The Trinitarian Doctrine Revised | Understanding the Trinity

There was a time in my young Christian walk when I wondered about the validity of the trinitarian doctrine. I wasn’t exactly confused … I just needed a visual guide to help me understand what the Trinity really was. 

It’s usually the first step to understanding the Gospel, the first step to understanding God. So, why do so many of us struggle to wrap our heads around it?

I don’t have the exact answer to that question; many Trinitarians don’t either. However, as much as scholars have come up with their long, elaborate explanations and deep dives into the doctrine, one question remains: Does the Bible validate it?

The Not-So-Simple Theology

The statement is that there is one God (nature), but three persons. However, what do we mean when we say that? How can something like this be conceptualized for our understanding?

And, even more importantly, should we conceptualize it?

Those who deny the truth of the Trinitarian doctrine are branded as heretics, mainly because the Trinitarian doctrine is one of the founding principles of Christianity. 

If one were to consider themselves a true Christian, they would have to affirm the following:

1. The Father sent His Son to atone for our sins, which began after man’s disobedience in the garden
2. The Father is the first person in the Godhead
3. Christ is the Messiah, who was crucified and resurrected on the third day, for the atonement of our sins
4. Christ is the second person in the Godhead
5. Christ sent the Holy Spirit to dwell with us as a guarantor of our faith in His work on the Cross
6. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead

How *They* Explain the Trinity

For many people, grasping the Trinity often means compartmentalizing God. For example, most people would say that the Father was active during the Old Testament, and Jesus was active during the Gospels of the New Testament. When He ascended, the Holy Spirit was active and remains active.

However, this theory is incorrect. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament make it clear that all three persons in the Godhead are present and active.

Still, this doesn’t stop various analogies from being used to describe the Trinity in a digestible way. The issue with this is that we’re trying to explain the Trinity using human concepts. By relating God to what our human mind can comprehend, we place God’s nature in a box. 

This isn’t to say that the Trinitarian doctrine cannot be explained or understood. What I’m actually trying to say is that we have to look beyond what is simple, and embrace what is complex in order to understand God’s nature.

The Water Analogy

When it comes to explaining the Trinity, some people use the water analogy. 

The water analogy compares God to the three states of water: solid, liquid, and gas. If water can come in three states, then we can compare the persons and nature of God to that of water. However, the issue with this analogy is that it assumes that God ‘transforms’ into various states. 

In fact, Modalists tend to ascribe to this idea. In the Old Testament, God was in the ‘state’ of the Father. Then, He came in the ‘state’ of the Son to atone for our sins. Now, He is in the ‘state’ of the Spirit. 

The Bible clearly describes that all three persons of the Godhead were active in the Old Testament and the New Testament. In fact, during Christ’s baptism, God, the Father, speaks, while the Holy Spirit rests on Christ in the form of a dove.

God is immutable; this means He’s unchanging. Presenting God as changing states is a fallacy that requires us to ignore a fundamental aspect of God’s nature. Besides, the three persons of God coexist with each other, but they are not independent of each other.  

The Egg Analogy

Others use an egg to describe God’s triune nature. In this analogy, they say that an egg is made up of three parts: the shell, the yolk, and the whites. 

Unlike the water analogy, which describes God changing states, the egg analogy describes God as ‘parts’ of a whole. With an egg, these three parts cannot act independently of each other, and by themselves, they are not the whole egg.

Once again, describing the persons of God as ‘parts’ presents a fallacy of who God is. It is clear that the Father is completely God, the Son is completely God, and the Spirit is also completely God. All three function independently of each other as God, but all three are in unison, coexisting within the Godhead.

Arguments Against the Trinity

Throughout an apologist’s life, they’ll come across various groups of people who attempt to argue against the validity of the Trinity. They’ll also come across people who have an idea of the Trinity that simply isn’t Scripturally correct. 

The Modalist’s Belief

Modalists believe that the Father became the Son in the human form, then became the Spirit after Pentecost. In fact, those who ascribe to the water analogy of the Trinity are, in part, modalists. In this view, God is no longer operating as the Father or the Son, but as the Spirit. 

The Bible doesn’t affirm this, and the Apostles never taught this. In fact, in many of their letters, they referred to both the Father and the Son in operation even after the coming of the Spirit. 

The Unitarian’s Belief

Oneness Pentecostals and most Unitarians don’t believe there’s a distinction between the Father, Son, and Spirit. They typically believe that these are all titles for God, which is ironic, considering the fact that the word ‘God’ is in and of itself a title. 

Unitarians would say that the name of God is ‘Jesus’, and that the Father, Son, and the Spirit are all distinct titles for Christ. However, the New Testament doesn’t seem to present Jesus in this way. Jesus prayed to the Father, He was filled with the Spirit, and all three persons of the Godhead were present during His baptism.

