In this post, I will show you how the One True God is shown to us to exist in Three Persons, while still being One God, not three. I will do this using the Bible and illustrations by way of metaphors. Hopefully, at the end of this page you will be able to articulate the Trinity to others just as easily as this. Please read on and see if this helps you understand what you do not already understand, or be able to articulate that which you cannot clearly articulate at this moment.
I will begin with a simple, yet full metaphor that does not easily break down under scrutiny. I will use the physical universe that He created as an example of a triune thing (not person or being).
A Metaphorical Example
The universe we currently live in is made of Time, Space, and Matter. All three of these elements are required in order to have the universe that we do. Not one of these can be removed from the universe and still have the same universe.
Time is not Space; Space is not Matter; Matter is not Time. Likewise, the Father is not the Son; the Son is not the Spirit; and the Spirit is not the Father. Yet, without each of these “Persons”, we would not have the God that we do. Let’s break this down just a bit more, for further explanation, and this is why I like this metaphor. Each of these elements of the universe can be shown to be yet another example of a triune thing, in and of itself.
Time
Time is an example of something that exists in three parts: Past, Present, and Future. The Past is not the Present; the Present is not the Future; and the Future is not the Past. Yet, without each one of these parts we do not have time as it exists for us in this universe. It takes all three of these to make the one thing we call “time”.
Space
Space is a physical thing. It is part of what makes up our physical universe, or cosmos. Anywhere one can go in this cosmos, one will encounter three aspects to the thing we call “space”. I do not mean outer space, necessarily, but anything we call space—physical dimensions, or volume. There are three dimensions to the volume of space: Height, Depth, and Length (other words can and are used for each of these, but the concept of a three-dimensional universe is universal—pun intended).
Height is not Depth; Depth is not Length; and Length is not Height. Each one is distinct from the others, while being a part of the whole thing that is being measured or observed. Whether we are measuring the universe, a planet, or a box, we need to express that thing using these three terms and measurements. By the way, do not think that there is such a thing as a one- or two-dimensional universe, or a five-dimensional universe. These do not exist. However, our universe does have the “dimension” of time, which can make the universe a four-dimensional thing. But we are not describing the universe in toto here, we are talking about space. When we add space and time together, we get a total of four dimensions. But for the sake of this metaphor, we are separating the three elements to make the example simple and easy to grasp.
Therefore, Space is triune in nature.
Matter
The third element of the universe is matter. This is what all physical things are made of. It is a compilation of atoms that are grouped together and constitute the totality of that physical thing. It could be a planet, a person, a plant, or any other thing that can be described as being physical.
Matter exists in three forms: Solid, Liquid, or Gas. Sometimes the lines are rather blurred between these three natures of matter, such as in water, but the fact remains that we can classify all matter into one of these states at a time. And just like the other elements of the universe, we can say that Solid is not Liquid; Liquid is not Gas; and Gas is not Solid. Again, you physicists might vehemently push back on this statement for some exceptions to the rule. But calm down, this is a general rule to explain the Trinity of God. It has merit and works very well to explain the existence of a triune nature.
Another Metaphor
Here is another metaphor that I have used to explain the triune nature of the Creator. It is a bit different, but rather easy to pick up on as well.
Father
To grasp this metaphorical example of the Trinity, I’m going to ask you to imagine yourself for a minute. Consider your body (torso, head, legs) as being the Father. The thing about this metaphor breaking down a bit is that God is infinite, whereas we are finite—He exists without end and we are only so big and no more. But for the sake of this illustration, just see the Father as your body.
Son
Now consider your right hand and arm (if you have these, if not, imagine someone else’s) as being the part of God we call the Son. This would be Jesus. He is not inanimate and is different than a person’s arm, since a person’s body parts are not considered to exist independently and have their own individual will. But for the purposes of this metaphor, imagine that your arm and hand can have their own will apart from your own, yet it works exactly as you will it to in your mind. It will never do anything that you do not want it to. In the metaphor, it can talk to you and do things on its own, but only if it is your will for it to do so.
Maybe it would help to imagine putting a sock puppet on your right hand and talking to your child with it as if it is a living being apart from yourself, with its own personality.
Spirit
Likewise, imagine the Spirit as being the Left Hand of God. For humans, our right hand is not the left hand, and the left hand is not the body, and the body is not the right hand. Obviously, this metaphor can breakdown when we realize that each hand of the body mentioned is not required for the body to exist. I know of people who live without one or the other or live without any arms at all and still live. But this metaphor can still work for those who can imagine it as it’s given.
