1. in the Bible

2. The priests “shall not gird
themselves with anything
which makes them sweat”
(Ezek. 44:18).

3. Any talk about God brings us to the
holy ground.
In dealing with any subject related to
God, we must show great reverence
and shun from any speculation.

4. The being and nature of God is a great
mystery.
One aspect of that mystery is that the
Godhead consists of three divine
Beings united in purpose and
activity, yet distinct in personality.
This concept is not easy to grasp or
explain.

5. The word “trinity” does not occur in
the Bible; neither the concept is
explicitly defined in there.

6. On one hand, various biblical
references point clearly to the
plurality of persons within the
Godhead making the evidence for
the Trinity compelling.
On the other, one must admit that
there are some ambiguous texts in
the Bible.

7. However, the ambiguous texts and
statements of the Bible must be
clarified by the clear ones.
Our focus here is on the clear texts.

8. Is the idea of the three persons of
the Godhead biblical?
The answer is: Yes!

9. The Old Testament
A strong emphasis on monotheism is
the main reason that the plurality
within the Godhead is not explicitly
specified in the OT – Deut.6:4; 4:35.
However, the plurality of the persons
of the Godhead in the OT may be
inferred from scattered references.

10. The plural form of the Hebrew word
for God: Elohim.
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God
[Elohim] is one” (Deut. 6:4).

11. Self-identification of God in the
plural form:
• Genesis 1:26-27 – “Let us make
man in our image, according to
our likeness.”
Elohim (plural) created (singular)

12. • Genesis 3:22 – “the man has
become as one of Us knowing
good and evil”;
Genesis 3:5 – “For God knows
that in the day you eat from it . . .
You will be like God, knowing
good and evil.”

13. • Genesis 11:7 – “Let Us go down
and there confuse their language.
So the Lord scattered them
abroad from there . . . ”

14. • Isaiah 6:8 – “Who shall I send,
and who will go for Us?”
Then I said: “Here am I. Send
(singular) me!”

15. Isaiah 6:3 – the threefold “holy”
formula in addressing God:
“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of
hosts.”
The same in Revelation 4:7

16. Numbers 6:22-27 – the threefold
blessing:
“The LORD bless you, and keep you;
the LORD make His face shine on
you, and be gracious to you; the LORD
lift up His countenance on you, and
give you peace. So they shall invoke
My name on the sons of Israel, and I
then will bless them.”

17. An attempt that explain these self-
identification text as the plurality of
majesty is not supported by the Old
Testament.

18. The unity of the Godhead in the
Old Testament in purpose and
action stands in sharp contrast to
the Canaanite gods engaged in
fighting and competing with each
other.

19. The New Testament
The plurality of the persons of the
Godhead is more clearly stated in
the New Testament:

20. Matthew 28:19-20 – “. . . baptizing
them in the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
Note: “in the name” is in singular.

21. The apostolic benediction –
2Corinthians 13:14
“The grace of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the love of God, and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with
you all.”

22. The distribution of the gifts to the
church involves all the three
members of the Godhead
1 Corinthians 12:4-6, 11:

23. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but
the same Spirit. And there are
varieties of ministries, and the same
Lord. There are varieties of
effects, but the same God who works
all things in all persons. . . . But one
and the same Spirit works all these
things, distributing to each one
individually just as He wills.”

24. 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.”

25. Jude 20-21
“But you, beloved, building
yourselves up on your most holy
faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep
yourselves in the love of
God, waiting anxiously for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal
life.”

26. The three persons of the Godhead in
Revelation 1:4-6:
“Grace to you and peace, from Him
who is and who was and who is to
come, and from the seven Spirits
who are before His throne, and from
Jesus Christ, . . . .”
The same three persons of the God-
head are referred to in chaps. 4-5.

27. Other references:
• Matt. 3:16-17 (where all three
Persons of the Trinity are
manifested in a special way).
• John 14:16-17, 14:26; 15:26.

28. The historic Christianity defined God
as “one substance, three persons,”
pointing to the oneness of God while
emphasizing distinctiveness in the
Persons of the Godhead.

