The Trinity

By Herman Bavinck

The Eternal Being reveals Himself in His trinitarian existence in an even richer way and
vital that in His attributes. It is in this holy trinity that each attribute of His Being, so to speak
to say it, reaches its fullness, reaches its fullest content and assumes its deepest meaning
deep. It is only when we contemplate this trinity that we know who and what God is.
Furthermore, only then do we know who God is and what He is for lost humanity.
We can know this only when we recognize and confess Him as the Triune God of the Covenant.
as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

When considering this part of our confession, it is particularly necessary that a tone of
may reverence and a sense of childlike awe be the hallmark of our
approach and attitude. For Moses, it was an extraordinary and unforgettable moment when the
The Lord appeared to him in the desert in the flame of fire that came from the bush. When
Moses observed that flaming fire, which burned but was not consumed, from a certain
distance, and when he wanted to hurriedly approach the place, the Lord stopped him and said:
Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.
Then Moses covered his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Such holy respect also benefits us as we witness how God

reveals Himself in His Word as a Triune God. For we must always remember that to
As we study this fact, we are not dealing with a doctrine about God,
with an abstract concept, or with a scientific proposition about the nature of the
Divinity. We are not dealing with a human invention that we ourselves or others
they have imposed on the facts, and now we are trying to analyze and break down in a way
logic. Rather, when dealing with the Trinity, we are dealing with God himself, with the only
And true God, who has revealed Himself as such in His Word. It is as He
He said to Moses: I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob (Exo. 3:6). Thus, we are revealed
He himself in His Word and manifests to us as Father, Son, and Spirit.

In this way, the Christian church has always confessed the revelation of God as
the Triune God, and He has accepted it as such. We find it in the Twelve Articles of the Creed
of the Apostles. The Christian is not simply saying in that creed as he thinks with
regarding God. He is not there giving a notion of God, nor saying that God has such and
such attributes, and that this and this way exists. Instead, confess: I believe in God the
Father, in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Spirit: I believe in the Triune God. To
to confess this, the Christian expresses the fact that God is the living and true God, that He
is God as Father, Son, and Spirit, the God of His trust, to whom he has surrendered.
complete way, and in whom he rests with all his heart. God is the God of his life and his
salvation. As Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, God has created, redeemed, and sanctified you.
glorified. The Christian owes everything to Him. It is his joy and comfort that he can believe in that.
God, trust in Him, and expect everything from Him.

What the Christian continues to confess about that God is not summed up by him in a

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amount of abstract terms, but rather, it is described as a series of facts
made by God in the past, in the present, and that will be done in the future. They are the
facts, the miracles, of God which constitute the confession of the Christian. What the
Cristiano confesses in his creed it is a long, wide, and very tall story. It is a story that
covers the entire world in its length and width, in its beginning, process and end, in its
origin, development and destiny, from the point of creation to the fulfillment of the
Ages. The confession of the church is a declaration of the powerful deeds of God.

These facts are numerous and are characterized by great diversity. But also
they constitute a strict unit. They are related to each other, prepared for each other
for the others and they are interdependent. There is order and pattern, development and movement in it.
upward. It proceeds from creation through redemption to sanctification and the
glorification. The end returns to the beginning and yet is, at the same time, the apex that
highly exalted above the point of origin. The deeds of God form a circle that
climb upward in a spiral; they represent a harmony of the horizontal line and
vertical; they move up and forward at the same time.

God is the architect and builder of all those facts, the source and ultimate goal of all.
they. From Him, through Him, and for Him are all things. He is their Maker, their Restorer and
Creator. The unity and diversity in the works of God come from and return to
unity and diversity that exist in the Divine Being. That Being is a being, unique and simple. To
at the same time that being is tripled in His person, in His revelation, and in His influence. All the
the work of God is an unbreakable whole, and yet it encompasses variety and change
richer. The confession of the church encompasses the entirety of world history. In that
confession includes the moments of creation and the fall, reconciliation and the
forgiveness, and renewal and restoration. It is a confession that comes from the triune God and that
Everything leads back to Him.

Therefore, the article of the holy trinity is the heart and core of our confession, the
destination and distinctive mark of our religion, and the praise and comfort of all
true believers in Christ.

Is this confession what has been at stake in the battle of spirits throughout the
centuries. The confession of the holy trinity is the precious pearl that was entrusted to the church
Christian to keep and defend it.
* * * * *
If this confession of the Trinity of God takes such a crucial position in the Christian faith, it is
It is important to know on what foundation it rests and from which source it has flowed towards the
church. There are not few in our time who argue that it is the fruit of the argument
human and academic learning and who, consequently, consider it worthless
some for religious life. According to them, the original Gospel, as it was proclaimed
For Jesus, I knew nothing about such a doctrine of the Trinity of God – that is, nothing about the
the term itself nor about the reality that the term was intended to express. It was only -
thus continues the argument - when the original and simple Gospel of Jesus came to be in
relationship with Greek philosophy and what was falsified by it that the Christian church
He absorbed the person of Christ in His Divine nature, and eventually also the Spirit.

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Saint in the Divine Being. It happened that the church came to confess three persons in one being.
Divine.

