Defending Christianity's Core: The Trinity
A passionate and exhaustive defense of the Trinity
When it comes to varying beliefs, Christianity is undeniably messy, scattered, and most certainly not united together under the same truths. Christians across hundreds of church bodies all hold different views of the Sacraments, how Scripture is interpreted, and how we are saved. However, the one thing that unifies Christians, and in fact determines whether a church is Christian or not, is the doctrine of the Trinity, the theological concept that describes the being of our God, three persons in one Godhead. This is the only crucial doctrine that still unites the militant church, or, at least it did. In another attack on the core and chief doctrines of the church, Satan has once again begun to spread disarray among Christians once again.
Did God really say?
As if to echo Satan's words to Adam and Eve when tempting them in the Garden of Eve, the largest argument against Trinitarianism is, quite literally, "Does the Bible actually say that?" While it may seem valid to diminish the doctrine of the Trinity with this approach, we must remember that Satan starts to lead people away from the truth by sowing doubt into the hearts of believers. While we will and even ought to ask questions about our faith and what we believe, it is insane to question a doctrine so well established that it has been held since the early church and Apostolic era. Why? Simply speaking, because the Bible actually says so and the early church simply explained what the Bible itself teaches.
While it doesn't necessarily need to be called the Trinity, the word simply describes what we find in Scripture. Tri (three) + unity (one) = three in one. Christianity is still explicitly monotheistic ("Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God. The Lord is one!" - Deuteronomy 6:4 EHV), yet there are complexities to our God that are hard to explain in human terms and the Trinity explains one of such complexities in our knowledge of the being of God and the Godhead. To ignore these complexities would be to ignore God altogether and to spurn the fact that He even cares about us.
The most well-known reference to the Trinity comes from Jesus Christ himself in the words of the Great Commission. Jesus here references all of the persons of the Trinity and specifically orders that all people be baptized in the names of the persons of the Godhead. When one has been baptized according to Jesus' own command, they have been baptized into the faith of a Triune God.
Jesus approached and spoke to them saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and by teaching them to keep all the instructions I have given you. And surely I am with you always until the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:18-20 EHV
This is explicit, and it is from our Savior, Himself, who made known the being of God to men who did not know God. While this verse, clearly never says the word "Trinity," it states exactly what the doctrine is - a belief in one God, that exists with three different persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To deny the Trinity is to deny Jesus Christ. If one who doesn't acknowledge the Trinity glosses over this passage without acknowledging its teaching of the Godhead, they deny their Savior because they show that they don't really care about what He says. However, Christ knows the Godhead better than any of us ever could ("For all the fullness of God’s being dwells bodily in Christ." - Colossians 2:9 EHV). Even though it may not fit our own human reason and understanding, if our Savior acknowledges something, we too should acknowledge it and trust that it is truth. By denying the Trinity, one denies the saving work that God has done to ransom us and bring us back to Him.
Other clear references to the Trinity occur throughout the New Testament, but the Trinity isn't confined to the New Testament and can be found elsewhere in Scripture, in the Old Testament. This should be no surprise to us that the God who is "the same yesterday and today and forever" would be found to be the same way in the Old Testament as He is found in the New Testament. While we could go on all day finding references to the Trinity, from the clearest to the most obscure, the following quotations are some of the clearest from both the Old Testament and the New Testament.
