Some would say that the Bible presents an irreconcilable dilemma. Both the New and Old Testament declare that there is only one God. Verses like Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Isaiah 43:10, James 2:19, 1 Corinthians 8:4, 6 and 1 Timothy 2:5-6 make it rather clear; the writers of Jewish and Christian scripture proclaimed the existence of a single, solitary God. While this is the consistent message of the Bible, another thorny truth is also proclaimed: the Bible teaches that God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are all God:
All Three Are the All-Powerful Creator (Omnipotent)
Father: But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father, We are the clay, and Thou our potter; And all of us are the work of Thy hand. (Isaiah 64:8)
Son: All things came into being by Him (Jesus, the Word), and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (John 1:3)
Holy Spirit: “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” (Job 33:4)
All Three Are All-Knowing (Omniscient)
Father: …in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. (1 John 3:20)
Son: “Now we know that You (Jesus) know all things, and have no need for anyone to question You; by this we believe that You came from God.” (John 16:30)
Holy Spirit: For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10)
All Three Are All-Present (Omnipresent)
Father: “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain Thee, how much less this house which I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27)
Son: “…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthews 28:20)
Holy Spirit: Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Thy hand will lead me, And Thy right hand will lay hold of me. (Psalm 139:7-10)
All Three Are All-Loving (Omnibenevolent)
Father: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
Son: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25)
Holy Spirit: Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me… (Romans 15:30-31)
All Three Are Called “God”
Father: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:2)
Son: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
Holy Spirit: But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land? “While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4)
OK, so how are we supposed to resolve this dilemma? Which is it? Is there only one God or are there three Gods? Who’s the real God anyway; is it the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit? There’s only one way to solve the problem: with a proper understanding of the triune nature of the true God of the universe. One of the best descriptions of the Triune God of Christianity was offered in the Athanasian Creed of the 4th Century:
“…we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal… And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity.” The Trinity is definitely mysterious and difficult to grasp, but it is not a problem if you really stop to think about it. In fact, the Trinity actually solves the allegedly irreconcilable problem. Share on X
The Trinity is definitely mysterious and difficult to grasp, but it is not a “problem” if you really stop to think about it. In fact, the Trinity actually solves the allegedly irreconcilable “problem”. It reconciles passages that describe one God with passages that describe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as God. The truth of the Trinity is not a problem, it is a solution.
For more information about the reliability of the New Testament gospels and the case for Christianity, please read Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. This book teaches readers ten principles of cold-case investigations and applies these strategies to investigate the claims of the gospel authors. The book is accompanied by an eight-session Cold-Case Christianity DVD Set (and Participant’s Guide) to help individuals or small groups examine the evidence and make the case.
J. Warner Wallace is a Dateline featured Cold-Case Detective, Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, Adj. Professor of Christian Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, author of Cold-Case Christianity, God’s Crime Scene, and Forensic Faith, and creator of the Case Makers Academy for kids.
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