Three in One

Demonstrating the unique relationship of the Triune God in the life and earthly ministry of Jesus Christ

Last week we learned that the triune God, consisting of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were all present during the birth of Jesus Christ. We moved a little bit forward to include his baptism, and saw that this was a beautiful example of the triune God acting in unity:

¹³Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. ¹⁴But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? ¹⁵And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. ¹⁶And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: ¹⁷And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. – Matthew 3:13-17

What we see here is the following:

1. Jesus was physically present in the water;
2. The Spirit of God descended from heaven; and
3. God the Father spoke from heaven, confirming the sonship of Jesus.

After this event, Jesus was ready to start his public ministry and we now focus on the life of Jesus Christ up to his crucifixion. It may have been a short ministry, about three years, but his presence was life changing, with the Father and the Holy Spirit always present, even if by reading the text it does not appear as if all three Persons were present. Luke records Peter’s words that show that the Holy Spirit was always with Jesus during His time on the Earth:

³⁶The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) ³⁷That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; ³⁸How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. – Acts 10:36-38

Note that it was God the Father who anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power. Today we should strive to also operate with the power that we get through the Holy Spirit.

We are going to work through the gospels and note every occurrence of the Trinity working together. There will be instances where all three Persons of the Trinity are not clearly identified. However, the way they operate always assumes that they work in unison, as indicated by the reference above. Here are some examples:

1. Matthew 4:1 – Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit. After His temptation by the devil, angels ministered to Him. Angels are ministering (supporting) spirits, created by God to serve Him. Here we see two of the Trinity present: the Son and the Holy Spirit.
2. Matthew 11:25-27 – Jesus thanks his Father that his teaching is revealed to those we least expect it to be given to. Verse 27 shows the personal relationship through the pronouns me and my. Here we see two of the Trinity present: the Son and the Father.
3. Matthew 17:5 – the voice from heaven is that of the Father, speaking to the Son.
4. Matthew 26:39 and 42 – Jesus prays to the Father. We know that Jesus prayed with the assistance and power of the Holy Spirit and today the Holy Spirit still guides the believer when we pray.
5. Matthew 28:19-20 – believers are to be baptised in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Note that the text does not read “in the names of the…” but the singular, name. This emphasises the triune nature and at the same time the unique God we serve (Deuteronomy 6:4-5, quoted elsewhere in this lesson.).
6. Mark 1:10 – the Holy Spirit confirms the baptism, and we now have two Persons present.
7. Mark 1:12 – the Father confirms Jesus as his Son, and now we have all three Persons represented.
8. Luke 3:22 – the same event as recorded by Mark.
9. Luke 4:1 – the same event as recorded by Matthew.
10. Luke 4:14 – Jesus operates in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is very important that we understand the power of the Holy Spirit, even if He seems to reveal Himself in a soft and sometimes unassuming way in our lives.
11. Luke 4:18 – quoting from Isaiah that the Holy Spirit has anointed Him.
12. Luke 9:35 – the Father’s voice from heaven confirms the authority of Jesus.
13. Luke 10:21 – Jesus rejoices in the Spirit and thanks the Father.
14. Luke 22:42-43 – Jesus prays to the Father, and an angel strengthens Him.
15. John 12:28 – Jesus asks that his Father glorify His name, and the Father responds.
16. John 14:10-11 – Jesus says his Father dwells in Him. However, the Holy Spirit also dwells in Him, as is evident from his baptism.

Whenever the word God is used, we assume the Trinity. Of course, there are many (false) religions that will claim that the Trinity is really polytheism. We do not worship three gods, but one, as stated in Deuteronomy:

⁴Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: ⁵And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. – Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Conclusion

There are many more examples in the gospels that refer to the presence of a triune God. Our aim was to use the four gospels to show how at any given point of Jesus’s ministry on the Earth, at least two Persons operated together, and the third is always implied, even if not directly stated.

Next week we will look at the interaction of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit during the death and crucifixion of Jesus. We know that He called out and asked why the Father had forsaken Him.

What do you think? Did the Father really forsake the Son, and where was the Holy Spirit during this terrible event?

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