On the 50th day after Easter, the whole Christian world celebrates the second great holiday, Pentecost. Better known as the Trinity. This momentous event praises the Triune God, praising His extraordinary Personality, manifested to mankind in three faces, as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Mysterious and Almighty
In ancient times, Slavs, Greeks and other peoples worshiped pagan idols and deities. The gods of War, Fire, Sun, Water, Love were emotional, humanoid, harsh, and cruel creatures, but so understandable ... When humanity turned to Christianity, the religious world learned about another God. About the Loving Creator, who created the earth and its inhabitants, about Who, out of a great and all-forgiving love for people, sent to the earth His Only Begotten Son, who took upon himself the sins of the whole world. The gracious God of Jewish descent has won millions of hearts. After all, this is what the Lord should be: forgiving, just and kind. Only one fact does not give people and skeptics peace. He lays down disagreements among various faiths, generates a lot of controversy and discussion - this is the personality of the Triune God.
Trinity Denial
The teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses in every possible way reject the trinity of the Creator. They sneer at biblical verses that point to this point and interpret the Scriptures in their own way. In principle, they are not difficult to do. In order to protect the minds of parishioners from such "extravagant thoughts," Calvin's followers built "their own" Bible, called the "Translation of the New World." It denies the triune nature of Jehovah, which deprives the Creator of a certain mystery and divinity. The Almighty of Jehovah's Witnesses does not possess the qualities that the "Triune" Creator possesses. According to them, the Lord is not ubiquitous. To do this, you need to have a person of the Holy Spirit, which, according to them, is not available in Jehovah.
The trinity of God causes a venomous laugh among the "Calvinists," calling the Trinity "polytheism."
In their opinion, the Almighty is no different from man, except for “eternal flesh” and other miracles. But what does the Bible say? That God Triune is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
One or Triune?
For many centuries, humanity has puzzled, One God or Triune. What does he look like? What does it feel? Which of Them made man?
Some artists portrayed a three-headed deity, arguing about the appearance of the Triune God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. On this icon it is clearly visible.
Biblical Mention of the Triune Personality of the Creator
If you carefully read and study the texts of the Holy Scriptures, you can find a lot of verses that describe the unique personality of the Lord.
The first mention of the Triune God is written in the 1st chapter of Genesis. It looks like this:
And God said: let us make man in our image and in our likeness, and may they rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the beasts, and over the cattle, and over the whole earth, and over all the creeping things that creep on the earth.
The triune nature of God was present at the creation of the world and humanity. And the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are an inseparable Person of one whole.
Gospel of the trinity
There are many references to the Triune God in the New Testament. In chapter 1 of the Gospel of John, the following words are written:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The word in the New Testament is called Jesus Christ. This phrase confirms the identity of the Father and the Son as a whole.
Actually, at birth and conception God appeared in three faces: the Father sent Mary the Holy Spirit, and she conceived the Son.
The angel said to her in response: the Holy Spirit will find on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy One born will be called the Son of God.
When Jesus was 30 years old, He began his ministry among the people. One day He came to be baptized by John the Baptist. During water baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on Christ in the form of a dove, and a thundering voice came from heaven proclaiming to people: "Behold my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
In the photo - one of the most striking examples, representing each of the faces of the Triune God.
Strength or Spirit?
Jehovah's Witnesses, wishing to comprehend the Creator’s personality with the material mind, erect a theory according to which the Spirit of the Triune God is not a person, but a force. When creating the world, the Bible says that the Spirit of God moved over the water, to which the "Calvinists" put forward the assumption that "the power of God was spread over the surface of the water."
However, Jesus Christ “did not share” the opinion of Jehovah's Witnesses many thousands of years ago, telling his disciples about the special “Comforter” that will be given to them after His ascension.
No one could understand who they were talking about, and Christ was talking specifically about the third person of God - the Holy Spirit, who will "instruct, encourage, comfort."
