Christian conception of God as consisting of three persons (hypostases) — the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit — sharing the same substance (ousia)
The traditional Trinity shield or scutum fidei (shield of faith)
A mereological representation of the Trinity as in Molto's mereological one-self Trinity theory.
A representation of the divine persons and the Trinity as improper parts of one another.
A representation of Constitution Trinitarianism
The Trinity (Latin: Trinitas, lit. 'triad', from trinus 'threefold') Ancient Greek: trias, lit. 'τριάς', Greek: triada, lit. 'τριάδα', is a Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing … Wikipedia
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Trinity
Trinity - Wikipedia
1 week ago - According to the Eleventh Council of Toledo (675) "For, when we say: He who is the Father is not the Son, we refer to the distinction of persons; but when we say: the Father is that which the Son is, the Son that which the Father is, and the Holy Spirit that which the Father is and the Son is, this clearly refers to the nature or substance". The Fourth Lateran Council (1215) adds: "Therefore in God there is only a Trinity, not a quaternity, since each of the three persons is that reality—that is to say substance, essence or divine nature-which alone is the principle of all things, besides which no other principle can be found.
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GotQuestions
gotquestions.org › Trinity-Bible.html
What does the Bible teach about the Trinity? | GotQuestions.org
May 16, 2009 - 2) The one God exists in three Persons (Genesis 1:1, 26; 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8, 48:16, 61:1; Matthew 3:16–17, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). A common Old Testament Hebrew name for God is Elohim, a plural noun.
Discussions

I have problems understanding the three persons one God concept
Jesus explicitly mentions all three persons in HIs instruction to His disciples in Matthew 28:19. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The baptism of Jesus. We can see three distinct persons - The Father speaks from heaven, The Son (Jesus) is baptized in the water, and The Holy Spirit descends like a dove. Matthew 3:16,17. "And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well please." And many other verses. I asked ChatGPT to help me organize and express my thoughts about this using the mathematical operations: It's hard to grasp the Trinity because, when we see three distinct persons, our minds instinctively think of addition—1 + 1 + 1 equals 3, not 1. But if we change the relationship between the numbers to multiplication—1 × 1 × 1—the concept of the Trinity starts to make more sense. Instead of adding separate parts, multiplying 1 by 1 by 1 still gives us 1. This reflects how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons, but perfectly united in essence. They don't "add up" to something more than one God; rather, they are each fully and equally God, united in their divine nature. While the Trinity remains a mystery, this relationship between the numbers helps us see that the three persons are not separate gods, but one God in perfect unity. More on reddit.com
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nature of god - How it is possible to be one God in three persons (Jesus, Holy Ghost, and God the Father)? - Christianity Stack Exchange
1)”Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Deuteronomy 6:4 2)And the Word( Jesus) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son[a] from the F... More on christianity.stackexchange.com
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How is God a trinity if “God is one”?
See Daniel 7: “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. Even the Old Testament gives confusing riddles. Why is this one “like a son of man” worshipped? And guess what caused Caiaphous to tear his clothes and scream blasphemy: when Jesus referred to himself as the son of man. Basically, drawing these threads (there’s more), the early Christians came to believe in the trinity. It’s full of mystery but all the New Testament writers had the trinity in mind. Why else would Paul say that Jesus made visible the invisible God? More on reddit.com
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Can someone please explain to me how the trinity is not three gods.
One ousia. Three hypostasis. For me this helps more than "essence" and "persons." Ousia is being. Heidegger references the term when talking about dwelling. Hypostasis is a number of things, which I'm realizing now is hard to cite from my phone here. So I'll have to comment on those later. But it's also important to note that Christianity didn't invent the idea of a Trinity. The Stoics had a similar notion, although it was more four in one (Fate being the fourth). But the Stoic version also had a Logos and Spirit. A number of people argue that Christianity was inspired by Stoicism, and I would agree. And even with this, while it seems like nonsense to our contemporary wars, it would have resonated very clear in ancient Greece/Byzantium, just because Stoicism was fairly popular and these ideas would have been circling around already. To say there is a "logos" that is the divine, and there is a spirit that is the divine, and both are the same divine but also not wasn't invented by Christianity. And when Christianity introduced their version it would have resonated with what the Stoics were already saying. This version, IMO, also makes more sense than the "three persons" one, but I don't think "person" is the best translation for hypostasis anyway. More on reddit.com
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Logos Bible Software
logos.com › home › the trinity: 29 bible verses & quotes about the triune god
The Trinity: 29 Bible Verses & Quotes about the Triune God
May 28, 2025 - Understanding the Trinity—one ... though the word “Trinity” never appears in any Bible verses, God reveals himself throughout Scripture as one being....
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Cru
cru.org › learn › spiritual growth › core christian beliefs
Understanding the Trinity: A Christian Core Belief | Cru
If there is one passage which most clearly brings all of this together, it is Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” First, notice that ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/bible › i have problems understanding the three persons one god concept
r/Bible on Reddit: I have problems understanding the three persons one God concept
November 12, 2024 -