God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that crawls on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26 EHV
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. - Numbers 6:24-26 EHV
While Genesis 1:26 isn't as explicit as other passages, in context, this is a clear reference to the Trinity and not a scribal error. The use of the plural pronoun, us, is intentional. When we look at creation, we see God's Spirit hovering over the formless earth (the Holy Spirit), His voice speaking and creating (the Father), and the Son is clearly present as well, as John states in John 1:1-3 EHV, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him everything was made, and without him not one thing was made that has been made." John also acknowledges that Jesus (the Word) was God, but yet a separate person of the Godhead that was with God in the beginning. Numbers 6:24-26 (known as the Aaronic Benediction) is a clearer Old Testament reference to the Trinity, being divided into three statements that recognize the persons of the Trinity in order. "The Lord bless you and keep you" clearly refers to God the Father, whose main work (apart from creation) is providence which blesses and keeps us. "The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you" is likewise, a clear reference to God the Son who came as man and let His face shine on Earth and saved us from our sins - being gracious to us. The final sentence, "The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace" is yet again talking about the Holy Spirit who sanctifies us - makes us holy so God can look on us with favor - and gives us peace as the comforter.
After Jesus was baptized, he immediately went up out of the water. Suddenly, the heavens were opened for him! He saw the Spirit of God, descending like a dove and landing on him, and a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with him.” - Matthew 3:16-17.
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect, temporary residents in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient and to be sprinkled with the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you. - 1 Peter 1:1-2.
When it comes to passages that mention the Trinity, there is no lack of places where Scripture talks about it. In fact, the quoted passages are few of many passages which explicitly refer to the doctrine of the Trinity. The above passages are almost self-explanatory being very explicit in their reference to the Trinity. The first shows all of the persons of the Trinity at the same time and shows the same God that was at creation, here now at Christ's baptism. Once again, Jesus here is present "to fulfill all righteousness" and bless our baptisms just as He was baptized, the Holy Spirit descends on Christ "like a dove," and the voice of the Father calls out from the heavens to declares that He is pleased with the saving work that His Son is carrying out. So, does the Bible really, actually, truthfully discuss the Trinity? Did God really declare Himself as Triune in Scripture? The answer is a resounding yes, and there is no reason to doubt it.
"I and the Father are one"
Okay, you've probably got the point, but just in case you're still on edge, I also wanted to discuss some of the worst defenses for nontrinitarianism and add some historical context (because the church fathers are more important than people make them out to be). Perhaps the only verse that I have come across that could even be used to justify any sort of Biblical denial of the Trinity is a solitary verse grossly taken out of context from John 10:30, in which Jesus' words state, "I and the Father are one."
However, reading the verse in the context of the rest of the passage (and the rest of Scripture) clears up the bad interpretation that suggests that this supports the idea that Jesus and the Father are one and the same person. Before we even look at the verses surrounding John 10:30, we already have shown the exhaustive amount of evidence for the Trinity throughout the rest of Scripture, so it wouldn't make sense to use this as ammo against the doctrine to start off with. However, the rest of the passage further denies this narrow-minded view. For example, in verse 25, Jesus says, "The works I am doing in my Father’s name testify about me." In verse 29, He states, "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all." Finally, He most clearly puts this idea to rest from what He tells us in verses 34-37, "Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said you are gods’? If he called those people ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken, what about the one whom the Father set apart and sent into the world? Do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me."
Jesus consistently maintains Himself as being separate from the Father with regards to person - He is God's Son. Yet the Father and Him are one because they are both God. However, as the passage as a whole proves, this does not mean that the fact that they are different persons of the same Godhead is untrue. In fact, the passage goes to show that this understanding is quite true.
Paganism
Ah, and then we have to talk about paganism. Seriously, that's what you get when you run out of options to disprove the Trinity. There's the myth that Constantine merged paganism and Christianity. I have also seen the myth that the Trinity came from Greek paganism. However, suggesting that Christianity has been mingled with paganism is somewhat of a Pharisaical view.
Let me explain - this is basically an ad hominem attack on the church fathers and believers in the early church who, other than the Christians in Jerusalem, mostly came from pagan backgrounds. The Gospel was meant for all people, even the non-Jews - the Gentiles and former pagans of their day. However, this is essentially the stupidest argument for denying the Trinity. Historically, these people were in the Roman empire and they were Gentiles - what were you expecting, of course, they were all pagans and either held the views of Greek mythology or Roman mythology. Yet, I cannot see how this changes anything because they learned from the Apostles and their predecessors.
