The Triune God

The Triune God

One God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—sovereign, holy, and worthy of all worship.

📜 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." — Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (ESV)

📜 "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 (ESV)

What We Believe

At Teaching Bridge Fellowship, we believe in one God who eternally exists in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the doctrine of the Trinity—one of the most foundational and glorious truths of the Christian faith.

The Trinity is not a contradiction—it is a mystery that reveals the infinite richness of God's being. God is one in essence (there is only one God), yet three in person (the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father). Each person of the Trinity is fully and equally God, possessing all divine attributes—eternally, unchangeably, and without division.

The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. Yet there are not three Gods, but one God in three persons.

This God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is sovereign over all creation. Nothing happens outside His decree. He is holy, set apart in perfect righteousness and purity. He is just, rendering to each according to His perfect standard. He is loving, displaying mercy and kindness to His people. He is immutable, unchanging in His character and purposes. He is impassible, not subject to external forces or emotional turmoil, but steadfast in His perfections.

And here's the wonder: this Triune God has revealed Himself to us in Christ. The eternal Son took on flesh, lived among us, died for our sins, and rose again—so that we might know the Father through the Spirit. The Trinity is not an abstract puzzle to solve; it is the living reality of who God is and how He has saved us.

Why It Matters

The doctrine of the Trinity is not theological trivia—it shapes everything we believe about God, salvation, worship, and the Christian life.

First, it grounds our salvation. The Father planned redemption in eternity past. The Son accomplished redemption on the cross. The Spirit applies redemption to our hearts. Salvation is the work of the entire Godhead, and each person of the Trinity plays a distinct and essential role.

Second, it defines true worship. We don't worship three Gods or one God who wears three masks. We worship the one true God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our worship is Trinitarian—offered to the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit.

Third, it secures our assurance. If God were not Triune, we could not trust His plan of salvation. But because the Father decreed it, the Son accomplished it, and the Spirit seals it, we can rest in the certainty that what God has begun, He will complete (Philippians 1:6).

Fourth, it humbles us. The Trinity reminds us that God is infinitely beyond our comprehension. We cannot fully grasp His being, yet He has graciously revealed Himself in ways we can understand and trust. This drives us to worship in awe and reverence.

What Scripture Says

Genesis 1:1-2

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

From the very first verses of Scripture, we see hints of the Trinity. God (Elohim, a plural noun) creates, and the Spirit of God hovers over creation. Later, we learn that all things were created through the Son (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16). The Triune God is the Creator.

Matthew 3:16-17

"And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"

At Jesus' baptism, all three persons of the Trinity are present and active: the Son is baptized, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father speaks from heaven. This is one of the clearest revelations of the Trinity in Scripture.

John 1:1, 14

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

The Son (the Word) is with God (distinct person) and is God (divine essence). He is eternally God, yet He took on human flesh in the incarnation. This is the mystery of the Trinity and the incarnation combined.

2 Corinthians 13:14

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

Paul's benediction is explicitly Trinitarian. The Son gives grace, the Father gives love, and the Spirit gives fellowship. This is not three Gods—it is one God in three persons working in perfect unity for the good of His people.

Ephesians 1:3-14

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world... In him we have redemption through his blood... In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit."

This passage unfolds the Trinitarian plan of salvation: the Father chose us in eternity past, the Son redeemed us through His blood, and the Spirit seals us and guarantees our inheritance. Salvation is the work of the entire Godhead.

Historical & Confessional Grounding

The doctrine of the Trinity was carefully articulated by the early church in response to heresies that denied either the oneness of God (tritheism) or the distinct personhood of the Father, Son, and Spirit (modalism). The Nicene Creed (AD 325) and the Athanasian Creed (5th century) stand as historic confessions of Trinitarian orthodoxy.

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith affirms the Trinity in Chapter 2:

"In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word (or Son), and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided: the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son; all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him." (1689 LBCF 2.3)

This is our confession. The Trinity is not a secondary doctrine—it is the foundation of all our communion with God.

Common Misunderstandings

"Isn't the Trinity just a later invention of the church?"

No. While the word "Trinity" doesn't appear in Scripture, the reality of the Trinity is woven throughout both the Old and New Testaments. The early church simply gave a name to what Scripture teaches. The doctrine of the Trinity was articulated to defend biblical truth against false teaching.

"If there are three persons, aren't there three Gods?"

No. The three persons share one divine essence. The Father, Son, and Spirit are not three separate beings—they are three distinct persons who are each fully God, yet there is only one God. This is a mystery, but not a contradiction.

"Isn't the Trinity the same as modalism (one God wearing three masks)?"

No. Modalism is a heresy that denies the distinct personhood of the Father, Son, and Spirit. The Bible clearly teaches that the Father, Son, and Spirit are eternally distinct persons who relate to one another—the Father sends the Son, the Son prays to the Father, the Spirit is sent by both. They are not masks or modes—they are persons.

"Does the doctrine of the Trinity really matter for daily life?"

Absolutely. The Trinity shapes how we pray (to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit), how we understand salvation (planned by the Father, accomplished by the Son, applied by the Spirit), and how we worship (offering praise to the one true God who exists eternally as three persons). The Trinity is not abstract theology—it is the very heart of the Christian faith.

A Word of Application

When you worship, remember that you are addressing the Triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When you pray, you come to the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Spirit. When you read your Bible, you are encountering the Father's revelation, centered on the Son, illuminated by the Spirit.

The Trinity is not a puzzle to solve—it is a Person to know. And that Person has revealed Himself in Christ. So fix your eyes on Jesus, the eternal Son made flesh, and worship the God who is one in essence and three in person.

Prayer

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—one God, eternally glorious—we worship You. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us in Your Word and in the person of Christ. Help us to know You more deeply, to love You more fully, and to worship You more faithfully. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. 🙏

Related Resources:

📖 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 2 – "Of God and the Holy Trinity"
📘 Jesus Christ: The Only Savior (TBF Page 4)
🎙️ Recommended Lecture Series: R.C. Sproul – "The Mystery of the Trinity"
📚 Recommended Book: Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves

Next: Humanity and Sin →

In Sum:

TBF believes in one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Learn what we believe about the Trinity and why it matters.