The Trinity of God
One God or Polytheism?
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." - Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Surely you have heard the term "Trinity" or "Triunity" before. The Torah, the Injil, and the Qur'an all teach the belief in ONE God. Is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God idolatry? Have Christians made an additional god out of Jesus, a human? In that case, they would no longer be monotheists but idolaters and fools (Romans 1:22-25). The Bible makes it clear that one should serve the LORD alone and worship Him alone (Deuteronomy 6:13-15, Deuteronomy 10:20, Matthew 4:9-10). One of the reasons why the Trinity and the Fatherhood of God are rejected by Islam is a misunderstanding of them. A sect in the Arabian region had taught at the time of Mohammed that the Trinity consisted of God, Christ, and Mary, which is also picked up in the Qur'an. Accordingly, Christians would believe in two additional gods, Jesus and Mary, alongside Allah (Surah 5:116). This is rejected by both Christians and Muslims. The understanding conveyed in the Injil is ONE God who reveals Himself in the person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Trinity
"No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known." - John 1:18 God is spirit (John 4:24). It was only in Christ Jesus that God became human. Thus, the Word through which everything was created came to us on earth. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory […]" - John 1:14
Only in Jesus did God become tangible for us. Jesus, the Son, was not created when He was conceived by the Holy Spirit but has been with the Father from the days of eternity (Micah 5:2).
We read about the Trinity of God explicitly in the Bible for the first time at the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:11-17). Here, all three persons are introduced. Jesus Himself commands His disciples in His final Great Commission to baptize people in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). The Holy Spirit is not unfamiliar to the Qur'an. In Surah 2:87 , Allah testifies to having strengthened Jesus with the Holy Spirit. Also, Allah speaks of Himself repeatedly in the plural, e.g., in Surah 10:94; 88:25-26. This is usually justified with the Majestic Plural, a form of address. However, it must be known that the Arabic language during Muhammad's time did not actually know the Majestic Plural.
Hints in the Torah
The Trinity of God is not an invention of the Injil. If one looks for indications in the Torah, they are quickly found: "And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." - Genesis 1:2 This is followed by the creation of God through His word. Finally, man is created: "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. […]'" dr25: - Genesis 1:26
A very special encounter of the Almighty God with His servant Abraham takes place in Genesis 18 Three men come to Abraham. From the text, it is evident that here the LORD Himself speaks with Abraham. In a dispute with the Jews (John 8:37-59) Jesus seems to refer to this encounter: "Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.' So the Jews said to him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am!' So they picked up stones to throw at him […]" - John 8:56-59
How can a being exist in three persons?
Of course, this is difficult to grasp. Nabeel Qureshi recounts in his life story that his understanding of the Trinity was first opened to him in a chemistry lecture. The electron configuration was explained using the example of the nitrate molecule. Three different arrangements of the molecule's electrons were presented. These three arrangements are the best way to represent the resonance structures of nitrate, but none of them is correct as a single representation. In truth, the molecule has each structure at any given time. If such a phenomenon can be observed and explained in our natural world, how much more is possible with the Almighty who surpasses our understanding? Belief in the triune God is not polytheism - it remains one God revealing himself to us in his word through three persons.