First of all, the statement about Constantine merging Christianity with paganism is an outrageous lie. If one looks at the history, Constantine was actually a pretty great guy, to be honest, and ended the governmental persecution of the Christian church. However, he more importantly helped defend the church against the rampant heresy of the 4th century. The infamous Arian heresy was denied at the hands of Constantine with the Council of Nicaea. Plus, Constantine was a political leader, not a theologian. He did not control anything with regard to the doctrine and rather let the theologians of the early church discuss what was true and untrue with regard to Scripture and doctrine. While Constantine could have denied Arianism and banished Arius without calling the Council of Nicaea, he rather let the theologians of the day discuss the issue and condemn Arianism on their own. Much differently than those who would hold that Constantine polluted Christianity, Constantine allowed Christianity to flourish throughout the Roman Empire and helped root out the heresy that could have crushed the church of his day.
Second, I don't even find talking about the myth that the Trinity came from pagan ideas worthwhile. Previously, we've already exhaustively proved that the Trinity is very much Scriptural and can be found throughout the Bible. Just because religions align in the obscurest ways does not mean that they borrowed ideas from each other or that they are inherently related in any regard. The notion that the Trinity is a pagan idea is a view for the incredulous fools who cherry-pick from Scripture and make it their own religion. At the end of the day, they're the ones that are the pagans and the heretics. For the last time, the Trinity is Christian doctrine, not heresy.
Creedal Christianity
Now, a more interesting topic: Creedal Christianity. First of all, I find it interesting that Christendom is split with regard to the subject of creeds. Most formal bodies make regular use of at least the Apostles' Creed. Yet, I feel like when I bring up the ecumenical creeds to certain groups of Christians, my words fall on deaf ears. To a certain degree, many other protestants, especially Baptists, see Christianity through a more informal lens where they don't really have formal confessions or creeds. However, for one who has never heard of the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, or the Athanasian Creed, you have been missing out on extremely important historical confessions that define God as He has been known for centuries.
These three creeds are the basis for Christianity as we know it today and are called the ecumenical creeds because they convey the basic essential doctrines of Christianity - and all of them are Trinitarian. The Apostles' and Nicene Creeds are organized into three sections, each one devoted to a specific person of the Trinity. Well, for the most part at least, with the last section also extending into other truths held by all Christians alike (or at least for the most part, as we have learned there are the nontrinitarian rebels who have no need for these "heretical creeds" - the only problem is that they're the one with the heresy). Below, I present to you, the three ecumenical creeds.
The Apostles' Creed - 2nd Century AD
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit; the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Nicene Creed - 4th Century AD
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, Begotten, not made, Being of one substance with the Father, by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life; Who proceeds from the Father and the Son, Who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, Who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy Christian and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins, and I look for the resurrection of the dead and life of the world to come. Amen.
The Athanasian Creed - 6th Century AD
Whoever will be saved shall, above all else, hold the catholic faith. Which faith, except it be kept whole and undefiled, without doubt, one will perish eternally. And the true Christian faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the Persons nor dividing the substance.
For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one; the glory equal, the majesty coeternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father infinite, the son infinite, and the Holy Spirit infinite. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal; just as there are not three uncreated, nor three infinites, but one uncreated and one infinite.
Likewise the Father is almighty, the Son is almighty, and the Holy Spirit is almighty. And yet there are not three almighties, but one almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet there are not three gods, but one God. Likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord, and the Holy Spirit is Lord. And yet there are not three lords, but one Lord.
For as we are compelled by the Christian truth to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be both God and Lord, so we are forbidden by the true Christian faith to say that there are three gods or three lords.
The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone, not made nor created but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son, neither made nor created nor begotten but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three fathers, one Son, not three sons, one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.
And in this Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another; but all three Persons are coeternal together and coequal, so that in all things, as said before, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped. Whoever will be saved is compelled thus to think of the Holy Trinity.
