One of the most complex mysteries from within the New Testament is to try and provide an illustration that can show one God in three persons - all being of the same nature or substance [Note 1]. The development of the theology of God as three in one (Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit), which christians call the Trinity, was established very early on in the early church [Note 2] and was already understood by the New Testament writers so is not a major focus within the New Testament.
We know from the Bible that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Sprit each have different attributes, strengths, and roles that they undertake [Note 3] between themselves and with their interactions with time, space, creation, and humanity. These include the following [Note 4].
The Holy Trinity - is and always has existed. God is:
Outside time and space
I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ (Isaiah 46:10).
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.” - (Revelation 21:6).
Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:12-13).
Three personalities but of one substance
God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth (John 4:24).
In the beginning God [Father] created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God [Holy Spirit] was hovering over the waters. And God said [The Word = Son = Jesus Christ (see below)], “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-3).
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).
We also understand, that God the Father is in ultimate control - particularly of time and space. He is:
The Creator God
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
This is what God the Lord says— the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it (Isaiah 42:5).
Over all, through all, and in all
One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:6)
For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen (Romans 11:36).
More specifically:
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Luke 12:6-7)
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! (Luke 12:24).
And only He knows when the end will come
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32).
We know also that Jesus Christ is the Word of God. He is:
The agent of creation and the sustainer of the universe
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:1-3).
For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16-17).
The only Saviour from sin
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
The holder of all authority
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18).
And God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23).
To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen (Jude 1:25).
Lastly, we understand that the Holy Spirit draws some of humanity to faith in God (through Jesus), and comes to live within every born-again believer who has repented of their sins and accepted Jesus as their personal Saviour and Lord. The Spirit:
Inspired the authorship of the Bible
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21).
Indwells all true disciples of Jesus
The Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you (John 14:17).
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).
Guides us into all truth
When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me (John 15:26).
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come (John 16:13).
And Jesus highlights the importance of scripture to us in His prayer to the Father:
Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth (John 17:17).
However, trying to show how the three persons of the Trinity exist as one God has always been difficult. How can God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit be distinct and yet all each be 100% God?
Over the years a number of illustrations have been used to try and describe the Trinity in meaningful ways. One model, known as the ‘Shield of the Trinity’ [Note 5], was developed in the thirteenth century. It is shown in Figure 1:
Figure 1 - Shield Of The Trinity
Another idea has been to suggest that the Trinity is like water - it can exist in three states: as as solid (ice), as a liquid (water), and as a gas (steam) [Note 6]. Others have suggested the idea of an egg - comprising shell, white, and yolk (see Note 6 again). Both these models fail theological analysis, as each of them presents each person of the Trinity as different in substance [These are examples of the so-called modalism [Note 7] heresy].
Another suggestion is the 3-leaf clover {Note 8], where each blade of the leaf represents Father, Son, and Holy Spirit respectively. However, this divides the whole of the leaf into three parts which is inconsistent with the definition of being of one nature [It is an example of what theologians call the tritheism [Note 9] (three Gods) heresy].
So what physical model could we adopt that can represent Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being materially the same, without falling into either the modalism or tritheism heresies?
Think three dimensionally for two practical examples to illustrate the Trinity in a ‘simple’ manner.
A Model From Nature:
If we were to search for images of a buckwheat seed, we would see that it has three curved sides with a point at one end and a rounded base. This is pictured in Figure 2.
Figure 2 - A Three-Sided Seed
This seed is basically triangular in cross-section. We can use the sides of the triangle to represent each person of the Trinity. Each one interacts inwardly, and cross relates, with the other two (see the arrows in Figure 3). The seed is uniform throughout - it is only our viewing angle that changes our perspective.
We could also consider that there are concentric layers inside the cross-section (dashed lines in Figure 3) - think of age rings in a tree. When considering God though, there would be an infinite number of these. At any point on those lines, there can be interactions with the other two sides of that cross section, and other layers, representing some form of communication with the other persons of the Trinity.
Figure 3 - Father, Son, And Holy Spirit Interact With Each Other And Are Together The Trinity
As we travel down through the seed from the point to the base, each cross section can interact with those above and below and the different concentric layers from the outside to the centre. This helps show of the complexity of the Trinity as a whole and demonstrates the relational nature of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Figure 4).
Figure 4 - A 3-Dimensional, 3 Faceted Trinity Model With 3-Person Interactions
A Model From Geology
Let’s now take our seed model of the Trinity and add the dimension of God’s interaction with time and space, creation, and humankind. We can open up our seed shape at its base to add a fourth side [Note 10]. We could think of it being like a gemstone. We understand that when a gem is cut, we see different facets and each facet contributes to the beauty of the whole as it catches the light.
In our 4-sided gem, the facets, and planes parallel to each face, can interact with the other three facets and their related parallel planes. We can understand that the gem’s structure is consistent and of one substance throughout, no matter which facet we look at.
In the same way that we thought about tree rings above, if we were to take a block of slate (for example) and to split it parallel to the outside face, we would be able to create multiple sheets of slate from the block. Each thin slice of slate would essentially look the same as the original outside face but just be on a plane parallel to it (Figure 5).
Figure 5 - The Different Dimensions Of God And Time And Space
Similarly, each person of the Trinity has the same nature as we work through the successive (infinite number of) layers from each side of the gemstone to the point opposite (apex) - see Figure 6. We could also create similar images to represent the Son or the Holy Spirit.
Figure 6 - God The Father Interacting With The Son, Holy Spirit, And Time And Space
The fourth side of the gemstone (the base) can be used to help illustrate how the Trinity interacts with the time and space (the created universe) as shown in the Figure 7.
Figure 7 - The Trinity Interacting With All Creation
Here all of creation is presented in terms of a three layered ‘pyramid’, completely within the Trinity gemstone. The layers of this inner pyramid represent:
Time and space
Creation and life (both seen and unseen things - physical and spiritual, both good and evil)
And humanity as the pinnacle of God’s creation.
The Trinity and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are outside the whole of time and space and also within it too, and so can interact with every aspect of it (see the previous Bible references).
Summary
This brief article has set out two simple 3-dimensional models which can be used to explain the Trinity - one God in three persons.
The first uses a three sided seed where each curved side is one person of the Trinity, and where the whole seed represents all of God.
We have also looked at a four sided triangular gemstone where three of the sides represent the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and all three interact with each other and with time and space (above and parallel to the base in Figure 7) in some of the ways outlined at that beginning of the article.
No model of the Trinity is every going to represent all of the complexity that the Bible, theology and doctrine tell us. This explanation provides a new way of thinking about it that may help you understand it differently.
Notes:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Trinity
[3] ‘Systematic Theology - An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine’ Chapters 11 to 15 - Wayne Grudem 1994 - IVP
[4] These Bible references listed are not intended to be an exhaustive list of the characteristics of God - the roles and functions listed are illustrative only.
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield_of_the_Trinity
[6] https://christiantoday.com.au/news/the-trinity-is-like-waterand-other-bad-analogies.html
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modalistic_Monarchianism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabellianism
[8] https://mattfradd.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/3-ways-not-to-share-the-trinity/
[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritheism
[10] The introduction of ‘time and space’ as the fourth side of the gemstone is not trying to show that it is equal in any respect to the Trinity or the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit in terms of importance. It is just a way to show how each person of the the Trinity can interact with creation.
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