1. All the elements of the doctrine are taught in Scripture
   1. One God
   2. The Father is God
   3. The Son is God
   4. The Holy Spirit is God
   5. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three persons (i.e., they are not each other, nor are they impersonal; they relate to one another personally)
2. The New Testament presents a consistent triad of Father, Son, Holy Spirit (God, Christ, Spirit): matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:34; also Luke 1:35; 3:21-22 par.; 4:1-12; John 4:10-25; 7:37-39; 14-16; 20:21-22; Acts 1:4-8; 2:33, 38-39; 5:3-4, 9, 30-32; 7:55-56; 10:36-38, 44-48; 11:15-18; 15:8-11; 20:38; 28:25-31; Rom. 1:1-4; 5:5-10; 8:2-4, 9-11, 14-17; 1 Cor. 6:11; 12:4-6, 11-12, 18; 2 Cor. 1:19-22; 3:6-8, 14-18; Gal. 3:8-14; 4:4-7; Eph. 1:3-17; 2:18, 21-22; 3:14-19; 4:4-6, 29-32; 5:18-20; Phil. 3:3; 1 Thess. 1:3-6; 2 Thess. 2:13-14; Tit. 3:4-6; Heb. 2:3-4; 9:14; 10:28-31; 1 Pet. 1:2; 1 John 3:21-24; 4:13-14; Jude 20-21; Rev. 2:18, 27-29
3. Therefore, the Bible does teach the Trinity

1. Sovereignty: Because the three persons have each other, we can be assured that God created us only to share the love they have and not as a means to His own end: Acts 17:25; John 17:21-26
2. Mystery: The trinune God is totally unlike anything in our world, and therefore greater than anything we can comprehend: Rom. 11:33-36; Isa. 40:18
3. Salvation: God alone planned our salvation, came to save us, and dwells in us to complete our salvation: 1 Pet. 1:2; Eph. 1:3-18; etc.
4. Prayer: We pray to the Father through the Son, and also pray to the Son directly, in the Spirit: John 14:13-14; Eph. 2:18; etc.
5. Worship: We worship Father and Son in the Spirit: john 4:23-24; Phil. 3:3; Heb. 1:8; etc.
6. Love: The love among the three persons is the basis and model for our love for one another: John 17:26
7. Unity: The unity of the three persons is the basis and model for the unity of the church: John 17:21-23
8. Humility: As the persons of the Trinity seek the glory of each other, so we should seek the interests of others above our own: Phil. 2:5-11; John 16:13-14
9. Sonship: We are "sons of God" as we are united with the Son of God by the work of the Holy Spirit and the adoption of the Father: john 1:12-23; Rom. 8:14-17
10. Truth: All those wo wish to worship and love God must seek to know Him as He is in truth, for God, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is truth: John 4:24; 14:6, 17; 15:26; 16:13

- See Also -
Resources on the doctrine of the Trinity

This material was published by the Christian Research Institute, entered - by permission - into electronic media by Christian BBS Abba II, San Diego, California (no longer online) in 1994, and coded into HTML by Apologetics Index in 1999