God reveals Himself in Scripture as one God in three Persons, and we are called to worship Him accordingly. Continuing the discussion in my previous article (published in the December 2024 issue), naming the triune God is a biblical practice rooted in God’s words to Moses: “I am who I am. . . . Say to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ” God instructs Moses to proclaim His name, emphasizing, “ ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers . . . has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, to be remembered throughout all generations” (Exod. 3:14, 15, author’s translation).
To name God was to recount His redemptive acts in history. Theologian Beth Felker Jones suggests that naming the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—also recounts God’s faithful work and enduring relationship with His people. It reflects the divine love of the Father, who sends the Son and, in the power of the Spirit, unites us with that love. “The practice of worship,” then, “is the practice of naming the Father, the Son, and the Spirit”—of remembering and participating in the work of the triune God.1
To worship God as triune draws us into the drama of salvation, where the Father’s infinite love is revealed in the gift of His Son,2 who died for the world and was raised by the Father through the Holy Spirit. Christ then ascended to heaven and, enthroned with the Father, sent the Spirit to empower believers. Naming the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in worship is a “compressed telling”3 of the gospel narrative. In this article, I will discuss how to celebrate the redemptive trinitarian nature of God in worship and preaching.
First, lead your congregation to affirm the redemptive triunity of God during worship
With Scripture as our guide, we can creatively embrace trinitarian worship. Adventists should regularly sing trinitarian hymns like John Dykes’s “Holy, Holy, Holy,” which proclaims, “God in three Persons, blessed Trinity” and echoes the Nicene Creed.4 The love and greatness of God, expressed through His triune nature, deserve our praise.
Each person of the Godhead is involved in our salvation, a theme highlighted in the Adventist hymnal.5 Encourage worship teams to study and incorporate these hymns throughout the year and give equal attention to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Worship leaders can set the context of the Trinity when introducing hymns or contemporary praise songs. Ellen White endorsed the trinitarian doxology, which is also a meaningful choice, with its closing line, “Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”6
Trinitarian prayers further center worship. A simple prayer such as, “Father, we come before you in the merits of your Son Jesus Christ, and through the power of your Holy Spirit, bless our worship” reflects a redemptive trinitarian movement. Invocations, main prayers, and benedictions can all be triune. Craft prayers that adore, supplicate, and confess to the triune God. Hughes Oliphant Old’s Leading in Prayer provides numerous examples of theologically rich trinitarian prayers.7 While not every prayer must name all three Persons, for it to be “truly Christian, it must consistently bear witness to the three-in-one.”8
Public reading of Scripture is a powerful way to affirm God’s triunity. Beyond explicit triadic passages like Matthew 28:19, 20 and 2 Corinthians 13:14, such texts as Ephesians 4:4–6, 1 Corinthians 12:4–6, and 1 Peter 1:1–2 allow listeners to hear the triune pattern in diverse contexts.9 Before or after each reading, consider briefly highlighting the passage’s triadic elements and their role in revealing God’s triunity. While Scripture readings often align with the sermon, why not include a separate reading to showcase God’s triune nature?
An essential principle in naming the triune God is holding His oneness and threeness together. Two key texts to emphasize to your congregation are Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one,” and Matthew 28:19, “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.” These serve as theological bookends—the Shema highlights God’s oneness, while the baptismal formula unites the singular “name” with the threeness of the Godhead. Biblical trinitarianism thus holds one God in three persons within this framework. Let us name God for who He is and worship Him!
Second, preach within the trinitarian-redemptive framework of the Bible
Preaching within the trinitarian-redemptive framework of the Bible is powerfully exemplified in the apostle Paul’s approach to preaching, particularly in 1 Corinthians 2:1–4, where he emphasizes the centrality of “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (v. 2) within the divine mission of the triune God. Paul’s proclamation of the “testimony of God” (v. 1) likely refers to the Father’s overarching plan, and it was not delivered with human wisdom or eloquence but with a “demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (v. 4), highlighting the Holy Spirit’s integral role in proclaiming Christ. This trinitarian framework reminds us that faithful preaching is not merely about presenting moral teachings or doctrinal truths but about revealing Christ’s person and redemptive work through the power of the Spirit that faith might rest in the power of God.
