John 1:1–2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.
Few doctrines in Christianity stir as much debate, confusion, and criticism as the doctrine of the Trinity. Interestingly, the word “Trinity” itself never appears in the Bible. Neither do words like “Rapture” or “Advent.” Yet Christians across centuries have rightly believed these teachings because the truths behind them are plainly taught in Scripture.
When the Bible speaks of what we now call the Trinity, it uses the term “Godhead,” a word that appears three times in Scripture. The doctrine itself can be summarized simply—though not easily explained: there is one God who exists eternally in three persons. God is not divided, yet He is not solitary. He is one in essence, three in person.
This truth stretches the limits of human understanding. In fact, it may be impossible to fully explain. And history shows that when believers try too hard to explain the Trinity—especially in an effort to silence critics—they sometimes drift into serious doctrinal error.
One such error is polytheism, where the attempt to defend the Trinity accidentally results in three gods. That directly contradicts the clear teaching of Scripture: “The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4), and “I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me” (Isaiah 45:5).
Another error is modalism, the idea that God is one person who simply wears three different masks at different times. This view erases the real distinctions between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—distinctions the Bible clearly maintains.
The purpose of this writing, then, is not to unravel the mystery of the Trinity or reduce it to human logic, but to show plainly that the Trinity is a biblical doctrine.
Scripture itself testifies: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7). And if the Bible translation you are holding omits or alters this verse, it is worth pausing to ask why one of the clearest statements on the Trinity would be removed.
The Persons of the Trinity
A person is more than a role or an appearance. A person is a distinct, self-aware, relational being—someone with identity, will, and the ability to relate to others.
The Father is described as a person in Hebrews 1:3, where Scripture speaks of the “express image of his person.” The Son is also identified as a person, as seen in 2 Corinthians 2:10, where forgiveness is spoken of as being granted “in the person of Christ.” The Holy Spirit, though not directly labeled “a person” in the same way, is clearly personal—He speaks, guides, teaches, and comforts. Jesus Himself refers to Him as the Comforter.
Each of these persons is described as fully God. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. And yet, there are not three gods, but one God. This is not a contradiction—it is a mystery.
The Trinity Revealed in Salvation
The Bible reveals the Trinity in several powerful moments: in creation, at the baptism of Jesus, in prayer, and most beautifully, in salvation.
Hebrews 9:13–14 paints this picture clearly:
“For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
Under the Old Covenant, the high priest entered beyond the second veil once a year on the Day of Atonement. He himself was sinful. The sacrifice he brought was imperfect. It could not remove sin—only cover it temporarily.
But Christ was different. Born under the law yet without sin, He did what no Levitical priest could ever do. Once—and for all—He offered Himself.
And He did not do this alone.
The Son offered Himself to the Father, through the eternal Spirit. The Trinity was fully present in the work of redemption.
This raises an important question: What role did the Holy Spirit play in this sacrifice?
Scripture answers: “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit” (1 Timothy 3:16).
Here is the picture. The Son of God entered the world in real human flesh and lived under the law. He faced temptation just as we do. For His sacrifice to be acceptable, He had to be perfectly sinless. Throughout His earthly life, the Holy Spirit bore witness to every thought, every action, every moment.
And when the time came for Christ to offer Himself, the Spirit testified to the Father: There is no blemish. No stain. No wrinkle. No sin.
He is righteous.
“Justified in the Spirit.” Declared perfectly righteous.
That testimony is recorded in Scripture itself: “He was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
The sinless Son, vindicated by the Spirit, offered Himself to the Father. That offering paid the price for our redemption.
What a salvation this is. Planned by the Father. Accomplished by the Son. Testified and applied by the Spirit.
One God. Three persons. Perfectly united in saving us.
Sunday afternoon, 15th Feb 26, Faith Baptist Church Vermont
I don’t love beginning on a sober note, but sometimes that’s the only honest path to something meaningful. Stay with me—it doesn’t end where it starts.
There are truths that quietly, permanently reshape the way you see life. This is one of them.
Years ago, after visiting loved ones who had passed on, I would walk through a cemetery and read the tombstones. One detail was always the same: two dates, a birth and a death, separated by a small hyphen. That little line began to haunt me.
Every person who has ever lived has lived inside that hyphen.
Every joy and every sorrow. Every victory, every failure, every prayer whispered and every tear shed. The entire human experience is compressed into that small line between two dates. Some hyphens stretch long; others end far too soon. But every one of them is finite.
And then there’s sonder—the realization that every stranger you see has an inner life just as vivid and complex as your own. As real as my memories and emotions are to me, theirs were just as real to them. Yet when I stand before a tombstone, all of that depth—love, fear, laughter, regret—is reduced to a hyphen. I have no idea who they were. Just a line between two dates.
