Is the Trinity in the Bible?
Historically, some have argued Christians are pantheists because we do not worship “One God,” but three. But Christian scholars call God “Three-in-One.” The point is, God’s very nature is RELATIONSHIP. Nothing is more important than relationships. God possessed relationships before there was anything outside Himself.
Critics point out that the Bible does not use the word, “Trinity.” And even our best analogy is not Biblical, but Irish: Saint Patrick used a three-leaf clover to demonstrate that God is “three persons with one essence.”
But the Bible DOES offer evidence of the Trinity. All four gospels include stories of Jesus being baptized by His cousin, John the Baptist. And when He emerges from the water, “the heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. And there came a voice from heaven: This is my beloved Son, in whom I delight!” Matthew 3:16.
John reports the same:
“I watched the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He rested on Him….He who sent me … told me, ‘The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on, He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and testified that He is the Son of God!” John 1:32-34.
Do you see each Member of the Trinity?
(1) The Father speaks, and identifies
(2) His Son, and
(3) the Spirit takes the form of a dove and lands on the Son’s shoulder.
All four gospels—three books that are not as similar as you might think—include this story. Yes, God is a Trinity. He exists in an eternal relationship that began before us and is complete without us. But He loves us infinitely—otherwise, He would not have become one of us and punished Himself for our sins. God is all about relationships, and invites us into a joy-filled relationship with Him. You were born from God’s Joy:
“You were born out of the laughter of the Trinity.” German theologian Meister Eckhart, 1260-1328.
ΑΩ
Household Words: 