A simple way to understand the Trinity
The Spirit of God
The Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit is God in action; whenever the Holy Spirit is mentioned, it means that God is doing something….God would not be God if He could not act.
Here are seven examples
1
Genesis 1:1-2 (KJV)
[sup]1 [/sup]In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
[sup]2 [/sup]And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
[sup]1 [/sup]In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
[sup]2 [/sup]And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
2
Numbers 24:2 (ASV)
[sup]2 [/sup]And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
[sup]2 [/sup]And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.
3
1 Chronicles 12:18 (ASV)
[sup]18 [/sup]Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.
[sup]18 [/sup]Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.
4
Matthew 3:16 (ASV)
[sup]16 [/sup]And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him;
[sup]16 [/sup]And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway from the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him;
5
Matthew 12:28 (ASV)
[sup]28 [/sup]But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
[sup]28 [/sup]But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you.
6
Luke 1:35 (ASV)
[sup]35 [/sup]And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God.
[sup]35 [/sup]And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God.
7
Luke 1:35 (NKJV)
[sup]35 [/sup]And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
[sup]35 [/sup]And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
The Word
The Word, who became Jesus, was and is the mind and utterance of God as you will see from the Greek below. This is why Jesus is God, because the mind of God is what God is…its God’s identity. God could not be God if He could not think and speak/utter.
John 1:1-4, 14 (ASV)
[sup]1 [/sup]In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[sup]2 [/sup]The same was in the beginning with God.
[sup]3 [/sup]All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.
[sup]4 [/sup]In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
[sup]1 [/sup]In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[sup]2 [/sup]The same was in the beginning with God.
[sup]3 [/sup]All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.
[sup]4 [/sup]In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
[sup]14 [/sup]And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.
Jesus was God with us
Matthew 1:23 (KJV)
[sup]23 [/sup]Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
[sup]23 [/sup]Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Notice that in John 1:3 it says all things were made by Him (the Word) and in Genesis 1:1 it says God created the heaven and the earth. To critics of the Bible this may seem to be a contradiction, but these verses only adds to the fact of what Jesus said that He and the Father are one. When Jesus does something it is the Father that is doing and when the Father is doing, it is the Holy Spirit that is doing, because they are one God. Also, there is no scripture that tells us that Jesus cease to be God when He became human; all that happened is the He added humanity to His divinity. In fact the scripture tells us that that one of His name is Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)
[sup]14 [/sup]Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
[sup]14 [/sup]Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Immanuel
Hebrew Word: אֵל
Transliteration: ēl
Phonetic Pronunciation: ale
Cross Reference: TWOT - 93a
Part of Speech: n m
Vine's Words: God
shortened from <H352> ('ayil); strength; as adjective mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity) :- God (god), × goodly, × great, idol, might (-y one), power, strong. Compare names in “-el.”
Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.
Word:
Greek Word: λόγος
Transliteration: logos
Phonetic Pronunciation: log'-os
Root: from <G3004>
Cross Reference: TDNT - 4:69,505
Part of Speech: n m
Vine's Words: Account, Cause, Communicate, Communication, Intent, Matter, Matters, Question, Questioning, Reason, Report, Saying, Show (Noun), Speech, Talk, Things, Treatise, Utterance, Word
from <G3004> (lego); something said (including the thought); by implication a topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty or motive; by extension a computation; specially (with the art. in John) the Divine Expression (i.e. Christ) :- account, cause, communication, × concerning, doctrine, fame, × have to do, intent, matter, mouth, preaching, question, reason, + reckon, remove, say (-ing), shew, × speaker, speech, talk, thing, + none of these things move me, tidings, treatise, utterance, word, work.
Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.
Quote from Holman Treasury of key Bible words
(The) Word
See also: Word (Hebrew) and Word (Greek)
Greek expression: ho logos
Pronunciation: haw; LAW gawss
Strong’s Number: <G3056>
In the opening verse of John’s Gospel, he named the Son of God “the Word.” As “the Word,” the Son of God fully conveys and communicates God. The Greek term is logos; it was used in two ways by the Greeks. “The word” might be thought of as remaining within a person, when it denoted his or her “thought or reason.” Or it might refer to “the word” going forth from a person, when it denoted “the expression of his or her thought”—such as speech. As a philosophical term, the logos denoted the “principle of the universe,” even the creative energy that generated the universe. In both the Jewish conception and the Greek, the logos was associated with the idea of beginnings—the world began through the origination and instrumentality of “the Word.” This is seen in Genesis 1:3 where the expression “God said” is used again and again.