From Genesis 1 until now, there has always been the cycle of time: “the evening and the morning were the first day.” And so it has been ever since. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1).
There was a season in my life when my biggest worry was whether dinner would be beans or jollof rice. Now my concerns are heavier, more complex. Time has a way of doing that.
Time itself is a strange thing. When did it actually begin? When did the first shadow move across the ground? When did the sand in the hourglass start to fall? When did the clock begin to tick?
John 1:1 — In the beginning was the Word.
“The beginning” refers to that precise moment on the number line when time started counting. If you could build a time machine and travel backward as far as possible, you would reach that point—and no further. And when you arrived, you would find that God was already there.
And if you traveled forward to the farthest possible future, to the end of time itself, you would discover the same truth: God is already there.
For God, there are no dates flanking the line, just have the hyphen. And even that image falls short, because God is not bound by time at all. Every event that has ever occurred in the universe has happened within time’s number line. God exists outside of it.
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).
Try, for a moment, to think beyond time. What would that even be like?
We struggle with this because we are creatures of time. We measure life in years, distance in hours, and even speak of God as existing in “eternity past”—though “past” itself is a time-bound word. Still, Scripture tells us this much: before time existed, God is.
Jesus hints at that eternal reality in John 17:5: “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” Before creation, before time, the Godhead existed in perfect unity and glory. Our time-bound minds cannot fully grasp what that means.
And then something astonishing happened.
When the Word became flesh, God did not merely step into His creation—He stepped into time itself.
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law” (Galatians 4:4).
The God who exists outside the number line looked at a single moment within it and declared, This is the fullness of time. And then He entered it.
In His humanity, the eternal Son received a birthdate—though He had existed forever. He accepted a death date—though death could not hold Him. The timeless One subjected Himself to seasons, to waiting, to hunger and weariness, to joy and grief.
He experienced betrayal and sorrow, suffering and death—and then resurrection. He knew the weeping that endures for the night and the joy that comes in the morning. The eternal Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, lived the entire human story inside the hyphen.
Why does this matter?
Two verses tell us why.
First, “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). The Eternal One entered time to redeem those bound by it.
Second, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15–16).
He experienced the full ebb and flow of human life so that, when we suffer within our hyphen, we do not suffer alone.
He who had no beginning accepted a birth. He who could not die accepted death. So that those of us bound by time might live forever.
What a God we serve. What a God we serve.
Sunday Afternoon Service, Faith Baptist Church Vermont, 1st Feb. 2026.
13When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
This may be the most important question ever asked: Who is Jesus? Every person, at some point, must face it, whether they realize it or not.
Over the centuries many answers have been offered. He has been called a prophet, a teacher, a miracle worker, a political savior, a moral example, a social reformer, a highly evolved spiritual guide, even a spirit brother of Lucifer. Some simply see Him as a good man.
Scripture, however, does not leave Him in a category of human speculation. The purpose of this blog is to explore from the Bible what it teaches about the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, especially for those in Christian circles who are being led astray by false teaching, whether through deliberate distortion or sincere misunderstanding of the Text. The question is too important to ignore and the answer too vital to leave unclear.
For those who already hold the Bible to be true, I ask only this: as we examine the evidence, consider the arguments as a whole. Try not to disengage when a particular point feels weaker than you might expect. Often clarity comes not from one statement standing alone, but from the cumulative weight of the evidence taken together. For those that have no doubt about this, I urge you to read as well. There is encouragement for you as we venerate our Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Old Testament Prophecies Point to His Deity
We are familiar with Isaiah 9:6. “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder:” And we can all collectively agree that this prophecy is made concerning the Lord Jesus (verse 7 makes this clearer). Verse 6 continues by saying “and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Here, the Lord Jesus bears the title of God.
In Micah 5:2, we see the eternal origin of the Savior. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. In fulfillment of this prophecy, the Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem Ephratah centuries later and came from the tribe of Judah. Yet His origin is not confined to the manger. It stretches back into eternity, from everlasting.
2. The Works of Christ Prove His Deity
a. Creation and Sustenance
John 1:1-3. “1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Verse 14 of this chapter tells us that “the Word was made flesh,” and later in the chapter, the Word who was made flesh is identified by John the Baptist as the Lord Jesus Christ. We are also familiar with Genesis 1:1, which says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The Gospel of John reveals that the creation described in Genesis was accomplished through the Word, who is the Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:15-17. “15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Some may argue that the phrase “firstborn of every creature” means that Christ Himself is a created being, merely the first to be created. However, that is not what this passage teaches! The very next verse states that all things were created by Him. If Christ were Himself a created being, this would lead to an impossible conclusion, that Jesus created Himself. If He did not exist prior to creation, then creation itself could not exist.
Scripture clarifies this further in verse 18, where Christ’s being called “firstborn” speaks not of origin, but of preeminence. It is a title of supremacy and authority over all creation. Not only is the Lord Jesus the Creator of all things, He is also their Sustainer. As the passage declares, “By him all things consist.”
b. Forgiving sins
Mark 2:5-7. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of palsy, Son thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?”
In one sense, the scribes are not entirely wrong. Isaiah 43:25 records the words of God: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” The answer to their question, “Who can forgive sins but God only?” is no one. Only God has the authority to permanently erase the record of sin.
What the scribes fail to recognize is that the One standing before them, who speaks forgiveness with divine authority, is God Himself.
c. Authority of God
People often say, “Only God can judge me,” usually as a way to avoid accountability or deflect correction. That discussion is for another time. What Scripture makes clear, however, is that the authority to judge as God has been given to the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 5:22. “For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son
3. The Worship of Christ Demonstrates His Deity
It is inbuilt in the heart of man to worship. A person who refuses to worship God will inevitably direct that worship toward someone or something else. In the passage below, we see Peter—yes, a Jew, yes, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus (a topic for another blog, as there are no living Apostles today according to Scripture)—being worshipped by a man.
If you ever find yourself in a position, whether by your own rise or by the elevation others give you, where people seek to worship you, your response must be like Peter’s.
Acts 10:25-26. “And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.”
So if I should not worship man, what about an angel? Surely an angel deserves worship.
Revelation 22:8-9. “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”
The angel’s response makes it clear: “I am not a man, but I am thy fellowservant. You cannot worship me. Worship God.” So, I cannot worship man, and I cannot worship angels. But what about the anointed cherub that covereth, as in Ezekiel 28:14? Surely that is a step higher.
During the temptation of Jesus, this cherub offered the same challenge:
Matthew 4: 9-10. “And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
The lesson is clear: man, angels, and cherubim are not worthy of worship. Only God is. If Jesus were not God and still accepted worship, He would be the greatest fraud, no different from Lucifer, who tried to entice mankind to worship him.
Yet angels are commanded to worship Him (Hebrews 1:6), and every knee will bow to Him—on heaven, on earth, and under the earth—everywhere (Philippians 2:10).
The Lord Jesus did not reject the worship of them in the ship, and Thomas
Matthew 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying of a truth thou art the Son of God.
John 20:27-28. 27Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless but believing. 28And Thomas answered and said unto him, my Lord and my God
4. The Father Calls the Son “God”
Hebrews 1:8. “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”
If God the Father Himself calls the Son “God,” then what more is there to discuss?
5. It was God that was manifest in the flesh
1 Tim. 3:16. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
When we compare Scripture with Scripture, we see that the Word, Jesus Christ, was manifest in the flesh, as described in John 1. 1 Timothy 3:16 makes it unmistakably clear that the One who was manifest in the flesh is God Himself. Jesus is God.
6. It was God that died on the Cross
1 John 3:16. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Who laid down His life for us? Jesus Christ. This verse makes it clear that it was God Himself who gave His life. Therefore, Jesus is God.
7. The Blood of redemption was God’s
Acts 20:28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Notice carefully: who is the “he” that purchased the church of God with His own blood? God. And Scripture elsewhere tells us that we are redeemed by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bible with Bible, Jesus is God.
8. No mere mortal could claim to be the Savior of man
Hosea 13:4. Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no savior beside me.
This verse makes it unmistakably clear: there is no Savior apart from the Lord your God.
9. Religious leaders knew He claimed to be God
John 5:16-18. And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
John 8: 58-59. Jesus said unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him:
You do not need to be an English scholar to notice that this sentence is grammatically unusual. Jesus is deliberately identifying Himself with the God who revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM” in Exodus 3:14. His Jewish listeners understood exactly what He was claiming, and their immediate response was to pick up stones to kill Him.
10. “Son of God” is God!
I have also heard the argument that Jesus is only the Son of God and not God. Consider this passage, which shows that claiming to be the Son of God is, in fact, a claim to be God.
John 10:30-33. 30 I and my Father are one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man makest thyself God. 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God.
The Jews were not trying to stone Him for His good works. They were accusing Him of blasphemy because, by calling God His Father and claiming to be the Son of God, He was asserting His own divinity.
I know this is longer than what I normally share, but I hope it has been deeply rewarding and encouraging. If it was not God Himself who paid the price for our sins, the righteous wrath of God would remain unsatisfied. Yet by believing that God, the Eternal Word, took on flesh, lived as a man, died, and rose again according to the Scriptures, we can receive eternal life. What a God! What a Savior!
Wednesday Night Bible Study; October 8, 25. Faith Baptist Church, Vermont.
Kanayo Ikeh 