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Know YHWH

The Trinity

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” — Matthew 28:19

The doctrine of the Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith. It confesses that the one true God exists eternally as three distinct persons — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — who are coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial. This is not a doctrine invented by later councils but the church’s faithful articulation of what Scripture reveals about the God who saves.

Note that Jesus says “in the name” — singular onoma (ὄνομα) — not “in the names” of the Father, Son, and Spirit. The three persons share one divine name, pointing to one shared essence.

Why the Trinity Matters

Section titled “Why the Trinity Matters”

The Trinity is not abstract speculation. It stands at the heart of the gospel itself:

  • The Father sends the Son and pours out the Spirit (John 3:16; Acts 2:33)
  • The Son reveals the Father and accomplishes redemption (John 14:9; Hebrews 1:3)
  • The Holy Spirit applies the Son’s work and unites believers to the Father (Romans 8:15–16; Ephesians 2:18)

Every act of salvation is a Trinitarian act. The Spirit’s work of uniting believers to the Father is captured in Paul’s language of adoption: we receive the “Spirit of adoption” (pneuma huiothesias, πνεῦμα υἱοθεσίας) by whom we cry “Abba!” (Αββα) — the Aramaic intimate address for “Father” (Romans 8:15). This cry is itself Trinitarian: the Spirit enables us to call the Father by the name the Son used (Mark 14:36). As the apostle Paul writes:

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” — 2 Corinthians 13:14

To deny the Trinity is to lose the gospel, because the good news is that the triune God — Father, Son, and Spirit — has acted in concert to reconcile sinners to Himself.

The Biblical Pattern

Section titled “The Biblical Pattern”

Scripture never uses the word “Trinity,” yet the reality pervades its pages. The Old Testament insists on the oneness of God while giving hints of plurality within that oneness — the plural Elohim (אֱלֹהִים) used with singular verbs, the mysterious “let us make man” (Genesis 1:26), and the Angel of YHWH (מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה) who speaks as God Himself (Genesis 16:10–13; Exodus 3:2–6). The New Testament makes this plurality explicit by identifying the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as fully divine persons who are nevertheless one God.

In This Section

Section titled “In This Section”

Explore the doctrine of the Trinity across the following pages: