"According to this truth and this Word of God, we believe in one only God, Who is the one single essence, in which are three persons, really, truly, and eternally distinct, according to their incommunicable properties; namely, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost." (In order to save space, we are not giving the article in its entirety, but we would suggest that our readers read again each article as it is discussed.)

In this article we hope to speak of the Trinity, a subject of the greatest importance, as we will see. It is also one of the most difficult subjects to write about. It is called the main subject of all revelation, but also the greatest mystery. Salvation is dependent upon this doctrine and he who denies the Trinity cannot be saved. The salvation of the church is in a triune God the Father has chosen His church, God the Son has bought the church, and God the Holy Spirit works out the salvation in the heart of the elect.

The word Trinity is not quite as expressive as the Holland word "Drie-eenheid", for it may simply denote the state of being three, without any implication as to the unity of the three. In general it is understood, how­ever, that as a technical term in theology it includes this idea. Unbelief of our days does not want to hear about the Trinity and mockingly asks for proof. This is not strange, but is the fulfilling of God's Word, which states, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts." (2 Peter 3:3). The great apostacy of our days is not a proof against the Truth, but for it, as it has all been foretold that this would happen. How deeply is man fallen, and how terrible is the unbelief! As Israel did not receive their Saviour, but crucified Him, so the modernists with many other groups do the same regarding the truth of the Trinity.

Through all the ages there have been people who have tried to prove the Trinity by natural examples without the Word of God. We must say immediately that it is impossible to do this, because God is infinite and we are only finite beings. Yet from the very earliest times of the Christian era attempts were made to shed light on the trinitarian Being of God – on the Trinity in Unity and the Unity in Trinity by analogies drawn from other sources. Some of these illustrations or analogies were taken from inanimate nature or from plant life, such as the forms of rain, snow and ice, or as the tree with its root, trunk and branches. These and all similar illustrations are very defective, since the idea of personality is entirely lacking. Others were taken from the life of man, particularly from the constitution and the processes of the human mind. To this class belongs the psychological unity of the intellect, the affections, and the will (Augustine). Again others try to explain it linguistically; in all languages there are three personal pronouns both in the singular and in the plural – I, you and he, etc. It is all human reasoning! All these illustrations and analogies are defective as we cannot learn this from nature or from man. Only that which the Lord has revealed of Himself in His Word has value as to what we must believe. It is a sacred mystery which the light within man could never have discovered. Our narrow thoughts can no more comprehend the Trinity in Unity than can a nutshell contain all the water of the sea. In regard to this doctrine the Lord has written: "For he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." In reading the Bible we find many places where the Lord makes it clear that a Triune God exists. This is foolishness for the world and for those many so-called Christians who make up their own religion, but it is a great comfort for God's people.

Refuting the many false doc­trines, this article states: "According to this truth and this Word of God, (whereof the former articles have spoken sufficiently) we believe in one only God, Who is the one single Essence, in which are three Persons, really, truly, and eternally distinct, according to Their incommunicable properties; namely, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost."

This is according to the Truth and the Word of God, which we can believe better than any writings of a human being. The word Trinity is not found in the Bible, but was first used by Tertullian in the last decade of the second century. Although we cannot find it literally in the Bible, essentially it is there! The Lord has revealed Himself in creation as the Triune God; for example, in Genesis 1:1-3 we distinctly discern the Trinity – Elohim creates all things by the speaking of His Word, and it is kept in existence by His Spirit. The Father devised the creation, which came into being by the Word and is main­tained by His Spirit. Creation is the work of the Triune God.

Under the Old Testament, in re-creation the work of the Triune God is still more evident. Then God is not Elohim, the All-sufficient, but Jehovah, the God of the Covenant. And under the New Testament this doctrine of the Trinity is even more clearly evident.

