(This article serves as the second installment of a two-part series on the topic of the Trinity. For full context, please also see the previous post titled “Three-in-One.”)

For each generation, pop culture seems to generate new words and phrases that serve as slang for timeless concepts. An impressive person in the 1950s was identified as a “cool cat,” but today’s teens would say he’s “fire.” As a former high school teacher, I can assure you that these quickly changing slang words are very difficult to keep up with when you aren’t submerged in that generational culture. The language morphs faster than you can even learn it, and you’re always at risk of using the words in the wrong context, which can produce really embarrassing interactions. Thankfully, God’s character and the Bible do not change to keep up with trends. We serve an unchanging God whose words will always be the same. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). We never have to worry that God will alter his expectations of us or begin behaving differently, leaving us vulnerable or unsure of the context of His word. It is important to remember this truth about God as we encounter the different names for Him in the Bible. He is a God of depth and complexity, so we will continually discover characteristics about Him and names for Him that are fresh to us, but it is not an indication that God has changed in any way. He does not change; we simply unpack more about Him over time.

If you checked out the previous post on the Square One blog (“Three-in-One”), I briefly identified the difference between true synonyms for the same God that appear in the Bible and the names that distinguish the three distinct persons of the Trinity. We are going to dive into this distinction more here, while also exploring each of their roles. Now, this topic can quickly take us down a deep theological path, but that is not my desire here. In the true spirit of helping the new believer grasp foundational truths that will adequately launch them into independent Bible study, I only aim to provide general clarity about the Trinity.

God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit

God the Father is the first person in the Trinity; however, He is not first because there is a hierarchy among the three persons. As the Bible Hub website identifies, all three persons are co-equal and co-eternal, possessing the same omniscience (knowing everything), omnipotence (being all-powerful), and omnipresence (being everywhere at once). The reason God the Father is identified first is that there appears in Scripture to be a voluntary yielding to God the Father by Jesus (John 5:19) and the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). Again, this is for the sake of harmony and does not diminish their equality or oneness. Genesis chapter 1 reveals God’s creation of the world. Throughout the chapter, we see God executing the power and authority to declare elements of the world into existence. God is clearly the agent for creation. In other parts of the Bible, God is also identified as the originator of spiritual revelation (Matthew 16:17) and salvation for man (Ephesians 2:8).

The second person of the Trinity is Jesus the Son. Jesus is not mentioned second because he is inferior to God or superior to the Holy Spirit. Again, all three co-exist and are co-equal. Jesus is second because he willingly became the Son of God, leaving his heavenly throne and taking on flesh. His divine function is to serve as mediator between God (Creator) and man (created). Jesus came to earth to reveal God to man, both representing God and being God at the same time. Jesus states this in John 14:9 when he tells Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus also serves as the Reconciler between God and man (Ephesians 1:7), obeying God’s plan for salvation by going to the cross on our behalf and uniting us to God (John 10:17-18), because our sinful nature separated us from Him (Ephesians 2:12-13). We see here that God is the originator of salvation (John 3:16), but Jesus is the agent for salvation (John 14:6). Because Jesus came to earth in the flesh at a specific time in history, it is logical for us to assume that Jesus first came into existence at the time of his earthly birth; however, that is not true. As noted in the “Evidence for the Trinity” section below, the books of Genesis and John reveal that Jesus is eternal, having always existed.

The Holy Spirit rounds out our discussion on the Trinity. I speak of the Holy Spirit last because, although He is eternal and therefore was present and at work even before creation, the Holy Spirit is the One God sent to man after Jesus ascended to heaven. He comes to indwell every believer at the moment of salvation for the purpose of doing an inner spiritual work on us. The work of the Holy Spirit is the catalyst for new birth and renewal within us (Titus 3:5). The transformation we witness in ourselves after coming to Christ is a result of the renewing work of the Holy Spirit. During this transforming process, the Holy Spirit reveals spiritual truths to the believer, acting as a Counselor and an Advocate (1 Corinthians 2:10). The Holy Spirit also equips us for our purpose in building up the church and making disciples (John 14:26), and He serves as a seal upon us, keeping us secured for eternity (Ephesians 4:30). A critical distinction concerning the Holy Spirit is that He is simply the agent for God the Father (who is the originator) in all these things, also confirming all that Jesus did on earth. As the Holy Spirit renews us, counsels us, and teaches us, He is doing so with the authority of God, while also being one with God Himself (John 16:13).

Evidence for the Trinity

While there is not one tidy verse that teaches us all of the truths of the Trinity, we find evidence of it all throughout Scripture. Within the first chapter of Genesis, verse two states that the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters, which identifies the presence and function of the Holy Spirit in the creation process. In verse 26, God says, “Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.” The plural pronouns here imply that all three persons of the Trinity were present at creation, just with different roles. (John 1:2-3 specifically identifies that Jesus was present at creation as part of the “we” and “us.”) This evidence speaks to the fact that all three persons in the Godhead are co-eternal and work together to accomplish the Father’s will.

Another profound Trinity moment in Scripture occurs early in the New Testament when John the Baptist performs Jesus’ baptism. Here we experience another display of the three persons of the Trinity, present and working together. In Matthew 3:16-17, Scripture tells us that when Jesus came out of the water during his baptism, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and came to rest on Jesus. Then a voice from heaven spoke, identifying Jesus as God’s Son and declaring that He (God the Father) is pleased with Jesus. Those present at this event experienced Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the voice of God the Father all together, affirming Jesus and marking the beginning of his earthly ministry. This moment was a powerful display of the Trinity accomplishing the Father’s will and exhibiting their co-existence.

Fast forward to the end of Jesus’ earthly mission, the moment he was about to ascend into heaven, and we hear Jesus shining another light on the Trinity in his final words to his disciples. In Matthew 28:19 we receive a beautiful acknowledgment of the Trinity, where all three persons are included in Jesus’ commission to the disciples, commanding them to go and make disciples of all nations, “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”  Jesus himself declares that the three persons of the Trinity are equally valuable and equally engaged in the salvation process. The active presence of all three persons during the moment someone comes to Christ paints a touching picture of a God who designed an intricate and intimate path for pursuing and drawing us to Himself. When you reflect on God’s love for you, know that this love originates with God, is manifested by Jesus through salvation, and is sealed with the Holy Spirit forever.

The Trinity is so marvelous that a short blog post cannot possibly do them any justice. The intertwining functions of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are so incredible that it will take us a lifetime to uncover even just a portion of the majesty they encompass. I pray the content in these two blogs on the Trinity has served as a spiritual appetizer to excite you about the journey ahead as you continue to pursue a relationship with God through His Word. Below you will find a short (not complete) list of names in the Bible for each of the three persons in the Trinity. It may be helpful to visibly see the associations of names with each person of the Godhead as you begin your journey in Bible study and encounter these meaningful and person-specific synonyms for each of them. Go and be blessed as you feast on the Word of God!

God the Father: God, LORD, Father, Shepherd, Almighty, King of Israel, Alpha and Omega

Jesus the Son: Christ, Promised One, Lamb of God, Son of God, the Word, Light of the World, Redeemer, the Good Shepherd

The Holy Spirit: Advocate, Counselor, the Helper, Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, Spirit of life, Spirit of the Lord, the promised Holy Spirit