Does Scripture teach the trinity? Yes, it is derived systematically and directly from Scripture. It is also written about in the works of Pre-Nicene Church Fathers, so it wasn't "invented" by the Council of Nicea (AD 325) or by Constantine, for that matter. Consider the following outline:
A. The oneness of God (Monotheism) - Only one God in all of existence
1) Old Testament
a) Ex 20:2-3 - עַל־פָּנָֽ֗יַ (trans., "before me"; lit., "in front me"; meaning "in my presence")
b) Ex 3: 13-15 - "I AM"
c) Deut 6:4-5 - "The Shema" - God is one.
d) Ex 15:11; Lev 26:1; Deut 6:13-14; Deut 4:28; Zech 14:9; Isaiah 43:10-13; 44:6,8;
Isaiah 45:5,14,18,21,22; 46:9; 47:8
2) New Testament
a) Jas 2:19; 1 Co 8:4-6; 1 Tim 2:5-6; John 17:3; Gal. 4:8-9;
B. The deity of the 3 persons declared
1) The Father
a) 1 Co 8:4-6; 1 Tim 2:5 (above)
b) Mt 6:26, 30-32
c) Mt 19:23-26; 27:46; Mk 12:17, 24-27
2) The Son (Jn 1:1, 14; Col 2:9-10; Jn 5:39
a) Philippians 2:5-11 (The Carmen Christi)
1. μορφή - nature, form, essence; not it's schema, a superficial appearance or shape
2. ἴσα - "equality"
b) Hebrews 1 - superior to angels, heir of all things, the radiance and exact image of God
1. Hebrews 1:3 - ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ - means:
He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature
2. Hebrews 1:8 from Ps 45:6 - attributed to the Son
3. Hebrews 1:10 from Ps 102:25 - attributed to the Son
4. Hebrews 1:13 from Ps 110:1 - "sit at my right hand," but the Hebrews were Monotheistic
c) Jesus' own statements
1. The angels of God (Lk 12:8-9; 15:10) were His angels (Mt 13:41)
2. Kingdom of God and the elect were His (Mt 12:28; 19:14, 24; 21:31, 43; Mk 13:20)
3. Jesus forgave sins (Mk 2:8-10) and accused of blasphemy
4. Power to judge the world (Mt 25:31-46) and reigns over it (Mt 24:30; Mk 14:62)
5. Divine name from OT, He attributes to Himself: Jn 8:24 (cf. Isaiah 43:10 and
Deut. 32:39); Jn 8:58-59 (cf. Exodus 3:14)
d) Jesus' responses to those accusing Him of claiming deity (of blasphemy: Jn 10:32-33)
and to those who said He was God
1. Accused of claiming to be the Son of God at trial (Jn 19:7 and Mt 26:63-65), responds
"You have said it yourself)
2. Jesus' disciple calls Him "God" and worships Him (Jn 20:28) and Jesus affirms the
declaration in the very next verse: Jn 20:29 (had it not been true, why would Jesus
not correct doubting Thomas' blashemy?)
3. Again, Jesus is worshiped, but doesn't rebuke it (Mt 28:9-10)
3) The Holy Spirit
a) Holy Spirit used interchangeably with God (Acts 5:3-4)
b) Has the qualities and works of God
1. Convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn 16:8-13)
2. Regenerates and gives new life (Jn 3:8)
3. Gives gifts to the church and has authority over it (1 Co 12:4-11)
4. Recieves honor and glory reserved for God alone
c) The body is God's temple, and the Holy Spirit's dwelling (1 Co 3:16-17), but also the
temple of The Holy Spirit (1 Co 6:19-20)
d) Holy Spirit put on equal footing with God (Mt 28:19; 2 Co 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2)
C. 3 in oneness
1) 1 Jn 5:7 (but verse seems to be added later, not present in earlier mss.)
2) Elohym - expresses majesty and intensity of quality, but also seems to suggest a diversity
within the unity
a) "Us" and "our" and plural verb forms (Gen 1:26-27; 11:7; Isa 6:8)
b) Echad means "one," even with diversity (cf. Gen 2:24 and Deut 6:4)
3) Three persons in one
a) Mt 28:19-20 - One name shared by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
b) Didache 7:1-3:
1 But concerning baptism, thus baptize ye: having first recited all these precepts,
baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in running
water; 2 but if thou hast not running water, baptize in some other water, and if thou
canst not baptize in cold, in warm water; 3 but if thou hast neither, pour water three
times on the head, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
c) Justin's Apology (1.61.4):
For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus
Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water.