John may have had these ideas about “the word” in mind, but most likely he originated a new term to identify the Son of God as the divine expression in human form (John 1:14). He is the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15), the express image of God’s substance (Heb. 1:3). In the Godhead, the Son not only reveals God, but also reveals the reality of God, which is a central theme throughout John’s Gospel. John used a similar title in his first epistle: “the Word of life” (1 John 1:1-3). And in Revelation 19:11-16, Jesus is presented as the King of kings and Lord of lords, who has a name on Him: “the Word of God.”
Before coming to earth, “the Word” lived in the beginning with God and was Himself God. This is a paradox beyond explanation: how can one be with God and yet also be God? What we gather from the first verse is that “the Word,” who is both the Son of God and God, lived in face-to-face fellowship with God His Father. The last verse of the prologue (John 1:18) tells us that the Son was in the bosom of the Father. In Jesus’ intercessory prayer (John 17) He revealed that the Father loved Him before the foundation of the world. We cannot imagine the extent of their union and communion.
Key Verses
“The Word’s” first act was to work with God in creating the universe. His second great act was to come to men as the light of life. The essential nature of “the Word” is “life” (Greek, zōē), and this life gives light to people who live in darkness. The divine life resided in “the Word,” and He made it available to all who believe in Him.
— Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words
Jesus said that He issued from God; If Jesus is, or was a separate being from God He would not use this word. This was not simply a departing from the Father’s as one would if you were standing in the presence of another person, then departing…..when you do that it would not be said that you issue or issued from that person. Jesus issued from God, like water coming from a tap or pipe. Jesus issued from God because He is the mind and utterance of God….that’s why He is referred to as the word in John.
John 16:27-28 (KJV)
[sup]27 [/sup]For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
[sup]28 [/sup]I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
[sup]27 [/sup]For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
[sup]28 [/sup]I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
Came out/ came forth:
Greek Word: ἐξέρχομαι
Transliteration: exerchomai
Phonetic Pronunciation:ex-er'-khom-ahee
Cross Reference: TDNT - 2:678,257
Part of Speech: v
from <G1537> (ek) and <G2064> (erchomai); to issue (literal or figurative) :- come (forth, out), depart (out of), escape, get out, go (abroad, away, forth, out, thence), proceed (forth), spread abroad.
Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.
Jesus and His Father are one
John 10:30 (ASV)
[sup]30 [/sup]I and the Father are one.
[sup]30 [/sup]I and the Father are one.
One:
Greek Word: εἷς
Transliteration: heis
Phonetic Pronunciation:hice
Root: (including the neuter [etc.] hen)
Cross Reference: TDNT - 2:434,214
Part of Speech: numeral
(including the neuter [etc.] hen); a primary numeral; one:- a (-n, -ny, certain), + abundantly, man, one (another), only, other, some. See also <G1527> (heis kath' heis), <G3367> (medeis), <G3391> (mia), <G3762> (oudeis).
Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.
Jesus said He was in heaven though He was on the earth
John 3:13 (KJV)
[sup]13 [/sup]And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
[sup]13 [/sup]And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
Jesus was able to say this because as He said, “I and the Father are one.” What Jesus is saying is that He and the Father is the same God.
But at the same time, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit are also distinct.
John 1:1-2, 14 (ASV)
[sup]1 [/sup]In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[sup]2 [/sup]The same was in the beginning with God.
[sup]1 [/sup]In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[sup]2 [/sup]The same was in the beginning with God.
Matthew 3:17 (ASV)
[sup]17 [/sup]and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
[sup]17 [/sup]and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
John 16:13-14 (ASV)
[sup]13 [/sup]Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come.
[sup]14 [/sup]He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you.
[sup]13 [/sup]Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth: for he shall not speak from himself; but what things soever he shall hear, these shall he speak: and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come.
[sup]14 [/sup]He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you.
God made mankind in His image
When God said let us make man in our image, it was God the Father who was doing the uttering, just as you or I would utter something. Our utterance, which is simply our thoughts being heard, is the person. Without your mind you will not be you….your mind is your identity. This is why we are in the image of God. When you understand truly what is meant when God said, “let is make man in our image”, then the Trinity will not seem like a mystery.
Genesis 1:26 (ASV)
[sup]26 [/sup]And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
[sup]26 [/sup]And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
We are in the image of God because we can think and speak; we can act or take action to do what we have in our thoughts. And we are like God because our thoughts are subjected to us-the one doing the uttering.
So in a sense we are a trinity, mind, body and spirit.