In our article we read further: "The Father is the cause, origin and beginning of all things visible and invisible; the Son is the Word, wisdom, and image of the Father; the Holy Ghost is the eternal power and might, pro­ceeding from the Father and the Son." Watson says,

"Let me shadow it out by a similitude. In the body of the sun, there are the substance of the sun, the beams, and the heat; the beams are begotten of the sun, the heat proceeds both from the sun and the beams. These three, though different, are not divided; they all three make but one sun: so in the blessed Trinity, the Son is begot­ten of the Father, the Holy Ghost proceeds from both; yet though they are three distinct persons, they are but one God."

It is good that we have this knowledge of the Trinity because it is according to God's Word. I hope that there may come a moment in our life that we learn out of our own experience that there is a Triune God, the God of our salvation. This cannot be missed.

The apostle John has written regarding the Trinity: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (1 John 5:7). The Triune God is one in essence and three in persons. The essence of God is not threefold, thus Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one. Neither can it be divided into three parts. All the divine attributes are in each of the Divine Persons.

When you read the creed of Athanasius, you will find a beautiful wording for this great mystery. And Calvin says of it: "For how can the human mind, which has not yet been able to ascertain of what the body of the sun consists, though it is daily presented to the eye, bring down the boundless essence of God to its little measure?" How true this is! However, this doctrine of the Trinity is not contrary to the mind of man. If there were written that one essence is three essences, or that three persons are one person, then it would be against reason, because one is not three and three are not one. Although it is not made known to us in this way in God's Word, we must still say that it is a great mystery.

The eighth article of our con­fession deals with each of the three Divine Persons. First it speaks about God the Father – "The Father is the cause, origin and beginning of all things visible and invisible." Of GOD THE FATHER there is spoken in several ways:

1. God is Father as Creator. Matthew 7:11, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto you children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?" See also John 4:21.
2. God is Father over Israel in a theocratic sense. Deuteronomy 32:6, "Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not He thy Father that hath bought thee?" See also Isaiah 63:16.
3. God is in Christ the Father of His children. Matthew 6: 8, "for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask Him."
4. God is the Father of Christ by generation. Psalm 2;7, "I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto Me, Thou art My Son; this day have I begotten Thee." Generation is the communication of divine attributes from eternity to eternity by the Father to Christ. This is God's work within the essence of God.

The works of God the Father outside the essence of God are creation, upholding and govern­ment. He is also the deepest ground of the election and keeping of His church. When the Lord gives some experiential knowledge of the first person of the Divine Being more extensively, then there are many reasons to acknowledge, He is the origin of our salvation!

Our confession speaks about GOD THE SON: "The Son is the Word, Wisdom and Image of the Father."

1. Through the Word (or the Logos) the Father speaks and reveals Himself.
2. The Son of God is the object of God's love.
3. The image of the Father is a testimony that His is the reflection of the Father's attributes which are communicated to Him in generation.

By the Logos the world is created. Christ is also the re-creator. He is the first of the Divine Persons made known to the discovered sinner, but only few of God's children know Him. Those who may know Him in the right way will acknowledge Him and end in Him for His deliverance and intercession.

The confession also speaks about GOD THE HOLY GHOST: "The Holy Ghost is the eternal power and might, proceeding from the Father and the Son." He is the third Person in the Divine Being. That he is a person becomes evident by the names He has, such as Comforter and Another. In the form of baptism He receives the same honor as the Father and the Son, as also is clearly shown in God's Word. The Spirit leads in all the truth, speaks, examines the depths of God, judges, and reproves of sin, righteousness and judgment. He has the same attributes of the eternal, omniscient and all-knowing God. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son; no one can come to the Father than through the Son, but no one can say that Jesus is the Christ than through the Holy Spirit. The Spirit receives the same Divine honor as the other Persons of the Divine Being; the children are also baptized in His Name. It is the Spirit that applies the merits of Christ.

From all these things it is evident that the three Persons in the Divine Being are one in essence. We may know this with our mind and we can know this from the Bible, but there is a people who may know this also experientially. How blessed is that people that have such a knowledge of a Triune God. They may know that the Triune God is their God both for time and for eternity. To be for His reckoning means everything, and when at moments this may be felt, then they are so happy, even in the darkest moments. David had something of this when he was on his deathbed. (2 Samuel 23:5).

It is my wish that many of young and old may become partakers of it.