When the Holy Trinity is mentioned anywhere, it is widely known as the term used for the God head that oversees the universe, that is, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Now, this is not only known in the Christian arena, or by Christians only. People of other religions are also aware that many Christians such as the Roman Catholics and other protestant churches agree with this.
But does that mean that all Christians agree with this? Of course not, because to some, it is an abomination to think that God is tri-une, and therefore they preach monotheism, that is, the belief that God is one. And this is the belief in religions like Judaism and Islam.
Now, the question here is, “are the preachers of the Holy Trinity polytheistic”? That is, do they believe in three Gods since they say that the creator of the universe is God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Of course not! Preachers of the Holy Trinity are monotheistic. The Holy Trinity is one God and not three.
Then when those who do not believe in the Holy Trinity hear this, they become confused, and say, how can that be? Is there an explanation for this? Yes, there are explanations for the fact that the Holy Trinity is one God, with scriptural evidences. Jesus revealed some secrets in the scripture about the issue which even some Christians who believe in the Holy Trinity do not pay attention to. However, it is revealed to those whom the Holy Spirit grants understanding.
Now, when God made man, he created man in His own image, and said let us make man in our image, after our likeness, (Genesis 1:26-27). The use of “us and our” in that quotation signifies plural and that someone is talking to another in order to reach an agreement. And this is what many preach to explain the trinity of God, but we are not dwelling on that in this article. However, it is agreed that God created man in His image. And from the book of Genesis throughout the Old Testament, we believe that there is a God.
But, let’s also see the book of the Gospel of John chapter 1 from verse 1 to 3, and it says, “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 first statement shows that there is an entity called the Word, and that Word was with God in the beginning before things came to be in heaven and earth. It continues that the Word was also God, and verse two reiterated that he was in the beginning with God, while verse three says all things were made by him. Now, fast forward to verse 14, which says, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
When you read downwards it is clear that Jesus Christ was the Word that became flesh; becoming flesh meant that he became a human being. It was the Word of God that was planted in the womb of the Virgin Mary to become a human pregnancy so that Jesus could come out as a human being. So, this Word who became Jesus Christ is the reason for saying God the Son because He was with God in the beginning and He was God.
And to talk about the Holy Spirit, He is alternatively referred to as the Spirit of God, and He was moving and hovering over the face of the waters in Genesis 1:2. Jesus introduced him as the Helper, some other bible versions used the word Comforter or Advocate, but whichever way you look at it, Jesus also called Him the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, (John 15:26). To proceed from something means to go out or to come out from something.
Now, see this secret which Jesus spoke when he prayed in John 17; He first revealed and said, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was, (John 17:5). The last statement revealed the truth that was written in John chapter 1 that was discussed above, that is, He had glory with God the Father before the world began.
Now, see John 17:8 which says, “For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.” The second statement there where the secret lies says, “That I came forth from you.” It means just as the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father in John 15:26, the Word who became Jesus also proceeds or goes forth from the Father in John 17:8.
Now, remember that we are created in His image and we have body, soul and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). It means as humans, we are three in one. So, just as God whose image we have is three in one, we humans are three in one. God is the Father, the Son (Word), and the Holy Spirit, while the human being is made up of the body, soul and spirit.
For humans, our soul and spirit resides in our body, and for God, the Son (Word), and the Spirit resides in the Father, that is why the Spirit could proceed from the Father, and that is also why Jesus could go forth from the Father. Therefore God the Father is the house of the Son (Word) and the Spirit; they reside in him and they belong to him, yet they are two entities.
The word of God is an entity that resides in the Father, and the Spirit of God is an entity that resides in the Father, and that is why the Trinity is three in one. Also, they are the three that bear record in heaven, (1 John 5:7).
In a nutshell, as it was in the beginning (Genesis 1 & 2:7), when the Spirit of God was hovering upon the surface of the waters both in the heavens and on earth, He spoke the word, Christ to create the universe including us. God breathed into us His Holy Spirit, to make us living souls. Immediately, God put His original copy of Himself in us (Genesis 2:7); our spirit being in the cascade of human body. As we are in the image of God, we have a physical body, breath of life and the word as parts of our physical image of God’s identity on earth. Therefore, you are a temple of God Almighty. God the Father, God the Son God the Holy Spirit are one just as you, your breath, and your word are one. They are inseparable.
As Christians, we are made in the image of God (Father/Son/Spirit). God spoke the word to create the entire universe, including you and me, but after the shortfall of the glory of God in the garden of Eden due to disobedience, the love of God for the world made Him to give us the second chance to be in His presence again as it was from the beginning; He sent His word of recreation again to redeem us back to Himself , so we can enjoy the fellowship with that intimate relationship like in the garden of Eden, but renamed as our new Jerusalem, Our eternal Paradise, where we will be seeing the trinity and be in charge of the angels of God forever.
And there can never be a disagreement between them because the Son of God (Word) is God, and the Spirit of God is God.
May ADONAI bless you, and keep you
May ADONAI make His face shine on you and show you His favour
May ADONAI lift up His face toward you and give you peace.
Shalom Aleikhem!