The oneness of God is the first of two important instincts for Trinitarianism. It is what distinguishes the God of the Bible from the many gods and godlessness of human invention.
The second important instinct for Trinitarianism is the threeness. God is one God, but He is One God who eternally exists as three distinct persons—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Each person is fully God. But the Father is not the Son, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son, but they are the triune God who is perfectly one and distinct in three persons. The threeness of God is not a form of polytheism because Christians worship just one God. Nor would Christianity teach particular or preferential worship of any of the three persons within the godhead.
Confused yet? Let’s break it down by asking a few further questions: What distinguishes each person of the Trinity? What makes the Father, Father? What makes the Son, Son? And what makes the Spirit, Spirit?
If ever an analogy offered help, it would seem that now would be the time to employ one. Maybe you have heard some analogies for the Trinity: God is an egg: a shell, white, and a yolk. God is like water: ice, water, and steam. God is like a three-leaf clover. Though at first these honorable attempts may seem helpful, they can actually hinder our understanding of the diversity of the three persons in the Godhead. Fortunately, the Bible offers some simple language that helps us with distinguishing the three persons.
Two categories that have historically helped Christians see the distinctions of each person are the Immanent Trinity and the Economic Trinity. The Immanent Trinity refers to God in Himself—even before creation. The Economic Trinity refers to how we see the Immanent Trinity revealed in redemptive history. What we see in Scripture is that:
Economic Trinity
- God the Father initiates the plan for salvation.
- God the Son accomplishes salvation.
- God the Spirit applies salvation.
Immanent Trinity
- The Father, eternally unbegotten.
- The Son, eternally begotten by the Father.
- The Spirit, eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son
In order to see these two categories more clearly, we give our attention to how the Bible describes each person and what they do. To understand what distinguishes each person, we look to what each person does in the biblical story. What do we know of each person as it relates to their redemptive acts in history that give us insight into their eternal relations as Father, Son, and Spirit? Here are the three keys:
- God the Father is never sent in Scripture. That means He is eternally unsent or eternally unbegotten. Who is God the Father? The eternally unsent.
- God the Son is sent by the Father in Scripture. That means He is eternally sent or eternally begotten. Who is God the Son? The eternally sent by the Father.
- God the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son in Scripture. That means He eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. Who is God the Spirit? The eternally sent by the Father and Son.
Why the Trinity Is Good News
| The Immanent Trinity | The Economic Trinity |
| The Father is eternally unbegotten | The Father initiates and sends. |
| The Son is eternally begotten. | The Son is sent and accomplishes. |
| The Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and Son. | The Spirit proceeds and applies. |
What does all this mean? Consider a few practical and beautiful implications of God the Trinity.
First, God is one. There is only one God, and He alone is worthy of worship. Think how many times this week, today, this hour, or maybe even this minute you have set your affections on a multitude of lesser things. The pleasures and distractions of this world are vying for our affections and attention in place of God. Our possessions, our work, and our relationships become objects of our worship instead of means for worship of the One who gives them. The oneness of God helps us to direct our worship away from the pantheon of our earthly desires to the only worthy Object of adoration.
Second, the gospel is only possible if God is Trinity. Each member of the Trinity plays an essential role. God the Father initiates. God the Son accomplishes. God the Spirit applies. Only the triune God can love sinners, die for sinners, live with sinners, and make sinners saints.
Finally, the triune God not only forgives sin, He invites us into fellowship with each person of the Godhead. At the heart of the Christian life is a communing fellowship with each person of the Trinity. The fellowship enjoyed between the three Persons for all eternity invites you to partake of its riches.
You are invited to fellowship specifically with God the Father. God the Father declares we are His sons and daughters. He has adopted us. We were once spiritual orphans, but the Father has brought us into His family. God the Father has set His affections upon you, and He will never abandon you. He loves you the same way He loves His Son.
You are invited to fellowship specifically with God the Son. God the Son came to bear your shame and guilt. Because of Him, you no longer stand condemned, but free. Free to be assured of God’s love for you. Free to reciprocate that love. He is our brother, our mediator, our king who invites us to be coheirs in His kingdom.
You are invited to fellowship specifically with God the Holy Spirit. You no longer have to go to a temple to experience the presence of God. The Spirit now resides in you. He delights to be with you. In His presence you can know that God delights in you.
So, back to those revealing questions. What is the most important question we will ever seek to answer? As it turns out, it’s not, “What do you love?” And it’s not even, “Whom do you love?”—though how we answer both of those questions reveals the state of our hearts. The most important question we can ever seek to answer is this:
“Who loves you?”
God does. The one true God, the triune God. Say that answer out loud, no pondering or soul-searching required. Any love we have for God is only because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). The doctrine of the Trinity is the doctrine of God’s love. You are loved by God the Father, you are loved by God the Son, and you are loved by God the Holy Spirit.
Good news. The love of the triune God toward you is the genesis for all other loves and the beginning of a love we will enjoy and explore for all eternity.
You Are a Theologian
Excerpted with permission from You Are a Theologian by Jen Wilkin and J. T. English. Copyright 2023, B&H Publishing. The goal of theology is knowing and loving God well. This is a lifelong endeavor, a never-ending pursuit, not for the sake of knowledge, but for an ever-deepening relationship with God Himself. Authors Jen Wilkin and J. T. English invite you to become not merely a consumer of theology, but a contributor to the conversation, and to grow in faithfulness to the Great Commission’s call to make disciples.
