An honest question
What is the Trinity?
Key points
- Short answer: Christians believe there is one God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit: not three gods, and not one God wearing three masks.
- What Jesus did: At Jesus’ baptism, the Gospels describe all three at once: Jesus coming up out of the water, the Spirit coming down like a dove, and a voice from heaven: “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- The Lutheran view: Lutherans say what they believe about the Trinity in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.
The short answer
Christians believe there is one God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit: not three gods, and not one God wearing three masks.
It sounds like a puzzle. It started as an attempt to describe what people actually saw in Jesus.
What Jesus said and did
At Jesus’ baptism, the Gospels describe all three at once: Jesus coming up out of the water, the Spirit coming down like a dove, and a voice from heaven: “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Jesus prayed to God as his Father. He promised to send the Holy Spirit. He sent his followers to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” One name, three persons.
A little longer
The first Christians were Jews who believed firmly in one God. Then they met Jesus, who forgave sins as only God could, and after Easter they experienced God’s Spirit living in them. They needed words for all of that without giving up on one God.
Every comparison falls short: water as ice, liquid and steam; a person who is a parent, child and friend. These help a little, and the church has always said none of them is quite right.
What it means in practice: God is not alone or distant. At the heart of God is love between persons, and God invites us into it.
Where Christians disagree
Nearly all Christian churches confess the Trinity, through the Nicene Creed. A few groups that grew out of Christianity, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses and Latter-day Saints, understand God differently.
How Lutherans see it
Lutherans say what they believe about the Trinity in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. Luther’s Small Catechism explains it in three parts. The Father made me. The Son saved me. The Spirit calls me and keeps me in faith. Each part is about what God does for you.
Where it is in the Bible
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Mark 1:9–11 Jesus’ baptism: the Son, the Spirit, the Father’s voice.
Read Mark 1:9–11
9 In those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Immediately coming up from the water, he saw the heavens parting, and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 A voice came out of the sky, “You are my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
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Matthew 28:18–20 Baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Read Matthew 28:18–20
18 Jesus came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
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John 14:15–17 Jesus promises the Spirit from the Father.
Read John 14:15–17
15 If you love me, keep my commandments. 16 I will pray to the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, that he may be with you forever: 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world can’t receive; for it doesn’t see him and doesn’t know him. You know him, for he lives with you, and will be in you.
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
What do these words mean?
| The word | It means |
|---|---|
| Trinity | The Christian word for one God, known as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. |
| Holy Spirit | God present and at work in people now, giving faith and comfort. |
| Baptism | Washing with water, with God’s promise, that makes someone part of the church. |
| Gospel | One of the four books about Jesus’ life: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It also means “good news.” |
| Sin | Anything that turns us away from God and from loving other people. |
| Creed | A short summary of what Christians believe, said together in church. |
Tap a word for more. All 228 church words: the glossary, A to Z
Where to go next
Other questions people ask
Written by Digital Lutheran Church, a small, free website from the nonprofit Hope for Americans, in the tradition of the ELCA. Bible passages are from the World English Bible.