Can 1 + 1 + 1 = 1?

Can 1 + 1 + 1 = 1?

God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.”

Genesis 1:26

Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

2 Corinthians 13:14

In your math class, if you tried to tell your teacher that 1 + 1 + 1 = 1, you probably wouldn’t get a very good grade. But in exploring the mystery and wonder of who God is, we discover that where he is concerned, 1 + 1 + 1 really does equal 1. This is the holy mystery called the Trinity.

The Trinity means that there is one God who exists as three distinct persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Or to say it another way, God is one in essence and three in person. Essence is what you are; person is who you are. So God is one “what” but three “whos.”

The Bible says that we were chosen by God the Father and made holy by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ. Are the three parts of the Trinity just three different ways of looking at God or simply ways of referring to three roles he plays? The answer must be no, because the Bible is clear that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons.

Since the Father sent the Son into the world, he can’t be the same person as the Son. And after the Son returned to the Father, the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world. Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be distinct from the Father and the Son.

The Trinity can be hard to understand, but it is important because God and his character are important. There might be some things about him we can’t grasp, but we do know the most important things: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons. Each person is fully God. And there is only one God. Seeking to understand God more fully is a way we honor him.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

What does each verse at the beginning of today’s devotion reveal to us about the Trinity?

What are things Jesus said or did that point to the reality of the Trinity?

How can embracing the Trinity help us to love God more fully? What is something you especially appreciate about each person of the Trinity?