These facts, centuries later, make it clear to the Christian why God is Triune.
Divine Personality of the Holy Spirit
The followers of Christ on the day of His ascension looked for a long time into the sky, expecting that their beloved Teacher would return or the Comforter would appear, but they did not see anyone. In addition to the men of heaven - angels. It was they who commanded them to follow the words of Christ, to bring His light and teaching to people.
And exactly 10 days later, the future apostles felt the appearance of the third person of the Most High - the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. He “burned” in each of them with a tongue of flame, endowing the disciples with great wisdom, the ability to heal, resurrect, understand and speak in an unfamiliar adverb and language. Amazing things began to happen to the first Christians. They became like their Master! The spoken word by the Creator on the day of the creation of Adam came true: "let us make man in our image and in our likeness." The apostles were superhumans like their Lord. The Comforter was with them now, and He continued to work the miracles of Jesus, abiding in the followers of Christ.
Throughout the entire existence of the Universe, the Triune God appeared to mankind in three forms.
First, as the Father, Creator, Almighty, Jehovah. He addressed the prophets and certain men in dreams, in a burning bush, on Mount Sinai, through letters and angels of heaven. No one has ever seen Him, but legends were made up of His power and glory, justice and severity, they formed their own opinion about the Omnipresent Creator. The Lord performed miracles with an invisible hand, confirming His existence: he fed the Jews with heavenly manna, raised the widow's son, extinguished the fire of the altar of Elijah, sending rain from heaven, which annoyed the pagan prophets. The invisible hand of the Creator pushed the Black Sea into two halves, paving a long and safe road through the seabed for the Jewish people.
The invisible Creator did wonderful things and people believed in His existence. And they feared him.
Jesus Christ revealed to mankind Jehovah as Loving and Gracious. They say of such a Lord: "God is Love."
Jesus fed people and performed all kinds of miracles for them: healed the sick and the lame, gave sight to the blind. He cast out demons and evil spirits from "demoniac" people, showed forgiveness and unconditional love. Christ did not separate people from rich and poor, saints and sinners. With understanding and grace, he treated a woman taken in adultery.
After thousands of years, it’s amusing to observe biblical characters who tried to put Jesus Christ in an awkward position, asking him a tricky question, not suspecting that the simple carpenter’s son standing in front of them has the Highest Mind and Wisdom, being the second person of the Triune God, the Savior demonstrates the unconditional God's love, forgiveness and acceptance of every sinner, regardless of his atrocities. During the cruel execution, overcoming terrible pain and torment, Christ calls to heaven: "Father! Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." He experiences suffering, but the loving heart of the Lord notices the repentant robber and immediately encourages him: "Today you will be with me in paradise."
In the Gospel of Luke, one interesting moment is described when Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane before being taken into custody. An angel came down from heaven and supported Him. Not the voice of the Father, not the Holy Spirit, but a heavenly servant descended from heaven to Him. How magnificent in its simplicity is the Son of God, who voluntarily surrendered himself to the mercy of people. The holiness of God focused on the Son of man at the time of His sacrifice.
The resurrected Savior is unrecognizable in a new body. It shines with divine glory and inner peace. He fulfilled the mission by showing mankind Love, Grace and Forgiveness of sins.
Three face image
The Church of the Triune God preaches the Trinity and explains the essence of the meaning of the Divine personality. The Creator, being in three guises, has "equal divine cooperation." Each of the personalities is equal to the other; there is none among them "neither the smallest nor the highest." It is a mistake to believe that the personality of the Son is less than the personality of the Father.
Many drawings and icons depict Jesus as a young guy, and the Father God as an old man. The Holy Spirit is painted in the form of a dove. Such paintings have nothing to do with the biblical image of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In the Revelation of the Apostle John, there is a description of God the Father, which has nothing to do with the appearance of the old man. In fact, only the Son of man - Jesus Christ - had age and characteristic facial features, since He was crucified at 33 years old. God the Father does not exist. In the picture He could be depicted as a young, radiant King, younger than the Savior - and that would be very believable.
