One God in Three Persons

SERMON NOTES

This We Believe #2: One God in Three Persons
Sunday, February 8, 2026

Main Text: Ephesians 4:1-6

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” – A.W. Tozer

Our calling is rooted in the Triune God (Ephesians 4:1-6)

• The Church is called to pursue unity (vv. 1-3)
• The Triune God exists in perfect unity (vv. 4-6)

What does Scripture teach us about God?

• God is transcendent and worthy of our reverence and worship
• God is immanent and worthy of our adoration and devotion
• God is One in essence, eternally existing in three distinct Persons
  (Trinity Orthodox)

What are the common false views regarding the Trinity? 

• Modalism: God is one person who appears in three different forms
• Arianism: denies the full deity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit
• Partialism: divides God into three equal parts
• Tritheism: divides God into three separate gods
• Absolute Unitarianism: denies Jesus and Holy Spirit as God

Most false religions are connected to a wrong Doctrine of God.

Why does the Doctrine of the Trinity matter to us today?

• Shapes who we are
• Shapes how we relate to God
• Shapes how we view salvation
• Shapes how we relate to others

“Each person of the Trinity loves, adores, defers to, and rejoices in the others. That creates a dynamic, pulsating dance of joy and love.” – Timothy Keller

SERMON MANUSCRIPT

INTRODUCTION:

I’m a big fan of Christopher Nolan’s movies. I think I’ve seen all of them. But my favorite

one by far is the movie INCEPTION. And in this movie the main character Cobb, played

by Leonardo DiCaprio, makes an important statement at the start of the film that serves

as the premise of the entire movie [don’t worry, there are no spoiler alerts]:

“What is the most resilient parasite? A bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea…

is resilient and highly contagious. Once an idea has taken control of the brain it’s almost

impossible to eradicate–an idea that is fully formed, fully understood, that sticks.”

And then towards the end of the movie, he repeats this statement. But then he adds this

to it: “An idea is like a virus…it’s resilient and highly contagious. The smallest seed of an

idea can grow. It can grow to define or destroy you.”

In other words, a single idea, planted deep enough in someone’s mind, has the potential

to shape how they see themselves, how they see the world, and how they interact and

live in it. That’s not just good scriptwriting. There’s a profound truth in that statement.

Pastor and theologian, A.W. Tozer captured it perfectly when he wrote in his book, The

Knowledge of the Holy, about this notion of an idea taking root deep in our minds: “What

comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”

Just like in the movie Inception, the ideas we hold about God don’t remain neutral. They

don’t stay small. They often grow. They spread. And they shape us. They shape who we

are, what we worship, how we relate with others, and most importantly, they shape how

we live. This means that if we get God wrong, then everything downstream in our lives

will begin to break down. BUT if we get God right–in other words, if we truly know who

God is–then it won’t just inform our beliefs. It will ultimately transform our entire lives.

And friends this is why our theology of God; and specifically, the Doctrine of the Trinity is

so important because it doesn’t just inform what we believe, it impacts our very lives.

SUBJECT:

For those of you who are worshiping with us for the first time, we began a new series

last Sunday on The Apostles’ Creed called: This We Believe. And in many ways, this

series is so timely because we live in a world where everyone seems to have an opinion

about who God is, what He is like, and what He wants. And many of those ideas sound

good. They sound spiritual and biblical on the surface. But we have to be very careful,

because not all ideas and opinions about God are true ideas about God.

This is why even after 2000 years, this Creed is important and relevant to us today. And

just to clarify, The Apostle’s Creed is not Scripture–meaning, we should not view this as

biblically authoritative or a replacement of the Bible. However, it is a faithful summary of

what Scripture teaches. And it is the Church’s way throughout history of saying: In every

generation and in every culture, this is what we believe about God.

And so what The Creed does is it anchors us to the Historic Christian faith and guards

us from shaping and forming God into our own image or what we want Him to be.

And again, as Pastor Keith shared last week; in a time when truth is often treated as an

expression of our personal preferences, this timeless Creed reminds us that Christianity

is not something that we invent. Rather, it is something we receive. This means that we

don’t get to choose or decide who God is. God has revealed Himself in and through His

Word. The Apostle’s Creed just helps us confess that truth of who He is together.

