What is the Trinity and why is it important?
On this page we will learn why God is sometimes called ‘one God in three persons’. We will find out what the Trinity is and what the Bible says about it.
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How can God be one and three at the same time?
Who are the three persons of the Trinity?
What is the Trinity?
The Trinity is a very important belief in Christianity.
Christians believe that there is one God. We believe this one God is also three ‘persons’. The three persons are Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
This is why God is sometimes called ‘one God in three persons’. A shorter way of saying this is to call God ‘the Trinity’. The word Trinity means ‘three in one’.
How can God be one and three at the same time?
God is very different from us. He can do anything. He is everywhere at the same time. And he knows everything. So a lot of things about God are hard for us to understand.
The Trinity is one of the hardest things about God to understand. Even the cleverest people do not understand everything about the Trinity. So it is okay if you find it confusing!
Here are two pictures that can help us understand a bit more.
Think about the egg in this picture.
The egg has a shell, a white and an orange yolk.
These are all very different. But they are all part of the egg.
Now think about the woman in this picture.
The woman has a job as a police officer. But she is also a wife and a mother.
These are very different things. But the same woman is all three of these things.
The Trinity is not exactly the same as the egg or the woman. But I hope they help you understand how one thing can also be three things.
Who are the three persons of the Trinity?
The three persons of the Trinity are Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They are not different people. They are joined together as one God. This is why we call God ‘him’ and not ‘them’.
Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit share the same thoughts and always agree. They sometimes do different things. But they are always working together.
Father God
Father God made the world, and he made people.
When things went wrong in the world, Father God made a plan to fix it.
Father God is sometimes called ‘the Father’ or ‘God the Father’.
Jesus
Jesus was with Father God at the beginning.
Later, Jesus was born on earth as a baby. He lived as a man, then he died on the cross and came back to life. This was part of God’s plan to fix the world.
Then Jesus went back to heaven to be with Father God. That is where he is now.
One day, Jesus will come back again. Then God will make everything good, like it was at the beginning.
Jesus is sometimes called ‘the Son of God’ or ‘God the Son’.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit was with Father God and Jesus at the beginning.
When Jesus went back to heaven, Father God sent the Holy Spirit to live inside every Christian.
The Holy Spirit changes our hearts and helps us to follow Jesus. He also gives us special gifts that help us do what God wants.
The Holy Spirit is sometimes called ‘the Spirit of God’ or ‘the Spirit’ or ‘the Holy Ghost’.
Is the Trinity in the Bible?
The word ‘Trinity’ is not in the Bible. But the Christian belief about the Trinity does come from the Bible. Here is what we can learn about the Trinity from the Bible:
There is one God and Father of us all, who rules over everyone.
Jesus answered… “The father and I are one.”
We received God’s Spirit so that we can know all that God has given us.
We can also see the Trinity in two of the stories about Jesus’s life.
As soon as he (Jesus) came up out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw God’s Spirit coming down on him like a dove. A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him.
“Make followers of all people in the world. Baptise them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
So the Bible teaches us that there is only one God. And it teaches us that Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all God. This is why Christians believe there is one God in three persons.
Why is the Trinity important?
The Trinity tells us something important about God. It tells us that God is more amazing than we can ever understand. He is much bigger than us and much stronger than us.
So even when we are confused, God is not confused. There is a lot that we do not understand. But God understands everything.
It is amazing to know that Father God made me and wants me to be his friend. It is amazing to know that Jesus became a man and died for me. And it is amazing to know that the Holy Spirit lives inside me and helps me every day.
Let’s thank God for all these things.
Dear God,
Thank you that you are more amazing than I can understand. Thank you for all the ways you love me and help me.
Amen.
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Valley of Springs is the online home of Dan and Jo Acharya.
We write devotional blogs to help you grow in your faith and trust God in difficult times.
We also provide easy read Bible study and discipleship resources for Christians with learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities and special needs.
Jo is the author of ‘Refresh: a wellness devotional for the whole Christian life’ and ‘Living Well With God: easy read Bible lessons for people who find reading hard’.