The Jehovah’s Witness’s Belief

Jehovah’s Witnesses (and some Adventists) believe that Jesus was a created being. They believe that Jesus was the first of God’s creation, which makes Him the Son of God. However, they do not believe in the deification of Christ. 

Even further, they believe that the Holy Spirit is an agent of God, but not God Himself. This teaching is considered heresy among most Christian circles as most Christians affirm the deity of Christ (even if they do not largely agree on the Trinity). 

The Muslim’s Belief

Muslims, like Jehovah’s Witnesses, do not believe that Jesus is God. However, Muslims take it a step further by claiming that Jesus was merely a human prophet. He isn’t the firstborn of God’s creation. His existence ‘began’ when Mary was impregnated. 

Muslims also do not believe that Jesus was crucified, and they certainly don’t believe he was resurrected. Because of this, there is no evidential miracle of the deification of Christ.

The Trinity: Monotheistic or Polytheistic

Another thing we have to address is whether the trinitarian doctrine makes the Christian faith monotheistic or polytheistic. 

The reason why we have so many arguments against the trinity is primarily because those who reject the trinity, reject it on the grounds that believing in three persons lends itself to polytheism. However, there’s an elephant in the room that we should address.

Is it even correct to ascribe either definition to the Christian faith?

Most scholars agree that Christianity is monotheistic. In fact, Scripture supports the idea that God is one. However, I don’t think we can accurately describe ourselves as either. Let me explain.

Monotheism is the belief that only one god exists. As simple as this statement sounds, monotheism denies the existence of other deities god-like beings. Monotheism in its strictest sense claim that there is only one divine supernatural being. 

However, in Christianity, the term ‘god’ is often used to describe beings that have cosmic power. Whether or not these cosmic entities share the nature of the Most High God is clear, but Scripture never denies the reality of these other powers.

Polytheism is the belief that many gods exist and that these gods can be considered in worship. Christianity does not fall under this category, because while the acknowledgment of other cosmic powers certainly hold true, worshipping these powers is strictly prohibited. 

Pantheism holds that the universe and everything within it are a part of God, yet God remains independent of the universe. Christianity believes that God (YHWH) is the Creator of the entire universe, and thus all of God’s creation holds His ‘fingerprint’. However, Christianity affirms that God is not the universe. 

Henotheism follows the idea that there may be many gods, but only one is supreme and should be worshiped (as the ancient Hebrews did). 

Christianity may or may not acknowledge the existence of other powers. However, Christianity clearly states that God (YHWH) is species unique, meaning that no other cosmic power shares in His nature. 

Monolatry holds that the multiple gods within a universe are merely expressions of one god (some New Agers and lesser tribal religions share this belief). Christianity affirms that God sits on a ‘council’ of gods. 

In parts of the Old Testament, we see that God placed certain nations under the leadership of other powers. However, these powers ultimately rebelled against God. Christianity does not affirm that many gods are the expression of the true and living God. 

So, can we call Christianity a monotheistic religion?

Christianity holds that ‘God’ is not a person, but rather the unique nature shared by three persons. God, then, is the unique and singular conscious essence expressed as three independent, but coexisting persons. 

Christianity is not strictly monotheistic, as it acknowledges the presence of other opposing spiritual powers. However, Christianity is not polytheistic as it affirms that God is species unique in His nature and divine essence.

‘God’ is a title or a unitary body comprised of three equally divine and supreme persons, collectively known as the Godhead. In this, there is only one ‘God’: there is only one essence that all three persons share. 

Christianity is more accurately a Triune Monotheistic religion. There is one unique nature of God—a Supreme Ruler who created all things, including other cosmic powers. However, three persons share this unique nature.

The nature of God is one, and within that singular nature, there are three persons, who are unified in essence and divine will.

The Clearest Evidence of the Trinity

The nature of creation is a triune process. First, there was imagination or thought. From imagination, a guide or blueprint is developed. With the guide, the idea comes to life. This triune concept of creation is evident in Genesis 1, which describes the act and role of the Trinity in the creation of earth. 

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 

Genesis 1:1-3

The Scripture certainly doesn’t make it seem as if all three are the same person. In Hebrews, we recount a scenario where God (the Father) says to God (the Son):

But about the Son, He says,

“Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

Hebrews 1:8-9 

In fact, Hebrews chapter 2 indicates that the Father and the Son are two separate entities interacting with each other. 

Until Next Time…

To complete this study, I recommend a good notetaking app or a notebook and pen as we dive into this topic.

Also, I’ll link to areas of my blog that might be relevant to the topic we’re studying. It will also be helpful to look through other content created by scholars, pastors, and theologians who are well-versed in this area, and draw your conclusions from both the Scripture and your personal studies. 

Also, remember that our best teacher and guide is the Holy Spirit. Pray for clarity and understanding before reading through a session, and feel free to ask questions.

Signed,

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