And today, we come to one of the most foundational truths of this Creed–the Doctrine of

the Trinity. When we confess that: I believe in God the Father Almighty…and in Jesus

Christ His only Son…and in the Holy Spirit, we are declaring who God is along with all

the faithful saints throughout 2000 years of Church history.

Now, before we go any further, it’s important to say this up front: today’s message is not

intended to give us an exhaustive explanation of the Trinity. The reality is, the nature of

God is infinite, and our understanding is limited. What we’re aiming to do this morning

is not to remove the mystery, but to rightly frame it–so that we can have a clear, biblical

overview of how One God has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and why

that confession matters for our faith, our worship, and ultimately our lives.

TEXT:

And so with that said, turn with me to Ephesians 4:1-6. In this passage, the Apostle Paul

shows us that our calling as the Church is deeply rooted in the very nature of the Triune3

God. And as we’ll see from His Word, the God that we confess is the same God who

shapes the life we live together [stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word]:

1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received,

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making

every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and

one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope at your calling–5 one Lord, one faith, one

baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

PREVIEW:

For our time this morning, we’ll see that:

1. Our calling is rooted in the Triune God

2. What Scripture teaches about God

3. What some of the common false views of God are

4. Why this Doctrine of the Trinity matters to us today

Our Calling is Rooted in the Triune God (Ephesians 4:1-6)

First, we’re going to look at how our calling is rooted in the Triune God from Ephesians

4:1-6. Now the Apostle Paul begins in verse 1 with this pastoral appeal: “Therefore I, the

prisoner in the Lord (writing from a Roman prison), urge you to walk in a manner worthy

of the calling you have received…” Now that word for urge here is a combination of two

words: para meaning near and kaleo meaning to call–literally: to call near. Some trans-

lations of the Bible render this word as: to implore, to beseech, or to encourage.

But I like how the CSB translates this word as “urge,” because Paul wasn’t just asking

with them to behave a certain way. He was exhorting and challenging the believers to

live in a manner that reflected and exemplified the calling that they had received from

Jesus Himself, which he expounded on in the previous three chapters prior to this.

The Church is Called to Pursue Unity (vv. 1-3)

And one of the distinctive marks of this calling was for them to CONTEND FOR UNITY.

And Paul clarifies the kind of character that makes this unity possible: with all Humility;

with all Gentleness; with all Patience; all while bearing with one another in Love. He is

not being theoretical but incredibly practical here. He’s basically saying: “Here are the

essential ingredients for how we can pursue and walk in Christian unity.”

And here’s the truth: unity doesn’t break down because people lack information. It often

breaks down because we lack humility, gentleness, patience, and love for others.4

And he continues in verse 3 by exhorting them to make every effort to guard and protect

the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. What is he talking about? I believe this

is a continuation of what he expounded on in chapter two about how Christ has broken

down the dividing wall of hostility between the Jews and the Gentiles–how He has made

the two groups into one. And in such a large and diverse city like Ephesus, it must have

been extremely challenging for this to be practically lived out among the believers.

And I think what Paul was saying here to them back then and for us today is: fighting for

unity is hard, because people can be difficult at times–and honestly, we can be difficult.

But notice something encouraging: Paul never says that we are to create unity. He says

that we are to keep it, preserve it, and uphold it. The unity that we share is something

that God has given to us in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. And our calling is

to live in a manner that protects and guards what we have already received from God.

The Triune God Exists in Perfect Unity (vv. 4-6)

Paul then grounds this calling in Trinitarian theology with the sevenfold use of ONE: one

body; one Spirit; one hope; one Lord; one faith; one baptism; one God and Father of all.

In commenting on these verses, Harold Hoehner writes this: “The one body of believers

is vitalized by one Spirit, so all believers have one hope. That one body is united to its

one Lord by each member’s one act of faith; and his or her identity with Him is in the

one baptism. One God the Father is supreme over all, operative through all and resides

in all. All seven components are united in the Trinity.”

In other words, our unity and oneness as the Church and as the body of believers isn’t

rooted in our similarities or preferences. It isn’t rooted in what style of music we prefer. It

isn’t rooted in denominational allegiances. It isn’t rooted in what language we speak. It’s

not even rooted in who we voted for. It’s rooted and held together by our union with the

Father through the blood of Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The reason why unity matters so much is because God Himself exists in perfect unity.

