3:16-17 What is the significance of Father, Son and Holy Spirit being represented here?

(cp also Mk 1:9-11; Lk 3:21-22; Jn 1:29-34). Here we see clearly represented for the first time in scripture the three distinct and separate co-equal members of the Godhead of Christianity. God the Father is represented by the voice from heaven, God the Son is Jesus, and God the Holy Spirit is represented by the dove. This teaching of a triune God or three-in-one Godhead, is called the doctrine of the Trinity. It is a core truth of the Christian faith, and is central to an understanding of biblical revelation and the message of the gospel.

It should be noted here before proceeding any further that although there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead (cp 1Cor 12:4-6; 2Cor 13:14; Eph 2:17-18; 4:4-6; 2Th 2:13-14), they all function as one (cp 1Jn 5:6-7). One here means one in unity, not in number (cp Jn 17:5, 21-24). This oneness, while clearly emphasizing the plurality of persons in the Godhead, is plainly expressed in the baptismal formula Jesus gave to the church before being taken up to heaven (cp Mt 28:19).

Name here is singular, proving the oneness in unity of all three members of the Godhead it includes, even though each one individually is God. The Father is God (cp Ro 1:7; 1Cor 8:6). The Son is God (cp Isa 7:14 and 9:6 with Mt 1:23; Jn 1:1-2; 10:30; 20:26-28; 1Cor 15:45-47; Php 2:5-8; 1Ti 3:16; Tit 2:13; He 1:8; 1Jn 5:20). The Holy Spirit is God (cp Isa 6:8-11 with Ac 28:25-28; Ac 5:3-4; 1Cor 2:10-12; 3:16; 2Cor 3:17-18; He 9:14). Clearly those scriptures all establish the validity of the doctrine of the Trinity.

Although the word Trinity is not found in scripture, it is not crucial to sound Christian doctrine that the word defining it is not scriptural. What is crucial is that the doctrine itself stresses its authority in scripture. The doctrine of the Trinity does this perfectly. In fact the New Testament church was founded on this teaching (cp Ac 2:32-33;1Pe 1:2).

The doctrine of the Trinity is not a new revelation found only in the New Testament. It is a progressive revelation which underlies the whole teaching of scripture from the very first verse in the bible (cp Gen 1:1). The very first verse in the bible indicates that a plurality of persons exist in the Godhead because God is the Hebrew word elohim, which is a plural noun. Its significance becomes more evident as we read further (cp Mt 3:26: 3:22; 11:6-7; Isa 6:8).

These all stress a plurality of persons in the Godhead (cp also Jn 14:23). Elohim is used over two thousand, seven hundred times in the Old Testament proving that many times that there is more than one person in the Godhead (cp Nu 21:4-9 with 1Cor 10:9; Psa 45:6-7 with He 1:8-12; Isa 6:1-5 with Jn 12:37-41; Mic 5:2; Zech 12:8-10; Jn 1:1-2; 3:13; 8:56-58; 17:5, 21-24; Ac 20:28; Ro 9:5; Php 2:5-8; Col 2:8-10; 1Ti 3:16; Tit 2:13; 2Pe 1:1-2; 1Jn 1:1-2; 3:16; Rev 1:1, 8, 11, 17-18; 2:8; 3:14; 21:6; 22:13, 16).

Every one of those scriptures teaches that the pre-incarnate Jesus always existed as God. He was an equal member of the Godhead from all eternity. He is also seen in His pre-incarnate state many times in the Old Testament as the Angel of the Lord. In most of the Old Testament scriptures the Angel of (from) the Lord (Jehovah) is regarded as Deity, yet is distinguished from Jehovah, proving that the members of the Godhead are separate and distinct persons (cp Ex 23:20-23).

The Angel of Jehovah is one person in the Godhead, and Jehovah who sent Him is another. As the Angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Jesus spoke to Hagar, after Sarah cast her out (cp Gen 16:7-13; 21:17-18). The pre-incarnate Jesus was one of the three angels who visited Abraham and rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah (cp Gen 18:1-5, 9-22; 19:24).

