The Trinity: The Unity and Oneness of God
by Gary LintonPosted in Apologetics 15 Comments
The term trinity is not mentioned in the bible. It was first used in the second century to describe the Godhead, which is a biblical term (Colossians 2:9 and Romans 1:20). So “trinity” is merely another word to describe the Godhead. It should be noted, the planet Jupiter existed before it was ever named. Therefore, just because the term trinity came along later, doesn’t make it any less valid.
Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.” Lord is Yahweh in the original and is singular. On the other hand, Elohim (God) is plural for God. It could read, “Yahweh (singular) our Elohim (plural) is one Yahweh (singular).” No doubt this is referring to the oneness of God, but it also has reference to plurality. There is no way of properly explaining this other than the Trinity.
This is one of the most important and foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. It is extremely important that we are well equipped and versed in what we believe concerning this doctrine. Dr. Walter Martin once said that cults twist the majority of Christians into doctrinal pretzels because we know what we believe, but not why we believe it. Peter said, “Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15 KJV). We are admonished to “Contend (fight) for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3 KJV).
There is only one God. The scriptures make it clear there is but one God that we worship and serve. There are not many gods, but only one true and living God. The following scriptures make this abundantly clear. I will quote just a few below so there is no mistake as to what the scriptures teach on this.
“Hear oh Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4 NASB).
“So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me” (Isaiah 43:10 NASB).
“Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ’I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me” (Isaiah 44:6 NASB).
“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22 NASB).
“There is none like You, and there is no God besides You” (2 Samuel 7:22 NASB).
“For there is (A)one God, and (B)one mediator also between God and men, the (C)man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5 NASB).
“There is no God but one”(1 Corinthians 8:4 NASB).
Compound unity. God is a compound rather than an absolute unity. There are plenty of places where we see God speaking in the plural. Let’s look at some of these verses briefly. “Then God said, Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26 NASB); “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:22 NASB); “Come, let Us go down” (Genesis 11:7 NASB); “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us” (Isaiah 6:8 NASB)?
The following prophecy refers to each member of the Trinity or Godhead within the verse. “I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10 NASB). Notice how the pronouns are interchanged or intermingled in the verse “I will,” “they will look upon Me,” “they will mourn for Him,” “they will weep bitterly over Him”. The wording here can only be explained by viewing it as the compound unity of the Godhead.
Let’s look at some examples of compound unity in other things, but remember, no illustration is perfect – they merely shed light on the subject. A wise man of ancient Greece once said, “Every Illustration limps”. The following examples will help bring light and understanding to the composite unity of the Godhead or Trinity. They will aid us in understanding the difference in this doctrine as a composite rather than a solitary unity.
- Marriage. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24 NASB and also Mark 10:8). Adam didn’t become Eve but they became as one before God.
- Cluster of grapes. “Then they came to the valley of Eshcol and from there cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men” (Numbers 13:23-24 NASB). Moses sent twelve men to spy out the promise land and bring back samples of what the land had to offer. They brought back one cluster of grapes that was so large they had to carry it on a pole between two men. It was one cluster of grapes that clung from the same stem and drew it’s life from the same source. There were many grapes within the one cluster.
- A group of people. A group can be said to stand as one in time of crisis, to defend themselves or to fulfill some purpose. It was said of the children of Israel, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same (one) language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them” (Genesis 11:6 NASB). It was said of the early church, “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart” (Acts 2:46 NASB). On September 11, 2001 America was attacked on it’s own soil and they came together as one like at few other times in history.
About Gary Linton
With over 30 years of teaching, church planting and ministry experience, Gary Linton helps pastors, ministers and church leaders pursue their call to ministry. Pastor Linton is also available for seminars, leadership conferences and speaking engagements for churches both large and small.15 responses to “The Trinity: The Unity and Oneness of God”
In Portuguese: Translate please.
No principio era o Verbo, e o Verbo estava com Deus, e o Verbo era Deus.
Deus aqui é o Pai, certo?
No principio era o Verbo, e o Verbo estava com o Pai, e o VERBO ERA O PAI!!!
Trinity!!! i think if we read John gospel carefully we will see the word “one ” mentioned so many time,often followed by the phrase “He in me and I in Him” (paraphrased a little there).
I think the term trinity is a little confusing and perhaps taken out of context slightly. My take is that God is one,absolutely, however there, are perhaps many facets to this being we call God. There is the conundrum of how Christ could be God and man at the same time.
Theres also another rather hard to understand statement that we are all one with God.even as Christ is one.Now i know Jesus prayed that we “may ” be one even as He was one, im just assuming that Hes had that prayer answered…after all, Hes God isnt He.
So how can we be 6.6 billion seemingly indvidual spirits and yet be ONE SPIRIT, and one with the Father?
Now thats a mystery for sure.
Hi RobertH,
I don’t get your argument regarding the Word becoming flesh. God can speak anything into existence… So what point are you trying to make?
Also, the Bible does not show the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as three separate persons. The Bible says “The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” but it never ever says He’s three in one or one yet three or any variation thereof. Show me the Scripture that says otherwise and I’ll then say what “this means”.
Please have a deep read of 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:6 and 1 John 3:1-8 with a teachable spirit.
Cassidy – yes, as I said in the beginning teaching, “The term trinity is not mentioned in the bible. It was first used in the second century to describe the Godhead, which is a biblical term (Colossians 2:9 and Romans 1:20). So “trinity” is merely another word to describe the Godhead.” I actually prefer using the term Godhead, since it is used in scripture. Read the above scripture.
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces[a] of this world rather than on Christ. Colossians 2:8
The doctrine of the trinity is human tradition born out of a blend of Greek philosophy and uninspired church leadership who were under pressure from Constantine to bring unity to his state controlled church.