But the Christian church itself has always had a quite different idea regarding
He saw in the doctrine of the Trinity not a discovery by theologians.
insightful, not a product of the marriage between the Gospel and Greek philosophy, but
rather a confession that was materially concluded in the Gospel and in all the
Word of God – a doctrine, in a few words, that was inferred by the Christian faith to
starting from the revelation of God. In response to the question, "Since there is only one
Divine Sir, why do you speak of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
Heidelberg gives a brief and conclusive answer: Because God has revealed Himself this way
same in His Word (Question 25). The revelation of God is the firm foundation upon which
which also rests this confession of the church. It is the source from which this
the doctrine of the one, holy, and catholic church has grown and been built up. In this way
God has revealed Himself. And He has revealed Himself in this way, as a
Triune God, because He exists in that way; and He exists in this way because He has so
revealed to Himself.

The Trinity in the revelation of God points back to the Trinity in His existence.

This revelation did not occur in a single moment. It was not presented and perfected in a single
point in time. Rather, this revelation has a long history, it spread throughout
of centuries. It began at creation, continued after the fall in promises and deeds
of grace that was given to Israel, and reached its peak in the person and work of Christ, in
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and in the establishment of the church. It supports itself
same now throughout the centuries, and against all opposition, in the testimony of the
Writing, which cannot be eradicated, and in the firm confession of the church. Due to the fact that the
Revelation has had this long history, there is progress and development also in confession.
of the triune existence of God. God does not experience change, He remains always the same.
But in the progression of revelation, He Himself becomes clearer and more glorious to the people.
to the angels. As His revelation continues, our knowledge grows.
* * * * *
When, in the days of the Old Testament, God began to reveal Himself, what
What is certainly at the forefront is the unity, the unique character, of God.

Well, due to man's sin, the pure knowledge of God had been lost; the
truth, as Paul says profoundly, was stopped in injustice. Even that which from
God can be known, in the things He has done, was made vain by his imaginations and
it was darkened by the foolishness of their hearts. In all spheres, humanity fell.
in idolatry and in the worship of images (Rom. 1:18-23).

Therefore, it was necessary for the revelation to begin with an emphasis on the oneness of God.
It seems to cry out to humanity: The gods before whom you bow are not God.
true. There is only one true God, that is, the God who in the beginning made the
heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1 and 2:1), the God who revealed Himself to Abraham as the God.
Almighty (Gen. 17:1 and Exod. 6:3), the God who appeared to Moses as Jehovah,

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I am who I am (Exod. 3:14), and the God who, by divine favor, chose the people of
Israel, and He called them, and He accepted them into His covenant (Exo. 19:4ss.). First of all, therefore, the
revelation had as its content: only Jehovah is Elohim, only the Lord is God, and there is no
another God besides Him.1

For the people of Israel, the revelation of God's unique character was also something
desperately needed. Israel was surrounded on all sides by pagans and by
pagans who tried by all means to tempt him towards apostasy and infidelity to the
Sir; moreover, there and until the captivity a large part of the people of Israel felt drawn to the
pagan idolatry and the worship of images, and time and again they fell into its practice to
despite the prohibition of the law and the warning of the prophets. Therefore, God himself
He placed emphasis on the fact that He, the Lord, who was now appearing to him
Moses and the one who wanted to redeem His people through Moses was the same God who was
He had made himself known to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty (Exo. 3:6 and
15). When He gave His law to Israel, He wrote about it as His preamble: I am Jehovah your
God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. And in the first
commandment, and in the second, strictly prohibited all idolatry and worship of
images (Ex. 20:2-5). Because the Lord our God is one, Israel must love Him with
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might (Deut. 6:4-5). The Lord alone is the
God of Israel and therefore Israel must serve Him only.

However, despite the fact that God's unique character is emphasized so strongly,
and, so to speak, constitutes the first article of the basic law of Israel, the distinctions in
that unit of Deity comes to light as that revelation progresses in its
fullness of Being. The very name that is usually used to designate God in the
Original Hebrew has a certain meaning here. For this name Elohim is found in form
plural, and therefore, although it does not designate, as was generally assumed before, to the three
persons of the Divine Being, yes points out, in its character as an intensive plural, to the fullness of
life and power that are present in God. Without a doubt, it is in relation to this very fact that
God sometimes, when speaking of Himself, uses a plural reference, and through this means He makes
distinctions in oneself that involve a personal character (Gen. 1:26-27; 3:22; and Isa.
6:8.

Of greater significance is the teaching of the Old Testament in the sense that God
He brings everything into existence, in His creation and providence, through His Word and Spirit.
He is not a human being who, at great difficulty and effort, does something more from
materials at hand. Instead, simply by the act of speaking He brings
everything to existence from nothing.

In the first chapter of Genesis, this truth is taught to us in the most majestic way.
possible, and also in other parts, is expressed in the most glorious way in prose and song.
He speaks, and it is done; He commands, and all exists (Ps. 33:9). He sends His word, and melts the
Ice (Ps. 147:18). His voice is over the waters, shakes the desert, makes the hills
leap like calves, and discover the forests (Ps. 29:3-10). Two truths are contained
In this exalted record of the works of God: the first is that God is the Almighty
that has only to speak and all things come into existence, whose word is (Psalm 33:9)
1 Deut. 4:35, 39; Jos. 22:22; 2 Sam. 7:22; 22:32; 1 Kings 18:39; Isa. 45:5,18,21; and other parts.

