God is a Trinity - A Biblical Defense

God is a Trinity - A Biblical Defense

There are many beliefs surrounding God. One of the most fundamental is in regard to how many persons God is. Trinitarians believe that God is one God in three persons, Binitarians believe in two persons, and Unitarians believe in one person. In this article I will be proving, with the Bible, that God is more than one person and, specifically, a Trinity. This article also will be focused on disproving Unitarianism and thus will work as a resource against Islam and Judaism, as they accept some books of the Old Testament.

Persons - An Explanation

For starters, I want to quickly explain the personhood of God before diving any deeper. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all God, but each are not a distinct God. Rather, they are the same being, God, in different persons. To get one in the right frame of mind you can think of it like this: a statue is one being with no persons, a human is one being with one person, and God is one being with three persons. Many Muslims believe that Trinitarians are inherently Polytheists, but this is a theological misunderstanding. A Polytheist would believe in multiple beings, not multiple persons in one being.

As the Catechism states,

CCC 253

The Trinity is One. We do not confess three Gods, but one God in three persons, the 'consubstantial Trinity'. The divine persons do not share the one divinity among themselves but each of them is God whole and entire: 'The Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, the Father and the Son that which the Holy Spirit is, i.e. by nature one God.' In the words of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), 'Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature.'

Lastly, the three persons are mentioned together many times in the Bible: Matthew 3:16; 28:19, Luke 3:22; 14:26; 15:26, Acts 1:4; 2:33; 10:38, Romans 1:4; 8:9, 1 Corinthians 6:11, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 2:18; 2:22, Titus 3:6, Hebrews 9:14, and 1 Peter 1:2.

God is Not One Person - The Book of Genesis

In the book of Genesis, there are already hints that God is not one person. For example,

Genesis 1:26

"Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'"

Genesis 3:22

"And the Lord God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.'”

Genesis 11:7

“Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

The usage of the word "us" seems that God is talking to more than one person. This also can't mean the angels because humans are not made in their image, but God's (Genesis 1:27; 9:6). God is creating humans saying, "Let us make mankind in our image ..." thus the plurality points to there being more than one person in God. This trend is seen again in Isaiah 6:8.

The evidence in Genesis doesn't stop here.

Genesis 18:1-8

"The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

He said, 'If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.'

'Very well,' they answered, 'do as you say.'

So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. 'Quick,' he said, 'get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.'

Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree."

Before giving the rest of the verse, we must make sure we don't get lost. We have three men appear to Abraham. These men are clearly in physical bodies because they eat, their feet are washed, and they rest under a tree. We then continue,

Genesis 18:9-22

'Where is your wife Sarah?' they asked him.

'There, in the tent,' he said.

Then one of them said, 'I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.'

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, 'After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?'

Then the Lord said to Abraham, 'Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.'

Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, 'I did not laugh.'

But he said, 'Yes, you did laugh.'

When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. Then the Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.'

Then the Lord said, 'The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.'

The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord."

There's a lot here, so let's break it down. The three men prophesied that Sarah will bear a son, but she lies about laughing. The men prepare to leave, but the Lord then says that he is going to go down to Sodom and Gomorrah and see the evils they have done. This is very key to remember. The Lord is saying he will go down to Sodom and Gomorrah, then the men go there, but Abraham remains with the Lord.

This is important because it reveals who these men are. Two of them are the angels (Genesis 19:1) and the other is the Lord God. The two angels have left to investigate the city and the Lord has stayed.  

Genesis 18:23-33

"Then Abraham approached him and said: 'Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?'

The Lord said, 'If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.'

Then Abraham spoke up again: 'Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?'

'If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.'

Once again he spoke to him, 'What if only forty are found there?'

He said, 'For the sake of forty, I will not do it.'

Then he said, 'May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?'

He answered, 'I will not do it if I find thirty there.'

Abraham said, 'Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?'

He said, 'For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.'

Then he said, 'May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?'

He answered, 'For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.'

When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home."

In the last verse, it says the Lord left and we know from Genesis 18:20-21 that He said He is going to Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis 19:23-24 we then read that the Lord reigns down judgement on the evil city. So let's recap :

1. The three men who appear to Abraham are two angels and the Lord (Genesis 18:2 and Genesis 19:1). This means the Lord appeared as a man.
2. The Lord then spoke with Abraham face to face (Genesis 19:27) about his plans with Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:33).
3. The Lord, the same man who spoke to Abraham, then went and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah by bringing fires from the Lord in heaven (Genesis 18:21 and Genesis 19:24).

In summary, we have the Lord on earth, eating food, being served, and talking face to face with Abraham then bringing fires out of heaven from the Lord. If the man on earth was the Lord and the Lord in heaven was bringing fire, it clearly shows there are at least two persons in the Godhead.

Not only does this prove God is more than one person, but it makes sense considering Jesus' statement that, "Before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58). Jesus is the Lord as depicted in Genesis 18.

God is Not One Person - The Book of Daniel

In the book of Daniel chapter 7, Daniel receives visions in his sleep. We read,

Daniel 7:9-10

“As I looked,

'thrones were set in place,
and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
His clothing was as white as snow;
the hair of his head was white like wool.
His throne was flaming with fire,
and its wheels were all ablaze.
A river of fire was flowing,
coming out from before him.
Thousands upon thousands attended him;
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
The court was seated,
and the books were opened."

In Daniel's vision he sees thrones, plural, being set in place. The Ancient of Days, who has white clothing and hair, takes a seat in a throne. This means there are other thrones being unoccupied. We then read about thousands upon thousands who are standing before him, as if they are waiting for orders. These people are standing, not sitting, so we are left wondering who occupies the other thrones. This wonder is then removed when we read,

Daniel 7:13-14

“'In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.'"

