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"The Word 'Trinity' And The Holy Spirit"

Jarrod Jacobs

Recently, I received a letter from a man who asked me about the word "trinity" and about the Holy Spirit. I thought that this might be of interest to you dear reader, in your study of the Bible; so I have included his letter as well as mine below. Except for a few unrelated comments, these letters are presented in their entirety.

His letter to me:

"I have always believed in the Trinity. My father who I greatly respect has come to believe that this is false doctrine designed by man to explain christian "multi-God" teaching. He was approached by a muslim and challenged that Islam is the only true "one-God" religion and that Christianity has three Gods. The bible calls Jesus God. The bible calls God, God but only calls the Holy Spirit the breath of God, hand of God, spirit of God. It appears to me that the Holy Spirit is an instrument that God uses not necessarily a God. If this is true then the Trinity is really a "Binity" if you will. In conducting computer aided bible searches I find no reference to Trinity although I thought for sure that there was one. Help!!!!! Is the Trinity just a man made doctrine? Can we prove Biblically that this doctrine is divine or is this something we just have come to accept? Thank you for you time and efforts in this matter."

My response:

Dear ,

The word "trinity" is not a word that will be found in the Bible. However, this does not mean it is a man-made doctrine. The Bible discusses the fact that there are three in the Godhead; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That there is a plurality in the Godhead is seen in the very beginning of the Bible. In Genesis 1, God said, "Let US make man in OUR image after OUR likeness..." (Gen. 1:26). This makes it clear that there is more than one in the Godhead. For further evidence, you can look to Daniel. There, we read about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being cast into the fiery furnace. Once inside, the people saw not three, but four figures in there; the fourth being "like the Son of God" (Dan. 3:25). In Daniel 7:13, Daniel, in the "night visions" saw the "Son of Man" come to "the Ancient of Days." The "Ancient of Days" is God the Father.

Further evidence of a plurality in the Godhead is seen in the New Testament. Read John 3:16 and you'll read about the Father and the Son. The sender cannot be that which is sent, can he?? As I write this letter to you and send it off, am I the letter? No, of course, not! I and the letter are separate things just as God the Father and God the Son are separate personalities.

To see that there are three in the Godhead, consider the fact that Jesus said that baptism is to be done by the authority of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost (Matt. 28:19). In Matthew 3:16-17, after Jesus' baptism, we have Jesus in the water, the Holy Spirit like a dove descending upon Him, and a voice from Heaven saying, "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." There are three in the Godhead!! A parallel account is found in Luke 3:21-22. II Corinthians 13:14 discusses the "grace of the Lord Jesus Christ ... the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost." Once again, three are mentioned. I can provide you with more scripture references if they are necessary.

I'd like to discuss your statement: "The bible calls Jesus God. The bible calls God, God but only calls the Holy Spirit the breath of God, hand of God, spirit of God. It appears to me that the Holy Spirit is an instrument that God uses not necessarily a God." Truly, the Bible talks about the hand, breath, etc. of God, but when we are talking about the Holy Spirit, we are discussing a separate personality in the Godhead, and not merely an instrument as you said. Let me show you this. In Acts 5, we read about Ananias and Sapphira and how they lied about how much money they had "laid at the apostles' feet" (Acts 5:2). Please read Acts 5:3-4: "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the HOLY GHOST, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast NOT lied unto men, BUT UNTO GOD." Here in this passage, we see that the Holy Spirit is God! When Ananias lied to the Holy Ghost, he lied to God; and when he lied to God he lied to the Holy Ghost. Please understand, the Holy Spirit is not an influence, or an instrument, but a personality. Christ described him as "he," NOT "it" (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:7-14). You can go through those passages and underline each time the masculine personal pronoun "he" is used -- NOT "it" as would be used if you were talking about an instrument of God.

As further evidence, consider these facts: 1) The Holy Spirit can be lied to (Acts 5:3-4). 2) The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Eph. 4:30). 3) The Holy Spirit can be vexed (Isa. 63:10). 4) The Holy Spirit revealed things (Luke 2:26; II Peter 1:20-21; Acts 1:16, 21:11, 28:25-27; I Cor. 2:13; Heb. 3:7-8 -- Ps. 95:7-11). 5) The Holy Spirit gave commandments to the apostles (Acts 1:2). 6) The Holy Spirit was a witness to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Acts 5:33). 7) The Holy Spirit can be resisted (Acts 7:51). 8) Paul and Barnabas were sent on their first journey by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:4). 9) There were some things that "seemed good" to the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28). 10) At one point, the Holy Spirit forbad Paul and the others to go to Asia (Acts 16:6). Now, are these the attributes of an instrument, or of a person?? Answer this question, and your problem is solved!

So, there is no reference to the word "trinity" in the Bible, but there are clearly three personalities in the Godhead. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Read Ephesians 4:4-6, and you'll read about "One Spirit" (v. 4), "One Lord" (v. 5), and "One God and Father of All" (v. 6). I'm no mathematician, but I do know that 1+1+1=3!! Remember, "no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost" (I Cor. 12:3).

I hope my words have been of help to you, and that they will encourage you in fighting the good fight of faith (I Tim. 6:12). If I can be of help to you in the future, please let me know.

Sincerely,

Jarrod Jacobs

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