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<p class="lead">There is one God who eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.</p>

<p>The Bible clearly teaches that there is only one true God.</p>

<div class="scripture">
“I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.”
<span class="ref">—Isaiah 45:5</span>
</div>

<p>Jesus Himself affirmed this truth when He spoke of “the only true God” (John 17:3). The apostles likewise continued to proclaim this same truth.</p>

<div class="scripture">
“There is one God.”
<span class="ref">—1 Timothy 2:5</span>
</div>

<p>Everything we believe about the Trinity begins here: God is one.</p>

<h2>The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Are Distinct</h2>

<p>Although there is only one God, Scripture also reveals the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as personally distinct from one another.</p>

<p>This is clearly seen at Jesus’ baptism.</p>

<p>Jesus, the Son, is baptized. The Holy Spirit descends upon Him. The Father speaks from heaven.</p>

<div class="scripture">
“This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
<span class="ref">—Matthew 3:17</span>
</div>

<p>The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not the Father.</p>

<p>They speak to one another, love one another, send one another, and act toward one another.</p>

<p>Jesus prayed to His Father. The Father sent His Son into the world. The Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit to dwell with Christ’s people.</p>

<p>Jesus brought all three Persons together when He commanded His disciples:</p>

<div class="scripture">
“Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
<span class="ref">—Matthew 28:19</span>
</div>

<p>Notice that Jesus said <em>name</em>, not <em>names</em>. There is one God, yet the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are personally distinct.</p>

<h2>The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Are Fully God</h2>

<p>Scripture does not present the Father as God while treating the Son and the Spirit as lesser beings. Each Person is fully divine.</p>

<p>The Father is God.</p>

<div class="scripture">
“For us there is but one God, the Father.”
<span class="ref">—1 Corinthians 8:6</span>
</div>

<p>John begins his Gospel by describing Jesus as the eternal Word:</p>

<div class="scripture">
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
<span class="ref">—John 1:1</span>
</div>

<p>Jesus is distinct from the Father—He was “with God”—and yet He fully shares the divine nature—He “was God.”</p>

<p>After Jesus rose from the dead, Thomas worshiped Him, declaring:</p>

<p>The Holy Spirit is also God.</p>

<p>In Acts 5, Peter tells Ananias that he has lied to the Holy Spirit, and then states:</p>

<div class="scripture">
“You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”
<span class="ref">—Acts 5:4</span>
</div>

<p>The Holy Spirit is not merely God’s power or an impersonal force. He knows, speaks, teaches, leads, can be grieved, and personally works within God’s people.</p>

<p>The Father is fully God.

The Son is fully God.

The Holy Spirit is fully God.</p>

<p>Yet there are not three Gods. There is one God.</p>

<p>None of the three Persons is one-third of God. Each fully possesses the one divine nature. They are equally eternal, equally holy, and equally worthy of worship.</p>

<h2>The Trinity Is Seen in Our Salvation</h2>

<p>The Trinity is not merely a complex doctrine for theological discussion. Knowing God as Triune helps us understand the personal way in which He has acted to save us.</p>

<p>The Father sent the Son.</p>

<div class="scripture">
“The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
<span class="ref">—1 John 4:14</span>
</div>

<p>The Son willingly came, took on human nature, lived without sin, died for our sins, and rose from the dead.</p>

<p>The Holy Spirit gives new life, brings us to faith, dwells within us, and continues God’s transforming work in us.</p>

<div class="scripture">
“He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”
<span class="ref">—Titus 3:5</span>
</div>

<p>Our salvation is the work of the Triune God.</p>

<ol>
<li>The Father planned and sent.</li>
<li>The Son accomplished our redemption.</li>
<li>The Spirit applies Christ’s saving work and gives life.</li>
</ol>

<p>The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit always act in perfect unity as the one God.</p>

<p>Your salvation brings you into relationship with the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.</p>

<h2>We Come to the Father Through the Son by the Spirit</h2>

<p>The Trinity also shapes our daily relationship with God.</p>

<p>Paul writes:</p>

<div class="scripture">
“For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
<span class="ref">—Ephesians 2:18</span>
</div>

<p>This single verse presents a profound picture of the Christian life.</p>

<p>Through the Son, we have access.</p>

<p>Jesus has reconciled us to God through His death and resurrection. We do not approach God on the basis of our own righteousness.</p>

<p>Because of Christ, God receives us as His children. We may call upon Him, trust Him, worship Him, and bring our needs before Him.</p>

<p>By the Spirit, we draw near.</p>

<p>The Holy Spirit dwells within us, helps us pray, teaches us God’s truth, and strengthens us to walk with Christ.</p>

<p>The entire Christian life is encompassed by the grace and love of the Triune God.</p>

<h2>A Mystery God Has Truly Revealed</h2>

<p>We should not be surprised that we cannot fully comprehend God.</p>

<p>God created our minds; our minds did not create God.</p>

<p>The Trinity is a mystery, but mystery does not mean contradiction or complete unknowability. It means that God is greater than our capacity to fully comprehend Him.</p>

<p>Simple illustrations of the Trinity fall short. We cannot reduce the eternal and infinite God to something fully explainable.</p>

<p>We are called to believe what He has revealed:</p>

<ul>
<li>There is one God.</li>
<li>The Father is God.</li>
<li>The Son is God.</li>
<li>The Holy Spirit is God.</li>
<li>The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons.</li>
</ul>

<p>These truths belong together. From beginning to end, our salvation is the gracious work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.</p>

<div class="scripture">
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
<span class="ref">—2 Corinthians 13:14</span>
</div>

<h2>What We Have Learned</h2>

<ol>
<li>There is only one true God.</li>
<li>The one God eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.</li>
<li>The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, not three manifestations of one Person.</li>
<li>The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each fully and equally God.</li>
<li>The Triune God works in perfect unity in our salvation.</li>
<li>Through the Son and by the Holy Spirit, believers are brought into relationship with the Father.</li>
<li>We cannot comprehend God fully, but we can know Him truly because He has revealed Himself.</li>
</ol>

<h2>What We Are Called to Do</h2>

<ul>
<li>Worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as the one true God.</li>
<li>Receive what Scripture reveals about God, even when it exceeds our full understanding.</li>
<li>Trust the Father who loved us and sent His Son.</li>
<li>Trust Jesus Christ, the Son, who gave Himself for our salvation.</li>
<li>Depend upon the Holy Spirit who dwells within us and helps us follow Christ.</li>
<li>Approach the Father confidently through the Son and by the Spirit.</li>
<li>Grow in reverence and worship as you come to know the Triune God more deeply.</li>
</ul>

Edit Topic ID: 8100