d) 2 Co 13:14 - Pauline benediction
e) Other passages: Lk 1:35, 24:49; Mt 3:16-17, 12:28; Acts 2:33, 38; 1 Co 12:4-6;
Gal 4:6; Ro 15:16
f) Trinity involved in salvation: 2 Co 1:21-22; 2 Thess 2: 13-14; Eph 3:14-19; 1 Pet 1:1-2;
Jude 20-21
g) Paul arranges his epistles in trinitarian patterns
1. Romans: God's judgment on all (Romans 1:18-3:20); Justification by faith in Christ (Romans 3:21-8:1);
Life in the Spirit (Romans 8:2- 30)
2. Galatians: Justification by faith in Christ (Galatians 3:1-29); Adoption through Christ and sending
of Holy Spirit (Galatians 4:1-7); Bondage and freedom in Christ (Galatians 4:8-5:15); Life in The Spirit
(Galatians 5:16-6:10)
3. Occurs in 1 Corinthinas too
h) The Gospel of John
1. 3-fold formula: Jn 1:33-34; 14:16, 26; 16:13-15; 20:21-22 (cf., 1 Jn 4:2, 13-14)
a. Son sent by Father (Jn 14:24) and proceeds from Him (Jn 16:28)
b. Holy Spirit given by the Father (Jn 14:16), sent by Him (Jn 14:26), and proceed
from Him (Jn 15:26)
c. Son is involved in the Spirit's coming and prays for Him to come (Jn 14:16)
d. The Father sends the Spirit in the name of the Son (Jn 14:26)
e. The Son sends the Holy Spirit from the Father (Jn 15:26)
f. The Son must go away to send the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:7)
g. The Holy Spirit is a continuation and an elaboration of the Son's ministry (Jn 14:26;
Jn 15:26; 16:13-14)
2. Prologue (Jn 1:1, 14)
3. Oneness (Jn 10:30; 14:9; 17:21)
i) Polycarp (c. AD 70-160) was the bishop of Smyrna and, as tradition has it, a disciple of the
Apostle John. He writes about the trinity:
O Lord God almighty...I bless you and glorify you through the eternal and heavenly high
priest Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, through whom be glory to you, with Him and the
Holy Spirit, both now and forever.
j) Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in Syria (d. AD 107):
We have also as a Physician the Lord our God, Jesus the Christ, the only-begotten Son
and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin.
For “the Word was made flesh.”Being incorporeal, He was in the body; being impassible,
He was in a passible body; being immortal, He was in a mortal body; being life, He
became subject to corruption, that He might free our souls from death and corruption,
and heal them, and might restore them to health, when they were diseased with
ungodliness and wicked lusts.
k) Alexandrian theologian, Origen (c. AD. 185-254) was already using the word “Trinity” well
before the Council of Nicea:
Moreover, nothing in the Trinity can be called greater or less, since the fountain of divinity
alone contains all things by His word and reason, and by the Spirit of His mouth sanctifies all
things which are worthy of sanctification, as it is written in the Psalm: “By the word of the
Lord were the heavens strengthened, and all their power by the Spirit of His mouth.
A. The oneness of God (Monotheism) - Only one God in all of existence
1) Old Testament
a) Ex 20:2-3 - עַל־פָּנָֽ֗יַ (trans., "before me"; lit., "in front me"; meaning "in my presence")
b) Ex 3: 13-15 - "I AM"
c) Deut 6:4-5 - "The Shema" - God is one.
d) Ex 15:11; Lev 26:1; Deut 6:13-14; Deut 4:28; Zech 14:9; Isaiah 43:10-13; 44:6,8;
Isaiah 45:5,14,18,21,22; 46:9; 47:8
2) New Testament
a) Jas 2:19; 1 Co 8:4-6; 1 Tim 2:5-6; John 17:3; Gal. 4:8-9;
B. The deity of the 3 persons declared
1) The Father
a) 1 Co 8:4-6; 1 Tim 2:5 (above)
b) Mt 6:26, 30-32
c) Mt 19:23-26; 27:46; Mk 12:17, 24-27
2) The Son (Jn 1:1, 14; Col 2:9-10; Jn 5:39
a) Philippians 2:5-11 (The Carmen Christi)
1. μορφή - nature, form, essence; not it's schema, a superficial appearance or shape
2. ἴσα - "equality"
b) Hebrews 1 - superior to angels, heir of all things, the radiance and exact image of God
1. Hebrews 1:3 - ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ - means:
He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature
2. Hebrews 1:8 from Ps 45:6 - attributed to the Son
3. Hebrews 1:10 from Ps 102:25 - attributed to the Son
4. Hebrews 1:13 from Ps 110:1 - "sit at my right hand," but the Hebrews were Monotheistic
c) Jesus' own statements
1. The angels of God (Lk 12:8-9; 15:10) were His angels (Mt 13:41)
2. Kingdom of God and the elect were His (Mt 12:28; 19:14, 24; 21:31, 43; Mk 13:20)
3. Jesus forgave sins (Mk 2:8-10) and accused of blasphemy
4. Power to judge the world (Mt 25:31-46) and reigns over it (Mt 24:30; Mk 14:62)
5. Divine name from OT, He attributes to Himself: Jn 8:24 (cf. Isaiah 43:10 and
Deut. 32:39); Jn 8:58-59 (cf. Exodus 3:14)
d) Jesus' responses to those accusing Him of claiming deity (of blasphemy: Jn 10:32-33)
and to those who said He was God
1. Accused of claiming to be the Son of God at trial (Jn 19:7 and Mt 26:63-65), responds
"You have said it yourself)
2. Jesus' disciple calls Him "God" and worships Him (Jn 20:28) and Jesus affirms the
declaration in the very next verse: Jn 20:29 (had it not been true, why would Jesus
not correct doubting Thomas' blashemy?)
