Q: How many persons are there in God?
A:There are three persons in one true and living God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14
This notion of the three persons in one God, is known as the doctrine of the Trinity. The essential points of the doctrine of the Trinity are as follows:
There is only one true God
This God exists in three persons; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit
These three persons are unique in identity and role, but one in nature and essence, coeternal, equal in divinity, glory and majesty
It can also be related like this:
There is one God.
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is not the Son or the Holy Spirit.
The Son is not the Father or the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son.
The Trinity, while not a term found in the Bible, is a doctrine that is clearly communicated throughout Scripture.
Genesis 1:1-3 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” In the New Testament John reveals who “the Word” was, through which God accomplished his creation; John 1:1-2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.” and Paul further clarifies in Colossians 1:15-19 “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell”
Also, Scripture points us to the uniqueness of each member of the Godhead, both in person, role and position. Philippians 2:6-10 “Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” tells us that though Jesus is God and the Father is God, they are yet unique persons.
In Acts 1:7-8 “(Jesus) said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Lays out again the distinctions not just in persons of the Trinity, but also their distinct roles.
At the baptism of Christ, the Trinity is perhaps most clearly revealed as being distinct in personage with each member present, yet different. Matthew 3:16-17 ”And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Also, Jesus, in the great commission given in Matthew 28:19,clearly lays out the three distinct persons of the Trinity “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”
In brief the roles of the members of the Godhead can be related like this; the Father is the Planner, the Son is the Accomplisher, and the Holy Spirit is the Applier of salvation to believers. The Father is the Source, the Son is the Means, and the Holy Spirit is the Effector of salvation—it is He who convicts, convinces, and converts.
Norman Geisler in his Systematic Theology describes their hierarchy this way: “All members of the Trinity are equal in essence, but they do not have the same roles. It is a heresy (called subordinationism) to affirm that there is an ontological subordination of one member of the Trinity to another, since they are identical in essence . . . ; nonetheless, it is clear that there is a functional subordination; that is, not only does each member have a different function or role, but some functions are also subordinate to others.”
Last week we discussed the attributes of God, and how that, we, as finite beings, can not completely comprehend an infinite God. He is incomprehensible, not unknowable, but not fully knowable. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the prime examples of God’s incomprehensibility. The law of non-contradiction states that “A cannot be both A and non-A at the same time and in the same relationship” for example, a door can’t be open and closed at the same time. To say something “is”, and at the same time, “is not”, is an obvious contradiction, it is foolishness or nonsense. It is the qualifier term “in the same relationship” here that disqualifies the Trinity from being a contradiction.
The doctrine of the Trinity states that, God is three in person, and one in essence. This is not a contradiction or a logical fallacy, this is a paradox. A paradox is a statement that is contrary to expectations, existing belief, or perceived opinion; a statement which may seem contradictory in nature but nonetheless contains a latent truth.
This is one of the limitations of a finite creature relating to an infinite creator. He has not revealed himself to us in a way that contradicts the gift of logic he has given us but, has done it in a way that is beyond our full comprehension.
An understanding of the Trinity, even though it is a complex notion, is important. It helps to keep us from wandering into heresies, such as Modalism, Partialism, Arianism and others, that distort our view of God as he has revealed himself. Even more importantly, it reinforces our understanding of God’s self sufficiency and we see a beautiful perfect representation of the love and unity that we ought to strive for with one another as heirs of Christ and a people indwelled by the one true Holy Spirit.