The Holy Trinity is a controversial subject because it can only be understood by faith, as it is a mystery, so no one can fully understand it. However, we can inquire about this issue to have a basis when it comes to defending this sound doctrine regarding the trinity that constitutes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Trinity – What does it refer to according to the bible
As believers we must be clear that to understand this divine mystery of the trinity, we must first have faith in Our Father, who through his word has left us messages about his purpose in this world.
In this regard, the Bible clearly teaches us, in the two Testaments that constitute it, that God is one: “Hear, Israel: Jehovah our God, Jehovah is one” (Deuteronomy 6: 4)
In this sense, the doctrine of the Trinity is the belief in a single God in three eternal and equal persons, even though they are different in personality. This doctrine is based on the word of God, in this regard in the Old Testament, there are different indications of the plurality of the Godhead.
There are different passages in which the Lord seems to speak to himself in the plural. We can see this in the following passages: “Let us make man” (Genesis 1:26); “Let us go down and confuse their language there” (Gen. 11: 7).
On the other hand, there are texts in which they seem to present Jehovah speaking with someone who is also Jehovah: “He showed me the high priest Joshua, who was standing before Jehovah’s angel, and Satan was at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, The Lord rebuke you, O Satan; The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” (Zechariah 3: 1-2).
Similarly, the New Testament presents with great clarity that Jesus Christ is God, as seen in the following biblical passages: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1 :1); “5 of whom are the patriarchs, and of whom, according to the flesh, came Christ, who is God above all, blessed forever. Amen ” (Romans 9: 5); “Waiting for the blessed hope and glorious manifestation of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13); “I am the Alpha and the Omega, beginning and end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1: 8).
In addition, the Holy Scriptures indicate that the Holy Spirit has characteristics, particularities, and rights that only correspond to God, as we can observe in this passage: “But God revealed them to us by the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God ” (1 Corinthians 2:10)
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In this sense, the Holy Spirit this passage explains that he manifests himself as God and searches the depths of the Lord. In the same way, the Holy Trinity is presented as three people who carry out activities together, as the following passages indicate: “And then, when he came up from the water, he saw the heavens open, and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven saying: You are my beloved Son; I am well pleased with you ” (Mark 1: 10-11)
In this quote, the moment in which Jesus was being baptized and the Holy Spirit descended and God manifested himself speaking and affirming that Jesus was his son is indicated. Here we see the three persons of the Holy Trinity, where it is shown that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one and work together in their purpose.
The apostle Paul also refers to the three persons of the trinity as worthy of pouring out the blessings on the people who can read the letter that he writes: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. Amen ” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
In this way we can find in the Holy Scriptures many biblical passages that point out the Holy Trinity as a single person, it is not an invention or a false doctrine as some point out without arguments.
God is a mystery, for which a finite and natural mind cannot understand his purpose because the Lord surpasses all our understanding. As we search the scriptures, our spiritual eyes are opened and we begin to see beyond and God reveals his truth to us in surprising ways.
However, when we truly know God and receive Him in our hearts as our only Lord, the Holy Spirit begins to dwell in us, revealing hidden things that we do not know naturally. In this regard, his word tells us the following: “Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and hidden things that you do not know” (Jeremiah 33: 3)
In this same order of ideas, God became flesh and became one of us to show himself as a man, in order to learn from him and follow his ways. For this reason, Jesus could say that whoever had seen him had seen his Father: “Jesus said to him: Have I been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; How, then, do you say: Show us the Father? ” (John 14: 9)
It is for this reason that it can be said that Jesus Christ came to make God known: “No one ever saw God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known ” (John 1:18).
In this way, it can be affirmed that God is one and manifests himself in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but each of these three persons presents its own existence. This is the God in whom we believe in our only and eternal Lord.
