The Trinity
The Trinity
The doctrine of the Trinity is not a contradiction-it is a mystery, yes, but not nonsense. At its core, the biblical teaching on the Trinity affirms that there is one eternal Being who is God, and this one Being is shared fully and equally by three eternal Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let’s unpack this carefully.
When we speak of God’s "Being", we’re talking about His essential existence-what God is. Being refers to the fact that God exists, that He is life in Himself, eternal and unchanging. It's not a physical substance or a "thing" you can point to, but the very essence of divinity. God’s Being is singular-there is only one God. He is not divided or composed of parts. He is indivisible, infinite, and eternal in His existence.
But within that one divine Being, there are three Persons. What do we mean by "Person"? This is where precision matters. When we say "Person" in reference to the Godhead, we do not mean three human beings or three separate individuals the way we encounter them in creation. The word "person," as applied to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, refers to the fact that each possesses self-awareness, will, intellect, and emotion. The Father loves. The Son obeys. The Spirit grieves. These are personal attributes-each one engages relationally, intentionally, and uniquely.
Each Person of the Trinity is not one-third of God. Each one is fully God, not in isolation, but in perfect unity of Being. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Spirit. The Spirit is not the Father. Yet they are not three gods, but one God. One what. Three who.
Now, here’s where many people hit a wall. We struggle with this concept-not because it's illogical, but because it's beyond our created frame of reference. In our universe, every being we know is also a single person. You are one being and one person. I am the same. We don’t encounter multi-personal beings in creation. So when we hear "one Being, three Persons," our minds short-circuit. We instinctively try to force God's existence into the mold of our experience.
But here’s the problem: we’re creatures. We’re limited. We are trying to filter God's eternal nature through the lens of our temporal existence. And then we do something dangerous-we start to impose our creaturely categories back onto God. We think, “Well, I’m one being and one person, so God must be the same.” But God is not like us. He is categorically different. He is not a greater version of man. He is the Creator-infinitely beyond all that is made.
The Trinity is not a contradiction. It’s a category that exists only in the nature of the uncreated God. The reason we don’t “see” anything like the Trinity in the world around us is because there is nothing like God in the created order. That’s what makes Him holy-set apart. Completely other.
So if the idea of one Being and three Persons feels foreign or difficult, that’s expected. You’re brushing up against the edge of human comprehension, staring into the eternal. And that’s exactly where theology should take us-out of ourselves, and into awe.
The Core Idea of the Trinity
Christians affirm the belief in one God not three separate gods, nor divided parts of a single deity. Rather, they understand God as one divine essence expressed in three distinct persons:
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The Father – the Creator and the origin of all things.
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The Son – God made visible in human form through Jesus Christ.
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The Holy Spirit – God's ongoing presence, working in the world and living within believers.
Each of these persons is fully and equally God eternal, powerful, and divine. Yet, they are not interchangeable or identical.
A helpful way to grasp this is:
One “What,” Three “Who’s.”
One divine being (God) existing as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Start with What a Contradiction Actually Is
Before diving into what the Trinity is, it helps to define what a contradiction isn’t. A contradiction is when something is said to be both true and not true in the same way and at the same time.
So, for example, if someone said, “God is one person and not one person,” using the word “person” in the exact same sense, that would be a contradiction. But that’s not what Christians are saying when they talk about the Trinity.
So What Is the Trinity Claiming?
Here’s the core belief: Christianity teaches that there is one God in terms of essence or being that’s what God is. At the same time, within that one being, there are three distinct persons the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that’s who God is.
So we’re not saying one God and three Gods. We’re not saying one person and three persons. We’re saying one being, three persons. And yes, that’s mysterious but it’s not a logical contradiction.
Daniel 7:13 - 14 - Son of Man Revealed (OT)
Daniel 7:9–10 (The Ancient of Days) (The Father)
“As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat...The court was seated, and the books were opened.”
Daniel 7:13–14 (The Son of Man)
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him.”
This section of Daniel’s vision is one of the most powerful glimpses into the nature of the Messiah we get in the Old Testament. It comes right after a series of terrifying images four beast-like empires rising from the sea, symbols of chaos and human corruption. Then, suddenly, everything shifts. The scene moves into the throne room of heaven, and Daniel witnesses something absolutely staggering.
"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man..."
This isn’t ordinary language. In the Hebrew Bible, "riding on the clouds" is something only God does. Yahweh alone is described as coming with the clouds in judgment or deliverance (see Psalm 104:3, Isaiah 19:1).
So when Daniel sees someone who looks human, yet arrives on clouds, that’s a massive theological statement: this figure is divine.
The phrase “one like a son of man” (Aramaic: kebar enash) simply means someone who looks human. This is intentional. Earlier in the chapter, the beasts represented human empires that had lost their humanity they became monstrous. Now, Daniel sees someone who looks fully human, yet is coming from heaven, not rising from the sea like the beasts. This contrast tells us something crucial: this figure is the true image of humanity, fully man, and yet he comes as God.
"...and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him."
This scene is often missed for how profound it really is. The "Ancient of Days" is a title for God eternal, wise, seated in judgment. And yet here comes another figure, distinct from Him, yet brought into His presence, not as a subject, not as a servant, but as someone who is being exalted. This is not just an audience this is a royal coronation.
"And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom..."