29. “The Father, the Son, and the Holy
Spirit are one in their essential
divinity. But as persons, the three
are distinct.
“They are one in purpose, in mind, in
character, but not in person” (Ellen
White, The Min. of Healing, 422).

30. The word Trinity must not be confused
with three-theism (three Gods).
Christians are not polytheists believing
in three separate gods but in one God
who manifests himself in three
persons, all involved in the plan of
salvation.

31. To keep in mind:
• The word “persons” with
reference to the Godhead does
not refer to human personality
(except Christ in flesh) but
must be understood in a
theological sense.

32. • The term “persons” points to the
distinction within the inner being
of God himself.
However, how the three persons
of the Godhead are distinguished
personally and yet be completely
one is not revealed to us and is
beyond our comprehension.

33. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the
biblical designation of the members
of the Godhead describing their
threefold manifestation in the
history of the plan of salvation -
1Corinthians 15:24-28.

34. 1 1+1+1
shell
yolk
= egg-white

36. “The Father is all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily, and is invisible to
mortal sight. The Son is all the
fullness of the Godhead manifested.
. . . The Comforter . . . is the Spirit in
all the fullness of the
Godhead, making manifest the power
of divine grace to all receive and
believe in Christ as a personal Savior.”
(Ellen White, Evangelism, 614).

37. Deity of the Holy Spirit
People normally do not have a
problem with the concept of the
Father as God (as a person).
Also, the concept of Jesus as God
who manifested in human form is
generally accepted.

38. However, the concept of the Holy
Spirit as God is something people
find difficult to grasp and accept.
They regard the Holy Spirit as some
sort of impersonal force, some
divine power issuing from God the
Father.

39. The Bible clearly points to the Holy
Spirit as a divine person in the same
sense as the Father and the Son.
His work is identified with that of the
Father and the Son:

40. John 14:16-17
Jesus calls the Holy Spirit: ἄλλος
παράκλητος [allos parakletos]
(“another
Comforter/Helper/Advocate”).

41. παράκλητος meaning literally “one
called to one‟s side”.
The word is used for a person who
provides a help to another person.

42. In 1 John 2:1, Jesus is called the
παράκλητος [parakletos] .
The Holy Spirit is designated by Jesus
as another παράκλητος [parakletos]
because he fills Christ‟s place in the
world while Christ is not in the world
in bodily form any longer.

43. Jesus further refers to the Holy Spirit
as another Paraklētos.
Greek ἄλλος [allos] means “another of
the same kind” in contrast to ἕτερος
[heteros] meaning “another of a
different kind”.

44. It is important to keep in mind that
the Holy Spirit is not Jesus himself,
but a distinctive person: he is
“another.”
“The Holy Spirit whom the Father will
send in my name, He will teach you
all the things, and bring to your
remembrance all that I said to you”
(John14:25).

45. Ellen White –“The Comforter that
Christ promised to send after He
ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in
all the fullness of the
Godhead, making manifest the
power of divine grace to all who
receive and believe in Christ as a
personal Savior. There are three
living persons of the heavenly trio; in
the name of these three great
powers-the Father,

46. the Son, and the Holy Spirit-those
who receive Christ by faith are
baptized, and these three powers
will co-operate with the obedient
subjects of heaven in their efforts to
live the new life in Christ.”
(Evangelism, 615).

47. The role of the Holy Spirit in the
Godhead, the role of the Holy Spirit
seems to be of executor.

48. His attributes are those of God:
• he is omnipresent (Ps. 139:7-10)
• he is omniscient (1Cor. 2:10-11)

49. The references to the Spirit and God
are sometimes found interchangeably:
Parallelism in 2 Sam. 23:2-3
“The Spirit of the LORD spoke by
me, and His word was on my tongue;
The God of Israel said, The Rock of
Israel spoke to me.”

50. Acts 5:3-4 – To lie to the Holy Spirit
means to lie to God:
“But Peter said, „Ananias, why has
Satan filled your heart to lie to the
Holy Spirit and to keep back some of
the price of the land? . . . You have
not lied to men but to God.‟”

51. 1 Corinthians 12:11 and 28.
“But one and the same Spirit works
all these things, distributing to each
one individually just as He wills. . . .
And God has appointed in the
church, first apostles, second
prophets, third teachers, . . . .”