In 2 Timothy 4:1–4, Paul charges Timothy to “preach the word” (v. 2) in “the presence of God and of Christ Jesus” (v. 1), who will “judge the living and the dead” (v. 1). While not explicitly triadic, this passage connects the act of preaching “the word” to the “God-breathed” Scripture referenced earlier in 2 Timothy 3:16 (see its parallel in 2 Peter 1:21; also Acts 1:16; 4:25).10 Together with the subtle trinitarian pattern in 1 Corinthians 2:1–4, these passages suggest that preaching is an act involving the entire Godhead: the Father commissions the proclamation of the inspired Word, the Son gives it redemptive power through His person and work, and the Holy Spirit empowers it.
Therefore, biblical preaching must be a Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered proclamation that faithfully reflects the triune nature of God as revealed in Scripture. Through this trinitarian lens, preaching becomes a declaration of the gospel and a manifestation of the living God, who speaks through and redeems His people.11
In your sermon study, remember that any text you preach has a trinitarian background. Note the redemptive triune movement in the biblical canon: (1) the Father announces the coming of the Son (Gen. 3:15) and predominates in the Old Testament books; 12 (2) the Son arrives at the appointed time and is obedient to His Father and completes His redemptive works to save the world as the four Gospels narrate; (3) the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost to apply and manifest the Son and His redemptive works as proclaimed in the book of Acts and the rest of the New Testament.
The gravitational pull of the redemptive storyline always draws us toward Christ. He is the focal point of all our preaching.13 The Trinity is thus not an addition to the gospel—it is the gospel. Preaching in this manner focuses on a single biblical passage or several passages, addresses the historical and literary context, and then locates the passage(s) in the canonical storyline that centers and climaxes in Christ and His redemptive works. The preacher who uses this approach will inevitably encounter the trinitarian character of God as Father, Son, and Spirit because it is evident in the structure of the gospel story.14
A trinitarian structure
In your preaching, demonstrate how the Godhead organically unfolds throughout the Bible and relate this to your chosen passage. Keep a gospel-centered, trinitarian perspective in your exposition. Several New Testament books, such as Romans, Galatians, and 1 Corinthians, follow a trinitarian structure.15 For example, Paul structures Romans in a threefold pattern:
- Judgment of God upon Jews and Gentiles in Romans 1:18–3:20
- Justification through faith in Jesus Christ in Romans 3:21–8:1
- Life in the Spirit in Romans 8:2–3016
In Ephesians, Paul weaves a trinitarian pattern seamlessly and effortlessly throughout the epistle at critical points.17 He wrote with a clear trinitarian awareness but did not believe a lengthy explanation was necessary.18 Thus, when preaching on passages in these epistles, take the opportunity to highlight the larger trinitarian structure and name the triune God at work in our redemption. Using the baptismal narrative as an interpretive guide, you can apply this approach to the four Gospels. This will help you illuminate how the Holy Spirit anoints the incarnate Son and how the Father’s good pleasure empowers everything Christ does.19
Finally, you can model sermon applications on biblical triadic patterns in the New Testament. In doing so, follow the natural and organic way these patterns occur, such as in Titus 3:4–6, where Paul highlights the kindness of God our Savior, the renewal of the Holy Spirit, and the work of Jesus Christ for our salvation. Encourage your audience to rest in the Father’s love, welcome the Spirit’s transformation, and rely on Christ’s saving work daily. While not all triadic passages lend themselves to this approach, others to consider include Romans 5:1–5, which says “we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 1, ESV) and experience God’s love “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit” (v. 5, ESV); 1 Corinthians 3:9–16, which calls us to be “God’s building” (v. 9), with Jesus Christ as our foundation, and to be filled with the Spirit as God’s temple; and 2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14, which says God chose to save you through the Spirit’s sanctifying work, “so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 14, ESV).20 While you can choose different wording, the goal is to model your sermon applications intentionally on the triune grammar and vocabulary of Scripture, enriching your preaching with the depth and beauty of God’s redemptive work.
