I don't believe in the Trinity, but I realize our human minds are just trying to make sense of things we don't understand.
Well, after reading this I might as well pick on you regarding the Trinity. No, I'm just kidding, I'm not going to pick on you but rather explain how the Bible teaches the Trinity. People say, (even here) that a person is "body, soul and spirit" implying that this has something to do with the Trinity of God although it does not prove that God is a Trinity.
Others have said, (even here ) that the Trinity is a mystery! Yes, in the strict sense that it is hidden in God, which can never be known "UNLESS" it is revealed by God. Well, I'm extremely sure that God has revealed His triune nature in the pages of the Bible. How so you ask? First things first, what is the Trinity? The doctrine of the trinity is not an "assumption." It is the normative systematic theology of God in Christianity and is based on the fact that the Bible is EXPLICIT in telling us that there is, was and forever will be only ONE God AND the fact that the Bible "IDENTIFIES" three and only three persons as God.
The Bible identifies God by
1.) His names
2.) His titles
3.) His unique attributes
4.) His unique actions
5.) His worship
I am not aware of any other literary, contextual means by which the Bible clearly identifies God. I could be wrong, but I think this list is comprehensive.
The doctrine of the Trinity cannot be understood, argued or refuted by appealing to any single passage in the Bible. that is because it is a systematic theology in the proper sense of the term "theology"--the study or knowledge of God. It is drawn from the whole Bible, as any valid systematic theology should be. It does not rely on any single verse in the Bible for its representation and similarly, it cannot be refuted by any single verse in the Bible, for example John 17;3. It is a doctrine that explains the nature of the one and only true God described in the Bible, and is necessarily drawn from a harmonization of ALL of scripture and therefore can only be understood from a vies that accounts for ALL the Bible.
Explaining the nature of the one God is the whole point of the doctrine of the Trinity. That is its goal and, at least within the limits of our puny, temporal human minds to comprehend the eternal, that is what it does. And it does so by IDENTIFYING God in MANY different contexts that reveal His UNIQUE attributes usually manifested by His UNIQUE actions.
If you will examine the Bible thoroughly you should be able to quickly discover that there are three and ONLY "persons/not people" who are identified as God by the COMBINATION of the literary mean listed above. These persons are each variously..
1.) Called by the NAMES of God, (YHWH, and its variants either directly or indirectly, usually both. (His Jesus called God! Is the Holy Spirit called God!
2.) Recognized with the TITLES of God (Lord, king, savior, etc.)
3.) ATTRIBUTED with the UNIQUE characteristics of God, (omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, eternality, etc)
4.) CREDITED with the UNIQUE actions of God, (creation, origin of God's word, salvation of men.
5.) WORSHIPPED and/or given the honor, reverence and position due to God ALONE. Please note, I am NOT saying that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all consistently, equally and in every mention identified as God in every place they are represented in the Bible by any combination of these 5. Nor am I saying that each person of the Trinity is represented equally by ALL FIVE of these means of identifying God.
I AM saying that
1.) that each person of the Trinity receives some COMBINATION of the 5 means of identifying and distinguish God listed above.
For example, the Bible DOES NOT attribute creation (a UNIQUE act of God alone) to any person other than those to whom it ALSO refers to God. Here's another example. The Bible show ONLY those persons being worshiped who are CALLED "God" at some point AND to whom it assigns the unique attributes of God (such as omnipresence, omniscience or eternality). I think you get the point.
A true understanding (withing human limits) of who God IS essential to a valid relationship with Himself according to His own purpose. No valid, systematic theology can be drawn by reducing or eliminating scriptural evidence. We must account for ALL of God's revelation to come to a realization of who God is and what He has done and therefore what His very nature is. God has revealed Himself to us in different ways at different times as the Biblical revelation unfolded over time according to His eternal purpose.
In closing, and this is vitally important. Theology IS NOT SALVATION. It is in Christ that we find God fully and sufficiently manifested to us human beings, AS a human being and for His own glory. And it is only through His Holy Spirit that we can know Him and be saved by His grace.
IN GOD THE SON
bluto