One God in Three Persons – The Doctrine of the Trinity (Chapter 2, Paragraph 3)

“In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Spirit...”

The doctrine of the Trinity is not man-made philosophy—it is divine revelation. The Bible does not use the word “Trinity,” but it clearly teaches the reality it names. There is one God (Deut. 6:4), yet the Father is God (Phil. 1:2), the Son is God (John 1:1; Heb. 1:8), and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3–4). These three are not modes or roles, but real, personal distinctions—three “subsistences” or persons in the one being of God.

The Confession uses careful language. It speaks of these three as “of one substance, power, and eternity.” They are not three gods, but one God in three persons. They are equal in divinity, united in will, undivided in essence, and distinct in personal relation. This protects us from two errors: tritheism (three gods) and modalism (one God who merely appears in different forms). Both are heresies that deny the full biblical picture.

“...each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided...”

This is mysterious but not contradictory. The divine essence is not sliced into thirds. The Father does not have one-third of God; He is fully God. The Son is fully God. The Spirit is fully God. Yet they are not three separate beings, but one God. As hard as this may be to comprehend, we must bow to Scripture’s witness and rejoice that God is greater than our minds can fully grasp.

“...the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son...”

These phrases refer to the eternal relationships within the Trinity. The Father is unbegotten—He has no source. The Son is eternally begotten—not made, but eternally generated from the Father (John 1:14, 18). The Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son (John 15:26; Gal. 4:6). These are not acts of creation, but eternal realities within God. They define how the persons relate to one another without implying inequality or sequence in time.

Why does this matter? Because it shows that God’s being is relational—and that relationship is perfect. God is not lonely. He has eternally existed as Father, Son, and Spirit in perfect love and fellowship. That means love is not something God discovered when He made us—it is who He is.

“...all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations...”

The three persons are distinct but never separated. They are one in essence but different in relation. The Father sends the Son, not vice versa. The Son dies on the cross, not the Spirit. The Spirit indwells believers, not the Father. These distinctions enrich our understanding of how God works in creation and redemption without dividing His being.

“...which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and our comfortable dependence on Him.”

This final sentence is a treasure. The Trinity is not just a doctrinal box to check—it is the foundation of our fellowship with God. The Father planned our salvation (Eph. 1:4–5), the Son accomplished it through His death and resurrection (Eph. 1:7), and the Spirit applies it to our hearts (Eph. 1:13–14). When we pray, we pray to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the Spirit. When we worship, we glorify all three.

Application for the Believer:

The doctrine of the Trinity invites awe and deepens assurance. You are not saved by a distant or impersonal force but by a triune God who lovingly and personally works for your redemption. The Father loved you, the Son shed His blood for you, and the Spirit now lives in you. This truth should shape your prayers, fuel your worship, and give you confidence that God—three in one—is fully committed to your salvation. Don’t let mystery hinder your faith; let it lead you to worship. In the Trinity, we see the beauty of unity, love, and divine fellowship offered to us through Christ.