Understanding the Three Persons of the Trinity
This post is Part 2 of my video series on the Trinity.
In this one, we’re focusing on who the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are—and how Christians can understand the unity and distinction within the one true God.
New to the Trinity?
In Part 1 of this series, I walk through a simple, biblical explanation of the Trinity—how God is one in essence and three in person.
📖 Read it here: What is the Trinity?
📺 Prefer to watch instead of read?
Here’s the full video version of this post:
One God in Three Persons
The one true God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Who Is the Father?
Let’s begin with the Father.
The Father is God.
He is the eternal source of the Son and the Spirit, what theologians call the “fons divinitatis” (fountain of divinity).
This doesn’t mean the Father is more God than the Son or the Spirit. All three are fully and equally God. The Father is simply the unbegotten source.
God the Father eternally begets the Son.
Begets. Begets. Begets. A strange word, indeed. It reminds me of a father making a son – bringing him into the world. But that’s not what we are talking about here. God the Father didn’t make the Son. The Son didn’t begin to exist. God has always been the Father, and the Son has always been the Son.
There is no human analogy that can fully explain God. But God uses the language of the Son to help us understand that Jesus shares the same divine nature as the Father.
Just as a human son resembles his father, so Jesus, as the eternal Son, is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15).
“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Hebrews 1:3a)
Just as the Father is the divine source of the Son, He also is the divine source of the Spirit. The Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father. Just like the Son, the Spirit is no less than the Father, but fully God.
The one true God eternally exists as three persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Why This Matters:
God is a father. He is not a human, imperfect father, but a perfect heavenly father who invites us into His family as His sons and daughters. As His children we are His heirs, co-heirs of Christ (Romans 8:16-17).
The one true God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Who Is the Son?
Let’s talk about the Son.
The Son is God
The New Testament leaves no doubt that Jesus is God.
John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
And who is the Word?
John 1:14 tells us:
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”
The Word is the Son.
If that doesn’t convince you, Jesus tells us point-blank He is God.
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)
Here, Jesus uses the words ἐγὼ εἰμί(ego eimi)– the very name God used for Himself in Exodus 3:14:
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
The Jewish leaders knew exactly what Jesus was claiming.
The next verse says:
“They picked up stones to stone him.”v. 15
The Son is fully God. But He is also fully man.
Another mindblower. And a cornerstone of Christianity.
Not everyone who calls themselves Christian believes this, though.
Some deny that Jesus is fully God.
For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses say Jesus was created– God’s first creation.
They claim He is like God but not God.
Nope.
Incorrect.
That is Arianism, a heresy refuted at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. There, the church affirmed that the Son is of the same essence (homoousios)as the Father.
In other words, Jesus is fully God in the same way that the Father is God – he is the same divine nature.
Others deny that Jesus is fully man.
Some claim he only appeared to be human but didn’t really have a physical body.
That’s known as Docetism, which is another incorrect teaching.
Still others confuse or mix Jesus’ human and divine natures, combining them into a single “blended” nature which is neither fully human or divine. That’s a different error – Eutychianism – also rejected by the Church.
The Church had already affirmed Jesus’ divinity at Nicaea, but with heresies abounding, a clear statement on His two natures was needed. So, the Council of Chalcedon met in AD 451 to clarify the Church’s teaching on Christ. There, the Church affirmed that Jesus is one person with two natures, fully God and fully man without confusion, change, division, or separation.
For copies of the Nicene Creed and the Chalcedon Definition, download the free Trinity Resource HERE
Why this matters?
As God, Jesus had the power to overcome sin and death forever.
As man, Jesus was able to stand in our place.
To save us, Jesus needed to be both fully God and fully man.
The one true God eternally exists as three persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Let’s talk about the Holy Spirit.
Who Is the Holy Spirit?
Remember the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5? This famous couple sold a piece of property and underhandedly kept part of the proceeds. When they presented what remained to the church, they claimed it was the entire amount. The Apostle Peter confronted them about their deception:
He said in Acts 5:3-4:
“Ananais, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit…? You have not lied to man but to God.”
The Holy Spirit is a distinct person of the Godhead.
He is not an impersonal force or a divine radar beam, as some believe. Scripture shows us that He has a mind, will, and emotions: He is a person.
The Holy Spirit is a Person
- He speaks (Acts 1:16)
- He thinks (Acts 15:28)
- He directs (Acts 16:6-7)
- He grieves (Ephesians 4:30)
- He decides (1 Corinthians 12:11)
Just as some throughout history have denied the deity of Jesus, they also deny the deity of the Holy Spirit.
The pneumatomachians, a/k/a the Spirit fighters, were such a group. The Church responded at the Council of Constantinople in AD 381, affirming that the Holy Spirit is God and should be worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the Son.
Later, the Western and Eastern churches split over the addition to the Nicene Creed of what is called the “filoque clause.” That’s Latin – meaning “and from the Son. The Creed from 381 originally said the Spirit “proceeds from the Father,” but the Western church added the phrase “and the Son,” based on verses like John 16:7, where Jesus says:
If I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”
The Spirit also proceeds from the Son.
The Eastern church rejected the addition, arguing that it takes away from the Spirit’s distinct personhood and origin from the Father alone.
Although Christians today may still not agree on how to describe the Spirit’s relationship to the Father, one thing is certain: all Christians agree that the Holy Spirit is fully God, fully personal, and works in perfect unity with the Father and the Son.
Why does this matter?
Because the Holy Spirit is more than just God’s power. He is is more than an impersonal force. He is God in us. He teaches us, sanctifies us, leads and comforts us, and fills us with God’s love. Because of Him, we are able experience God personally in our lives.
What the Trinity Teaches Us
Next time, we will dive into what the Trinity teaches us.
Free Resource + What’s Next
📥 Want to go deeper?
I created a free Trinity Resource Bundle that includes the Nicene and Chalcedonian Creeds, key Scripture references, diagrams, and a heresy chart to help you study or share what you’ve learned.
👉 Download it HERE
📺 You can also watch the full video on YouTube and subscribe for updates on the rest of this series!
🧬 See the Trinity in the Beginning
God the Father speaks, the Spirit hovers, and the Word brings creation to life. Want to explore how the Trinity is revealed in Genesis 1?
📖 Read the blog:
👉 The Trinity in Creation: Unlocking Genesis 1:1–5
📅 Then take the next step:
👉 Sign up for the 30-Day Deep Dive into Genesis 1
You’ll receive emails, study tools, and video teachings to guide you verse by verse through the opening chapter of the Bible.
Victory! Possessing the Gates of Our Enemies Through Christ
Making Him Known July 17, 2025 7:38 am