Don Stewart :: Does the New Testament Mention the Three Distinct Members of the Trinity Together?

Yes. There are a number of New Testament passages that mention the three Persons of the Trinity They include:

We find all three members of the Trinity at the baptism of Jesus.

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 lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:16, 17).

God the Father acknowledged God the Son, while God the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus.

On the night of His betrayal, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as another Comforter.

I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, that he may be with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see him or know him, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you (John 14:16,17).

Jesus also said.

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you (John 14:26).

In preparing the disciples for their future ministry, Jesus, God the Son, tells them He will pray to God the Father to send the Helper, or Comforter. This is a clear distinction between all members of the Trinity.

Jesus referred to the Trinity later on that same night.

When the Comforter comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me (John 15:26).

The fact that Jesus repeated this truth to His disciples shows the importance of it.

We also find the members of the Trinity in greetings. In his greeting, Peter makes the distinction between the various members of the Trinity when he wrote to believers.

According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure (1 Peter 1:2).

We find the Trinity in the benedictions of the church. In the benediction at the end of 2 Corinthians, we have all three members of the Trinity involved.

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).

Paul linked all three members of the Trinity when speaking of the sending of the Holy Spirit.

Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (Galatians 4:6).

All three members are mentioned together by Paul when referring to prayer.

For through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:18).

Paul places the three together in speaking of salvation.

In him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation - having also believed, you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:13).

The writer to the Hebrews refers to all three members in speaking of Christ's death.

How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14)

The Baptismal Formula Links The Three Members Of The Trinity

Trinitarian baptism was also practiced by the early church. This is based upon Jesus' command.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Following Jesus' command, a person was baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each member of the Trinity was identified in the act of baptism. Although all three were identified, they were baptized into the name (singular) of each. This emphasized the unity of the Godhead.

Some have seen a contradiction between Peter calling upon people to be baptized in the name of Jesus and Trinitarian baptism.

Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38).

However the "name of Jesus" speaks of the authority of Jesus. This distinguishes baptism in the authority of Jesus from the previous baptism done by John the Baptist.

Access to God the Father is through the Son by means of the Spirit.

For through him [Jesus] both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together in the Spirit into a dwelling place for God (Ephesians 2:18-20).

The New Testament more clearly develops the doctrine of the Trinity. The three distinct members of the Trinity are mentioned a number of times together in the New Testament. We find them at Jesus' baptism where the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus like a dove and God the Father acknowledged Jesus from heaven. Jesus said the water baptism of all believers was to be done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The promise of the Holy Spirit also involved all members of the Trinity. Each member of the Trinity is mentioned in greetings to the church. The Trinity is also mentioned in benedictions. The Bible says that each of the three members of the Trinity provides access to God the Father In all of these examples the members of the Trinity are always assumed to be equals.