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We believe that there is one living and true God who eternally exists in three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Each Person fully possesses the one divine nature and all the attributes and perfections of God. The three Persons are coequal and coeternal, and each is equally worthy of worship, trust, and obedience.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three gods, three parts of God, or three temporary ways in which one Person appears. They are three distinct Persons who eternally share the one divine being.
Supporting Scriptures
Mark 12:29; Matthew 28:19; John 1:1-4; John 14:16-17, 26; Acts 5:3-4; II Corinthians 13:14
Layman's Terms
There is only one God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God.
The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father. They are distinct Persons, but they are not three gods or three parts that combine to make God. Each Person is fully God, yet there is only one eternal God.
God has always existed in this way. The Father did not create the Son or the Holy Spirit, and none of the three came into existence after the others. There has never been a time when the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit did not exist.
This is difficult for us to understand completely because nothing in creation is exactly like God. Nevertheless, this is how God has revealed Himself in Scripture, and we accept what He has revealed even when we cannot fully explain the mystery of His being.
The arrangement of the names in the diagram does not indicate rank, sequence, or importance. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are coequal and coeternal. The center represents the one divine being, not a fourth Person.
Further Study
Why Use the Word “Trinity”?
The word Trinity does not appear in the Bible. It is a theological term used to summarize what Scripture reveals about God:
- There is only one God.
- The Father is God.
- The Son is God.
- The Holy Spirit is God.
- The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons.
The word does not add something to Scripture. It gives us a concise way to describe these truths together.
One God, Not Three
Scripture consistently teaches that there is only one God. Jesus affirmed the confession, “The Lord our God, the Lord is one” in Mark 12:29.
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity therefore does not teach belief in three gods. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not possess three separate divine beings. They eternally share the one divine being.
Each Person is fully God. The Father is not one-third of God, the Son is not one-third of God, and the Holy Spirit is not one-third of God. God cannot be divided into parts.
Three Distinct Persons
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are personally distinct from one another.
At Jesus’ baptism, the Son was baptized, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, and the Father spoke from heaven. Jesus prayed to the Father and promised that the Father would send another Helper, the Holy Spirit. These are genuine personal relationships, not one Person changing roles or appearing in different forms.
The distinction among the Persons does not divide God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit act in perfect unity because they share the one divine nature, purpose, and will.
Distinct Roles Do Not Mean Different Rank
Scripture often describes the three Persons acting in distinguishable ways. The Father sent the Son. The Son became human and accomplished our redemption through His life, death, and resurrection. The Holy Spirit gives life, dwells within believers, and applies Christ’s work to them.
These distinctions do not mean that one Person is more divine, more eternal, or more worthy than another. They reveal personal relationships within the one God.
The order in which the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are named must not be understood as first, second, and third in importance. All three are equally and eternally God.
The Limits of Illustrations
No created object provides a complete picture of the Trinity.
Water existing as liquid, ice, and vapor can suggest one thing appearing in three forms. An egg divided into shell, white, and yolk can suggest that each Person is only part of God. A three-leaf clover has the same problem.
Diagrams and illustrations may help us identify certain relationships, but they cannot explain God’s being completely. The diagram on this page shows that each Person is God and that each Person is distinct from the others. It should not be treated as a complete explanation of the Trinity.
God is not one being among many. He is the eternal Creator, and nothing He created is fully comparable to Him.
Memory Verse
II Corinthians 13:14
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