I want to make it clear that I’m learning and that I don’t want anything I say to be a stumbling block for others, but I genuinely feel like I’m in an echo chamber. I don’t want to talk about this topic with people I know, as my experiences online have ended with me being treated like an outcast for asking about something I genuinely don’t understand.

I firmly believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. I think it’s more than obvious that, from a certain perspective, I don’t deny the concept of the Trinity as such—I was raised Catholic and became Protestant. I understand that the three actors can act with a marked independence and that God has a particular interest in emphasizing the distinction between each one. But there’s something I can’t fully understand, no matter how much I try to reason it out: there’s really no exact biblical quote that says they are three individuals, persons with separate minds and identities. The Bible continuously tells us that God is one; it’s explicit.

I think much of the traditional perspective on the Trinity focuses on representing or interpreting the distinction of the Father, Son, and Spirit as persons. This seems to me like it could be a Greco-Roman syncretism with their polytheistic pantheon and the use of philosophy. The influence of Greek philosophy (specially hypostasis) is evident in the texts of the Trinitarian councils. However, the Bible tells us not to lean on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5), such as philosophy, on matters that belong to God's nature. I fact the understanding of the philosophy of the trinity got a lot of changes and evolutions. I think it’s an idea heavily influenced by elements outside the Holy Scripture, which I believe is complete and inerrant, with no need of external interpretations.

I can say that I used to believe in the three persons of the Trinity… but now i have tons of doubts.