The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct, and yet they are perfectly united in love

and purpose. And so when we as the Church fight for the unity of the Spirit through the

bond of peace, we are reflecting the very nature of the Triune God that we worship.

What Does Scripture Teach Us About Who God Is?

This brings us to the second part of this message. Because if the Doctrine of the Trinity

tells us WHO God is, then Scripture shows us WHAT He is like. And from Genesis to5

Revelation, the Bible reveals a God who is both transcendent and immanent. One who

is both high and exalted and yet personal and near to us.

God Is Transcendent and Worthy of our Worship and Reverence

Now when Scripture speaks of God’s transcendence, it’s describing His greatness, His

glory, His holiness essentially His otherness. The word transcendent refers to something

or someone who is above and beyond human comprehension. And what this means is

that God isn’t just a bigger or better version of us. He is in a category all His own.

In fact, the very first name used for God in the Bible is Elohim–God the Creator.

Genesis 1:1 begins with these words: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and

the earth.” Before there was anything, there was Elohim, who stands outside of creation

as its sovereign Author and eternal Sustainer.

He is also called El Elyon, which means God Most High.

In Genesis 14:19, Melchizedek, the Priest of God Most High (El Elyon) gives a blessing

to Abram from El Elyon. And by doing so he was declaring that there was no other

authority above God. No one who is equal to Him. No power that threatens His rule.

God also reveals Himself as El Shaddai, which means God Almighty.

In Genesis 17:1, God appears to Abram and introduces Himself as the all-powerful

One–the El Shaddai, who has no limit, who is never changing, and who is all-sufficient.

And lastly, God is described as El Olam–the Everlasting God.

In Genesis 21:33, Abraham declares that God is the Everlasting (El Olam). He has no

beginning and no end. He is the same God yesterday, today, and forever (Eternal One).

And because He is the Almighty everlasting creator God who stands and rules above all

things, Scripture declares that He alone is worthy of all our reverence and worship. And

this is why the Psalmist commands God’s people in Psalm 96 to:

Ascribe (give) to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;

bring an offering and enter his courts. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;

let the whole earth tremble before him.

God’s transcendence reminds us that worship is not about us. It’s not about fulfilling our

needs and it’s not about what we can get from Him. It’s about Him giving Him what He

rightly deserves–all the praise, glory, honor, and power [Westminister]. So when we6

come before Him, we come with humility. We come with reverence. We come with awe–

knowing that God is holy, transcendent, exalted, worthy of our reverence and worship.

God Is Immanent and worthy of our devotional and adoration

But Scripture also reveals another profound truth: that the God who is high and lifted up

is also the God who draws near. To say that God is immanent means that He is not

distant or detached from His creation. He is personal. He is present. And He is involved.

The Bible reveals this through God’s personal covenant name–Yahweh or Jehovah–a

name that shows us how He meets His people where they are. Scripture says that He’s:

Jehovah Rapha–the LORD our Healer.

Jehovah Jireh–the LORD who provides.

Jehovah Shalom–the LORD our peace.

Jehovah Shammah–the LORD who is present.

And not only that, but God invites us to call out to Him as Abba–not as a distant deity,

but a loving, personal Heavenly Father who knows, loves, and cares for His children.

And in the greatest display of God’s love, humility, and nearness, Jesus is revealed as

Immanuel–God with us. The Most High stepped into human history. The Almighty took

on flesh and blood. The Eternal One entered time. The Holy One drew near to sinners.

This is the beauty of who God is. He is exalted in majesty, and yet close in relationship.

He is the God we bow down before in worship AND He is the God who walks with us.

And because of this, He is worthy of our adoration and devotion.

God is One in essence, eternally existing in three distinct, fully divine Persons

And this brings us to the heart of the Doctrine of the Trinity. And Scripture is very clear:

we worship ONE God. Christianity is fundamentally monotheistic. There is only ONE

divine essence, ONE divine nature, and only ONE GOD.

In Deuteronomy 6:4, we learn that: “The LORD our God, the LORD is ONE (eh-khad).”

