The Bible says that “There is no God but one,”(I Corinthians 8:4) Christians believe in only one God, not many. This is the doctrine of the Trinity: that God is one, yet three distinct Persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each is independent as a person, but never acts independently. Each is a distinct person, but they are one in purpose, in essence, and in nature. The finite mind finds it difficult to comprehend this mystery; it must be accepted by faith. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him, must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6)
It is important to understand that God’s redemptive work cannot be understood apart from the Trinity. The Father gave the Son to be the Savior of the World (John 3:16); the Son gave Himself (Galatians 2:20); the Father gave the Holy Spirit who regenerates (John 3:8) and leads us to discover all truth.
In the description of Jesus’ baptism, John baptized Jesus, then the Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the form of a dove, then a voice spoke from heaven. This illustrates the three persons.
The Bible, God’s Word, also speaks of the reality of the Trinity. A person’s inability to understand it only proves that man’s mind is finite, not that the doctrine of the trinity is not true. God is infinite. If God is God, and we are not, then how can we understand Him completely?
In addition, the Bible reminds us that, “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (I Corinthians 2:14). To really understand the trinity, a person must first understand Christ’s atoning sacrifice for their sin. For a brief presentation of on the four principles that govern your relationship with God please visit www.greatcom.org/laws.
The task of explaining the Trinity even to a Christian is difficult, because we still have finite minds and often we have to walk by faith and simply take God at His Word. However, there are several examples from science that may help to illustrate the doctrine of the Trinity. Please be advised that they are simple but fascinating illustrations used as tools to help a person with a finite mind understand an infinite God in a limited way.
One illustration to help to understand the doctrine of the Trinity is explained by investigating the properties of a molecule of water. Water manifests itself in three different forms: liquid water, solid ice and vaporous steam; but it is the same substance.
Another illustration is the illustration of the sun: the source is a glowing ball of gas, representing God the Father; the radiating light from that source represents Christ who is the light of the World; and the heat that we feel representing the work of the Holy Spirit.
Another example is the universe itself. The universe is not partly composed of space, partly of matter, partly of time (like, for example, the three sides of a triangle). A trinity is not a trio or a triad, but a tri-unity, with each part compromising the whole, yet all three are required to make the whole. Thus, the universe is all space, all time, and all matter (including energy as a form of matter); in fact, scientists speak of it as a space-matter-time continuum. Also there are parallels between the tri-universe and the divine Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Space (like the Father) is invisible, the omnipresent background of everything. Matter (like the Son) reveals the universe (like the Godhead) in visible and understandable form. Time (like the Spirit) is the concept by which the universe (like the Godhead) becomes understandable through events and experiences. Space is a tri-unity comprised of all three dimensions, with each dimension filling all of space.
As you can see, the physical universe is a great “Trinity of trinities,” with space, time and matter modeling the relationship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Of course, none of this proves that God is a Trinity, but they are certainly remarkable facts that illustrate that God is a triune God, and that He has made His creation to reflect Himself.
Truth2Freedom's Blog 