The most mysterious and contentious aspect of God is the doctrine of the Trinity. This doctrine holds that, while God constitutes a single entity, He is nevertheless "three persons." According to the doctrine of the Trinity, God is essentially one God in Three Persons.
What Does the Bible Teach About God?
In order to evaluate the soundness of this doctrine, one must step back and look at what the Bible says about God in general. According to the Bible, humanity can access the reality of God through general revelation and special revelation. General revelation refers to nature, including the universe and the human heart. Special revelation encompasses prophets, apostles, Jesus, and (say Christians) the Bible.
While Christians claim evidence for God in science, philosophy, and history, their major understanding of God does indeed come from the Bible. The pages of the Bible reveal God to be the Creator (Genesis 1:1), the sole and exclusive Deity (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, James 2:19), an all-powerful Spirit (John 4:24), invisible (Colossians 1:15), omnipresent (Jeremiah 23:24), all-knowing (Acts 15:18, Proverbs 5:21), and all-powerful (Revelation 19:6).
Scripture for the Trinity of God
The word "Trinity" is found nowhere in the Bible. Yet, Jesus instructs his disciples to baptize new believers "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost," according to Matthew 28:18-20.
Both the Torah and Jesus refer to God as "Father" (Deuteronomy 32:6; Matthew 6:9). The author of the Gospel of John describes Jesus as "the Word" as writes that the "Word was with God and the Word was God." (John 1.) And references to the Spirit of God abound throughout Scripture.
In his first epistle, the apostle John drives the point home, writing that "there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (I John 5:7)
With the advent of textual criticism, a majority of biblical scholars have called the authenticity of I John 5:7 into question, pointing out that most of the Greek manuscripts do not contain the words from I John 5:7. Even if I John 5:7 is set aside, however, the doctrine of the Trinity can still be inferred from other passages, including the account of Jesus' baptism.
Is the Trinity Logical?
Critics of the doctrine of the Trinity maintain that a Triune God represents a contradiction. They say that a Trinity is polytheistic, and since the Bible teaches monotheism, the doctrine of the Trinity must be set aside.
Theologian Norman Geisler argues that the doctrine of the Trinity is not a contradiction. Says Geisler, "A contradiction occurs only when something is A and non-A at the same time and in the same sense. God is both three and one at the same time but not in the same sense. He is three persons but one in essence. He is three persons but only one in nature." (Zacharias, Ravi and Geisler, Norman. Who Made God? And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003).
Geisler gives the example of a triangle, which has three corners, but is still one shape. Another example might be a mythical three-headed beast. And while the intention is not to associate God with a monster, a mythical beast with three heads is still considered one creature, albeit with three brains (and therefore three potential personages).
The doctrine of the Trinity remains a mystery. Even the staunchest advocate of the Trinity recognizes and acknowledges its mystery. Yet the Bible does present God in such a manner. Rejecting or ignoring the doctrine of the Trinity will thus make it harder to understand God as revealed in the Bible.