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and whose voice is powerful (Ps. 29:4); and the second is that God operates deliberately, and not without
foreknowledge, and carries out all His works with the highest wisdom. The word that God
speech is power, but it is also a vehicle of thought. He has made the earth by His
power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched the heavens by His
intelligence (Jer. 10:12 and 51:15). He has made all His works in wisdom: the earth is
full of His riches (Ps. 104:24). This wisdom of God did not come to Him from outside of Himself.
same, but that He was with Him from the beginning. He possessed it as the beginning of His
way, before His works of old. When He prepared the heavens, He established a
compass over the face of the abyss, established the clouds above, strengthened the sources of the
abyss, then wisdom was already there, it had already been engendered by its side, it was
daily His delight and rejoiced always before Him (Prov. 8:22-31 and Job 20:20-28).
God rejoiced in the wisdom with which He created the world.

Along with this word and wisdom, the Spirit of God, as the Mediator of creation, makes
Its appearance is like God, at once and at the same time is wisdom and possesses it, in such a way
that He may share it and may display it in His works, as He Himself is Spirit in His being
And He possesses the Spirit, that Spirit by which He can dwell in the world.
and to be always present, and everywhere, in Him (Ps. 139:7). Without anyone having been His
counselor, the Lord, by His Spirit, brought everything into existence (Isa. 40:13ss.). In the beginning
that Spirit moved over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2), and remains active in everything
who was created. By that Spirit adorns the heavens (Job 26:13), renews the face of the earth
(Psalm 104:30), gives life to man (Job 33:4), maintains the breath in man (Job 27:3), and
it also causes the grass to wither and the flower to fade (Isa. 40:7). In summary, by the
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of His
mouth (Sal. 33:6).
* * * * *
And this self-diversity of God is even more evident in the works of re-creation.
So it is not Elohim, but Jehovah, not God in general, but the Lord, the God of the covenant,
who reveals Himself and who makes Himself known in the wonders of redemption and the
salvation. As such He redeems and leads His people, not only through His word which He speaks
or has conveyed to them, but also through the Angel of the covenant (the Angel of the Lord). This
Angels already appear in the history of the patriarchs: to Hagar (Gen. 16:6ss.), to Abraham (Gen.
18ss.), and to Jacob (Gen. 28:13ss.). This Angel reveals His grace and power especially in the
emancipation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt.2This Angel of the Lord is not found in the
same plane of importance in which the created angels are found; rather, He is a
revelation and special manifestation of God. On one hand, He is clearly distinguished from
God, who speaks of Himself as His Angel, and yet, on the other hand, is one in name with
God Himself, in power, in redemption and blessing, in dignity of worship and honor. He is
called God in Genesis 16:13, the God of Bethel in Genesis 31:13, exchanges places
with God or the Lord (Gen. 28:30, 32 and Exo. 3:4), and carries the name of God with him (Exo.
23:21). He redeems from all evil (Gen. 48:16), rescues Israel from the hand of the Egyptians (Exo.
3:8), parts the waters and dries up the sea (Exo. 14:21), preserves the people of God on the way,
brings them safely to Canaan, makes them triumph over their enemies (Exo. 3:8 and 23:20),
it must be absolutely obeyed as if it were God Himself (Exo. 23:20) and always

Exodus 3:2; 13:21; 14:19; 23:20-23; 32:34; 33:2 and Numbers 20:16.

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He camps around those who fear the Lord (Ps. 34:7 and 35:5).

Just as in His recreative work, Jehovah carries out His redemptive activities through
This Angel of the covenant, thus He, through His Spirit, dispenses all kinds of energies and gifts to His
people. In the Old Testament, the Spirit of the Lord is the source of all life, all
impulse and all ability. He grants courage and strength to the judges, to Otoniel (Judges 3:10),
Gideon (Judges 6:34), Jephthah (Judges 11:29), and Samson (Judges 14:6 and 15:14). Grants a
artistic perception to those who design and create the garments of the priests, the tabernacle
and the temple,3and gives wisdom and understanding to the judges who bear the burden of the people
together with Moses (Num. 11:17,25). He grants the spirit of prophecy to the prophets,4and renews,
sanctify and guide all the children of God (Ps. 51:12-13 and 143:10).

In summary: the Word, the promise, the covenant, that the Lord gave to Israel in the exodus of
Egypt, throughout the ages, has existed, and still stands firm even after the
Captivity in the days of Zerubbabel, so that the people would not have to fear
(Haggai 2:4-5). When the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, He became the Savior of Israel.
And this disposition of God towards His people came to be expressed in the fact that in all
His oppressions He was oppressed (He considered the affliction of His people as His own
affliction), and then He would send His Angel to preserve them. He redeemed them for His love and
grace and raised them and led them as His own throughout those days of yore. They
He sent the Spirit of His holiness to guide them in the ways of the Lord (Isa. 63:9-
In the days of the Old Testament, the Lord, through the high priest, established
His triple blessing upon the people of Israel: the blessing of the vigil, the blessing of
grace and the blessing of peace (Num. 6:24-26).

