05/08/2026
SPIRITUAL GIFTS • THE TRIUNE GOD & CHRISTIAN UNITY
A Biblical Investigation into the Character of God and the Source of Christian Unity
Introduction: Why Are We Addressing This?
The subject of God is not a minor matter. Jesus said:
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
If we want to know who God is, our safest course is to allow the Bible to speak for itself.
Today, expressions such as “Triune God,” “God the Son,” “God the Holy Spirit,” and “three persons in one God” are commonly used in Christianity.
But the question we need to ask is simple:
Does the Bible itself teach that God is a triune being consisting of three co-eternal persons?
Rather than beginning with a theological definition and then trying to find verses to support it, let us allow Scripture to establish its own teaching.
1. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE CALL GOD?
The Bible repeatedly speaks of God as one personal Being.
In the Ten Commandments, God says:
“I am the LORD your God, who have brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Exodus 20:2
Then comes the first commandment:
“You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3
Notice the personal language:
“I”
“your God”
“Me”
The commandment does not introduce God as three persons. God identifies Himself personally.
The second commandment continues:
“For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God.” Exodus 20:5
Again, God speaks as “I” and “Me.”
Important Point
This does not mean that Jesus is excluded from the biblical revelation of God.
Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, the One through whom God has revealed Himself and through whom God works.
The question is more specific:
Does Scripture describe God as three co-eternal persons forming one God?
The answer must come from Scripture itself.
2. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE ACTUALLY SAY ABOUT THE FATHER AND THE SON?
Does Scripture distinguish between God and His Son?
Yes.
Hebrews 1 gives us a very clear example.
“God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets...” Hebrews 1:1
Then verse 2 says:
“Has in these last days spoken to us by His Son...” Hebrews 1:2
The passage distinguishes between:
God
and
His Son.
Then verse 3 says of the Son:
“Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person...” Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the express image of God's person.
The text therefore presents a relationship between God and His Son. It does not introduce the concept of one God consisting of three co-eternal persons.
What does Jesus Himself say about the Father?
Jesus repeatedly distinguishes Himself from the Father.
For example:
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
Jesus identifies the Father as:
“the only true God”
and identifies Himself as:
“Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
The distinction is clear.
3. WHERE DOES THE EXPRESSION “TRIUNE GOD” COME FROM?
The expression “Triune God” does not appear in Scripture.
Neither does Scripture say:
“God is three co-eternal persons.”
Nor does it say:
“God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a unity of three persons.”
These are theological formulations.
The Bible certainly speaks about:
God the Father
Jesus Christ, the Son of God
the Holy Spirit
But acknowledging these three biblical realities is not the same thing as saying that Scripture teaches that God is a triune Being consisting of three co-eternal persons.
That distinction is important.
Is the word “Godhead” found in the Bible?
Yes.
The word Godhead appears in Scripture.
For example:
“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Colossians 2:9
But the presence of the word Godhead does not automatically establish the doctrine of a triune God.
We must allow the context to define the word.
The question is not:
“Can I find a word that sounds similar to my doctrine?”
The question is:
“What does the Bible actually teach?”
4. WHO DOES JESUS CALL THE ONLY TRUE GOD?
Jesus gives us one of the clearest statements in Scripture:
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
Jesus is praying to the Father.
He identifies the Father as:
“the only true God”
and then identifies Himself as:
“Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
The distinction is clear.
This does not diminish Christ.
Jesus is the Son of God, the One whom the Father sent, and the Lord through whom God accomplishes His work.
But we should allow Jesus' own words to define the relationship.
5. HOW DOES PAUL IDENTIFY THE ONE GOD?
Paul says:
“Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” 1 Corinthians 8:6
Notice the language:
One God, the Father.
One Lord, Jesus Christ.
Paul does not say:
One God consisting of three persons.
The biblical distinction between the Father and the Son remains.
6. WHAT ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Bible certainly teaches the Holy Spirit.
It speaks of:
the Spirit of God
and
the Spirit of Christ.
Paul says:
“But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” Romans 8:9
Then he continues:
“Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Romans 8:9
Notice the expressions:
Spirit of God
and
Spirit of Christ.
We therefore do not need to deny the Holy Spirit in order to reject the doctrine that God is a triune being.
The question is simply whether Scripture defines the Holy Spirit as a third co-eternal person within a triune God.
That definition is not stated in the text.
7. WHAT ABOUT MATTHEW 28:19?
Someone may immediately ask:
“What about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Matthew 28:19?”
Jesus said:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
Yes, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are mentioned together.
But notice what the verse actually says.
It does not say:
“These three are one God.”
It does not say:
“God is three persons.”
It does not say:
“The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-eternal persons.”
We should not make a verse say more than it says.
The presence of three does not automatically establish the doctrine of the Trinity.
8. THE GODHEAD AND THE WORK OF SALVATION
The Bible presents the Father, Son, and Spirit in the work of salvation.
The Father sends the Son.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...” John 3:16
The Son comes from the Father.
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” John 6:38
And the Spirit is given to God's people.
Jesus said:
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.” John 14:16
The biblical picture is therefore relational:
The Father sends.
The Son comes and accomplishes redemption.
The Spirit is given to God's people.
We do not need to change this biblical relationship into the philosophical formula of a triune God in order to understand the work of salvation.