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Jesus explicitly mentions all three persons in HIs instruction to His disciples in Matthew 28:19. "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The baptism of Jesus. We can see three distinct persons - The Father speaks from heaven, The Son (Jesus) is baptized in the water, and The Holy Spirit descends like a dove. Matthew 3:16,17. "And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well please." And many other verses. I asked ChatGPT to help me organize and express my thoughts about this using the mathematical operations: It's hard to grasp the Trinity because, when we see three distinct persons, our minds instinctively think of addition—1 + 1 + 1 equals 3, not 1. But if we change the relationship between the numbers to multiplication—1 × 1 × 1—the concept of the Trinity starts to make more sense. Instead of adding separate parts, multiplying 1 by 1 by 1 still gives us 1. This reflects how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons, but perfectly united in essence. They don't "add up" to something more than one God; rather, they are each fully and equally God, united in their divine nature. While the Trinity remains a mystery, this relationship between the numbers helps us see that the three persons are not separate gods, but one God in perfect unity.
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Can I just welcome you to the massive group of Christians who do or did have to struggle a bit with the concept of the Trinity.
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Blue Letter Bible
blueletterbible.org › Comm › stewart_don › faq › the-trinity › 01-how-can-there-be-one-god-in-three-persons.cfm
How Can There Be One God in Three Persons? by Don Stewart
June 9, 2020 - It is not possible to divide up spirit. The God of the Bible is one single eternal, infinite being who is indivisible or impossible to divide. Scripture is also clear there are three distinct Persons who exist.
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GotQuestions
gotquestions.org › God-in-three-persons.html
What does it mean that the Trinity is God in three Persons? | GotQuestions.org
February 15, 2026 - That is, can love exist where there is no one to be loved? Because God exists in three co-equal, co-eternal Persons, love exists eternally, too. Eternal love has been expressed eternally among the Persons of the Godhead. The Father, Son, and Spirit have always loved each other; therefore, love is eternal. God existing in three Persons is ultimately beyond our comprehension, but Scripture provides the clues that lead us to that conclusion. The triune nature of God is a biblical ...
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Quora
quora.com › I-commonly-see-people-say-3-persons-one-God-What-verse-in-the-Bible-does-it-say-3-persons
I commonly see people say “3 persons one God”. What verse in the Bible does it say 3 persons? - Quora
Answer (1 of 22): Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, are 3 beings and also called one God.
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My Bible Song
mybiblesong.com › three-persons-one-god-trinity-sunday
Three Persons One God: Trinity Sunday Explained
2 days ago - The baptismal formula—“in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19)—encapsulates the Trinity: three distinct Persons sharing one divine essence, proving God is one while each Person remains uniquely revealed.
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Answered Faith
answeredfaith.com › home › christianity › the trinity 101: understanding one god in three persons | complete guide
The Trinity 101: Understanding One God in Three Persons | Complete Guide
April 4, 2025 - The Trinity explains how Jesus could be both fully God and separate from the Father, and how the Holy Spirit works as God’s presence among believers today. While the word “Trinity” doesn’t appear in the Bible, the concept emerges clearly ...
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Westwoodnashville
westwoodnashville.org › blog › god-in-three-persons
God in Three Persons (Matthew 28:19)
The first three verses of the Bible present the Trinity to us. Verse 1: God created (that is, the Father). Verse 2: the Spirit of God was over the face of the waters. Verse 3: “And God said, Let there be light.” And the word is a person, Jesus Christ. The world comes into being by a threefold cause. But it is in the New Testament that the revelation of the tripersonal God comes more clearly into view.
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Bible.org
bible.org › seriespage › 4-three-one
4. Three in One | Bible.org
May 18, 2004 - There is no question about it—the doctrine of the trinity is divinely revealed Biblical truth. Our one God exists in three persons. That is not to say that the authors of Scripture understood it clearly at first.
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Catholic Stand
catholicstand.com › in-honor-of-the-triune-god-one-god-three-persons
In Honor of the Triune God: One God, Three Persons – Catholic Stand
June 21, 2022 - It is incorrect to argue that if God is three Persons, then each Person constitutes “one-third” of God. The point is that the Holy Trinity cannot be divided into three parts. The Bible clearly presents all three Persons as each being one hundred percent God.
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The Exalted Christ
theexaltedchrist.com › knowing-god-attributes-character › what-is-the-trinity-one-god-three-persons
What Is The Trinity? One God Three Persons — The Exalted Christ
September 11, 2024 - Although many more passages could be cited, these verses clearly state that there is one God. They also demonstrate that the one true God exists as three co-eternal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
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Osc-tbs
osc-tbs.org › the triune god …three in one and one in three! › the triune god …three in one and one in three!
THE TRIUNE GOD ...Three in One and One in Three! - Our Saviour's Church, TBS
June 11, 2017 - The Bible clearly speaks of: God the Son, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit; but emphasizes that there is only ONE God. As a way of acknowledging that mystery which the Bible reveals to us about God, we as Christians, have come to believe that, this God is one, but somewhat manifested ...
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The Master's University
masters.edu › home › our triune god
Our Triune God - The Master's University
August 25, 2022 - Deuteronomy 6:4). Rather, God is three Persons in one essence; the Divine essence subsists wholly and indivisibly, simultaneously and eternally, in the three members of the one Godhead — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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Adventist.org
adventist.org › beliefs › official › trinity
What Is the Trinity According to the Bible? | Adventist.org
The Bible reveals one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, working in perfect love to save us.
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Grace Communion International
gci.org › home › one in three and three in one
One in Three and Three in One - Grace Communion International
August 10, 2018 - Whenever we say that the Holy Spirit does something, we mean that God does it. The Holy Spirit is God. That means the Bible reveals one God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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God is not a person. God is a Being.

Within the One Being of God subsist the three persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Together, these three make up the One Being of God.

When Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan, all three were present: the Father whose voice was heard from heaven, the Son who was being baptised, and the Holy Spirit who appeared in the form of a dove.