In this way, and gradually, but without leaving any doubt, the triple distinction in the
the Divine being begins to express itself in the history of God's direction to Israel. However,
the Old Testament includes the additional promises that in the future there will be a
highest and richest revelation. After all, Israel repudiated the Word of the Lord and
they made His Holy Spirit angry (Isa. 63:10 and Ps. 106). The revelation of God in the
Angel of the covenant and the Spirit of the Lord proved to be inadequate: if God desired
To confirm His covenant and fulfill His promise, another higher revelation would be necessary.

Such revelation was announced by the prophets. In the future, in the last days, then the
The Lord will raise up for Israel a prophet like Moses, and the Lord will place
His words in the mouth of that prophet (Deut. 18:18). He will be a priest forever.
according to the order of Melchizedek (Ps. 110:4); he will be a king who will come from the house of David (2
Sam. 7:12-16), a shoot that will come up from the stump of Jesse (Isa. 11:1), a king, judging and
seeking judgment (Isa. 16:5). He will be a man, a human being, and the son of a woman (Isa.
7:14), it will be without beauty or attractiveness (Isa. 53:2ss.); but, at the same time, it will be Emmanuel
(Isa. 7:14), the Lord our righteousness (Jer. 23:6), the Angel of the covenant (Mal. 3:1), the Lord
same appearing to His people (Hosea 1:7 and Malachi 3:1). And bears the name of Wonderful,
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).

This manifestation of the servant of the Lord must be followed by a richer dispensation of the
Exodus 28:3; 31:3-5; 35:31-35; and 1 Chronicles 28:12.
Numbers 11:25,29; 24:2-3; Micah 3:8 and similar passages.

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Holy Spirit. As the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, of counsel and strength, of
knowledge and fear of the Lord, this Spirit will rest upon the Messiah (Isa. 11:2; 42:1 and
It will be poured out on all flesh, on sons and daughters, old and young, servants and
servants,5and will give a new heart and a new spirit, so that His people may
to walk in His statutes, and to keep His ordinances and to put them into practice.6

Thus, the Old Testament indicates that the full revelation of God will consist of
revelation of His triune being.

* * * * *
This promise and announcement of the fulfillment of the New Testament is something that satisfies
fully. Also in this sense, the unity or uniqueness of God is the starting point of
all the revelation.7But from this uniqueness, it begins to show itself in a clearer light.
difference in the Divine being, now in the New Testament. This happens first in the
great redemptive events of the incarnation, the satisfaction and outpouring, and then in the
Instruction of Jesus and His apostles. The work of salvation is one, a work of God.
from beginning to end. But there are three moments in it, the choice, the forgiveness, and the renewal, and
these three point to a triple cause in the Divine being: that is, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Saint.

The very conception of Christ already shows us the triple activity of God. For while the
Father gives the Son to the world (John 3:16), and while the Son himself descends from heaven (John
6:38), that Son is conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20 and Luke 1:35). In His
baptism Jesus is anointed by the Holy Spirit, and it is there publicly declared as the
beloved Son of the Father, the Son in whom He is pleased (Matt. 3:16-17). The works that Jesus
that were shown to Him by the Father (John 5:19 and 8:38), and are carried out by Him in the
power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:28). In His death, He offers Himself to God in the eternal Spirit
Heb. 9:14). The resurrection is a raising performed by the Father (Acts 2:24) and is to
same time the very act of Jesus by which it is greatly proven that He is the
Son of the Father according to the Spirit of holiness (Rom. 1:3). And after His resurrection He, to
the forty days, ascends in the Spirit that gave him life to the heights in the heavens and there submits to
angels, authorities, and powers to Himself.

The teaching of Jesus and the apostles fully agrees with the lesson of those
events themselves.

Jesus came to the earth to declare the Father and to make His name known among the
men (John 1:18 and 17:6). The name of father applied to God as the creator of all
things were also used by pagans. This meaning of the term is also
backed by Scripture in several places.8Furthermore, the Old Testament uses many
Sometimes the designation Father refers to the theocratic relationship of God with Israel because
In His wonderful ability, He has created and sustained that relationship (Deut. 32:6 and Isa. 63:16).
But in the New Testament, a new glorious light is shed on this name of father.

5 Joel 2:28-29; Isa. 32:15; 44:3; Eze. 36:26-27 and Zac. 12:10.
Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:26; Jeremiah 31:31-34 and 32:38-41.
John 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:4 and 1 Tim. 2:5.
8 Luke 3:38; Acts 17:28; Eph. 3:15 and Heb. 12:9.

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while it is applied to God. Jesus always indicates an essential difference in the relationship in
which He Himself is with God and that in which others, let’s say the Jews or the
disciples, find themselves with Him. When, for example, He teaches His disciples, at their request
they, the 'Our Father...' He says explicitly 'When you pray, say...' And
when, after the resurrection, He announces His upcoming ascension to Mary Magdalene,
He says: 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God' (John 20:17). In
In other words, God is His Own Father (John 5:18). He knows the Son and loves Him so much.
in such a way and with such depth that, reciprocally, only the Son can know and love
to the Father.9Among the apostles, therefore, there is constant reference to God.
as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3). This relationship between the Father and the Son
it was not developed over time but existed from eternity (John 1:1, 14; 17:24). By
Thus, God is Father primarily because in a very unique sense He is the Father of
Son. This is your original and special personal characteristic.