Heart of the gospel
As we embrace the triune God in our worship and preaching, we are not merely reciting doctrine but engaging with the divine life revealed in Scripture. To name God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is to proclaim His redemptive work, which unites us with the love that sent the Son and empowers us through the Spirit. This is not just theological precision but the heart of the gospel.
Let us, therefore, lead our congregations in affirming and celebrating the wonder of God’s triunity, which calls us to deeper worship, stronger faith, and fuller participation in His eternal plan. The triune God is not merely a doctrine to be believed but a reality to be encountered. Let us name Him as such and worship Him in all His glory.
- Beth Felker Jones, Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023), 72.
- See Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5 (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1948), 740, where she depicts in beautiful trinitarian language the love of the Father in giving His Son.
- Robert W. Jenson, Systematic Theology: The Triune God, vol. 1 (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1997), 46.
- See Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White, Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1988), 122, 123.
- See the “Contents” section in The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal (Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald, 1985), which lists the hymn numbers associated with each person of the Godhead.
- Ellen G. White, “The New Year,” Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Jan. 4, 1881, 5.
- Hughes Oliphant Old, Leading in Prayer: A Workbook for Worship (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995).
- Pat Quinn, Praying in Public: A Guidebook for Prayer in Corporate Worship (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2021), 44. Quinn provides a theological argument for biblical, trinitarian, gospel-centered prayer during worship.
- To gain deeper insight into the numerous triadic occurrences in Scripture, I recommend studying Roderick K. Durst’s Reordering the Trinity: Six Movements of God in the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2015).
- In the Greek text, the anaphoric definite article in “the word” (2 Tim. 4:2) points back to the “all Scripture is God-breathed” or “inspired” in 2 Timothy 3:16. See Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 220.
- For three helpful essays devoted to preaching on the trinity, see Malcolm B. Yarnell III, “Preaching,” in Brandon D. Smith, ed. The Trinity in the Canon: A Biblical, Theological, Historical, and Practical Proposal (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2023), 369–400; and Michael Reeves, “The Trinity and Preaching,” in Brandon Crowe and Carl Trueman, eds., The Essential Trinity (London, UK: Apollos, 2016), 385–411; and Bobby Jamieson, “Teaching the Trinity through Expositional Preaching,” 9 Marks, Nov. 16, 2021, https://www.9marks.org/article/teaching-the-trinity-through-expositional-preaching/.
- For details on the work of each member of the Godhead in the Old Testament, see Christopher J.H. Wright’s excellent series Knowing God the Father Through the Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2007); Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014); and Knowing the Holy Spirit Through the Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2006).
- For two beneficial books on how to preach Christ-centered sermons from all of Scripture, see Bryan Chapell, Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018); and Christopher J.H. Wright, How to Preach and Teach the Old Testament for All Its Worth (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016).
- See Kathryn Tanner, Christ the Key (New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 140–174.
- For demonstration, see Arthur W. Wainright, The Trinity in the New Testament (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 1962), 256–260.
- Wainright, 257.
- See, for example, Ephesians 1:3–14, 17; 2:18, 20–22; 3:14-17; 4:4–6; and 5:18–20.
- Robert Letham offers an analysis of all the triadic passages in the epistle in his comprehensive work The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship, rev. ed. (Philipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2019), 71–84.
- For this insight, I am indebted to Fred Sanders, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything, 2nd ed. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017), 139.
- Antitrinitarians will attempt to argue against the personhood of the Holy Spirit in these and other passages. For a robust engagement with the biblical evidence for the concept of the Trinity and the personhood of the Holy Spirit in Scripture, see John Peckham, Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2021), 209–248; see also, Clinton Wahlen and John Peckham, eds., Exploring the Trinity: Questions and Answers, Biblical Research Institute Studies on the Trinity 2 (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 2024).
