Describing God
God is described with different words in the Bible, a few of which translate into English as L
ORD, Lord, the L
ORD
almighty, God, God Almighty and so forth. When reading these in
different places in the Bible, you become aware that although God is
“one” He is also “more than one”—God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (Holy
Ghost). Together, they are referred to as “the Trinity” or “the
Godhead.” On this page we will provide explanations that help people
understand God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity.
God is not so complex that He can not be understood. The Bible is
written so that anyone can understand Him. The difference is that God is
not human, so
He can not be described as a human can be described.
The gods of every other religion can be described in “normal” terms
since they were invented in the minds of men.* Even some “Christians”
(actually Christian cults)
invent their own description of God and make Him seem like these other
gods (by denying the aspect of the Trinity). On this page we will
clarify the Trinity so that you can understand this aspect of God.
* Romans 1:20-23 (chapter 1, verses 20-23)
The Simple Answer
The explanation of the Trinity is so simple that most people miss it.
- If God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were the same, they would not have different names.
- If they were the same, they would not appear separately as they do in Matthew 3:16,17.
- In spite of being different, they are “one.” (John 10:30)
So we understand that the three “members” of the Trinity are
different, but have the same purpose (and they are all God—more on that
later).
A Rough Analogy
About 20 years ago, Dr. Harold Willmington
(Liberty University)
shared an analogy he had heard with his students, comparing the Trinity
to a book. For example, a book has length, width, and thickness. The
length is not the book’s width, the width is not the book’s thickness.
These three dimensions can be described separately, yet they are
connected together. If you remove one dimension, you are no longer
describing a book. In the same way, the Godhead has three separate
members that are connected together, and if you try to remove one you no
longer have the Godhead.
God Is One
God is described as “one” in Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Kings 8:60, Isaiah
44:8 and numerous other passages. For example, Deuteronomy 6:4 says
“Hear, O Israel: The L
ORD our God, the L
ORD is one!” The word for “one” is the Hebrew word
‘echad.
(This Old Testament text was originally written in Hebrew). This is the
same Hebrew word that is used for “one” in Genesis 2:24—Therefore a man
shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they
shall become
one flesh.
In case you haven’t noticed
when a man and woman are married they do not melt into one human being,
becoming some sort of hybrid. Yet, they do become “one.” We could cite
other examples, but we have made our point.
God Is More Than One
Genesis 1:26, Genesis 3:22, Genesis 11:7, Isaiah 6:8, and other
passages are examples of conversations within which God uses the word
“we” or “us.” However, God is not referring to any others (people,
angels, etc.) in these verses. Since God is having a conversation, the
“we” and “us” must therefore refer to the Trinity. You might say that
God speaks to Himself in the plural form.
The Trinity Is God
Matthew 28:16-20 is a passage referred to as “The Great Commission.”
In verse 19, Jesus states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit,”
Why did Jesus tell his eleven disciples to baptize people in the
names of all three members of the Trinity? Why not one or two? It is
obvious from this passage that the entire Trinity is God.