3. Again, Jesus is worshiped, but doesn't rebuke it (Mt 28:9-10)
3) The Holy Spirit
a) Holy Spirit used interchangeably with God (Acts 5:3-4)
b) Has the qualities and works of God
1. Convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment (Jn 16:8-13)
2. Regenerates and gives new life (Jn 3:8)
3. Gives gifts to the church and has authority over it (1 Co 12:4-11)
4. Recieves honor and glory reserved for God alone
c) The body is God's temple, and the Holy Spirit's dwelling (1 Co 3:16-17), but also the
temple of The Holy Spirit (1 Co 6:19-20)
d) Holy Spirit put on equal footing with God (Mt 28:19; 2 Co 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2)
C. 3 in oneness
1) 1 Jn 5:7 (but verse seems to be added later, not present in earlier mss.)
2) Elohym - expresses majesty and intensity of quality, but also seems to suggest a diversity
within the unity
a) "Us" and "our" and plural verb forms (Gen 1:26-27; 11:7; Isa 6:8)
b) Echad means "one," even with diversity (cf. Gen 2:24 and Deut 6:4)
3) Three persons in one
a) Mt 28:19-20 - One name shared by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
b) Didache 7:1-3:
1 But concerning baptism, thus baptize ye: having first recited all these precepts,
baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in running
water; 2 but if thou hast not running water, baptize in some other water, and if thou
canst not baptize in cold, in warm water; 3 but if thou hast neither, pour water three
times on the head, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
c) Justin's Apology (1.61.4):
For, in the name of God, the Father and Lord of the universe, and of our Saviour Jesus
Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, they then receive the washing with water.
d) 2 Co 13:14 - Pauline benediction
e) Other passages: Lk 1:35, 24:49; Mt 3:16-17, 12:28; Acts 2:33, 38; 1 Co 12:4-6;
Gal 4:6; Ro 15:16
f) Trinity involved in salvation: 2 Co 1:21-22; 2 Thess 2: 13-14; Eph 3:14-19; 1 Pet 1:1-2;
Jude 20-21
g) Paul arranges his epistles in trinitarian patterns
1. Romans: God's judgment on all (Romans 1:18-3:20); Justification by faith in Christ (Romans 3:21-8:1);
Life in the Spirit (Romans 8:2- 30)
2. Galatians: Justification by faith in Christ (Galatians 3:1-29); Adoption through Christ and sending
of Holy Spirit (Galatians 4:1-7); Bondage and freedom in Christ (Galatians 4:8-5:15); Life in The Spirit
(Galatians 5:16-6:10)
3. Occurs in 1 Corinthinas too
h) The Gospel of John
1. 3-fold formula: Jn 1:33-34; 14:16, 26; 16:13-15; 20:21-22 (cf., 1 Jn 4:2, 13-14)
a. Son sent by Father (Jn 14:24) and proceeds from Him (Jn 16:28)
b. Holy Spirit given by the Father (Jn 14:16), sent by Him (Jn 14:26), and proceed
from Him (Jn 15:26)
c. Son is involved in the Spirit's coming and prays for Him to come (Jn 14:16)
d. The Father sends the Spirit in the name of the Son (Jn 14:26)
e. The Son sends the Holy Spirit from the Father (Jn 15:26)
f. The Son must go away to send the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:7)
g. The Holy Spirit is a continuation and an elaboration of the Son's ministry (Jn 14:26;
Jn 15:26; 16:13-14)
2. Prologue (Jn 1:1, 14)
3. Oneness (Jn 10:30; 14:9; 17:21)
i) Polycarp (c. AD 70-160) was the bishop of Smyrna and, as tradition has it, a disciple of the
Apostle John. He writes about the trinity:
O Lord God almighty...I bless you and glorify you through the eternal and heavenly high
priest Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, through whom be glory to you, with Him and the
Holy Spirit, both now and forever.
j) Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in Syria (d. AD 107):
We have also as a Physician the Lord our God, Jesus the Christ, the only-begotten Son
and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin.
For “the Word was made flesh.”Being incorporeal, He was in the body; being impassible,
He was in a passible body; being immortal, He was in a mortal body; being life, He
became subject to corruption, that He might free our souls from death and corruption,
and heal them, and might restore them to health, when they were diseased with
ungodliness and wicked lusts.
k) Alexandrian theologian, Origen (c. AD. 185-254) was already using the word “Trinity” well
before the Council of Nicea:
Moreover, nothing in the Trinity can be called greater or less, since the fountain of divinity
alone contains all things by His word and reason, and by the Spirit of His mouth sanctifies all
things which are worthy of sanctification, as it is written in the Psalm: “By the word of the
Lord were the heavens strengthened, and all their power by the Spirit of His mouth.
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