In order to stand for the faith, there come times when it is necessary to defend key truths. Some say today that there is no such thing as the Trinity and that Jesus and the Father are one in the same. These same people would have The Father dying in Jesus’ spirit body on the cross. Of course, it should be readily apparent that this is a wrench in all of theology. The Bible paints a different picture. I would like you to consider support for the Biblical Triune God.

For starters let’s consider my doctrinal statement:

“There is one triune God who is eternally existent, all powerful, all knowing, and the creator of the heavens and the earth. The three persons of the Trinity are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”

While the Bible does not use the specific word “trinity”, it does clearly teach the three distinct persons and their roles. Each is fully God. Yet the persons themselves are distinct. (Please see the excel file link at the end)

Consider I John. Toward the end of the book, three mentioned in heaven and they are tied together.

1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

(The “Word” there refers to Christ.)

1 John 5:9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

The Bible makes distinctions between the person of the Father and the Son. He testified of His Son, not Himself (person).

1 John 5:10-12 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

It is clear that he that accepts the Son accepts the Father also, but remember the person of the Son came in the flesh. It was not the person of the Father coming in the flesh.
The Bible at times refers to all three persons and one name.

Matthew 28:19 – Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Here is such an example. Why list all three if there are not three persons? Also consider:

2 Corinthians 13:14 – The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, [be] with you all. Amen. ([The second [epistle] to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, [a city] of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.])

The grace of Christ, love of the Father, and communion of the Holy Spirit are all listed above.

Matthew 3:16-17 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Here it is seen that all three persons are in action. Christ (The Son) being baptized, the Spirit descending, and the person of the Father saying He is well pleased.

1 Peter 1:2 – Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

Note the roles of the foreknowledge of God the Father, the sanctification of the Spirit, and the blood of Christ.

Speaking to the disciples, Jesus Christ has this to say:

John 14:26 – But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

The Father sends the Comforter (Holy Spirit) in the name of Christ (The Son) for the purpose of teaching and reminding them of what Christ taught them.

The three persons were involved in creation. The Bible says it this way.

Genesis 1:26 – And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

(So who is “our” referring to?)

John 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word (The Son), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name [was] John.

God sent someone named John the Baptist to testify of His Son.

The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all [men] through him might believe. He was not that Light, but [was sent] to bear witness of that Light. [That] was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word (The Son) was made 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. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (Here we have grace mentioned again in terms of Christ.)

No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

Here there is a difference mentioned. One person is Father and the other is the Son. Now catch this. If you make the person the Father the same as the person The Son, then you do away with the meaning of the “only begotten”. The Son Jesus Christ had to be the perfect sacrifice. He was precious in God the Father’s sight and His only son. This give special significance to His sacrificial death.

Remember the love of God the Father that was displayed in His Son.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

Note, it doesn’t say God the Father came Himself into the world. Rather He sent the person His Son into the world. He was to be the Lamb provided by the Father to take away the sins of the world. This was required to reconcile us to God.

John 10:30 I and [my] Father are one. (This means both persons are God. This is key for refutation of those that try to deny Christ’s deity.)

36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

Have you accepted the Son?

John 5:19-23 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

John 5:26-29 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

John 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (God the Father wasn’t giving himself a commandment. And yet this again shows Christ as God because He had the power to take up His life again.)

John 13:1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. John 13:3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;

John 14:1: Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Joh 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.

Joh 16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father. (It should be clear there are two persons mentioned here.)

Joh 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the

John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

See also John 17; 20:16-17; Colossians 1:13-23

John 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (This is mention of the third Person)

John 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Here is a link to a file I had started for one of my adult Sunday lessons. I have illustrated the Trinity and have listed verses under the heading of each Person of the Trinity illustrating uniqueness, ministries, attributes, and functions that they perform. This is not intended to be a 100 percent exhaustive listing but is a great start and plenty for sake of illustration.

trinity (1)

God bless,

Jim Floyd