In a derived sense, God is later called the Father of all creatures because He
he is its creator and sustainer (1 Cor. 8:6, and other parts). He is called the Father of Israel
because Israel is the work of His hands by virtue of the choice and calling (Deut. 32:6
and Isaiah. 64:8), and the Father of the church and all believers because of the Father's love for the
Son given to them (John 16:27 and 17:24) and because they have been accepted as His children and are
born of Him through the Spirit (John 1:12 and Rom. 8:15).

Therefore, the Father is always the Father, the first person, He from whom, in being
God, in the council of God, and in all the works of creation and providence, redemption and
sanctification, the initiative proceeds. He gave the Son to have life in Himself (John
5:26), and He sends the Spirit (John 15:26). His is the choice and the pleasure (Matt. 11:26 and
Ephesians 1:4, 9, 11). From Him came creation, providence, redemption, and renewal.
(Ps. 33:6 and John 3:16). To Him are given, in a special sense, the kingdom and the power and the
glory (Matt. 6:13). He, in a particular way, carries the name of God in distinction from the Lord.
Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. In fact, Christ himself, as Mediator, calls Him His Father.
not only that, but also His God (Matt. 27:46 and John 20:17) and Christ himself is
called the Christ of God.10In one word, the first person of the Divine Being is the Father.
For "from Him are all things" (1 Cor. 8:6).

If God is the Father, the inference is that there is also a Son who received life from Him.
of Him and who shares His love. In the Old Testament, the name of the Son of God is
used for the angels,11for the people of Israel,12and particularly also for the king
theocratic of that people.13But in the New Testament this name takes on a meaning
much deeper. For Christ is the Son of God in a very peculiar sense; He is
exalted above the angels and the prophets (Matt. 13:32; 21:27 and 22:2), and
He himself says that no one can know the Son except the Father, and no one can know the
Father except the Son (Mat. 11:27). In distinction from the angels and from men, He is the
own Son of the Father (Rom. 8:32), the beloved Son in whom the Father finds his pleasure

Matthew 11:27; Mark 12:6 and John 5:20.

Luke 9:20; 1 Cor. 3:23 and Rev. 12:10.
Job 38:7
Deuteronomy 1:31; 8:5; 14:1; 32:6, 18 and Hosea 11:1.
13 2 Sam. 7:11-14, Sal. 2:7.

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(Matt. 3:17), the only begotten Son (John 1:18) to whom the Father granted to have life in Himself
(John 5:26).

This unique and very special relationship between the Father and the Son did not develop in time.
through the supernatural conception of the Spirit, or through the anointing of baptism, or of the
resurrection and the ascension - although many have upheld this - but it is a relationship
that has existed since all eternity. The Son, who in Christ assumed human nature
human, was in the beginning with God as the Word (John 1:1), then it already had the
form of God (Phil. 2:6), was rich and clothed with glory (John 17:5, 24), already had
then the brightness of the glory of God and the express image of His person (Heb. 1:3), and
It was precisely for this reason that he could, in the fullness of time, be sent, given, and introduced to the
world.14From which also, the creation (John 1:3 and Col. 1:16) and the providence (Heb. 1:3) and
the realization of all salvation (1 Cor. 1:30) is attributed to Him. He is not made or
created, like the creatures that are, but rather it is the firstborn of all the
creatures, who is the Son, who has the rank and the rights of the firstborn over all
the creatures (Col. 1:15). In this way, He is also the firstborn of the dead, the
firstborn of many siblings, and therefore, for all and in all, He is the first (Rom.
8:29 and Col. 1:18). And even when in the fullness of time he took the form of a servant, he did not
he had the form of God. He was, in all things, like God the Father (Phil. 2:6); in the
life (John 5:26), in knowledge (Matt. 11:27), in strength (John 1:3 and 5:21, 26), in
honor (John 5:23). He himself is God, who is to be praised above all in the
eternity.15Just as all things are from the Father, so also all are through the
Son (1 Cor. 8:6).
* * * * *
Both the Father and the Son appear together and are united in the Holy Spirit and by
the Spirit dwells in all creatures. Indeed, God is, according to His nature, a
Spirit (John 4:24) and He is holy (Isa. 6:3); but the Holy Spirit is clearly distinguished.
of God as Spirit. Just as, in a comparative way of speaking, man is a
spirit in its invisible nature and also possesses a spirit, through which it is
self-aware and is self-conscious, thus God is a Spirit by nature and
It also possesses a Spirit, a Spirit that searches the depths of His being (1 Cor.
As such, the latter is called the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit (Ps. 51:12 and
Isaiah 63:10-11). And this is done in distinction from the spirit of an angel or of a human being or of
any other creature. But, although it is distinguished from God, the Father, and the Son, it is found in
the most intimate of relationships with both. He is called to the breath of the Almighty (Job
the breath of His mouth (Ps. 33:6) is sent by the Father and the Son (John 14:26 and
15:26), and it comes from both, not only from the Father (John 15:26) but also from the Son, for He
it is also called the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of the Father (Rom. 8:9).