[Orthodox Slide]

But we also see in Scripture that there is a clear distinction between God the Father,

God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They are not the same person. They do not play

different roles at different times. Each Person is distinct–and yet each fully shares in one7

divine essence. This means that: the Father IS God; the Son IS God; the Holy Spirit IS

God. They are ONE in divine essence. BUT at the same time: the Father is NOT the

Son; the Son is NOT the Father; and the Holy Spirit is NOT the Father or the Son.

Again each Person of the Trinity is distinct. We see this clearly in The Apostle’s Creed:

I believe in God the Father… in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord… in the Holy Spirit.

What Are the Common False Views Regarding the Trinity?

And this is so important, because almost all the heresies throughout Church History and

many of the false religions that we have today have all emerged because they’ve gotten

this fundamental truth about God wrong.

And this is why last week, we emphasized the importance of contending for the Faith

delivered once for all to the saints because there isn’t a new version of Christianity to be

discovered or revised or improved upon. There is only the historic Faith that we receive,

guard, and faithfully pass down. And when we lose sight of who God is, we don’t simply

drift into theological error; we begin to reshape God into something else. And this is how

a lot of these false teachings emerged from.

Let me briefly name a few of the most common errors. Again, these are not meant to be

exhaustive, but brief summaries of the most common false beliefs:

Modalism: teaches that God is one person who appears in different forms or “modes”–

sometimes Father, sometimes Son, sometimes Spirit [water analogy]. The problem with

this view is that Scripture clearly teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist and

act simultaneously, not sequentially. [Often associated with Oneness Pentecostalism]

Arianism: teaches that Jesus is a created being who is higher than humans, but less

than God. It denies the full deity and divinity of Christ. But the problem with this view is

that if Jesus is not fully God, then He cannot fully save. [Jehovah’s Witness]

Partialism: teaches that each Person of the Trinity are each a part of God, and together

make up God [pizza analogy]. But the problem with this view is that while it upholds the

oneness of God it denies the full deity and divinity of each Person of the Trinity.

Tritheism: on the other hand, turns the Trinity–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–into three

separate Gods, which contradicts Biblical monotheism. Remember, God is ONE.8

Absolute Unitarianism: affirms that God is one Person, but denies the full deity and

divinity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. In other words, it rejects the Trinity altogether

[Islam, Judaism, and Unitarian Universalism are religions that fall into this category].

This is why it’s fair to say that most false religions are rooted in a wrong doctrine of God.

As I said from the start; this shows that when God is misunderstood, everything else will

be built on a faulty and cracked foundation. And sooner or later, it all collapses.

This is why this Doctrine of the Trinity is so important, because it is the very heartbeat of

the Christian faith. And that is why the Church has always contended for this truth. And

friends, we too are called to stand and contend for the faith delivered once for all.

Why Does the Doctrine of the Trinity Matter to Us Today?

Now at this point, we might be tempted to ask, “Pastor, all this is good theology–but how

does this actually impact and affect my life today?” Well, I’m glad you asked.

The answer is very simple: the Doctrine of the Trinity shapes everything. It affects how

we understand God and who He is. It shapes how we understand ourselves. It affects

how we view salvation. And it shapes how we live and relate with one another.

First, the Trinity affects who we are:

In Genesis 1:27, it says that we are made in the image of a God (Imago Dei). What this

means is that we have inherent value, dignity, and worth–not because we are deserving

or because we’ve earned it somehow, BUT because we are created and called to reflect

the Triune God. It reminds us that we were not made to boast in who we are or what we

have accomplished, but to bow in worship before the One who made us IN His image.

Second, the Trinity affects how we relate to God.

We’re not just talking about a vague “higher power” or a distant force. God has revealed

Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And our relationship with God flows through all

three Persons of the Triune God. And this truth shapes how we relate to Him.

For example: it affects how we pray. We pray to the Father, recognizing Him as the One

who loves us and provides for us. We pray in the name of the Son, because it is only

through Christ that we can approach God with confidence (Hebrews 4). And we pray by

the power of the Holy Spirit, who guides us, strengthens us, and even speaks when we9

don’t know what to say. Friends, the Trinity isn’t just a doctrine to believe–it’s the way we

know God and walk with Him day-by-day.

Third, the Trinity shapes how we understand salvation.

