154. What Is the Trinity? Explaining Father, Son & Holy Spirit

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Have you ever tried explaining the Trinity to someone and found yourself stumbling over words? You're not alone. The concept of God existing as one being in three persons stands as Christianity's most profound and beautiful mystery.

Drawing from Scripture's rich testimony, we explore how the Bible reveals God as both one and three—a truth woven throughout both testaments. From Deuteronomy's declaration that "the Lord is one" to Jesus' baptism where all three persons appear simultaneously, the biblical foundation is unmistakable. We trace how early Christians like Tertullian gave us the term "Trinity" (from Latin "Trinitas") not to invent new doctrine, but to articulate what Scripture had already revealed about God's nature.

What makes the Trinity so remarkable is precisely what makes it challenging—it transcends our finite understanding. Every analogy falls short, whether comparing it to water's three states or the sun's different aspects. This humbling reality reminds us that God's nature surpasses our comprehension, yet still invites our worship and relationship. The Trinity isn't merely academic theology—it's the very framework through which we experience God's love: the Father chooses us, the Son redeems us, and the Spirit indwells and guides us daily.

Many cults explicitly reject the Trinity, but without it, Christianity itself collapses. If Jesus isn't fully God, His sacrifice couldn't save us. If the Spirit isn't divine, He couldn't transform us. Understanding the Trinity protects us from dangerous theological distortions while deepening our worship. As you reflect on this profound truth, consider how it might transform your prayers, your understanding of salvation, and your daily walk with God. How might seeing God as eternally relational within Himself change how you approach relationship with Him and others?

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Episode Transcript

Rebecca Twomey (00:07):
The Hello and welcome back to Coffee Talk on

(00:34):
the Radiant Mission Podcast.
My name is Rebecca Twomey andtoday we are going to be diving
in to one of the most importantand mysterious truths of the
Christian faith the Trinity.
Now, if you have ever tried toexplain the Trinity to someone,
you know it's not easy.

(00:55):
How can God be one, yet alsothree?
And if the word Trinity doesn'teven appear in the Bible, why
do we believe it?
We're going to explore all ofthis in today's episode, so
let's go ahead and get started.
Of course, we are discussingthis from a biblical foundation.

(01:19):
God is one.
Deuteronomy 6, verse 4.
Hear o israel the lord.
God the lord is one, yet alsothree persons.
In matthew 28, 19, jesuscommands his disciples to
baptize in the name of thefather and of the son Spirit.

(01:41):
Notice one name, three persons,the baptism of Jesus.
Matthew 3, 16-17, shows theFather speaking from heaven, the
Spirit descending like a doveand the Son being baptized, all
present together.
Jesus is God.

(02:03):
In John 1.1,.
In the beginning was the word,and the word was with God and
the word was God.
Colossians 2.9, for in Christ,all the fullness of the deity
lives in bodily form, form andthe spirit as god.

(02:33):
In acts 5, 3 through 4 itequates lying to the holy spirit
as if lying to god.
Scripture paints the picturegod is one being, but exists
eternally as three personsFather, son and Holy Spirit.
You might then be wonderingwhere did the word Trinity come
from?
If the Bible doesn't use theword Trinity, why do we?

(02:56):
The word actually comes fromthe Latin Trinitas.
I don't know why I'mpronouncing it like that
Trinitas meaning threefold orthree in one.
Tertullian, who was a Christianwriter around 200 AD, first used

(03:17):
it to describe what scripturealready revealed.
As heresies arose, claimingJesus wasn't fully God or that
the scripture wasn't divine, thechurch needed clear language to
defend the truth.
The Council of Nicaea in 325 ADand the Council of

(03:38):
Constantinople, 381 AD affirmedthe doctrine one God and three
persons.
180 affirmed the doctrine oneGod and three persons, co-equal
and co-eternal.
So while the word Trinity isnot in scripture, the truth it
represents is everywhere inscripture.
The early church didn't inventit.
They simply gave a name to whatGod had already shown.

(04:00):
So this is just a way toexplain God in three persons by
referring to it as the Trinity.
Let's dive a little bit into themystery of the Trinity,
something that's important.
We really cannot fullycomprehend the Trinity, and

(04:20):
that's okay.
God is infinite and our humanminds are finite.
If we could completely explainhim, he wouldn't be God.
Throughout history, people havetried analogies water as ice,
liquid and steam, or the sun asstar light and heat but every

(04:43):
analogy falls short and risksheresy.
The truth is, the Trinity isunique to Christianity.
No other religion reveals Godlike this.
There are actually a lot ofcommon questions, so let's
tackle a few of them.

(05:04):
Isn't this polytheism, then?
Well, no, christians don'tbelieve in three gods.
We believe in one God whoexists in three persons.
Another question that I haveheard a lot is is Jesus lesser
than the Father?
And the answer is no.

(05:24):
John 10, 30, jesus says I andthe Father are one, so they are
equal in essence but distinct inrole.
Can we lose the Spirit?
We are told no.
In Ephesians 1, 13-14, it saysand a question that you might be
asking as you're listeningbelievers are sealed with the
Holy Spirit until the day ofredemption.

(05:44):
And a question that you mightbe asking as you're listening
why does this matter for mepersonally?
And I would argue because theTrinity isn't just a doctrine.
It's how we experience God.
The Father chooses and loves us, the Son saves us through His

(06:10):
death and resurrection, and theSpirit indwells with us and
guides and empowers us daily.
So the Trinity is really at theheart of the gospel.
If you misunderstand who God is, you can easily fall into false
teaching.
Many cults and false religionsdeny the Trinity, like Jehovah's
Witnesses, mormons, islam andothers.

(06:31):
But Christianity is clear.
Without the Trinity, the gospelfalls apart.
If Jesus is not fully God, hecouldn't save us, and if the
Spirit is not God, he couldn'tindwell with us.
And if the Father is not God,he couldn't indwell with us.
And if the Father is not God,he couldn't receive us as His
children.
So the Trinity matters becauseit's who God is.

(06:56):
As we wrap up today, I have afew reflection questions.
First, how does knowing God asFather First, how does knowing
God as Father, son and Spiritdeepen your relationship with
Him?
Are there areas where you'vestruggled to trust one person of
the Trinity more than others?
And how can the truth of theTrinity shape the way you

(07:22):
worship, pray and live this week?
Thank you, as always, fortuning in and for listening and
for being on this journey.
If you would like to joinoutside the podcast.
You can join me on Instagram atthe Radiant Mission, on
Facebook at the Radiant MissionPodcast, and you can find all of
the podcast episodes on YouTubeby searching for my name,

(07:43):
rebecca Toomey Today.
I'm going to close with 1Timothy, 1.17.
Now to the King Eternal,immortal, invisible, the only
God, be honor and glory foreverand ever.
Amen.
Wishing you a radiant week andI'll see you next time.

(08:06):
Bye.