An Explanation of The Trinity Diagram

The diagram above is called by different names depending on who you ask. I call it the trinity diagram because it is a simple, visual way to diagram the biblical doctrine of God’s triune nature.

The doctrine of the trinity is derived from statements and principles which are evident and clear in scripture. The first, foundational doctrine is monotheism: the existence of only one God. The second biblical reality is a recognition that three persons are identified as God in the pages of Scripture. Sometimes it is by a direct statement and other times it is by obvious inference (i.e. where the person is said to have created all things, something that only God could have done). The third principle is that each person is coequal and coeternal. Ontologically, by their nature, each person is equal to one another and each person has existed from eternity past. Neither the Father, Son or Holy Spirit are created. Fourthly, each person is distinct from the other two. The word person is chosen carefully as it designates the possession of the attributes of personality (i.e. initiative, will, self-awareness, the ability to speak, act, love, feel anger, pain, and other emotions…).

The diagram has “God” in the center. Each person (Father, Son, and Spirit) “is” God, as indicated by each line connecting “God” to the respective person. The circular “is not” lines on the periphery guard the distinction between each person. The “is” lines say that God is comprised of three persons, each of which are fully divine. The “is not” lines say that just because the Father, Son, and Spirit are fully divine does not mean we may conclude that the Father is the Son, the Son is the Spirit or that the Spirit is the Father.