A Simple Look at the Trinity
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There is an objection to Christianity, or even within Christianity, which may be raised: the Doctrine of the Trinity.
There are various sources of this argument: Mormons (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or LDS), Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians, Muslims, Jews, and many other sources including some people from church who may have doubts.
The biggest reason is that the word “Trinity” is not used in the Bible. The Trinity is the belief that God is one Being with three distinct Persons (not simply personalities): God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.
This is true, but there are many things that are believed by Jews, Christians, Muslims, and various cults and belief systems that are not found in scriptures. They are inferred from readings. (One example could be “falling in love with Jesus”. Not in the Bible, but the phrase conveys the need to discover the truth, grace, and love of God that can change your life.)
However, the title says this is a simple look at the Trinity. Therefore, I will merely give a mental exercise which can also be used as a form of apologetics:
To the objection that there is no Trinity and Christians worship three gods:
Look at this man (any man, really). He is a father. There is his child. Do you dispute he is a father?
Look at this same man. Here is his father. Is this man also a son? How can he be two different people.
Look at this same man. He has a license to heal the sick and prescribe medicine. Is this man also a doctor? How can he be three different people.
Obviously I must be talking about three different men, right?
Please remember, there is no perfect analogy for describing/explaining God. This is not me trying to say I understand God. This is merely a tool to help us understand a little better how God can be three and one at the same time.
It is my prayer that this may help you in understanding your faith in a better way or in sharing your faith with others.
If you are not a Christian as you read this, I pray you may understand better what Christians truly believe. Naturally, I hope you would also come to believe as I do in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of the world!
a simple man of God 
From time to time I wrestle with the Trinity and frankly it isn’t the Holy Spirit I think people have an issue with. Ones spirit being part of them is not a stretch. But the idea that Jesus who prayed to the Father, pointed to the Father, and even pointed out that the power rested in the Father is the tougher thing. It is easy to build a theology that says Jesus was a great prophet.
The tool that I found to end the internal argument is simple. It is a very easy verse to remember. In John 10:10 Jesus simply states, “I and the Father are one.” For me that ends it. If I believe in Jesus and believe that He was who He said He was then I must believe in His place in the Trinity. There are other spots where Jesus makes this clear, but I can remember and hold John 10:10 as a simple argument.
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A funny thing about all of this is that I scheduled this post weeks ago. Last week I was in my seminary class about Islam, and the issue of the Trinity was discussed. I turned to that verse and “If you have seen me you have seen the Father.” (14:9)
Thanks for the great comment!
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I Cherish the whole John 14 chapter for this. But it raises the question of where we fit in the Trinity.
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20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
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And that is one of the big theological debates! I am looking forward to further discussion at school and on the blogosphere!
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