That is why, when the Son died, the Father and the Holy Spirit did not also die. The Being of God was not killed when the Son was killed because the Son is not the Father, the Father is not the Son, and the Holy Spirit is neither Father nor Son.

There has only ever been the One Being of God and there will only ever be the One Being of God.

Expressions such as "person", "Father" and "Son" are used to help us grasp the concept of a complex creator God, although it must be noted that the pre-mortal Jesus was never created, but was active in creation, along with the Holy Spirit.

The best Bible verses to explain this are in John 1:1-5 and 14:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Jesus is the Word. Jesus came to earth to be born of a woman. Jesus was God with us, back then. The Son laid down his life then took it up again and has returned to heaven, from whence he first came.

Edit: To Subsist, within the context of the Being of God, is To Exist, To Be.

Response to additional question: 2 Corinthians 6:18 must be read within the context of the previous verses about Christians not being yoked with unbelievers. They are being told to have nothing to do with pagans and idolatry. Verse 18 is a quote from 2 Samuel 7:14 where God, through the prophet Samuel, makes promises to David regarding his kingdom. God says “I will be his father and he shall be my son. When he does wrong I shall punish him... But my love will never be taken away from him as I took it away from Saul.” David was not God’s literal son. This is the explanation given in the NIV Study Bible notes:

This familial language expresses the special relationship God promises to maintain with David’s descendants... It marks him as the one God has chosen and enthroned to rule in his name as the official representative of God’s rule over his people. ”

The Christians in Corinth are being reminded of their special relationship with God. Verse 16 explains: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Romans 8:14 says that those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. In other words, all who have entered into the new covenant Christ Jesus established are adopted into God’s family. It’s a spiritual relationship. Ephesians 1:5 explains: “In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ.”

There is only one Son of God, and that is Jesus, who brought with him his divine nature which was added to his human nature. Those who belong to Christ are adopted into God’s family as sons and daughters, but not physically. 2 Corinthians 6:18 is about our spiritual relationship with God.

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Contrary to the way some may view this question, it is not a "truth" question but a "how" one. "How is it possible," you ask, given that the tiny selection of isolated verses you quote appear at first sight to be contradictory? You are not questioning the truthfulness of those verses but taking them as a given. You are not questioning the truthfulness of the Christian Trinity doctrine (one Being of God subsisting in three uncreated 'persons'), but asking how it is possible that this be so.

It could only be possible if all three who subsist in the one Being of God are uncreated. If one, two, or all three of them had to be created in order to start existing at a given point in time, then the entire Christian faith would be utter nonsense, and the doctrine of the Trinity as gleaned from the Bible would be rubbish. It logically follows that it could only be possible if the Holy Spirit had distinct personality and uncreated existence as does the Word (the Son, who later added human nature to his divine nature in order to become the man, Jesus).

This is where an additional comment is needed, where you stated, "According to these 5 verses, it tells that Jesus was created before all the rest." Your misunderstand of those verses is causing you difficulty in understanding "how it is possible". None of those verses state that the Word (the Son, who later became Jesus) was ever created. This is where you need a grasp of the meaning of the ancient Greek words in the New Testament which have been variously translated into English as 'first-born' and 'only-begotten'. Never in the Bible are words used of Jesus that are to be translated as having had a starting point in time, by being created, or even pro-created. But that is not what you ask about, and I will not go into that here. Fresh questions are required. Let it just be pointed out that those who cannot see the uncreated nature of Christ in scripture, cannot see any possibility of the Trinity doctrine being biblical. Their interpretation of verses about Jesus can be based on misunderstanding what critically important biblical words mean, and may cause them to make serious changes to their own translations of the Bible, to weaken the import of the uncreated nature of Christ, and how "He made everything that was made" (John 1:3), logically meaning that he could not have been made (created) himself. I add this last paragraph to help get you over the 'hump' that prevents you grasping how it is indeed, possible, for the one eternal Being of God to subsist in three equally eternal 'persons'.

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Desiring God
desiringgod.org › articles › can-we-explain-the-trinity
Can We Explain the Trinity? | Desiring God
April 11, 2025 - For example, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1:1, 14).