Teens and Christ
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Lesson 3 of 4 · 10 min

The Trinity

One God in three persons — what the doctrine says and what it does not say.

The shape of the claim

Christians confess one God who exists eternally as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three are not three gods, nor three masks worn by one person. They are distinct persons sharing one divine essence.

The word 'Trinity' is not in the Bible, but the pattern is: the Father is called God, the Son is called God, the Spirit is called God, and yet Scripture insists God is one. The doctrine is the church's careful summary of that data, formalised at Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381).

Common misunderstandings

Modalism says God appears sometimes as Father, sometimes as Son, sometimes as Spirit — one person in three modes. Scripture resists this: at Jesus' baptism the Son is in the water, the Spirit descends, and the Father speaks.

Tritheism treats the three as a committee of gods. Scripture resists this too: 'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.'

Why it is good news

A triune God has never been lonely. Love, self-giving and relationship are not things God started doing when he made the world; they are what he has eternally been. To be brought into that life is the heart of salvation.

Key passages

  • Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

    Deuteronomy 6:4

  • 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 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

Reflect

How does an eternally relational God change the way you think about being made in his image?

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Next: Creation and the Image of God

Where this came from

We're not experts — these are the sources we used while researching this page. Read them yourself, keep digging, and hold us to them.

  1. [1]The Holy Bible — Blue Letter Bible interlinear and lexicons

    Primary source for every lesson; Strong's and BDB/Thayer entries for word studies.

  2. [2]The Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (381) — full text and history, Britannica

    The doctrinal frame for the lessons on God, Christ and the Spirit.

  3. [3]N. T. Wright, lectures and articles archive (NTWrightPage)

    New Testament scholarship drawn on for the gospel, kingdom and resurrection lessons.

  4. [4]Catechism of the Catholic Church (Vatican) and the Westminster Confession of Faith

    Consulted side by side wherever a lesson describes how different traditions teach a doctrine.