Deity of Christ
The Trinity means three gods, and it makes no sense.
Short answer
Christians believe in one God, as firmly as anyone. The Trinity teaches that the one God eternally exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who share one divine nature. It is not 1+1+1=3 gods, and not one person wearing three masks. It is beyond full understanding, but it is not a contradiction: one in being, three in person.
In simple words: There is only one God. God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are not three gods. They are one God who has always loved within himself.
Response
Christianity is fiercely monotheistic. Jesus himself quoted Israel's great confession, "The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Mark 12:29). Paul wrote that "there is no God but one" (1 Corinthians 8:4).
Yet the New Testament identifies three persons as God. The Father is God (1 Corinthians 8:6). The Son is God (John 1:1; 20:28). The Holy Spirit is God: lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God (Acts 5:3-4). And the three are distinct: at Jesus' baptism the Son is in the water, the Spirit descends, and the Father speaks from heaven (Matthew 3:16-17). Jesus sends his followers to baptize "in the name" (singular) "of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).
A contradiction would be saying God is one being and three beings, or one person and three persons. The Trinity says God is one in being (what God is) and three in person (who God is). That is a mystery, but it is not nonsense.
We should expect God to be beyond full comprehension (Isaiah 55:8-9). A God simple enough to fit entirely inside human understanding would be a God we had invented.
The Trinity also explains how "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Love needs someone to love. Before creation, the Father loved the Son (John 17:24). God did not create in order to have someone to love; love was always at the heart of who he is.
Key evidence
- Jesus affirmed the Shema: the Lord is one (Mark 12:29).
- The Father (1 Corinthians 8:6), the Son (John 1:1), and the Spirit (Acts 5:3-4) are each called God.
- The three are distinct persons (Matthew 3:16-17; John 14:16).
- Matthew 28:19 speaks of one "name" shared by the Father, Son, and Spirit.
- One "what" (being) and three "who" (persons) is not a contradiction.
Bible passages
- Deuteronomy 6:4 "The LORD our God, the LORD is one."
- Mark 12:29 Jesus affirms the Shema.
- Matthew 3:16-17 Father, Son, and Spirit at Jesus' baptism.
- Matthew 28:19 Baptizing in the one name.
- Acts 5:3-4 Lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God.
- 2 Corinthians 13:14 Grace, love, and fellowship of the three.
Discussion questions
- What is the difference between "one being" and "one person"?
- Why do most analogies for the Trinity (water, egg, etc.) fall short?
- How does the Trinity help explain the statement "God is love"?