If someone asked you to explain the Trinity in 30 seconds, could you? The Trinity can be hard to understand, and it can be even harder to explain. When discussing theological concepts, we want to do so honestly and accurately, but sometimes knowing exactly how to explain them can feel daunting. However, that should not turn us away from trying our best. The goal isn’t to make the Trinity simple; it’s to make sure we’re accurate and understandable.
The first step is to start with what we know. As we learned in part one, there are things we learn from Scripture about the nature of the Trinity. There is one God (Deut. 4:35). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each fully God (1 Cor. 8:6, John 1:1, Acts 5:3-4, etc.). We also know that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons (Matt. 3:16–17). It’s important not to soften these truths simply because they’re difficult to understand. A good framework to start with when talking to people is: “There is one God who eternally exists as three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person is fully God, but there is only one God.” This is still a lot to digest, but it’s a great starting point; then we can break it down. There is one God, not three. There are three persons, not one appearing in different ways. They are each fully God; the Son and Spirit aren’t lesser versions of God. They are each distinct; the Father isn’t the Son, the Son isn’t the Spirit, and the Spirit isn’t either of them.
When trying to explain the Trinity, it’s easy to turn to an analogy in hopes of making it easier to comprehend. However, analogies can actually create more confusion and even lead us away from what the Trinity truly is. People say God is like water appearing as ice, liquid, and vapor, but this is the heresy known as modalism, saying one thing takes different forms. Another analogy is that God is like an egg with a shell, white, and yolk, but this commits partialism, saying that God is one with different parts. These analogies, and others, all fall short to some degree. It’s better to explain what Scripture actually says than to rely on an analogy that creates a theological problem.
When talking to someone about these things, don’t be discouraged if they’re still confused. Acknowledge that you understand the difficulty of understanding the Trinity. Reflect on the point made in part one that you can understand something truly without understanding it exhaustively. God is infinite and eternal; we aren’t going to be able to fully understand Him. When having any conversation, it’s important to be patient and remember that these things take time. Anytime we’re doing apologetics, we’re trying to win the person, not the argument. Ultimately, our goal isn’t to have all the right answers, but to faithfully point people toward the truth of who God is with patience, humility, and love. In part three, we’ll talk about misconceptions about the Trinity and how to spot them.
Written by Kayleigh Rosado