he” to the word, of course masculine pronouns are only proper to persons, and not things or ideas. And nevertheless, we read later that this same Word of God became man, who we know of as Jesus Christ.

Thus St John identifies the word of God as God himself, in which all things were made through him. Now if everything that is created was created by this Word who is the Son, then the Son couldn’t have been created, otherwise you’d have to say that the Son created himself which is impossible. Therefore not only is it made clear that the Son is God, but St John specifies that the Word or the Son was with God. Of course in scripture, the word God itself many times signifies God the Father, and so what St John is saying is that the Son is God, and existed with the Father who he is distinct from. The divinity of the Son is also made clear in other verses, for example, the Son calls himself the first and the last, which is a title that means he is eternal, and it is a title only God claimed in the Old Testament [Show Isaiah verse]. We read the Son declare: “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:12-13).

Evidently it is the Son who is declaring this title for himself, for it is only the Son who it is said will come again at his second coming. Nevertheless, this verse demonstrates the divinity of the Son for he claims for himself a title only proper to God which relates his eternity, that is to say, that he always existed. In agreement with the Son’s eternity and existence with the Father, St Ignatius of Antioch, a direct student of St John the Apostle, writes: “…and are entrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ, who was with the Father before the beginning of time, and in the end was revealed.” (Epistle to the Magnesians, ch.6). St Ignatius also directly calls Jesus Christ God in a multitude of places, but specifically he states in one chapter:  “For our God, Jesus Christ, now that He is with the Father, is all the more revealed. Christianity is not a thing of silence only, but also of greatness.” (Epistle to the Romans, ch.3).

Finally, while there are many other places that demonstrate the Divinity of Jesus, let us focus on the book of Hebrews, which was written by St Paul, we read: “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power.” (Hebrews 1:1-3).

There are two things to keep in mind here, the fact that St Paul makes a distinction between God the Father and the Son, and also how the Son bears the very stamp of Divine nature. Really what St Paul is saying is that the Son has a Divine nature, and since we know there’s only one God according to scripture, the Son bears the same divine nature as the Father. Also keep in mind that St Paul argues that the Son upholds the universe by his power, and also created all things in existence, of course, the same argument we used concerning John chapter 1, could be used here as well.

Finally to show that the Son is begotten of from the Father or proceeds from the Father, that is, his existence is relationally from the Father. Scripture declares: “For to what angel did God ever say, ‘Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee’? Or again, ‘I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son’?” (Hebrews 1:5). Therefore from Hebrews a type of relational procession of being begotten from the Father in eternity is shown to be true. We know St Paul doesn’t mean the word today in literal sense, for just two verses prior he declares the Son to be God himself, meaning this begetting of the Son takes place out of time.

Therefore from all of these verses, we have already shown three essential aspects of the Trinity, that there is one God, that the Father is the one God, and now, that the Son is the one God. Let us finally move onto the third person, which is the Holy Spirit.

Oftentimes many heretics who reject the Trinity suppose that the Holy Spirit is merely the power or working of God through creation and is not a distinct person, but this evidently false. For the Gospel of John gives clear personal pronouns to the Holy Spirit, and makes the Holy Spirit really distinct from the Father and the Son, because he will be sent by the Father and the Son. We read: “These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:25-26).

Now that we know the Holy Spirit is a distinct person from the Father and the Son, another question to answer is if the Holy Spirit is God in scripture. Of which sacred scripture answers in the affirmative. For example, scripture equates the Holy Spirit with God, we read:  “But Peter said, ‘Anani′as, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?...How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.’” (Acts 5:3-4).

Finally in confirmation of the personhood and Divinity of the Holy Spirit, St Paul speaks of the Holy Spirit as speaking and bearing witness to various OT verses about the proclamations of the Lord whom for St Paul the Holy Spirit is identified as. St Paul writes: “And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with themafter those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,’ then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more.’” (Hebrews 15:-17).

Finally in regard to the Holy Spirit’s eternal procession or spiration from the Father and the Son, an important passage comes from John chapter 16, in which the Son declares that the Holy Spirit will guide the Apostles to truth. We read: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15).

It must be understood that the Holy Spirit will receive this truth in which the Apostles will be guided, from the Son, for the Son says “He will take what is mine and declare it to you”. Now since we know that the Holy Spirit is God, and thus omniscient, this knowledge couldn’t be something that the Holy Spirit could gain on top of what he already has. Therefore the only way we could read this would be to say that the Holy Spirit receives his entire nature or being from the Son and of course the Father, from whom the Son receives his being as a person.

St Augustine writing in agreement states: “...But of Him from whom He proceeds, and of whom He has essence, of Him He has knowledge; from Him, therefore, He has hearing, which is nothing else than knowledge.” (Tractate 99). This doctrine which we have just established from scripture is also called the Filioque. At last, we have finally shown that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the one God in which all creation depends upon. St Augustine famously gave the analogy in which he compared the Trinity to the concept of love. That is, there is a Lover, who is the Father, a beloved or loved one, who is the Son, and the mutual love shared between the two, which is the Holy Spirit. It is as if this love pours forth not only in the Trinity, but in another certain sense this love pours forth into creation and all the supernatural mysteries and doctrines of the faith.

It should also be kept in mind that all mysteries in which God has revealed all begin with the doctrine of the Trinity. For example, the Incarnation of the Son, in which the Son became man in order to atone for our sins, can only make sense if it is related to the Trinity. Even the sacraments themselves which Christ entrusted to the Catholic Church, such as the sacrament of baptism are only possible if the Trinity is an essential component of it. That is why Christ himself teaches to baptize with reference to the Trinity, we read Christ proclaim: “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…” (Matthew 28:19).

If the Son and Holy Spirit aren’t divine persons, why does Christ put them at the same level of the Father who would be only one who is divine. And further why would people receive salvific grace from baptism in the name of two other persons who were not divine. This sacrament of baptism thus identifies salvation to be from the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who are the one God. Let us therefore worship the Triune Lord, for our very being, life, and salvation depends on him who is of three persons, the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.