Although the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible, this term accurately reflects what the Scripture clearly teaches concerning the triune nature of God. The Trinity formula, in the sense of an expressed conjunction of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit occurred very early in the history of the Christian Church. Many years before the Council of Nicaea was convened, the early Church Fathers had already confirmed the doctrine of the Trinity.

THE TRINITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

THE PLURALITY OF GOD

There are several verses of Scripture in the Old Testament that speak of the plurality of God.

Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” Genesis 1:26

Our image cannot refer to God and his angels because only God is Creator. Angels are created beings. The word God is translated from the Hebrew word, Elohim which is a plural noun.

“Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” Genesis 11:7

In response to the city of Babel and the tower the people were building, the LORD said let “us” go down and confuse their language.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah 6:8

Isaiah heard Adonai saying whom shall I send and who will go for “us”.

Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the LORD GOD and His Spirit have sent Me.” Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: Isaiah 48:16-17

THE TRINITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

THE INCARNATION

Luke 1:30-35
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

At the “Annunciation” it was prophesied that the Holy Spirit (God the Spirit) would come upon Mary and the power of the Most High (God the Father) would overshadow Mary. Therefore the one to be born would be called the Son of God (God the Son). The Trinity is evident at the “Incarnation.”

THE BAPTISM

Matthew 3:16-17
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

At the baptism of Jesus, the Spirit descended and rested upon Jesus as the voice of the Father was heard from heaven.

John 2:19-22
Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days."
The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

WHO RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD?

Jesus declared that after three days He would raise himself from the dead.

Acts 2:23-24
This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.

After Pentecost, Peter addressed the crowd and claimed that it was God the Father that raised Christ from the dead.

Romans 8:11
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

Paul writing to the Church at Rome declared that it was the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all were involved in the resurrection.

THE GREAT COMMISSION

Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

The “Great Commission” speaks of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The Trinity is evident at the Incarnation, Baptism, Resurrection and Great Commission.

WHO INDWELLS THE BELIEVER?

Ephesians 3:14-17a
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Christ dwells in the heart of the believer.

Romans 8:9-10
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

God the Spirit (the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ) lives in the believer.

2 Corinthians 6:16
What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

We are the temple of God the Father. The Spirit lives in us. Christ indwells us.

THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

John 14:16
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—

The Greek word, “paracletos” can be defined as helper, comforter or counselor. These roles can only be performed by a person. Jesus said that, although He was returning to the Father, that He would send another Counselor to be with us forever.

Acts 5:3
Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?

You cannot fellowship with, resist, grieve, lie to or blaspheme a power. The Holy Spirit is the third "person" of the Godhead.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14