Holy Spirit - Part 1: The Trinity

We should not begin our study focus of the Holy Spirit until we have come to understand the concept of the Trinity, one of the bedrock foundations of the Christian faith. 

This concept places our faith apart from all other faiths. While there are quite a few religions that believe in a number of gods, we do not. We believe in one God, the true and living God, who has elected to present Himself to us in three persons. These persons are not individual persons apart from each other. They are three different manifestations of one God. In this way, the Christian faith is said to be “Trinitarian”, meaning accepting of AND worship of three essences of one God, FATHER, SON, & HOLY SPIRIT.

Some have taught that the Trinity is essentially a New Testament teaching. This is false doctrine. We should understand that the actual word “Trinity” does not appear in scripture, but it's teaching and doctrine begins all scripture for us. It is not a coincidence that this concept is prepared for us in Genesis 1:1:

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth”.

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and in the Hebrew language this verse is given with the word Elohim to describe God. In the original language, “EL” is used to describe a singular thing, “ELAH” is used to describe a thing of two in number, and 

“ELOHIM” is used to describe three in number.

So in this most majestic statement that begins all understanding of the Holy Word, we see the Trinity presented. We must rightly divide the Word to truly gain understanding and even the first book, chapter 1, verse 1 is not alone in presenting us this concept of truth.

Genesis 1:26

“And God said, let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness...”

Genesis 3:22

“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of US...”

Genesis 11:7

“... let US go down and there confound their language...”

God unfolds His revelation to us progressively. But even in the very beginning of the Holy Word, we are taught that God subsists in plural form.

It should be obvious to us that when the Father sent the Son, as reflected through the New Testament fulfillment of prophecy given before, more light is clearly shown on the matter of the Trinity. While the Father remained upon His throne in the highest heavens, the Son came to be among us in the likeness of our flesh, while scripture is clear where He was before He came.

John 1:1-2

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God.”

God then revealed to all mankind for all time his plural purpose by coming to be among His creation. 

John 1:14

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...”

It is inspiring that when the Lord gave His only begotten one, His perfect Son, to be our once and forever sacrifice, atoning for all sin for all time, and then the Son returned to the side of the Father to always intercede for us, He did not leave us alone.

First He confirmed for us that special relationship of the divine.

John 10:30

“I and my Father are one”.

In John 16:7 Jesus made clear that it was expedient that He go away and send another comforter, the Holy Spirit. That wording in the original Greek means a better way to accomplish a purpose. So the Lord told us that it was better for us that He himself go, and send us the Holy Spirit.

In Matthew 28, Jesus commands His followers to make disciples of all nations, teaching them what His truth, and to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Notice here this teaching is of three persons, but one name. 

At the moment of the baptism of Jesus, we are given a moment in which all three persons of the Trinity are in evidence at one place. The Son comes up out of the water, the Father speaks from Heaven for all there to hear, and the Spirit descends upon the Son in the form of a dove.

The Holy Spirit is a person, and is God, and is a member of the Trinity. Any lesser view is inaccurate and not borne out by scripture. The Father is the source of all blessing, the Son is the channel of that blessing, and the Spirit operates within us to effect all blessing. The Trinity is real, is truth, and is within the Word of God.