The three persons of the Holy Trinity
The Holy Trinity, as explained above, constitutes a mystery and it is important to argue this doctrine in order to clarify the existence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For this we must explain each of them separately and point out their characteristics, understanding that these three people are one in God:
1.- God the Father
At the beginning of the Holy Scriptures, our Heavenly Father, creator of heaven and earth, of the waters and of the fountains of waters, is made known to us: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters ” (Genesis 1: 1)
God, creator of the first man on this earth, to whom he granted a woman when he saw him alone, who would be his helpmeet: “And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them ” (Genesis 1:27)
However, creation allowed itself to be tempted and sinned against him, and as a result of this sin, he banished us from paradise and began to establish those that would befall us due to disobedience. For this reason today we are in a constant struggle between good and evil, where the children of God are constantly attacked by the wiles of the enemy.
In this order of ideas, from Genesis, we are shown a loving God who offered us the Garden of Eden but also reveals a God who fulfills his statutes and punishes his children out of love.
This is the God we know and who is made known to us throughout the Holy Scriptures in each of the stories of the men and women of God. The point is how to understand the Holy Trinity within a culture so closed, so finite and natural, that always looks for logic, a reason, or the palpable confirmation of the supernatural aspects that often appear by faith.
So the doctrine of the Trinity turned out to be a problem from the beginning, for the early Christians. But we must emphasize that they were Jews, who were taught in the constant repetition of the Shema: “Hey Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6: 4).
In this way, for a Jew, the Deity of the Lord Jesus, which he affirmed and which the Father supported when he was baptized, was something very difficult to believe and also to accept. In addition, there was a dilemma regarding the Holy Spirit.
For this reason, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is exclusively Christian and represents one of the main features that differentiates it from all other teachings or religions.
2.- The Deity of Jesus Christ
The idea that Jesus is God can be a bit difficult to explain, especially when talking to a closed person who is not willing to listen to the truth. It is difficult to explain that Jesus, son of God, is God and is one with him.
The logic, reason, human wisdom always needs to prove the existence of things, but this doctrine of the Holy Trinity is by faith and this faith is only obtained when the Holy Spirit is received, who is another of the persons of this Trinity.
In this regard, the Gospel of Matthew tells the admiration of the people and the first indication that someone very special was there: “And men marveled saying: What man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:27).
The principle on which the Deity of Jesus is based is that it has the same essence of God because they are one. In the bible, it is pointed out in the gospels that Jesus manifested himself as God. However, the disciples always felt confused and did not understand well the teachings of Jesus.
After the resurrection, when they were able to see him and appreciate that what he had said was fully fulfilled, it was when they were able to make sure that he really was Jesus in a transformed body. This supernatural fact was what could manifest all the glory of Jesus: “And we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” (John 1:14).
In this sense, they knew him as the radiance of the Glory of God and the very image of his substance, and the disciples were convinced that in him was the fullness of the Godhead: “Because in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily ” (Colossians 2: 9).
The Deity of the Father consists in that when we look at Jesus we are seeing God, as we can see in the following passage: “Jesus said to him: I have been with you for so long, and you have not known me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; How, then, do you say: Show us the Father? ” (John 14: 9).
In this quote, Jesus explains and highlights the fact that he is God, and that the person who looks at him is looking at his Father. So, Jesus is God-made flesh, who came to manifest his Power and Glory, defeating the enemy and freeing humanity from the bondage of sin.
Now we have our intercessor, who acts as our lawyer, our judge, our friend, so we no longer live under the law but we live under Grace.
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3.- The person of the Holy Spirit
Ten days after they all saw Jesus ascending to heaven, the Holy Spirit came upon them. So Jesus left them the comforter, who would accompany them in the Ministry they were to undertake once Jesus ascended to heaven.
Before Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary, Jesus had told his disciples that he would send them “another Comforter” from the Father to remain with them forever. As can be seen in the word:
“Therefore being exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear” (Acts 2:33).
In this sense, the experience of the Holy Spirit brings in the people a renewed feeling of the presence of Jesus, of his closeness to his children, so that they no longer feel like orphans, because now they have the Holy Spirit within them, and this represents God.
In this sense, the Holy Trinity constitutes the three persons: Father, Son, Holy Spirit, and when we look at Jesus we are seeing the Father because he is the only mediator between God and men. The Holy Spirit always dwells in the children who accepted Jesus as their only true Lord of their lives, and he was given to us by the mercy and love of God.
