How Do We Know There Is A Trinity?

The word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible.

But that doesn't mean that the concept of the Trinity is not biblical.

A. TWO KINDS OF TRUTHS

There are two ways of arriving at our doctrines or teachings about God.

1. EXPLICIT TRUTHS / INSTRUCTIONS
These truths are explicitly or expressly and clearly stated in the Bible.

Examples:
a. We are to love our neighbours as ourselves - is an explicit truth and command found in Matt 22:39 as Jesus affirmed the Old Testament command found also in Lev 19:18.
b. We are to make disciples (Mt 28:19-20)
c. Our God is one God (Deut 6:4)

2. IMPLIED TRUTHS
These truths, although not explicitly stated, are implied in the Bible.
We draw conclusions from the Bible sometimes from implications and deductions.

Examples
a. God is one and yet there are three persons in one God. Therefore the Trinity.
b. We are to be immersed in baptism.
This is implied from tradition of those times and the meaning of the word.
c. Spiritual Gifts have ceased.
Implied from some passages.

As we can see, some implied truths derived by men's reasoning need to be held lightly (we don't defend it with our lives so to speak).

Explicit truths therefore have greater authority.
Implied “truths” - teachings derived from gathering and weighing the data available from the Bible - do not carry as much authority as explicit truths.

This clearly has to be the case for instance some denominations come to the implied truth that gifts have ceased. But more and more are now coming to the view that gifts are given for us to minister and reach out to people.

So for some implied “truths,” we hold it lightly.
But for the concept of the Trinity, because of the wide agreement to this understanding, Christians accept it almost like an explicit truth.

B. HOW DO WE KNOW THAT GOD IS ONE AND YET THERE ARE THREE PERSONS IN THE GODHEAD?

The Bible is quite explicit about these “facts.”

1. GOD IS ONE
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

2. THREE PERSONS IN GODHEAD

The Bible mentions the Father as God, Jesus as God and the Holy Spirit as God.

a. HEAVENLY FATHER IS GOD
1 Cor 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

Ephesians 4:4-6 “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.”

b. JESUS IS GOD
John 10:30 I and the Father are one."
John 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

c. HOLY SPIRIT IS GOD
1Co 2:10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

In Acts 5, Ananias lying to the Holy Spirit us tantamount to lying to God (Acts 5:4)

C. HOW CAN WE UNDERSTAND THE TRINITY

The Trinity, I believe, is outside the understanding of human mind.
How can there be three persons in one God?
But if there is biblical evidence to support the Trinity, then we accept it - even when we don't understand it.
Can a worm for instance understand man?
So for some concepts, we can't understand it as yet until God reveals to us.