Now things escalate. The Son of Man is not just welcomed He’s given full authority. Not just over Israel. Not just over one region. Over everything. All peoples. All nations. Every language. This language is universal. And this is key: the word used for "serve" here (pelach) is used in Daniel for worship. This is the same term used when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refuse to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s image. And now, it’s used for the Son of Man.
That makes one thing crystal clear: this figure is not merely a human king. He is worshiped. That alone puts Him in the category of deity.
But more than that, this isn’t temporary power. He’s not going to rule for a season and then pass the throne. His dominion is everlasting. His kingdom will never be destroyed. That’s language used for God’s rule in other parts of Scripture (see Psalm 145:13, Isaiah 9:7).
This figure this Son of Man is receiving the glory of God, the worship of the nations, and the eternal throne. And all of this is being granted by the Ancient of Days.
What’s the Big Picture?
Daniel 7 is setting up the Messiah not just as a coming king, but as someone who shares in God’s own identity. He is distinct from the Father, but fully divine. He’s also fully human. He becomes the ultimate contrast to the beastly rulers of the world He is the true man, the perfect image of God, the one fit to rule creation.
When Jesus refers to Himself as the “Son of Man,” He’s not just being humble. He’s claiming this title. He’s pointing directly to Daniel 7. And when He tells the high priest, “You will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 26:64), they know exactly what He means. That’s why they accuse Him of blasphemy.
The Trinitarian picture is already emerging here in Daniel. You have God the Father (Ancient of Days) and God the Son (Son of Man), both distinct, both divine, yet united in purpose. The Spirit isn’t mentioned here explicitly, but that doesn’t undercut what’s happening. What we see here is a foundation that the New Testament will build on when it fully reveals the Triune God.
Matthew 26:64 (NT)
“But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
When Jesus stood trial before the Sanhedrin and finally responded to the high priest’s demand “Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” He didn’t dodge. He didn’t flinch. Instead, He reached back into the fiery depths of the Old Testament and pulled forward one of the most electrifying prophecies ever recorded. His answer in Matthew 26:64 wasn’t just a yes it was a complete declaration of divine authority.
“You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Now, for anyone unfamiliar with the backdrop, this may sound poetic or mystical. But to the Jewish leaders in that courtroom, Jesus had just invoked Daniel 7:13–14, a vision that had lived in the prophetic imagination of Israel for centuries. And He wasn’t just referencing it He was claiming to be the very figure Daniel saw.
Let’s rewind.
In Daniel’s apocalyptic vision, he sees one “like a son of man” coming with the clouds of heaven. This figure isn’t just showing up in the sky. He’s approaching the Ancient of Days-God Himself-and being handed dominion, glory, and an everlasting kingdom. And here’s what makes this figure completely unique: all peoples, nations, and languages are to serve Him. The term used in the original Aramaic implies worship, the kind of service reserved for God alone.
This “Son of Man” is not a mere prophet. He’s not an angel. He’s not a symbolic image. He is a divine Person who shares in the authority and glory of God, yet remains distinct from the Ancient of Days. It’s one of the most overtly divine portraits in all of Jewish apocalyptic literature. And Jesus knew it.
So when He stood before the high priest and said, “You will see the Son of Man... coming on the clouds,” He was doing far more than using a title He was positioning Himself inside the throne room of heaven. He was saying, in essence:
“That heavenly figure you’ve read about all your life?
The One who rides the clouds, approaches the throne of the Ancient of Days, and receives everlasting dominion?
That’s Me. And the next time you see Me, it won’t be in weakness it will be in glory.”
This is why the high priest tore his robes and shouted blasphemy. Not because Jesus said something vague or strange—but because Jesus had just equated Himself with the divine Son of Man from Daniel’s vision. He had just told the Jewish leaders that He was the one who would return in power and rule forever.
The connection between Daniel 7 and Matthew 26 isn’t subtle. It’s deliberate. It’s explosive. It reveals that Jesus saw Himself not just as the Messiah, not just as a teacher or prophet, but as the preexistent, glorified, divine Son of Man the One to whom the Father would entrust all authority, all rule, and all worship.
This is not a soft claim. It’s not theological fluff. It is one of the clearest moments where Jesus pulls back the veil and reveals who He truly is. He stands in total confidence, knowing full well the cost of His words, and makes it unmistakably clear: I am the Son of Man, and I will return in glory.
Matthew 3:16–17
One of the most striking revelations happens at Jesus' baptism. As Jesus (the Son) rises from the water, the Holy Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father's voice thunders from heaven:
"This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
Here we see all three persons of the Godhead present and active, each distinct, yet united in divine purpose. It’s not just symbolism it’s a real-time interaction of Father, Son, and Spirit.
Matthew 28:19
In His final charge to His disciples, Jesus tells them:
"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."
Notice the wording it’s name (singular), not "names." Jesus ties Father, Son, and Spirit together under one divine authority, affirming their unity while maintaining their personal distinctions.
John 14:16–17, 26
Shortly before His arrest, Jesus promised:
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, the Spirit of truth."
Here again, the relationship between the three is clear: the Son speaks to the Father, who sends the Spirit. They are not separate gods, nor mere roles they are distinct persons working together for our salvation.
2 Corinthians 13:14
Paul often tucked profound theology into his letters, and one of the clearest glimpses of the Trinity comes in a simple blessing:
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
Grace, love, and fellowship all gifts from the triune God.