THE TRINITY DOCTRINE

THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY (Part 1)

We all intuitively sense that there is a Creator of all things. As believers, we rely solely on the Bible and the revelation given to us through Jesus Christ, who himself declared in

John 14:6 (NKJV)

    14 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Every discussion this evening will be 100 percent Scripture-based, interpreted by the Spirit of God and confirmed by other passages of Scripture, ensuring that we grasp true understanding rather than merely reading words on a page.

From the very beginning, God’s plan has unfolded like a carefully staged drama. Consider Noah in Genesis 6–9: the Flood wasn’t a random event but part of an ordained narrative. Or Abraham’s promise in Genesis 15: “Your descendants will be enslaved for 400 years, but afterward I will bring them out with great possessions.” Every hardship, exile, and victory in Israel’s history was part of God’s script to reveal His character and purposes. When Moses prophesied the coming of the Messiah—“The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren; Him you shall hear” (Deuteronomy 18:15)—he was merely reciting his lines in that grand drama.

Deuteronomy 18:15 (NKJV)

    15. “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear,"

Deuteronomy 29:29 reminds us,

Deuteronomy 29:29 (NKJV)

    29 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

There are aspects of God’s ways that remain beyond our full comprehension, yet He has revealed sufficient truth for us to understand His plan.

That plan extends even to predestination. Romans 8:29–30 says,

Romans 8:29-30 (NKJV)

    29. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified."

From the chosen people of Israel to the Gentiles who would be grafted in, each person has been assigned a role in this divine production. The “mystery of God,” as John writes in Revelation 10:7, will be finished when the seventh angel sounds—prophets have seen only glimpses of it, yet

Revelation 10:7 (NKJV)

    7. but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.”

“all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16), revealing Himself and His grand narrative to us.

 2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)

    16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,"

Now, let us address the Trinity itself. Many argue that the word “Trinity” does not appear in the Bible, which is technically correct. Yet Christians use terms like “Trinity,” “Rapture,” or “Resurrection” to define biblical concepts not explicitly named in Scripture. The Council of Nicaea (AD 325) cemented “Trinity” as official doctrine, but did the Bible truly preach three separate gods or three “persons” in one God? Tonight, we will see that the answer is far less complex than many assume.

First, consider 1 John 5:7–8, often cited to support three co-equal persons:

1 John 5:7-8 (NKJV)

    7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one."

On earth, the “Spirit, water, and blood” refer to Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16–17). He was baptized with water, John the Baptist declared Him the Lamb of God (blood), and the Spirit descended like a dove—all bearing consistent testimony to His identity. The voice from heaven, “This is My beloved Son,” was the Father’s singular testimony. In heaven, the triad “Father, Word, Holy Spirit” operates similarly as three forms of testimony to one truth. They do not necessarily imply three separate “persons,” but rather three ways in which the one God reveals Himself.

Next, examine Matthew 28:19:

Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)

    19. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"

Notice the wording: “name” (singular), not “names.” This triadic formula can be understood as a threefold identification rather than three co-equal entities. We must interpret this alongside all Scripture to see whether it teaches three distinct divine Persons or a unified identity expressed in three ways.

Let us now turn to Genesis, where the drama begins. Genesis 1:1–2 declares,

Genesis 1:1-2 (NKJV)

    1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

The first word, “God,” is Elohim—a plural form that nevertheless functions as singular. Then we read of “the Spirit of God.” Since “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), why describe “the Spirit of God” as though separate?

John 4:24 (NKJV)

    24. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

This tells us that “Spirit of God” is simply God Himself in action—His own self-expression—rather than a distinct third person.

In Genesis 1:26–27, we read,

Genesis 1:26-27 (NKJV)

    26. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27. So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

Here we see plural pronouns: “Let Us,” “Our image.” Some suggest God spoke to angels, but angels did not participate in creation—they were themselves created later. Therefore, “Us” must refer to another “who was with God” at Creation. In John 1:1–3, we read,

John 1:1-3 (NKJV)

    1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. He was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."

