If anything contained herein is not from the Holy Spirit the "what" doesn't matter. If it is from the Holy Spirit, either directly or indirectly, the "who" doesn't matter.

Exposition on the Nature of the Trinity

Surely, if there is one doctrine in the Scriptures that might be considered incomprehensible, it is the doctrine of the Trinity. Therefore, I must share the following gleanings with humbleness of heart and mind, since I am presuming to offer some understanding.

The word "Trinity" never appears in Scripture. It is used doctrinally as a term to express the relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Christians, generally, always have believed in one God as opposed to many gods, or polytheism. Also, we claim this one God is to be understood as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But how can this be when, linguistically, this is a contradiction? Some explain this as the "mystery of the Trinity," which we are expected to understand through analogies such as the relationship of the sun, its sunlight, and its heat. Or the Relationship of water, ice, and steam.
True, there are many mysteries in Scripture for,

 "now we see through a glass darkly" [I Corinthians 3:12].

However, if we follow the practice of good exegesis, or critical textual analysis, and use the clear passages of Scripture to interpret the more obscure ones, the so-called "mystery" of the Trinity may become more comprehensible.
Possibly semantics is part of the difficulty. Agreed, there are aspects of this divine relationship that we cannot understand, because there is nothing in human experience that is relevant. Still, we should walk in the light of what we are given in Scripture.

As often happens, we clarify the meaning when we clearly define our terms. There are three terms that need to be defined. These are "God," "one," and "in."

God:

There is a sense in which God is indefinable. Still, the Scriptures can give us a practical understanding that enables us to have a relationship with Him. Simplistically, we can think of Him as our Father who is in Heaven. In the Old Testament, the word most often translated "God" is the Hebrew word, "Elohim." This is a uniplural word for which there is no exact Greek or English equivalent, since both the Greek word "theos" and the English word "god" have both a singular and a plural form. Examples of uniplural words in English are "sheep," "fish," and the personal pronoun "you."

One:

The word "one" generally means one in number. However, when it is not used as a quantifier, it also can mean "one in purpose or will." Coming from the Latin word, "uno," this idea is expressed by such English words as "unique," "union," "unity," "unison," and "uniformity." I believe it is in this sense that Scripture uses the word "one" in its specific reference to the Trinity.

In:

The word "in" can mean "inside of," but it also can mean, "in relationship with," or, "in harmony with." Here again, I believe it is in this sense that Scripture uses this idea in referring to the Trinitarian relationship. Perhaps the enlightenment we seek can be found in John 17. [The entire chapter is Jesus' prayer to the Father.

[John 17:11] I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name-- the name you gave me-- so that they may be one as we are one. Here we find Jesus praying, "that they [the believers] may be one, as we [the Father and the Son] are one . . . 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 17:20] "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. Here we find a reference to that perfect relationship Jesus enjoys with the Father. His prayer is that the believers also will come into that same perfect relationship with both He and the Father. and the Son. I am not suggesting we can now -- or ever -- become a part of the Trinity, since, by definition, it is three persons. Yet, It does seem that Jesus is praying that the believers will come into a relationship with the Father and the Son, which Jesus is comparing to the one existing between Himself and the Father. Still, we do have the hope expressed in Ephesians 4:13; "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." This is strong evidence that we have an unrealized potential, of indescribable dimensions, that Jesus seeks in His prayer. When answered, we may be brought to the very threshold of the Trinitarian relationship. ·

[1 Corinthians 2:1-16] Dear brothers, even when I first came to you I didn't use lofty words and brilliant ideas to tell you God's message for I decided that I would speak only of Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. I came to you in weakness-- timid and trembling. And my preaching was very plain, not with a lot of oratory and human wisdom, but the Holy Spirit's power was in my words, proving to those who heard them that the message was from God. I did this because I wanted your faith to stand firmly upon God, not on man's great ideas. Yet when I am among mature Christians I do speak with words of great wisdom, but not the kind that comes from here on earth, and not the kind that appeals to the great men of this world, who are doomed to fall. Our words are wise because they are from God, telling of God's wise plan to bring us into the glories of heaven. This plan was hidden in former times, though it was made for our benefit before the world began. But the great men of the world have not understood it; if they had, they never would have crucified the Lord of Glory. That is what is meant by the Scriptures which say that no mere man has ever seen, heard, or even imagined what wonderful things God has ready for those who love the Lord. But we know about these things because God has sent his Spirit to tell us, and his Spirit searches out and shows us all of God's deepest secrets. No one can really know what anyone else is thinking or what he is really like except that person himself. And no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world's spirit) to tell us about the wonderful free gifts of grace and blessing that God has given us. In telling you about these gifts we have even used the very words given to us by the Holy Spirit, not words that we as men might choose. So we use the Holy Spirit's words to explain the Holy Spirit's facts. But the man who isn't a Christian can't understand and can't accept these thoughts from God, which the Holy Spirit teaches us. They sound foolish to him because only those who have the Holy Spirit within them can understand what the Holy Spirit means. Others just can't take it in. But the spiritual man has insight into everything, and that bothers and baffles the man of the world, who can't understand him at all. How could he? For certainly he has never been one to know the Lord's thoughts, or to discuss them with him, or to move the hands of God by prayer. But, strange as it seems, we Christians actually do have within us a portion of the very thoughts and mind of Christ. (TLB)

Paul Billheimer, in his book, Destined for the Throne, quotes Psalm 8:5, "Thou hast made him but little lower than God." (1) He then notes, "Thus God has exalted redeemed humanity to such a sublime height that it is impossible for Him to elevate him further without breaching the Godhead." Thus, the "Trinity" are in perfect oneness, but also are three distinct individuals with different divine roles. When we blur this distinct individuality, we create heresies. (2) In the past, and still today, it has resulted in the submersion of the personality and individuality of the Holy Spirit. This has resulted in missing the power of the Holy Spirit.

 He said unto them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed? And they said unto him, we have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost" [Acts 19:2].

(2 Timothy 3:5) . . . having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (NIV)

Therefore, it can be summed up that the Trinity (Three in One) has three distinct personalities, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit -- although having different roles -- all working as one in perfect oneness, harmony, unity, will, and purpose. If we believe that God would always answer Jesus' prayers we can expect that when Christ returns for His Church, His prayer will be fulfilled and we will come into that perfect harmony of oneness and fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that They now enjoy with each other. Again, this is not to claim that we will become members of the Trinity itself but it will be as close as it is possible without becoming so. It will be a relationship that is not even enjoyed by the angels. This would include both Gabriel and Michael. A parting thought: If we become one with Christ as a member of the body of Christ, there may be a oneness with the Trinity that we have as part of His body. This will be fully consummated at the wedding of the church -- the bride -- to the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, at the wedding feast..

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another [Ephesians 5:30] (NKJ)

 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
[1 Corinthians 12:27] (NIV)

 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.
[1 Corinthians 12:27] (NIV)

For me, the essence of all this is: Given the exalted position we have as parts of Christ's body, I must ask myself if I am talking the talk and walking the walk that the Great Commission calls us to.

Endnotes
1. Some versions translate this "angels." But the Hebrew word here is "Eloheim," which is translated "God" elsewhere.
2. Such heresies as the "Jesus only" movement, and Unitarianism, are examples.