The Plural Nature of God

Who can fathom the enormity of God? His infinite nature is incomprehensible to our finite minds. It is no wonder, then, that the notion of a triune God is a contentious topic in religious discussions regarding God’s attributes as people attempt to define Him and fit Him into a conceptual box.

Skeptics will suggest that the Christian doctrine of the Trinity isn’t biblical, contradicts the notion of “only one God” (Deuteronomy 6:4, Galatians 3:20, 1 Timothy 2:5) and that the concept of the Trinity was developed 300 years after Christ by the Church of Rome. They will assert that the word Trinity isn’t contained in the Bible but conveniently fail to acknowledge that the word Bible cannot be found in the Bible either, but that does not negate its truth.

A study of the scriptures reveals that not only was the plurality of God understood by first century believers, including the writers of the New Testament, it was evident to the Hebrews right from the beginning of creation.

Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Verse two goes on to say that, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Right from the onset of creation, both God and the Holy Spirit are intimated as present and active by Moses, who wrote the Torah through direct disclosure from God.

Furthermore, in Genesis 1:26, we read, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,'” The very next verse qualifies that statement by declaring, “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27).

The Essence of Elohim

In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew plural noun “Elohim” is used and in Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7, and Isaiah 6:8 the plural pronoun for “us” is used. Elohim is used over 2500 times in the Hebrew scriptures, yet it never implies more than one Creator, Almighty or LORD. The essence of Elohim infers complexity that requires faith to comprehend.

In Deuteronomy 4:35 Elohim is used to underscore the monotheistic belief in the one true God: “You were shown these things so that you might know that the Lord is God; besides Him there is no other.” This truth is reinforced in Deuteronomy 6:4 where we read, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

When it comes to the word Trinity, it simply means: three in one. It is impossible for our finite minds to comprehend the infinity of God and that is precisely why the subject of the triune nature of God remains a point of contention among certain Christian religious denominations. In Job 11:7-8, Zophar asks, “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

The prophet Isaiah quotes God in Isaiah 55:9, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Furthermore, there is subordination within the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Son and the Father, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. The complexity of their relationship doesn’t deny the deity of each of them since they are all equal in being. Together, they define “what” God is and individually they define “who” God is.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not simply parts of God or forms of God, but rather, each of them is God. They are distinct from each other. Since the Father sent the Son (John 3:17), He cannot be the same Person as the Son. Similarly, after the Son returned to the Father (John 16:10), He and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world (Acts 2:33, Luke 24:49).

Mark 1:10-11 illustrates this unique relationship when Jesus is baptised. “As Jesus was coming up out of the water, He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: You are My Son, whom I love; with You I an well pleased.” In this passage all three Persons of the Trinity are distinctly depicted in the same moment at the same location.

Matthew 28:19 records Jesus instructing the disciples to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy spirit.” He didn’t say “names,” implying more than on individual, He said “name,” meaning one entity.

A similar inference is demonstrated when Paul writes in Galatians 3:16, “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning one person, who is Christ.”

The Son And The Holy Spirit Are One Substance With The Father

Tertullian (160 AD – 240 AD) spoke of the unity of the three persons of the Trinity in his writings and stated that the Son and the Holy Spirit are one substance with the Father. His treatise Adversus Praxeam (Against Praxeam) in 213 AD indicates the concept of the Trinity was already a controversial subject regarding Christology at the time.

Additionally, John 5:7 states, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” These statements cannot be downplayed and substantiate the understanding of triune nature of God in both scripture and Christian literature long before the first council of Nicaea in 325 AD.

2 Corinthians 13:14 also conveys that the Trinity was a common perspective among early believers. Paul writes: “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

Paul proclaims in 1 Corinthians 8:6 there is distinct roles for each of the persons of the Trinity but one salvation. “yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom all things came, and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.”

The Bible teaches there is only one Savior. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “I, even I, am the Lord, and apart from Me there is no Savior (Isaiah 43:11). In Isaiah 45:21, he adds, “And there is no God apart from Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but Me.” And Isaiah 49:26, states, “Then all mankind will know that I the Lord, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

In Hosea 13:4 the prophet writes, “But I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but Me, no Savior but Me.” Yet Luke 2:11 tells us, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord.” Additionally, John wrote that the Samaritans proclaimed, “now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man is the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42).

In 2 Timothy 1:9b-10, Paul teaches that, “This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus,” Moreover, Titus 2:13 says, “while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,”.

And Acts 4:12 informs us that “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” In Acts 5:31, Jesus is called Prince and Savior” and in Acts 13:23, we read, “God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as He promised.” God does not lie when He makes a promise (Hebrews 6:18).

Skeptics will often ask how Jesus could pray to Himself when He prayed. But the distinct persons of the Trinity easily resolve this conundrum. While Jesus and the Father are both God, they are different Persons. Therefore, Jesus prayed to God the Father without praying to Himself.

It is the dialog between Jesus and the Father throughout the gospels that provides overwhelming evidence that they are distinct Persons. Further, the Holy Spirit is always referred to as “He” and not “it.” He speaks (Hebrews 3:7), reasons (Acts 15:28, 1 Corinthians 2:10), and grieves (Ephesians 4:30).

Additionally, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all eternal. There was never a time when one of the three Persons of the Trinity did not exist. They maintain identical attributes regarding their love, mercy, holiness, gentleness and justice. These attributes are evident throughout scripture.

The triune nature of God is conveyed throughout the Bible narrative and is explicitly referring to three coexistent Persons who make up one God. Scripture says that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. Additionally, the Bible teaches there is only one God. Indeed, our finite minds cannot fathom an infinite God, nor can we fully comprehend His ways.