The thing that I like about this metaphor is that it can also illustrate the creation. We know that God, the Father, lives in unapproachable light and that nothing evil can exist in His perfect, righteous presence. However, we have evil in this world and also in the Spirit Realm (hell). How does evil exist in the creation without God’s righteousness exterminating it? The metaphor says that the Right Hand and the Left Hand shield the creation from the Father’s righteousness. How does this metaphor work? Imagine the Right Hand and the Left Hand being cupped together to create a space inside their union (like holding a tennis ball in both hands, while hiding the ball). This cupping of the two hands works to show how both Jesus and Holy Spirit are protecting us from the Father’s holy righteousness that would instantly eliminate us who are not righteous. They exist for our protection from Father’s perfection, which demands perfection to exist in those who are with Him. They are covering both realms of the creation: the Physical and Spiritual Realms. This means that there is absolutely no way to approach Father but by going through Jesus, by way of the power of Holy Spirit.
A Biblical Example—Mankind Made In God’s Image
The third example of the Trinity is found in our own existence. In Genesis, chapter one, it says that God (Elohim, a plural form of the Hebrew word for God) made us humans in His image. I saved the best metaphor for last, because this is straight out of the Word of God. Genesis 1:26 tells us,
Then God said, “Let us make human beings [mankind, or Adam] in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
(New Living Translation)
Does this say that God is Three Gods? No. We know that the Word of God does not contradict itself and that it tells us that there is only one God.
Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.
(Isaiah 45:21, Berean Standard Bible)
The first commandment of the Ten Commandments says this:
You shall have no other gods before Me.
(Exodus 20:3, and Deuteronomy 5:7, Berean Standard Bible)
Going back to Genesis one, we see that we humans are made in His image. This can be shown in what we are made of.
Body
Every human being ever created has a physical body. This should not be a surprise to anyone and not contested by anyone (even those who are confused about genders). We are all made as either male or female (with very few examples of some who have both sets of sex organs at birth, with one or the other being discarded through surgery). So, the first part of our own triune existence is a physical body. It consists of a mind, flesh, bones, and organs. It also has its own will, which we call “heart”—not to be confused with the organ that pumps blood by the same name. This is the first part of a human.
Soul
The next part of a human being is called the soul. This is the part of us that will live forever, regardless of the condition of the body. We know that the body will die. The stats prove that 100 out of 100 humans die. There are no exceptions to this rule, even Jesus, Enoch, and Elijah. Jesus died on the cross; Enoch and Elijah will die at the end of the Tribulation (see Revelation 11). They are called the Two Witnesses. Enoch is not mentioned by name but is the only other person who did not die, besides Elijah. They were both transported off of this rock into the Spirit Realm by God. Melchizedek is a manifestation of the pre-incarnate Christ and so He was Jesus before He was called “Jesus”. Plus, He is said to live forever (see Psalms 110).
We know that each person has a soul that will live forever because it is a common theme in the Bible.
What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
(Mark 8:36, Berean Standard Bible)
Spirit
We also know from reading the Bible that each person has a spirit. Read John, chapter three, for example.
“That having been born of the flesh is flesh, and that having been born of the Spirit is spirit.”
(John 3:6, Berean Literal Bible)
We also know that the spirit and body can exist in two places at once, without either suffering from the separation. Read what Paul wrote about himself that illustrates this condition.
I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows. And I know that this man—whether in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows—was caught up to Paradise. The things he heard were too sacred for words, things that man is not permitted to tell.
(2 Corinthians 12:2-4, Berean Standard Bible)
The third heaven is in the Spirit Realm and he could have only been caught up in the spirit, not the soul, since when the soul and the body separate, the man dies.
So, we can see that mankind is also a triune being, made of Body, Soul, and Spirit. The Body is not the Soul; the Soul is not the Spirit; and the Spirit is not the Body. This is one way that we are “made in the image of God”, the ultimate Triune Being.
Conclusion
I hope that one or all of these metaphorical examples of the Trinity has helped someone (maybe you) understand better, or for the first time, what it means for God to exist in three “Persons”. God is not human, but is partly Human, in the Person of Jesus Christ. He has revealed Himself to us by showing us these three Elements of His existence. While the word “trinity” is not found in the Bible in any form, this word is used to explain or identify the doctrine—the understanding—of God’s triune nature.
Be blessed as you seek His face and will.
In Him and for you,
Gary