This is how the apostle John describes the appearance of Jehovah in revelation:
And I saw heaven open, and behold a white horse, and one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, Who righteously judges and militants.
His eyes are like a fiery flame, and there are many diadem on His head. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
He was dressed in clothes stained with blood. His Name: "The Word of God."
And the host of heaven followed him on white horses, clothed in fine linen white and pure.
From his mouth comes a sharp sword, so that they defeat the nations. He feeds them with an iron rod; He tramples on the wine of the fury and wrath of God Almighty.
On the clothes and on His hip is written the name: "King of kings and Lord of lords."
The Lord says that he is "Alpha and omega, beginning and end, crucified and resurrected."
The Triune God in Christianity has three equal hypostases - and each of them has a special characteristic:
- Father - creation, creation;
- Son - salvation, forgiveness;
- Holy Spirit - sanctification, encouragement.
All three Persons perform "their function" forever and ever, being the only Living Loving Creator.
One Protestant missionary describes the interpretation of “God of the Triune,” comparing the divine personality with water. Water can pass from one state to another.
How are three substances that are completely different in formula and state in a "single whole"? Let us show an example with a piece of ice. Put the pan on a hot stove and put ice in it. When heated, the ice will melt, forming water and steam. The saucepan presents the "three faces of one being": ice, water, steam. Also shown at the same time.
Icons and Trinity
The Triune God in Orthodoxy is a consubstantial and inseparable person. The dogma of the trinity of the Lord contains treasures incomprehensible to the human mind. Pavel Florensky spoke of the Trinity of Jehovah as a "cross for the human mind."
The Christian should reject the dubious discourse about the Holy Trinity, renounce human understanding and faithfully listen to the Holy Scriptures.
The name of the icon of the Triune God sounds like the "Life-Giving Trinity" of St. Andrei Rublev. In the work, the main figures are angels sitting in a circle, the same in importance and appearance. This icon is considered the disclosure of the spiritual essence of the Trinity. On the canvas, each of the faces of the Triune God has no differences in appearance.
Earlier, in the Big Moscow Cathedral, a ban was introduced on the image of the Trinity, in particular God the Father, whom "no one has ever seen."
In the 16th century, the Stoglavy Sobor decided that it was allowed to write icons according to Greek patterns, or like Rublev - without separating the Trinity equality from each other.
This is a symbolic icon, in the center of which are three holy figures, silently bowed before the table. On the surface of the table is a bowl that reflects the torment of the Savior of Christ, which he is ready to bear for the salvation of the human race. In the container lies the head of the body, indicating the sacrifice of the act.
The icon of the Triune God guides man for the righteous path and departure from sinful deeds. The "Holy Trinity" helps to cleanse oneself from sins, start a new life full of reverence and holiness, good deeds and mercy of God. The image supports the one who needs help, helps to overcome feelings and troubles.
Name of the icons with the image of the Triune God:
- “The See” - on the icon, God the Father is depicted as a wise gray-haired old man, the Son of God as a wonderful royal man, and the Holy Spirit was likened to a dove.
- "Fatherland" - the icon depicts an elder Father of God, on whose lap the little Savior sits. In his hands Christ holds a dove - the Spirit. Thus the Trinity of God is represented: the Spirit in the Son, the Son in the Father. The heads of the Father and the Son of God are surrounded by halo with crosses, behind the throne are angels.
- "Tripartite Deity" - an icon made by the emperor of Byzantium, Leo the Fifth.
- "The Host of hosts" - the icon depicts the Just Judge-Creator, in his medallion is the image of Emanuel and the dove - the Holy Spirit.
- "Six Day" - tells the story of the Creation of the World in six days with the participation of the Triune God.