Hi Truthseeker,
John 1:1 & John 1:14 indeed say that Jesus is God and that the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us. Jesus is the Word made flesh. The first 18 verses make this rather clear. It doesn’t matter if we do not know how the Word became flesh, but that is what the Bible clearly says. I mean, you don’t really even know how God does a lot of what He does, do you? So to say that because you don’t know how the Word can become flesh doesn’t mean it cannot be done!
If the Biblical data shows that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate persons, that each are God, and that there is only one God, what do you say this means?
Truthseeker – As I said before, I am not going to have an endless debate with you.The point is, Jesus is God incarnate and there’s no salvation apart form Him (Acts 4:12). I’m ending this now. If you want to talk further, you can reach me through our “contact us” or leave your email.
Also, there’s a problem when you see God as three persons with “one mind and purpose”. How do you explain Luke 22:42 when Jesus is clearly stating that His will is different to that of the Father? Did God suddenly have two wills?
You quote me out of context. I believe you would take me wrong that I do not in fact believe in three “persons”, and neither do I believe that God is limited to the three roles/titles(/”persons”) as you have referred. Nor do I refer to Jesus as “God the Son”, because the Bible never says that. Don’t really get the logical of applying trinity to a Biblical term but okay.
More erroneous teaching comes from your follow up article. John 1:1 and John 1:14 does not indicate any plurality whatsoever – how can a thought/plan/promise be a “person”. Also, I don’t understand the supposed logic behind that the Holy Spirit must be a person. It is NOT taught as the third person of the Trinity/Godhead in the Bible. If it was, then how can Jesus have the fullness of the Godhead bodily? The Trinity states that the three are One, but that they are distinct, ie the Holy Spirit is NOT the Son, and so forth.
You ask how can the Holy Spirit have intellect, be able to grieve, speak etc if it’s not a “person”… Well, it’s easy – it’s because the Holy Spirit IS God! I don’t think you’d read Genesis 1:1 and think that because God can simply speak the heavens and earth into existence that surely He must be a “person”!!! No, of course not. God can do that because He is God. Full stop. There is absolutely no need to start making distinct persons, because it’s extra-Biblical.
Truthseeker – you said, “I believe in the trinity per-say (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are most assuredly all God).” Then, there is no problem, because I believe that also. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God, as you see from my follow up article on the trinity – http://www.ministrymaker.com/trinity-one-god-three-persons. I also said at the onset of this teaching, “The term trinity is not mentioned in the bible. It was first used in the second century to describe the Godhead, which is a biblical term” (Colossians 2:9 and Romans 1:20). Godhead is a Biblical term taught in scripture. Thank you for confirming we agree (1 Corinthians 1:10).
I believe in the trinity per-say (The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are most assuredly all God), but the doctrine? No. I know what the doctrine says and doesn’t say, I’ve been there. Then I was given the revelation. Now I’m a Bible believer.
The doctrine is quite unnecessary. As I said, if you need to go outside the Bible (adding terms etc), then you’re going to change its interpretation and come across all kinds of problems.
But yes, we would be here all day… However, just a quick thought: If you gave a person, who had no previous knowledge of Christianity, a Bible and asked them to read it a few times and get back to you on it, and you asked them, “What did you think about the three persons?” Would they know what you’re talking about?
Truth Seeker – So what point are you trying to make? Are you saying you don’t believe in the Trinity? Are you of the oneness doctrine (Jesus only) by chance? If so, we’d be here all day debating. The truth is that the doctrine of the Trinity (Godhead – Romans 1:20 & Colossians 2:9) does not suggest three Gods but only one God in three persons.
1. God came manifest in the flesh (1 Tim 3:16)
2. God is Spirit (John 4:24), He is Holy (Rev 4:8), and there’s only one Spirit (Eph 4:4).
Therefore… God is three “persons”? Why can’t these be taken on face value?
Your reasoning in your introduction actually proves the opposite to validity. Problems arise once you begin to add or subtract things to God’s Word (see JW and Mormonism as just two other examples).
Wouldn’t you agree that the Bible is the complete authority and truth? So why start adding on to it? Do you feel it’s insufficient in explaining Itself? Do you feel God needs help explaining what He revealed to us? Do you believe God just forgot to tell us that He’s really three “persons”?
On to your references to Scripture… Remember, Scripture explains Scripture.
Gen 1:26, Gen 3:22 – The angels were present at creation (Job 38:4-7). The LORD converses with the angels (Psalm 103:20). Why would God need to talk to Himself about anything? Therefore, God was talking to the angels here. Further proof is the fact that men look like angels (Heb 2:7, Acts 12:15, Gen 18:2, 18:16, 19:1 and 19:5). So man was made in the image of God and the angels!
In Gen 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8, God was speaking to the angels too. Also, the term “Us” can be used to emphasise God’s majesty. (Ironically, even my Trinitarian study Bible agrees with both God speaking to the angels and the emphasis on majesty!)
Zech 12:10 – Notice from the start of the chapter that it’s the LORD (Jehovah) who’s speaking (as opposed to Lord which is titled to Jesus throughout the NT)? Would you agree that it’s the Father speaking here? Therefore, it’s the Father who’s declaring that it is He who will be pierced, not another “person”. John 19:37 also testifies that Jesus is God.
There’s no point going into the analogies you presented, because one can present analogies for nearly anything, and as you said, analogies are flawed.
I want to contact to you for getting best knowledge.
Pastor Shahzad.
Gospel Healing Pentecostal Church of Ministry Pakistan.
I like your intro. Anticipating reading your next two writings building upon this intro.
“Go Forward!”