By Brenda Cannon Henley
A very kind, gentle man asked me a very serious question yesterday about a basic Bible truth which he had been considering for some time. He wasn’t trying to be argumentative or pick a fight. He really wanted his questions answered. “I simply don’t understand the Trinity,” he said. “How can God be three people?”

Of course, the Word of God teaches in several places about God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Some of those references are found in:

Romans 8:9
1 Corinthians 12:3-6
Ephesians 4:4-6
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
Titus 3:4-6
1 Peter 1:2
Jude 20-21

The three beings of the Trinity are indeed distinctly different, with different ministries and helps. In the book of Genesis, we read during the acts of creation, where God said, “Let us make man in ‘our’ image,” indicating that there was a plural and not a singular being.

When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan, we read in Mark1:9-11, “And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him. And there came a voice from heaven, saying, thou art my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Titus 3:4-6 mentions or speaks of all three members of the Trinity. 1 Peter 1:2 again lists or names the three members. Jude 20 and 21 again clearly states, “But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost (or Holy Spirit). Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”

John 15:26, Jesus assures believers that when he ascends to heaven, the Comforter (the Holy Spirit) will come. And thank God, he does come and he does what no other can do. He comforts our broken hearts, guides our steps, and provides leadership for our behavior.

I remembered an old illustration that I used when writing Sunday school curriculum for years. I would ask our teachers to take an egg and small bowl to class and talk about it with the students. I encouraged them to discuss the shell, the yolk, and eggwhite. The teacher could build interaction as he broke the egg and poured it into the bowl clearly demonstrating the three parts.

If the teacher really wanted to have some fun, he would also take a half dozen or so hard boiled eggs, and after breaking the raw egg, toss out the boiled ones to get the students involved.

Of course the object was to show that we had an egg, important to our menus, but that egg had three distinct parts. One egg – Three parts. Such as the Trinity – One God – Three parts – The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788, or
[email protected]

[10-21-2019]