- “The Only Begotten Son and the Kingdom of God” - represents the image of Christology, shows the essence of humanity and the role of the Creator in the creation and salvation of people. The picture depicts the Earth, Adam and Eve, expelled from Paradise in the possession of the tempting Serpent, on the left - the Kingdom of Heaven.
Prayer to the Triune God
For a Christian, prayer is of great importance - a conversation with the Creator. Turning to the Lord, a person glorifies His Name, reveals his heart and soul, brings needs, experiences into the hands of God and thanks for His participation in his life. Comprehending the Trinity, a person addressed to the Almighty thinks about what prayer should be to the Triune God.
When the disciples turned to Jesus with the wish: “Teacher, teach us how to pray!”, Christ said a prayer that the whole modern world knows: “Our Father”.
Our Father in heaven! Hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; Give us our daily bread to this day; And forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Thine is the kingdom and power and glory forever. Amen.
Neither the Son of God nor the Holy Spirit was mentioned in this prayer. At that time, the Savior did not reveal his divine Personality and did not bring information about the third person of God - the Holy Spirit. Before the crucifixion of Jesus, a lot of information about the plans and essence of the Almighty remained secret.
In the acts of the apostles there is a change in the prayers of the first Christians. At the end of an appeal to God, it is always added: "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
In the prayer of Jesus Christ there is a direct appeal to the Father: “Our Father,” but several times, preaching to the people the kingdom of God, Emmanuel focuses on the following points: “... why don’t ask My Father in My Name: he will give you”.
Considering the fact that the three hypostases are equal in personality of the Triune God, it is important who exactly the person will turn to. But since Jesus showed an example of an appeal to the Father, Christians pray in this way: "Father," "Our Father." Many pray to the Creator like this: “God”, “Lord”, “My God, Jesus Christ”.
End the prayer with the words: "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."
The only creator
The Trinity of God is an interesting and mysterious topic. On the one hand, the Bible says that the Lord is One, on the other - the Triune. Different concepts about the personality of Jehovah give rise to the appearance of various denominations. God is One or Triune - a question plaguing millions of minds.
If we consider the synodal translation of the Bible, which has authority among Christian denominations, then in the end we will have to agree with the immutable truth: God is One. One, because one. The word "One" means the only Creator, whose equal is nowhere else. There are no Zeus, Yarilo and other mythological personalities and pagan idols, only He is the Only Lord and Creator.
But the person of God is extraordinary. Also stated in the Bible is the God of Triune. From the pages of the Old and New Testaments, the acts of three Divine personalities are manifested.
The Lord has three faces, three hypostases, three "roles" in human life: the Creator, the Savior, and the Comforter.
Perhaps this is the main answer to the question why God is Triune.
Holy Trinity Day
In Orthodoxy, the Trinity is one of the largest and most significant holidays. It is celebrated on the 5th day after Easter. On the eve of the holiday, on Friday, it is customary to carry out general cleaning in the houses, decorate the premises with green branches, birch, maple, bouquets of green plants and herbs.
On Saturday, they visit cemeteries and clean up the graves of the deceased.
On Sunday, a solemn service begins. The day begins with a prayer: "Holy God, Holy Strong, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us."
In temples on this day, all texts and prayers are read in a kneeling position. First, they turn to God in simple prayer, not separating His person, offering thanks to Him and glory, asking for forgiveness and mercy. The last three prayers are addressed to each person of God: Heavenly Father, the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit.
The Triune Creator, granting Love, Grace and Forgiveness; Creator of the vast Universe, who took human flesh to reveal God to people, giving Holy Grace, abiding in the life of Christians by His Holy Spirit.
The Lord manifests itself in the life of a religious citizen, revealing three hypostases in modern days: he rules the planet Earth and the luminaries as the Creator, through the image of the Savior Christ, people have material ideas about God that are so necessary for human understanding. Christians turn to the Almighty through Christ, and receive the answer to prayer through the Holy Spirit.
Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We hope that this article answered the readers' questions.