A long time ago, someone asked me a question I didn’t have a polished answer for. We were sitting outside on a summer evening, and they asked with genuine curiosity, “How can God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit be one? Aren’t they three different beings?”
I remember pausing, because the question wasn’t merely intellectual. It wasn’t just about doctrine; it was about relationship. How can we say we love and trust God if we don’t understand who He is?
And so, the conversation began…
I tried to explain what I’d been taught: that Christians believe in a triune God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — not three gods, but one God in three persons. But I could see the person’s brow furrow deeper. “But Jesus was born, right? So how could He have existed before that?” And then came the deeper question, the one that shifted my own thinking: “Why would God be three in one anyway? Why not just… one?”
It’s tempting, in moments like that, to launch into theological language and diagrams, which I often do. But the question lingered with me for days, and I found myself turning to prayer. Not just for the right answer, but for the meaning.
And that’s when I realized something:
We often ask God what His purpose is, when maybe the better question is — what is the significance?
You see, asking God about His purpose is asking, “What are You trying to do?” It’s a question about intent, about design and outcome. It’s like a piece of clay asking the potter, “Why did You shape me this way?” Or as I later thought, it’s like a blob of paint asking the painter, “Why am I blue instead of yellow? Why am I not the canvas?”
It’s not a wrong question, but it can be a limiting one.
Asking God about significance, on the other hand, is different. That’s a question of meaning, value, and impact. “Lord, what does this reveal about You? What does this change in me?”
And that question about “significance” began to open my eyes to something beautiful: That God being three-in-one isn’t just a mystery to solve. It’s an invitation to see God’s love, grace, and presence in a more personal and powerful way.
The Triune God
When Jesus gave His final instructions to the disciples in Matthew 28:19, He said something profound:
“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
One name. Three persons.
Jesus didn’t say “names” as if referring to separate gods. He said “the name.” This wasn’t an accident — it was intentional. It was Jesus revealing the deep truth that God is unity in differences, community within Himself, and eternally relational.
And this wasn’t the first time all three Persons of the Trinity appeared together.
At Jesus’ own baptism in Matthew 3:16–17, we’re given a glimpse into the divine conglomerate view of God:
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.’”
There, in one moment, we see:
The Son, in the water;
The Spirit, descending like a dove;
The Father’s voice, speaking love from heaven.
Three, yet One.
In the Beginning… the Word
Of course, the question still echoed: “How could Jesus exist before He was born?”
The answer is given in the opening of John’s Gospel, where John reaches back before Bethlehem, before creation, and says:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him…”
(John 1:1–3)
The Word, “the Logos” isn’t just a poetic phrase. It refers to Jesus, the eternal Son, the very expression of God Himself. He didn’t begin in Mary’s womb. He always was. The Word was with God, and was God.
And then, later in that same chapter, the astonishing thing happens:
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us…” (John 1:14)
The eternal Son stepped into time, clothed in flesh, so we could know God not as distant or abstract — but as Immanuel, God with us.
What Does This Mean for Us?
For a long time, I thought the Trinity was just a doctrine to affirm, a theological box to check. But the more I reflected, the more I began to see how deeply personal it really is.
God didn’t reveal Himself as three-in-one to confuse us. He revealed Himself this way to draw us into relationship.
God the Father is the source — not just of creation, but of love itself. He initiates. He calls. He sends.
God the Son is the Word made flesh, the One who walks with us, redeems us, and reveals the heart of the Father.
God the Holy Spirit is the presence within, who convicts, comforts, empowers, and leads.
The apostle Paul closes his second letter to the Corinthians with this beautiful blessing:
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)
That’s the significance of the Trinity in one sentence.
The Father’s love. The Son’s grace. The Spirit’s presence within — moving us with purpose.
This is not just theology. This is daily life. This is the shape of salvation: The Father planned it. The Son accomplished it. The Spirit applies it.
Living in the Light of the Trinity
So now, when I hear someone ask, “How can God be three in one?” I no longer rush to solve the equation. Instead, I invite them to sit with the beauty of it. Because the truth is, I don’t need a God I can fully explain — I need a God I can worship.
A God who is bigger than my logic, but not distant from my pain. A God who is complex enough to be holy, and yet close enough to be known. Father. Son. Spirit.
One God. Three Persons. Infinite love.
That is the significance.
Coming Soon
Surfing the Living Waters will soon be available in book form with 365 different devotionals, drawn largely from these conversations and more. It will be released in about eight to ten weeks. Proceeds from the book will help build the Transformation Bible Ministry. Stay tuned!
To download Dr. David Silver’s Revelation Study Guide, click below:
https://transformationbibleministries.org/revelation-study-guide/