The Word (Logos) was both “with God” and “was God” at the beginning, so when God said “Let Us,” He spoke with the Word. There were two “personalities” at Creation: God (the Spirit) and the Word (who later became the Son).

John 1:14 tells us,

John 1:14 (NKJV)

    14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."

When the Word took on flesh, He assumed the role of the Son. In turn, God became known as the Father in relation to His Son—completing the Father-Son dynamic in the drama of redemption.

Paul clarifies this relationship in Colossians 1:15–19:

Colossians 1:15-19 (NKJV)

    15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. 19. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,"

The “firstborn over all creation” does not mean Jesus was created; it means He is preeminent and superior over all that exists. All creation was through Him, and “the fullness of God” dwelt in Him—fully God, not a separate third person.

Now, where does the Holy Spirit fit? Many believe the Spirit is a distinct third person, but Scripture reveals otherwise. In 2 Corinthians 3:17, Paul states,

   2 Corinthians 3:17 (NKJV)

    17. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”

The “Lord” here refers to God the Father—“The Lord is the Spirit.” Thus, when Scripture speaks of the Holy Spirit, it is describing the Father’s active presence, His own “stage name,” when He interacts with creation.

Jesus himself made this clear in John 14:10:

John 14:10 (NKJV)

    10. Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works."

And in Acts 10:38, we read,

 Acts 10:38 (NKJV)

    38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

If the Father “dwells in” Jesus and does the works, and Acts tells us that God anointed Him “with the Holy Spirit,” then the Holy Spirit is simply the Father’s manifestation on earth. They are one and the same.

Romans 8:11 adds another proof:

Romans 8:11 (NKJV)

    11. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

Who raised Jesus from the dead? The Father. Therefore, “the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus” must be the Father. Romans 8:15–16 further confirms,

Romans 8:15-16 (NKJV)

    15. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God."

When we receive the Holy Spirit, we cry out “Abba, Father,” and that same Spirit confirms our adoption. In essence, the Holy Spirit is the Father testifying to our hearts.

Let us return to 1 John 5:7–8 with this understanding: when it speaks of “three that bear witness in heaven—the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit,” these are actually two distinct personalizations of one God. The Father and the Word are distinct “persons,” but the Holy Spirit is not a third person—it is the Father in action. Therefore, all three—Father, Word, and Holy Spirit—bear witness to the one God. On earth, “Spirit, water, and blood” likewise bear united testimony to Jesus’ identity at His baptism.

Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:15–17 underscores this unity: Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered,

Matthew 16:15-17 (NKJV)

    15. He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16. Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17. Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."

Yet in 1 Corinthians 12:3, Paul writes,

1 Corinthians 12:3 (NKJV)

    3. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit."

Peter’s revelation came from “My Father in heaven,” and Paul tells us that only the Holy Spirit can prompt someone to declare “Jesus is Lord.” Once again, the Holy Spirit is the Father—God testifying on earth.

Thus far, we have seen that Genesis 1:26’s “Let Us” refers to God and the Word, not angels. John 1:1–3 identifies the Word as both “with God” and “was God,” co-creative with the Father. The Holy Spirit, as Paul affirms, is the Father Himself. When you assemble these truths, the Bible never truly teaches three co-equal, distinct persons, but rather two distinct personalities—Father and Son—with the Father manifesting as “Holy Spirit” when He interacts with creation. John 10:30 underscores this unity:

John 10:30 (NKJV)

    30. I and My Father are one.”

It is a Father-Son relationship, not a three-fold personhood.

We have only just scratched the surface of this profound truth. In our next episode, we will explore further questions: why did Jesus say, “The Father is greater than I” (John 14:28)?

John 14:28 (NKJV)

    28. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I."

What did He mean when He promised, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever” (John 14:16)?

John 14:16 (NKJV)

    16. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—"

Who is this “another Helper”—another what? These mysteries find clarity when we view Scripture as the unfolding of God’s divine script.

Thank you for joining this study. Stay blessed, and I will see you next week for Part 2. Good night!