52. Acts 28:25-27 referring to Isaiah
6:8-10
“The Holy Spirit rightly spoke
through Isaiah the prophet to your
fathers, . . .” (Acts 28:25).
In Isaiah, this is what the Lord
(Yahweh) spoke.

53. Hebrews 10:15-17 referring to
Jeremiah 31:32-33
“And the Holy Spirit also testifies to
us . . . .” (Heb. 10:15).
In Jeremiah, this is what the Lord
(Yahweh) spoke.

54. 2 Peter 1:2 parallels with
2 Timothy 3:16
“For no prophecy was ever made by
an act of human will, but men moved
by the Holy Spirit spoke from God”
(Heb. 10:15).
“All Scripture is inspired by God”
(Tim. 3:15).

55. 1 Corinthians 6:19 parallels with
2 Corinthians 6:16
“Your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit” (1 Cor. 6:19).
“We are the temple of the living God”
(2 Cor. 6:16).

56. When we refer to the Holy Spirit as a
person, we refer to a divine, not human
“person.” In manifesting himself to
human beings, he does not assume a
visible physical form like the Father
and the Son. He is rather presented in
different emblems:
• fire (Acts 2:3; Matt 2:11)
• wind (John 3:8; Acts 2:2)
• dove (Matt 3:16).

57. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
The Old Testament indicates clearly
that the Holy Spirit had been at work
on behalf of humanity throughout
the Old Testament times:

58. Genesis 1:2 – “The earth was
formless and void, and darkness was
over the surface of the deep, and the
Spirit of God was moving over the
surface of the waters.”

59. Genesis 6:3 – Then the LORD
said, "My Spirit shall not strive with
man forever, because he also is
flesh; nevertheless his days shall be
one hundred and twenty years."

60. The Holy Spirit equips certain
individuals to perform special tasks
(Exodus 31:3; Numbers 24:2; Judges
3:10; 6:34; 1 Samuel 10:6; 2
Chronicles 24:20).

61. The Holy Spirit speaks through
prophets (Numbers 24:2; 2 Samuel
23:2; Ezekiel 11:5; Micah 3:8).

62. The Holy Spirit in the New Testament
The person and activities of the Holy
Spirit are more clearly stated in the
New Testament.
The death of Jesus on the cross marks
a new stage in the activities of the
Holy Spirit:

63. John 7:39 - “But this He spoke of the
Spirit, whom those who believed in
Him were to receive; for the Spirit was
not yet given, because Jesus was not
yet glorified.”

64. Even though the Holy Spirit had
worked with the human beings since
the entrance of sin, his work was not
manifested in its fullness. That
happened after the death of Jesus on
the cross and his post-resurrection
glorification.

65. John 7:39 refers to the Day of
Pentecost - Acts 2 (cf. Acts 1:8).
It was after the exaltation of Jesus to
the heavenly throne, the Spirit came
down in full glory and power.

66. Acts 2:33 – "This Jesus God raised up
again, to which we are all witnesses.
Therefore having been exalted to the
right hand of God, and having
received from the Father the promise
of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth
this which you both see and hear.”

67. Ellen White – “Christ‟s ascension to
heaven was the signal that His
followers were to receive the
promised blessing. For this they were
to wait before they entered upon their
work. When Christ passed within the
heavenly gates, He was enthroned
amidst the adoration of the angels.
As soon as this ceremony was
completed, the Holy Spirit descended

68. upon the disciples in rich
currents, and Christ was indeed
glorified, even with the glory which
He had with the Father from all
eternity. The Pentecostal outpouring
was Heaven's communication that
the Redeemer's inauguration was
accomplished. According to His
promise He had sent the Holy Spirit
from heaven to His

69. followers as a token that He had, as
priest and king, received all authority
in heaven and earth, and was the
Anointed One over his people (Acts of
the Apostles, 38-39).

