Frequently Asked Bible Questions

What does the Bible teach about the nature of God? What does it say about the Trinity?

The nature of God is one of the most debated and challenging subjects in the history of the Christian religion. Over the centuries concepts like the Trinity evolved. But what does the Bible say?

God is the Sovereign of the universe, existing supremely above all else. God is spirit (John 4:24), existing in a different realm from that of humans, who are flesh. Our understanding and perception of God, therefore, are based on God's revelation to us through His written Word, the Bible.

The Father and the Son

The Bible reveals God as the "Father" and Jesus Christ as His "Son." The distinction between the two is implicit from the very beginning of God's revelation (Genesis 1:1), where the Hebrew word Elohim is used (Elohim is the plural form of the Hebrew word for God, Eloah). There has been communication between these two from the beginning, as seen in the example of Genesis 1:26, where the pronouns Us and Our refer to Elohim.

The Old Testament focuses on the God of Israel, who identifies Himself as "I AM" and "the Lord God . . . of Abraham, . . . of Isaac, and . . . of Jacob" (Exodus 3:14-15, the word Lord being derived from the Hebrew YHWH). In John 8:58, Christ refers to Himself as "I am." This is the same God who delivered the Israelites out of Egypt and accompanied them in the wilderness and who was later known in the New Testament as Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4). Both the Old Testament and New Testament contain references to more than one personage in the Godhead (Psalm 110:1, for example, which is quoted in Acts 2:29-36). The New Testament identifies Them as God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son (1 Corinthians 8:6). The Son is also called God (Hebrews 1:8-9).

Jesus Christ is called the "Word," who "was with God" in the beginning and is also identified as "God" (John 1:1-2). He created all things (verses 3, 10), and later became flesh and dwelled with humans (John 1:14). He is also called "the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29). Humans have the wonderful potential and opportunity to enter the family of God (Romans 8:14, 19; John 1:12; 1 John 3:1-2).

The relationship between the Word and the Father is more clearly defined in the New Testament, when "the Word was made flesh" (John 1:14, King James Version; Philippians 2:5-11), revealed the Father to His disciples (Matthew 11:25-27), was sacrificed for the forgiveness of our sins and has now once again been exalted by the Father (John 17:5).

The New Testament emphasizes the unity between the Father and Son, yet makes the distinction between the two clear in numerous scriptures (e.g., John 20:17; Romans 15:6). We read in Ephesians that God "created all things through Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 1:1-3). The relationship between the Father and the Son demonstrates God's perfect and eternal way of life. The Father has always loved the Son, and the Son has always loved the Father (John 17:4, 20-26). The harmony between the Father and the Son is a singleness of mind and purpose, which Jesus Christ asked the Father to bring about among His disciples, Himself, and the Father (verses 20-23).

"God," as used in the Bible, can be a reference to either the Father (Acts 13:33; Galatians 4:6), Jesus Christ the Son (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1, 14) or both (Romans 8:9), depending on the context of the scriptures.

The Holy Spirit

The power and mind that proceed from God are called the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Luke 1:35; Acts 1:8; 10:38; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 2 Timothy 1:7). The Holy Spirit of God is not identified as a third person in a trinity, but is consistently described as the power of God. The Holy Spirit is given to mankind upon repentance and baptism (Acts 2:38) to serve as a guarantee or down payment on eternal life (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:14).

How is it possible that so many have embraced an inaccurate idea about the nature of the Holy Spirit? The idea of three persons in the Godhead evolved over the first few centuries of Christianity, somewhat in reaction to popular ideas perceived as threats to the truth. Well-meaning attempts to "protect the truth" actually contradicted the Scriptures. (See "Why Can't Theologians Explain the Trinity Doctrine?") The doctrine of the Trinity is not, as our literature explains, a teaching of the Bible.

For a full discussion of the Trinity doctrine and its error, see our booklet Who Is God?

Related Online Resources

Why Can't Theologians Explain the Trinity Doctrine? from the booklet Transforming Your Life: The Process of Conversion
The word Trinity doesn't appear anywhere in the Bible. In fact, it didn't come into common use as a religious term until several centuries after the last books of the Bible were completed.

Is God a Trinity? from the booklet Who Is God?
"Did the New Testament really teach the elaborate—and highly contradictory—doctrine of the Trinity?"—Karen Armstrong, A History of God.

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