Daniel now sees one, "like a son of man" who is riding the clouds of heaven, approaching the Ancient of Days, and stands with Him. This son of man has authority, glory, and power over all the nations and peoples. They all worship Him and His dominion is everlasting and His kingdom is eternal. This is a very deifying description of the "son of man". One can still wonder who this son of man is, but Jesus explains.

Mark 14:61-62

"But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.

Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?'

'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"

So Jesus confirms that He is the one in Daniel's vision, the Son of Man who came on the clouds of heaven and sat at the right hand of the Ancient of Days (God). This very clearly shows that Jesus is God and that He will judge all nations.

God is Not One Person - The Book of Acts

We've now confirmed that Jesus is God, but this just leaves us with Binitarianism. What about the Holy Spirit? Let's look at the book of Acts,

Acts 2:1-11

"When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: 'Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!'”

Pentecost is a Jewish feast that celebrated the 50th day after the offering of the sheaf during Passover. This feast was also focused on remembering the giving of the law to Israel at Mt. Sinai. This is important because they are remembering the descent of God at Mt. Sinai and the giving of the law, the Ten Commandments. Let's now look at the context from Exodus,

Exodus 19:17-18

"Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently."

So just as God descended upon the Israelites as fire to deliver the law on tablets, the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles as fire to give them the law on their hearts. The book of Acts makes this assertion clear if we read just 3 chapters further:

Acts 5:1-4

"Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Then Peter said, 'Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.'”

Here Peter is rebuking Ananias and Sapphira for lying to the Holy Spirit. However, just a couple verses later Peter says that they lied to God. He is attributing the Holy Spirit with God. This is clear as day.

If that isn't already clear enough, there are also other areas in the Bible when the Holy Spirit is attributed with God:

• John 3:5 refers to water baptism being, "born of ... the Spirit." But in 1 John 5:4 he also refers to it as, "born of God."
• 1 Corinthians 6:19 says our bodies are, "temples of the Holy Spirit." But in 1 Corinthians 3:16 it says our bodies are, "God's temple."
• 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. But in 2 Peter 1:21 it says the prophets spoke because they were, "moved by the Holy Spirit."
• Hebrews 10:15-17 depicts the Holy Spirit saying, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." But those are the exact words of God in Jeremiah 31:34.

Aquinas on the Trinity

Aquinas gave various arguments for the trinitarian Godhead. I will be documenting them here:

Summa Theologica, Prima Pars, Q. 30, Art. 1

Objection 1. It would seem that there are not several persons in God. For person is "the individual substance of a rational nature." If then there are several persons in God, there must be several substances; which appears to be heretical.

Objection 2. Further, plurality of absolute properties does not make a distinction of persons, either in God, or in ourselves. Much less therefore is this effected by a plurality of relations. But in God there is no plurality but of relations (I:28:3. Therefore there cannot be several persons in God.

Objection 3. Further, Boethius says of God (De Trin. i), that "this is truly one which has no number." But plurality implies number. Therefore there are not several persons in God.

Objection 4. Further, where number is, there is whole and part. Thus, if in God there exist a number of persons, there must be whole and part in God; which is inconsistent with the divine simplicity.

On the contrary, Athanasius says: "One is the person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the Holy Ghost." Therefore the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are several persons.

I answer that, It follows from what precedes that there are several persons in God. For it was shown above (I:29:4) that this word "person" signifies in God a relation as subsisting in the divine nature. It was also established (I:28:1 that there are several real relations in God; and hence it follows that there are also several realities subsistent in the divine nature; which means that there are several persons in God.

Reply to Objection 1. The definition of "person" includes "substance," not as meaning the essence, but the "suppositum" which is made clear by the addition of the term "individual." To signify the substance thus understood, the Greeks use the name "hypostasis." So, as we say, "Three persons," they say "Three hypostases." We are not, however, accustomed to say Three substances, lest we be understood to mean three essences or natures, by reason of the equivocal signification of the term.

Reply to Objection 2. The absolute properties in God, such as goodness and wisdom, are not mutually opposed; and hence, neither are they really distinguished from each other. Therefore, although they subsist, nevertheless they are not several subsistent realities—that is, several persons. But the absolute properties in creatures do not subsist, although they are really distinguished from each other, as whiteness and sweetness; on the other hand, the relative properties in God subsist, and are really distinguished from each other (I:28:3. Hence the plurality of persons in God.

Reply to Objection 3. The supreme unity and simplicity of God exclude every kind of plurality of absolute things, but not plurality of relations. Because relations are predicated relatively, and thus the relations do not import composition in that of which they are predicated, as Boethius teaches in the same book.

Reply to Objection 4. Number is twofold, simple or absolute, as two and three and four; and number as existing in things numbered, as two men and two horses. So, if number in God is taken absolutely or abstractedly, there is nothing to prevent whole and part from being in Him, and thus number in Him is only in our way of understanding; forasmuch as number regarded apart from things numbered exists only in the intellect. But if number be taken as it is in the things numbered, in that sense as existing in creatures, one is part of two, and two of three, as one man is part of two men, and two of three; but this does not apply to God, because the Father is of the same magnitude as the whole Trinity, as we shall show further on (I:42:1 and I:42:4).

Conclusion

As you can see, the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and the Father are all God. They are not individual gods, but rather the same God in different persons. While difficult to comprehend, I don't expect any infinite and supernatural reality to fit in my 3 lb brain. To claim such a feat would be blasphemous. However, while we might not be able to fully comprehend the mystery of the Trinity, we can still nevertheless understand what it is: God in three persons. As Irenaeus stated,

Against Heresies 1:10:1 [A.D. 189]

“For the Church, although dispersed throughout the whole world even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and from their disciples the faith in one God, the Father Almighty . . . and in one Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became flesh for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit”.