70. However, this was not the first
appearance of the Holy Spirit on
earth. As we could see, he was
present on earth since the creation of
earth. However, it was after the cross
and the exaltation of Jesus on the
heavenly throne at the right, that the
fullness of the activities of the Holy
Spirit was manifested on earth.

71. The Personality of the Holy Spirit
Since Jesus on earth manifested
himself in the human form, it is not
hard to think of him as a person. In
contrast, the Holy Spirit never assumes
a visible physical form. This is a
reason why some people find difficult
to grasp and accept him as a person.

72. They regard him rather as some sort
of impersonal divine force or power
or influence.

73. Another reason why some find hard
to accept the Holy Spirit as a person is
because the Spirit in Greek is a neuter
noun. Yet, the New Testament writers
refer to Him as “He.”
The Holy Spirit refers to himself as “I”
(Acts 13:2) – “Set apart for Me
Barnabas and Saul for the work to
which I have called them.”

74. In John 2:24, God is Spirit (neuter);
yet He is “He”, not “It” in the text:
“God is Spirit, and those who worship
Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

75. The New Testament presents the Holy
Spirit as a divine person:
The texts that identify the Holy Spirit
as the member of the Godhead also
identify Him as a person – Matthew
28:20; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Jude 20-
21; 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6.

76. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as a
person (“He”) who acts as a person
(John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:7-14).
“That He may be with you always”
(14:16).
“The world does not see Him” and
“does not know at Him” (14:16).

77. “He will abide with you and He will be
with you (14:17).
“He will teach you all the things”
(14:26).
“He will remind you all that I said to
you” (14:26)
“He will testify about me” (15:26)

78. “If I do not go away, the Parakletos
will not come to you” (16:7)
“He will guide you into all the truth”
(16:13)
“He will not speak on His own, but
whatever He hears, and He will disclose
to you what is to come” (16:13)
“He will glorify me” (16:14)

79. The early church viewed him as a
person:
“It seemed to the Holy Spirit and to
us” – Acts 15:28.

80. Jesus stated that any word against
Jesus will be forgiven, but “blasphemy
against the Holy Spirit shall not be
forgiven” (Matt. 12:31- 32).
a) In the Bible, only God may be
blasphemed. This could be true only
if the Holy Spirit is God.
b) If blasphemy is against Christ
as a person, that it is also against the
Holy Spirit as a person.

81. As the Father sent the Son (Gal.
4:4), so He also sent the Holy Spirit
(John 14:26; 15:26).
The Holy Spirit “speaks explicitly”
[about what will happen in the future]
– 1 Timothy 4:1
He speaks – Acts 8:29;10:19-20;
11:12; 13:2

82. He expresses emotions – Romans
8:26
He intercedes– Romans 8:26
Together with the church, He makes a
call to everyone to come to Christ –
Revelation 22:17
He can grieve – Isaiah 64:10;
Ephesians 4:30

83. He can be insulted – Hebrews 10:29
He distributes the spiritual gifts – 1
Corinthians 12 4-11, 28
He forbids (Acts 16:6) and does not
permit (Acts 16:7) a person‟s actions.
He send people to the mission field –
Acts 13:4

84. He makes people elders in the church
– Acts 20:28
He speaks to the seven churches
(Revelation 2-3)
Etc., etc., etc.

85. “We need to realize that the Holy
Spirit, who is much a person as God is
a person, is walking through these
grounds” (Ellen
White, Evangelism, 616).

86. The Role of the Holy Spirit in the
Church
• He brings the presence of
Christ (John 14:17-18).
• He guides the government and
activities of the church (cf. Acts
13:2; 20:28; 1 Cor. 12:4-11,
28).

87. • He brings conviction of sin and
a desire for forgiveness and a
life in righteousness (John
16:8).

88. • The Holy Spirit working in the
individual - the fruit of the
Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).
• The Holy Spirit working through
the individual – spiritual gifts (1
Corinthians 12).

89. In conclusion:
Is the concept of the three persons
of the Godhead biblical?
Does it make any difference whether
the Holy Spirit is a divine person or
not?