Question 79: How Do You Know That God Is Triune?

An Anglican Catechism (Expanded Version)

Question 79: How do you know that God is Triune?

We know that God is Triune because He has revealed Himself in Holy Scripture as one God in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This truth is declared in the words and works of God throughout the Bible and has been confessed by the Church in her Creeds, upheld in sound doctrine, and recognized in our experience of God’s saving grace. (Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Deuteronomy 6:4, John 14:16–17, Ephesians 4:4–6)

Full Scripture References

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

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” — 2 Corinthians 13:14 (BSB)

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.” — Deuteronomy 6:4 (BSB)

“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.” — John 14:16–17 (BSB)

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” — Ephesians 4:4–6 (BSB)

Expanded Explanation of Catechism Question

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the cornerstone of Christian belief: that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We know this not by human reasoning but by God’s self-revelation in Scripture. The Bible reveals the oneness of God (Deuteronomy 6:4) and yet also shows that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, each distinct yet fully divine.

This Trinitarian pattern is especially clear in the New Testament: in the Baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:16–17), the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19), and the Apostolic Blessing (2 Corinthians 13:14). These passages show the Persons working in unity—distinct, yet never divided. The early Church Fathers did not invent this teaching; rather, they preserved and clarified what the apostles had taught and what the Scriptures proclaimed.

The Anglican tradition has always upheld the doctrine of the Trinity as essential to the Christian faith. Article I of the Thirty-Nine Articles affirms: “There is but one living and true God… And in unity of this Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

Bishop J.C. Ryle said: “To deny the Trinity is to strike at the root of all revealed religion. A religion without the Trinity is a house without a foundation.”

Contemporary conservative Anglicans affirm the same. Dr. Joel Scandrett, contributor to the ACNA catechism, explains: “The Trinity is not a puzzle to be solved but a mystery to be adored. The God who saves us is the God who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Spirit.”

The Global South Fellowship of Anglican Churches affirms in its doctrinal standards that belief in the Trinity is non-negotiable and foundational for Gospel mission. Trinitarian worship is at the heart of Anglican liturgy: the Gloria Patri, the Doxology, the Creed, the Eucharistic prayers—all express the unity and majesty of the Triune God.

Our knowledge of the Trinity is not only doctrinal but relational. We experience the Father’s love, the Son’s grace, and the Spirit’s indwelling in our lives. Salvation itself is Trinitarian: chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and sealed by the Spirit (Ephesians 1:3–14). Thus, to confess God as Triune is to speak the truth about the God who has made Himself known and has drawn near to us in Christ.

Early Church Fathers On Catechism Question

St. Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329–390 AD): “No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendor of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the One.” — Oration 40.41

Gregory beautifully articulates the paradox of unity and distinction within the Godhead.

St. Athanasius (c. 296–373 AD): “We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the substance.” — paraphrased from Athanasian Creed

Athanasius defended the full deity of the Son and the Spirit as essential to the Gospel.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354–430 AD): “The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God.” — On the Trinity, Book I

Augustine’s reflections on the Trinity remain some of the most influential in Western theology.

St. Basil the Great (c. 329–379 AD): “The Trinity is a perfect unity in diversity. Each Person is fully God, yet not three Gods. This is the faith that saves.” — On the Holy Spirit, 18

Basil stressed that Trinitarian doctrine is vital for salvation and worship.

An Anglican Catechism (Expanded Version)

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An Anglican Catechism (Expanded Version)