This makes knowing God central to a personal faith. “Who are you, God?” is the vital question the Bible answers in a surprising way. Throughout the Scriptures, God defines himself as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Bible scholars call this mind-bending truth the Trinity.

The concept of the Trinity is one of the great mysteries of the Bible. Romans 11:34 says, “For who among us can know the mind of the Lord?” God’s character and what He is like are so enormous that we, with our limited minds, cannot comprehend Him.

The Bible is clear that God is three-in-one: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (see Matthew 28:18–20). The three parts are separate personalities, often referred to as three persons since They are so individual. And yet They are together, They form one being: God.

We can try to explain the Trinity with analogies and illustrations, but even these come up short. Because God is so great, no illustration does Him justice.

For instance, look at an egg and its three separate but equal parts—yolk, white and shell. Each has its own identity and purpose, and yet all three make up something more. Take away one of the three parts, and it’s no longer an egg.

Now look at yourself. You probably have three names: a first name, a middle name and a last name. Standing alone, each of those three names represents you, but none of the three names alone defines you. Only all three names together can do that.

Who do you pray to? God the Father. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus says, “But when you pray, … pray to your Father, who is unseen.” Then Jesus told us how to pray, starting with the words, “Our Father in Heaven …“

Here’s a look at the roles of each of the three coequal persons of God:

• God the Father’s role is to generate things. All things originate with Him and flow from Him. God the Father is equal with the Son and the Holy Spirit, but things start with Him. The Father sent both the Son (John 3:16–17) and Holy Spirit (John 14:26) into the world.

• God the Son’s role is to pay for our sins with His blood, which He did on the cross (Romans 5:9). The Son, Jesus, also acts as a lawyer for us before God, acting as a mediator between us and God (1 Timothy 2:5), and speaking “to the Father in our defense” (1 John 2:1).

• God the Holy Spirit has many roles. The Spirit helps us pray (Romans 8:26–27). He gives us new life (John 3:3–6). He is our Comforter and He helps us understand God’s Word (John 14:26). He lifts up Christ (John 15:26). He convicts us of sin (John 16:7-11). He helps us live holy lives (Romans 15:16). He gives us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). He helps us share our faith (Acts 1:8). And He lives inside us (Romans 8:11).

The idea that God exists as a Trinity, or Tri-unity, can be seen in the teachings of Jesus, but the word Trinity is never used in the Bible. Early church leaders used this word to represent and summarize the biblical truths that God revealed about Himself to mankind.

Instead of introducing this concept in one passage, the Trinity emerges like a tapestry image. This concept is woven into multiple passages, each reflecting a truth about God. Put these Scriptures together and you get a self-portrait painted by God.

The Trinity: The doctrine of the Trinity answers these vital questions: What is God? Who is God?

These are among the foremost truths revealed in the Trinity:

• There is only one God.

• God eternally exists as three divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity has His own will and can love, speak and act.

• Each of these divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, are fully God. They are coequal, coeternal, copowerful and exist simultaneously.

• Each person of the Trinity simultaneously represents all of God not just part of God.

• The Holy Spirit is a person, not a force.

The Apostles accepted God as He revealed Himself to them in the Old Testament and in their experience on Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4). They accepted Him as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They saw little conflict that God the Father was their Savior (1 Timothy 1:1) as well as Jesus Christ (2 Timothy 2:10). They were comfortable that God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit were all involved in Creation (Genesis 1:1-2, Isaiah 64:8, Colossians 2:9, Genesis 1:2, Job 33:4).

But the Gospel of Jesus Christ moved beyond Jerusalem and the earliest believers. Other cultures influenced by polytheism (many gods) and various philosophical systems encountered the Gospel. Their ideas often challenged the concept of one God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Church leaders spent almost 300 years refuting false concepts of God by carefully debating and refining church statements about God. They used God’s own revelation through the Holy Scriptures to create statements outlining correct teachings. These statements became known as creeds. Best known are The Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, which are both embraced by many churches today. Here’s part of the Nicene Creed:

I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
begotten of his Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father
And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord
    and Giver of Life, 
who proceedeth from the Father [and the Son];
who with the Father and the Son together 
is worshipped and glorified.