Both the Angel of the Lord and the Lord in heaven here are Jehovah (God). One Jehovah on earth rained down fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorrah from the other Jehovah in heaven. The pre-incarnate Jesus as the Angel of the Lord also wrestled with Jacob (cp Gen 32:24-30 with Hos 12:2-5). He spoke to Moses out of the burning bush (cp Ex 3:1-14 with Lk 20:37 and Ac 7:30-38). He was the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night that guided the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan (cp Ex 13:21-22 with 14:19-20, 24).

He stood in the way of Balaam and made his donkey speak (cp Nu 22:22-35, 38). He was the Captain of the Host of the Lord who instructed Joshua how to destroy Jericho (cp Josh 5:13-6:5). He enlisted Gideon to free the Israelites from the Midianites (cp Judg 6:11-24). He was the fourth man with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace (cp Dan 3:8-28).

The pre-incarnate Jesus was also the Angel of the Lord on the red horse in Zechariah (cp Zech 1:7-21; 2:1-13; 3:1-10; 4:5-6; 13:7). In 13:7 the Lord of Hosts calls the Angel of the Lord “my fellow”, which means fellow-God, which proves that the pre-incarnate Jesus was a fellow-God, co-equal in the Godhead with Jehovah.

Lesser known as an equal member of the Godhead from all eternity is the Holy Spirit. His works are not as visibly prominent in scripture as that of Jesus and the Father, and therefore He is the least understood member of the Godhead by Christians. It is vitally important though that we be very clear in our minds of His Deity and co-equality with both Jesus and the Father in the Godhead. In New Testament teaching the work of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Jesus (cp Jn 14:15-18; 16:7-15).

Nevertheless He is still God as we saw earlier in the study in Isa 6:8, Ac 28:25-26 and 5:3-4 for instance. Let us look at those scriptures again (cp in Isa 6:8-11 with Ac 28:25-28; Ac 5:3-4). God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit all had a role in creation (cp Gen 1:1-2; Psa 90:2; 102:25-27; Jn 1:2, 8-12; Eph 3:9; Col 1:16-17; He 1:2, 8-12; 11:3; Rev 3:14; 4:11). The three-in-one Godhead is plainly evident in all those scriptures: creation is from the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit.

Salvation also portrays the work of the Trinity: the Father sent the Son to accomplish His redemptive plan, and the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit to convict sinners of their need of redemption (cp Jn 14:15-18, 26; 15:26-27; 16:5, 7-11, 13-15, 28; 17:1-8, 18, 20-26). The gifts of the Spirit and administrations of the church also portray the work of the Trinity (cp 1Cor 12:1-6). Other scriptures proving the Deity of the Holy Spirit and His co-equality with both the Father and the Son in the Godhead are as follows (cp Isa 11:1-5; 42:1-7; 48:16-17; 59:20-21; 61:1-2; 63:1-14; 1Cor 6:11).

We need now to look at some scriptures used by those who reject the doctrine of the Trinity and deny the Deity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit both (cp Deut 6:4; Isa 44:6-8; 45:21-22; Hos 13:4; Mk 12:29; 1Cor 8:6; Eph 4:6; Jas 2:19). The emphasis on all these scriptures is that God is one. Those who use these scriptures to deny the Deity of both Jesus and the Holy Spirit believe that because a singular pronoun – one – has been used here with the word God that it means there is only one member in the Godhead – God the Father.

They have completely ignored all the other scriptures that prove Jesus and the Holy Spirit are co-equal with the Father in the Godhead. Here again one means one in unity, not in number, because the word God is still a plural noun. God is merely contrasting Himself with idols in the Old Testament scriptures and He is still the same God in the New Testament (cp Deut 6:14-15; Isa 44:9-11; 46:1-4; Hos 13:1-3). If there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead in the Old Testament, so too there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead in the New Testament, as this study clearly shows. The doctrine of the Trinity is irrefutable and those who reject it will forfeit their salvation (cp Jn 5:22-23; 14:6; 1Jn 2:22-23; 5:10-12).

See also comments on Mt 1:18-21, Lk 1:35 (B), Jn 1:1, 5:16-23, 12:41, Ac 13:33, 20:28, Php 2:5-8, Col 2:9, 1Ti 3:16, He 1:5, 5:5, 1Jn 5:6-9, Rev 1:8.

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