Although the Holy Spirit is, in this way, given, sent, or poured out by the Father and the
Son often appears as a power or gift that empowers men for their
call or office. Thus, for example, the Holy Spirit is spoken of in various places in the
Acts of the Apostles in connection with the gift of prophecy (8:15; 10:44; 11:15; 15:8 and
19:2). But it is not justified to infer from that fact, as many do, that the Spirit

14 John 3:16; Gal. 4:4 and Heb. 1:6.

15 John 1:1; 20:8; Rom. 9:5 and Heb. 1:8-9.

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Saint is nothing more than a gift or the power of God. In other places, He definitely does
His appearance as a person, one who bears personal names, who has characteristics
personal and performs personal deeds. In this way, in John 15:26 and 16:13, 14 (although the
Greek of the translated word Spirit in our language is of neuter gender) Christ uses the
He will testify of Me and glorify Me. At the same time, Christ calls him.
the Comforter, using the same name that is used for Christ in 1 John 2:1, a name
translated lawyer in the English version.

In addition to these personal names, all kinds of personal characteristics are attributed to them.
to the Holy Spirit: for example, conscience (Acts 13:2), self-consciousness (Acts 15:28), self-
determination or will (1 Cor. 12:11). In addition, all kinds of activities are credited to it
personal matters, such as investigating (1 Cor. 2:11), listening (John 16:13), speaking (Rev. 2:17),
to teach (John 14:26), to pray (Rom. 8:27), and similar things. And all of this arises, with the greatest
clarity and in the most sublime way, in the fact that He is placed on the same level
with the Father and the Son (Matt. 28:19 and 2 Cor. 13:14).

The last point is the most important and indicates the fact that the Holy Spirit is not
merely a person but also God Himself. And the Scriptures provide all the
necessary information to make this confession. We only need to note that, to
Despite the distinction between God and His Spirit that was mentioned above, the two
they often exchange places in the Scripture, so it is almost the same if God
His Spirit says or does one thing. In Acts 5:3-4, lying to the Holy Spirit is called
lying to God. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, believers are called the temple of God, because the
The spirit of God dwells in them. To these facts, we must add that several attributes
Divine, such as eternity (Heb. 9:14), omnipresence (Ps. 139:7), omniscience
(1 Cor. 2:11), omnipotence (1 Cor. 12:4-6), and various Divine works, such as the
creation (Ps. 33:6), providence (Ps. 104:30), and redemption (John 3:3) are attributed to him
to the Holy Spirit the same as to the Father and the Son. Consequently, He shares the same
glory with those two. He takes his place next to the Father and the Son as the cause of the
salvation (2 Cor. 13:14 and Rev. 1:4). It is also in His name that we are baptized.
(Mat. 28:19), and blessed (2 Cor. 13:14). Moreover, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is
an unforgivable sin (Matt. 12:31-32). In other words, just as all things are
From the Father and through the Son, all of them exist and rest in the Holy Spirit.

All these elements of the doctrine of the Trinity, scattered throughout the Scriptures,
they were gathered, so to speak, by Jesus in his baptismal command and by the apostles
in his blessings. After His resurrection and before His ascension, Christ asks them to
His apostles go and make all nations His disciples and baptize them in a
name in which, however, three different subjects are revealed. Father, Son, and Spirit.
In its unity and distinction, the fullness of God's perfect revelation.
Also, according to the apostles, all the good and the salvation of man is contained
in the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.16The good
will, prescience, power, love, kingdom, and strength belong to the Father. The work of
mediation, reconciliation, grace, and redemption are of the Son. Regeneration,
renewal, sanctification, and redemption are of the Spirit.

16 1 Cor. 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 5:4-6 and Rev. 1:4-6.

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The relationship in which Christ is with the Father fully corresponds to the relationship
of the Spirit with Christ. Just as the Son speaks nothing and does nothing by Himself
but receives everything from the Father (John 5:26 and 16:15), just as the Holy Spirit takes everything from
Christ (John 16:13-14). Just as the Son testifies of the Father and glorifies the Father (John 1:18 and
17:4, 6), thus the Holy Spirit testifies of the Son and glorifies Him (John 15:26 and 16:14). Just as
no one comes to the Father except through the Son (John 14:6), so no one can say that Jesus is Lord
except for the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). Through the Spirit we have communion with the
Father and the Son. It is in the Holy Spirit that God himself dwells through Christ.
our hearts. And if all of this is true, then the Holy Spirit is, along with the Son and
the Father, the only true God, and He is to be eternally exalted and praised as such.

* * * * *
To this instruction of the Holy Spirit, the Christian church in its confession of the Trinity
God has said yes and amen. The church did not arrive at this rich and glorious confession without a long and
hard battle of spirits. For centuries the deepest experience of life
spiritual of the children of God and the finest intellect of the parents and teachers of the church
they came to the understanding of this point of the revelation of Scripture and to reproduce it with
purity in the confession of the church. Undoubtedly, the church would not have succeeded in this
effort to establish the foundations if it had not been led to the truth by the
Holy Spirit, and if in Tertullian and Irenaeus, Athanasius and the three Cappadocians, Augustine and
Hilario, and many others, would not have welcomed the men who, endowed and equipped with
unusual gifts of piety and wisdom kept the right course.