Furthermore it is necessary for everlasting salvation that one also believe faithfully the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man; God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man of the substance of His mother, born in the world; perfect God and perfect Man, of a rational soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood. Who, although He is God and Man, yet He is not two but one Christ; One not by changing of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking the manhood into God; One indeed, not by confusion of substance, but by oneness of person. For just as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and Man is one Christ; Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, He is seated at the right hand of the Father, God almighty, from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead. At whose coming all will rise again with their bodies and will give an account of their own works. And they that have done good will enter into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the catholic faith; whoever does not faithfully and firmly believe this cannot be saved.
As you read through these creeds, you may notice that they slowly become more complex. For example, each creed, in a way, is a more exhaustive version of the last. While you may not think this is the case with the Apostles' Creed, it likewise is heavily based on earlier simple creeds and confessions that various churches and early church fathers wrote or used to confess their belief in the one true God. However, the one thing that unifies these creeds is their focus on the essential doctrine of the Trinity. The Apostle's Creed is the most basic of them all and states the belief in each person, but specifically talks about the life of Christ. You should notice that the Nicene Creed is basically an expanded version of the Apostles' Creed and for a very good reason. During the fourth century, the heresy of Arianism was rapidly spreading, and as mentioned previously, then-emperor Constantine called the Council of Nicaea to condemn the heresy. While the Nicene Creed isn't a direct product of the Council of Nicaea, the framework for the creed came from this Council. It wasn't until the Council of Constantinople that what we know as the Nicene Creed today was written. This creed focuses much more on the two natures of Christ (and Christology) as well as recognizing the work of the Holy Spirit.
Finally, we have the Athanasian Creed which doesn't follow the same pattern as the previous two, yet is an exhaustive confession of Trinitarian theology. It's also the creed that most people find hard to stomach because it condemns the dissidents, or in other words, those who deny the Trinity. It also has a clause that many misunderstand and misinterpret as being some sort of works-righteousness. However, this creed best warns why acknowledging the Triune nature of God is so important. Without the Trinity, Christianity isn't Christianity. Without the clear Scriptural teaching of the Trinity, one cannot be saved because it messes up what we know about Christ and justification. If the Father isn't separate from the Son, then God would have not been able to take on humanity and would have not been able to save us. Without the Holy Spirit, the doctrines concerning faith and sanctification make absolutely no sense. If one takes away, confuses, or changes the doctrine of the Trinity, it leaves anywhere from a tear to a gaping hole in the fabric of Christianity.
The Athanasian Creed regularly causes concern when people read the clause that, "At whose coming all will rise again with their bodies and will give an account of their own works. And they that have done good will enter into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire." However, we must regard this as being Scriptural since it clearly talks about Christ and our salvation, saying, "Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead." How? Simply because of context. Christ saved us by paying for our sins, and the Athanasian Creed clearly agrees with this thought. However, that doesn't make judgement day disappear where we will be judged according to what we have done. The thing is, as Paul said, "Indeed, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ." - Galatians 3:27 EHV. On judgment day, instead of seeing our sinful human nature, God will see the perfect righteousness that Christ won for us on the cross for we who believe have been clothed with Christ's righteousness. In this way, the Athanasian Creed is entirely right to say what it does and is in no way wrong with its explanation of the doctrines that it proposes.
It is important to understand that these creeds from the early church are not God's Word. Yet, they convey the doctrines that are clearly mentioned in Scripture. They are not inerrant, yet they confess what is found in the inerrant Word of God. They are guides to what has been believed for millennia, from the time of the Apostles up to the present age. Granted how hard the early church fathers fought for the true teaching of the Christian faith, to deny the Christian faith is to deny centuries of believers who have been saved with the waters of the baptism and baptized into the faith of the Triune God. It is to deny the very teaching of Jesus Christ and the Apostles.