Because when we look at the Gospel through the lens of the Triune God, we see that it

is the unified work of all three Persons. God the Father plans salvation. Christ the Son

accomplishes salvation. And the Holy Spirit applies salvation. Each Person of the Trinity

has a distinct role, and yet there is perfect unity and love in what they do.

Think about baptism for a moment. Ephesians 4 reminds us that we are baptized into

the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is not just a baptismal formula

we recite; it’s a declaration of the truth, that our salvation is anchored in the Triune God.

I think at times, we sort of see Jesus as being the “good” Savior who rescues us from a

wrathful and angry God. But this is not biblical. They are not three Gods working against

each other. They are one God working in harmony. And when we try to separate them in

our minds, we distort the Gospel and misunderstand the heart and character of God.

Fourth, the Trinity shapes how we relate to others.

God exists in perfect fellowship and union as three distinct Persons–and He created us

to reflect that relational reality. This is why from the very beginning, God said, “It is NOT

good for man to be alone.” This is a theological statement. God is saying from the very

beginning that we were created to live and thrive in community.

This is why soon after creating Adam, God created Eve. And together as one, they were

commanded to multiply and fill the earth. And through this family unit of a husband, wife,

and children, we get a glimpse of the oneness that is shared in the Triune God. And in a

culture that is attempting to minimize the importance of marriage and family we see how

God has designed it from the very beginning to be a reflection of Himself.

And the Church is another picture of this profound truth. Paul says in Ephesians 5 that

Christ is the groom, and that we are His beloved bride; that we as the Church are many

members, yet one body–called to live in love, humility, service, generosity and unity with

one another. This means that we were never meant to live the Christian life in isolation.

We were created to live in fellowship with one another; to bear one another’s burdens;

to pray for one another; to care for one another; to persevere in unity with one another;

and reflect the relational God we worship.10

This is faith that we receive, confess, and pass on.

CONCLUSION:

Friends, the God we proclaim is not an impersonal deity, nor is He this distant ruler far,

far away. The God we confess is both forever exalted and eternally relational.

Timothy Keller describes the life of the Trinity as the Divine Dance. He writes that: “Each

of the divine persons centers upon the others. None demands that the others revolve

around Him. Each voluntarily circles the other two, pouring love, delight, and adoration

into them. Each person of the Trinity loves, adores, defers to, and rejoices in the

others. That creates a dynamic, pulsating dance of joy and LOVE.

”

That means love is not something God does once in a while. Love is WHO God is.

And here’s the amazing truth about the Gospel: we are not just forgiven by God–we are

invited into this dance. Through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and by the power of the

Spirit, we are welcomed into the very life of God Himself. Into this divine fellowship. Into

this dance of grace, joy, and perfect love.

And when we as the Church make every effort to pursue unity, we reflect the very heart

and nature of the Triune God we worship.

And my prayer is that we would be shaped and defined by this truth–that we would be a

church that doesn’t just confess this truth with our lips, but who embody it with our lives.

And as we do so, I pray the same prayer that the Apostle Paul prayed in 2 Corinthians

13:13 over us, that that: Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the

fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us… so that all will come to know and love the God

we worship.

Let’s pray together.11

This We Believe: One God in Three Persons

Sunday, February 8, 2026

Main Text: Ephesians 4:1-6

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about

us.” – A.W. Tozer

Our calling is rooted in the Triune God (Ephesians 4:1-6)

a. b. The Church is called to pursue unity (vv. 1-3)

The Triune God exists in perfect unity (vv. 4-6)

What does Scripture teach about God?

a. b. c. God is transcendent and worthy of our reverence and worship

God is immanent and worthy of our adoration and devotion

God is One in essence, eternally existing in three distinct, fully divine Persons

What are the common false views regarding the Trinity?

a. b. c. d. e. Modalism: God is one person who appears in three different forms

Arianism: denies the full deity of Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Partialism: divides God into three equal parts

Tritheism: divides God into three separate gods

Absolute Unitarianism: denies Jesus and Holy Spirit as God

Most false religions are connected to a wrong doctrine of God.

Why does the Doctrine of the Trinity matter to us today?

a. Shapes who we are

b. c. d. Shapes how we relate to God

Shapes how we view salvation

Shapes how we relate to others

“Each person of the Trinity loves, adores, defers to, and rejoices in the others. That

creates a dynamic, pulsating dance of joy and love.” – Timothy Keller