Nothing less than the peculiar essence of Christianity was at stake in this battle of
the spirits. From two flanks the church was exposed to the danger of allowing itself
same being torn from the firm foundation upon which it was built and thus seeing itself
submerged by the world.

On one hand, there was the threat of Arianism, named after the Alexandrian presbyter.
Arius who died in the year 336. Arius held that only the Father was the eternal God and
true, inasmuch as only He, in the full sense of the word, was ungenerated. With
regarding the Son, the Logos, who had become flesh in Christ, taught that, in view of
the fact that this Christ was generated, could not be God but had to be a creature -
a creature, it's true, who had been made before the other creatures, but who without
embargo was made as they were by the will of God. And, in the same way,
Arius maintained that the Holy Spirit was a creature or else a quality or attribute of God.

On the other hand, the party of Sabelianism was in operation, named so according to a
certain Sabellius who lived in Rome in the early third century. Sabellius maintained that the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were three names for one and the same God – one God
he had made Himself known in this way successively as His
revelation was progressing in various forms and manifestations. Consequently, in the form of
Father, God was operating as Creator and Legislator. From then on, He operated
as Redeemer in the form of the Son. And now he operates in the form of the Holy Spirit as the
Reneweaver of the church.

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While Arianism tries to maintain the oneness of God, placing the Son and the
Spirit outside of the Divine being and reducing them to the level of creatures, Sabellianism addresses
to reach the same end by taking away the independence of the three persons of the Deity. This it
it involves applying a metamorphosis to people in three successive modes of revelation in the
same Divine Being. In the first trend, the Jewish way of thinking, deistic and
rationalist comes to express himself in a rather characteristic way, and in the second the idea of the
pantheism and Pagan mysticism. At the moment the church set out to give
a clear record of the truth that was later declared in the confession of the Trinity of
God, at that moment these other two trends emerged to the right and left, and
they accompany the confession of the church to this day. Time and again the church and each one of
its members must be vigilant not to do injustice on one side to the uniqueness of
To be Divine, and on the other hand, the three Persons in that Being. Uniqueness cannot be sacrificed.
in the face of diversity, nor diversity in the face of uniqueness. Maintaining both in their
inseparable connection and in its pure relationship, not just theoretically but also in life
practice is the call of all believers.

In order to meet this requirement, the Christian church and Christian theology
In the initial periods, he used several words and expressions that cannot be
literally found in the Scriptures. The church began to talk about the
essence of God and of three persons in that essence of being. He spoke of the characteristics
trinity, or of essential and personal characteristics, and of the eternal generation of
Son and of the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son, and similar things.

There is no reason why the church and Christian theology should not use such.
terms and modes of expression. For Sacred Scripture was not given to the church by God
to be repeated unthinkingly but to be understood in all its fullness and
wealth, and to be rephrased in its own language so that in this way it could
proclaim the mighty works of God. Furthermore, such terms and expressions are
necessary with the aim of maintaining the truth of Scripture against its opponents and
to ensure it against misunderstandings and errors. And history has taught over time
from the centuries that a disapproval and a carefree rejection of these names and ways
expressive lead to several deviations from the confession.

At the same time, we should always remember that the use of these terms is
human origin, and therefore, limited, flawed and fallible. The church fathers
they always recognized this. For example, they argued that the term 'people' that was used
to designate the three ways of existence in the Divine Being did not do justice to the truth
in the matter but served as an aid for the sustenance of truth and the
extirpation of the error. The word was chosen, not because it was accurate in all the
aspects, but because no better one was found. In this matter, once again, the word
it is very behind thought, and thought is very behind reality.
Although we cannot preserve reality in any way, except in this way.
inadequate, we can never forget that it is reality itself, and not the word, that
account. In the dispensation of glory, certainly better expressions will be set forth.
our lips.

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 * * * * *
The reality itself, which is involved in the confession of the holy trinity, is of the highest
importance, both for the mind and for the heart.

Well, it is because of that confession that the church maintains, first of all, both the unity and the
diversity in the being of God. The Divine Being is one: there is only one Being that is God and that
can be called God. In creation and in redemption, in nature and in grace, in
the church and in the world, in the state and society, everywhere and always we are
interested in one and the same living and true God. The unity of the world, of the
humanity, the truth, virtue, justice, and beauty depend on the unity of
God. The moment that unity of God is denied or is under pressure, at that moment
this moment opens the door to polytheism.

But this unity or unique character of God is, according to Scripture and the confession of the
church, not a unit without content, not a solitary condition, but a fullness of life and
strength. It consists of difference, or distinction, or diversity. It is that diversity that
It comes to be expressed in the three persons or modes of the being of God. These three persons are not
merely three modes of revelation. They are modes of being. Father, Son, and Spirit share
one and the same nature and divine characteristics. They are one being. However, each
one has its own name, its own particular characteristics, by which it is distinguished
from the others. Only the Father has paternity, only the Son has generation, and only the Spirit
it has the quality of coming from both.

That order of existence in the divine Being corresponds to the order of the three persons in
all Divine work. The Father is the one from whom, the Son is the one through whom, and the
Spirit is the one who knows all things. All things in creation, and in the
redemption or re-creation come from the Father, through the Son and the Spirit. And in the
Spirit and through the Son return to Him. Therefore, it is with the Father that we are.
particularly in debt, for His elective love, with the Son for His redemptive grace, and with
the Spirit by its regenerating and renewing power.