9. TRUE UNITY DOES NOT REQUIRE A TRIUNE GOD
This is where the subject becomes practical.
Jesus prayed for His followers:
“That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us.” John 17:21
Notice what Jesus uses as the pattern for Christian unity:
“as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You.”
Jesus then continues:
“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one.” John 17:22
And He explains the purpose:
“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one...” John 17:23
This is extremely important.
The unity of the church does not originate from adopting the concept of a triune God.
Unity originates from Christ dwelling in His people.
Jesus does not say that the church becomes one by reflecting a triune God.
He says:
“I in them, and You in Me.”
Our unity comes from our relationship with Christ and with the Father through Him.
10. CHRIST IN US PRODUCES UNITY
Paul says:
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all...” Ephesians 4:4–6
Notice the repeated emphasis:
one body
one Spirit
one Lord
one faith
one baptism
one God and Father
This is the foundation of Christian unity.
Paul does not tell the church:
“Understand the triune nature of God and then you will become one.”
Instead, he points believers to:
one body
one Spirit
one Lord
one faith
one baptism
one God and Father.
11. CHRIST IS THE CENTRE OF UNITY
Jesus said:
“Abide in Me, and I in you.” John 15:4
This is the secret of Christian unity.
When Christ lives in the believer, the believer becomes connected to Christ.
And when believers are individually connected to Christ, they become united with one another.
Paul expresses it this way:
“For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...” 1 Corinthians 12:13
The church has many members, many gifts, and many functions.
But the source of unity is one Spirit and one Lord.
The spiritual gifts are not evidence that God is triune.
They are evidence of God's Spirit working in His people.
12. MANY MEMBERS, ONE BODY
Paul gives the church the analogy of the human body.
“For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body...” 1 Corinthians 12:12
There are many members.
There are different gifts.
There are different functions.
Yet there is one body.
Why?
Because Christ is the centre.
Paul concludes:
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” 1 Corinthians 12:27
Therefore, church unity is not based upon everyone having the same function.
It is based upon everyone belonging to Christ.
13. THE SPIRIT BRINGS CHRIST'S PRESENCE TO US
Jesus promised His disciples the Helper.
“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18
Notice Jesus' words:
“I will come to you.”
The Spirit's work is therefore deeply connected with Christ's presence.
Paul writes:
“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” 2 Corinthians 3:17
And Romans says:
“Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Romans 8:9
The Christian life is therefore not about merely accepting a theological formula.
It is about receiving Christ.
It is about Christ dwelling in us through His Spirit.
It is about being transformed by His presence.
14. THE REAL DANGER
The danger is not simply using the wrong terminology.
The deeper danger is changing the biblical picture of who God is.
Jesus said:
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
Knowing God matters.
Therefore, we should not be afraid to examine what we believe.
We should ask:
Where does the Bible say it?
What does the text actually say?
Am I allowing Scripture to define the doctrine, or am I bringing a definition to Scripture?
This is the principle of Isaiah:
“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Isaiah 8:20
CONCLUSION: BACK TO THE BIBLE
The Bible certainly teaches:
There is one God, the Father.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and Lord.
The Holy Spirit is repeatedly presented in Scripture as the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ.
The Father, Son, and Spirit are involved in the work of salvation.
The church has many members and many spiritual gifts.
Christian unity is essential.
But Scripture does not explicitly teach:
“God is triune.”
It does not say:
“One God consists of three co-eternal persons.”
It does not describe God as:
“the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God in three persons.”
Those are theological formulations, not biblical statements.
Therefore, rather than building our faith around the expression “Triune God,” we should return to the clear testimony of Scripture.
Jesus said:
“That they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
And when it comes to the unity of God's people, Jesus gave us the true foundation:
“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one.” John 17:23
The lesson is simple:
The foundation of Christian unity is not the doctrine of a triune God.
The foundation of Christian unity is Christ dwelling in His people through His Spirit.
When Christ is in me and Christ is in you, we can truly become one.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. Does the Bible use the expression “Triune God”?
Answer: No. The expression does not occur in Scripture.
2. Does Scripture say that God is “three co-eternal persons”?
Answer: No. That formulation is not stated in Scripture.
3. Who does Jesus identify as “the only true God”?
Answer: The Father. John 17:3
4. How does Paul identify the one God?
Answer: “One God, the Father.” 1 Corinthians 8:6
5. Does the Bible distinguish between God and His Son?
Answer: Yes. Hebrews 1:1–3 clearly distinguishes God from His Son.
6. Does Scripture teach that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are involved in salvation?
Answer: Yes. Scripture clearly presents all three in the work of salvation.
7. Does mentioning three mean the Bible teaches a Trinity?
Answer: No. A passage mentioning the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit does not by itself establish the theological proposition that God is three co-eternal persons.
8. What is the source of Christian unity?
Answer: Christ dwelling in His people through His Spirit. John 17:21–23; 1 Corinthians 12:12–13
9. What should determine our doctrine?
Answer: Scripture. We must allow the Bible to interpret itself rather than imposing theological definitions upon it.
10. What should be our central focus?
Answer: Knowing the Father, receiving Christ, walking in His Spirit, and becoming one with other believers through Christ.
KEY TEXT
“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one.”
John 17:23