Secondly, the church, by holding this confession, takes a strong stand against
of the heresies of deism (belief in God without revelation), of pantheism (polytheism), and
from Judaism and Paganism. There is always that dual tendency in the human heart: the
tendency to think of God as distant and far away and to think of oneself and the world
as independents from God, and the tendency to lower God to the level of the world, to
identify it with the world, and thus deify it and the world. When the first trend
it prevails in us we reach the point of thinking that we can manage without God in
nature, in our calling, in our occupation, in our science and art, and also
in the work of redemption. And, if the second tendency prevails in us, we change the
glory to God in the image of some creature or another, we deify the world, the sun, the moon and
the stars, art, science, or the state, and in the creature, generally conceived as
we adore our own greatness. In the first case, God only
He is very far away; in the second, He is only very close. In the first case, He is located.
out of the world, above it, free from it; in the second, He is within it and is
identical to him.

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But the church confesses both things: God is above the world, He is distinct from it.
in essence, and nevertheless, He is, with all His being, present in it and at no point in the
space is not separated from it in time. It is both far and near. It is
highly exalted above all creatures and at the same time is
deeply condescending towards all of them. He is our Creator who brought us to the
existence by His will as creatures distinct from Him in class. He is our Redeemer
what saves us, not by our works but by the riches of His grace. He is our
Sanctifier, who dwells in us as in His temple. As the triune God, He is a
God is above us, within us, and is among us.

Finally, in third place, this confession of the church is also of the utmost importance.
for spiritual life. It is often claimed with quite a lack of justification that the
the doctrine of the Trinity is merely a philosophically abstract dogma and does not possess
some value for religion and life. The Reformed Confession of Faith takes a position
totally different in this regard. In Article XI of that Confession, the church declared
that God is one in essence and three in persons. We know this by the testimony of the
Holy Scripture, and through the activities of the three persons, especially those that
we feel inside. It is true that we do not base our faith in the Trinity on the
feeling or in the experience; but when we believe it we realize that the doctrine
it is closely related to the spiritual experience of the children of God.

For the believers come to know the works of the Father, the Creator of all things,
He who gave them life, and breath, and all things. They learn to know him as the
Legislator who gave His holy commandments so that they could walk in them.
They learn to know him as the Judge, who is provoked to a terrible wrath by all the
injustice of men and who in no way considers the guilty to be innocent. And
they learn to know him, finally, as the Father who, because of Christ, is their God and
Father, in whom they trust to such an extent that they do not doubt that He will provide for every need of
body and soul, and that will turn all the evil that accumulates around it in this valley into good
of tears. They know that He can do this as the Almighty God and that He
he wants to do it as a faithful Father. Therefore, they confess: I believe in God the Father
Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

Likewise, they learn to recognize in themselves the works of the Son, He who is the
only begotten of the Father, conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. They learn to know Him as
His most exalted Prophet and Master, Who has perfectly revealed to them the counsel.
secret and the will of God regarding his redemption. They learn to know him
as their only High Priest, who has redeemed them by the sole sacrifice of His body,
and who still constantly intercedes for them to the Father. They learn to know Him as their
Eternal King, who governs them with His Word and Spirit and who shelters and preserves them in His
redemption already achieved. Therefore they confess: I believe in Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God,
our Lord.

And they also learn to recognize in themselves the works of the Holy Spirit, He who
He regenerates them and leads them to all truth. They learn to know Him as the Operator of their faith.
He who, through that faith, makes them partake in Christ and in all His benefits.

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They learn to know Him as the Comforter (the one who comforts), He who prays in them with
indescribable groans and he who testifies with his spirit that they are children of God. They learn to
to know him as the promise of his eternal inheritance, who preserves them until the day of their
redemption. And therefore they confess: I also believe in the Holy Spirit.

Thus, the confession of the Trinity is the total sum of the Christian religion. Without it, neither
neither creation nor redemption nor sanctification can stand in a pure way.

Any deviation from this confession leads to error in the other points of the doctrine, thus
as a misrepresentation of the articles of faith can be traced back to a
misinterpretation of the doctrine of the Trinity. We can truly proclaim the
powerful works of God only when we recognize and confess them as the great work of
Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

In the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the communion of the Holy Spirit is contained
the total salvation of men.

The Author
Born on December 13, 1854, in Hoogeveen, Drenthe, Netherlands, Herman Bavinck was
son of Reverend Jan Bavinck, a prominent figure in the secession from the State Church of
the Netherlands in 1834. After his theological studies in Kampen, and in the
Leiden University, graduated in 1880, and served as minister of the congregation in
Franeker, Friesland, for a year. According to his biographers, large crowds gathered.
to hear his extraordinary exposition of the Scriptures.

In 1882 he was appointed Professor of Theology in Kampen, and taught there from 1883 until his
appointment, in 1902, to the chair of Systematic Theology at the Free University of
Amsterdam, where the great Abraham Kuyper succeeded, then newly appointed Prime
Minister of the Netherlands. In this position – a designation he held on two occasions
before declining it - Bavinck served until his death in 1921.

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