“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you.” 
—Matthew 28:19-20, NASB

Reflection: 
The concept of the Trinity did not originate with the early church fathers but from Jesus Himself. In the Great Commission, He commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things He commanded us. 

This is the first depiction of the Trinity in the New Testament, but it is not the only one. Peter greeted believers according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification by the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ. Paul concluded his words to the Corinthians with the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit. And John gives possibly the clearest explanation: there are three who testify in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and the three are one. 

The mystery of the Trinity is that God exists multidimensionally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet He is still one. We see this truth as far back as the creation story. The Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water, and the Creator God spoke out the creative Word, Jesus the Son, to bring things into existence. When God desired to make humans, He said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. 

If God were just a singular God, who is the us He addresses, and why would He use our? We are not made in the image of angels. The very next verse proves that we are made in the image of God, not of angels: in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Clearly God was speaking to Himself when He said, Let us make man in our image. 

Why would God feel a need to speak to Himself? The answer is found in the mysterious truth that within God there is relationship. Scripture clearly states that God is love. By definition, love requires a recipient to receive that love; it needs an object. The Father God loved the Son God, who also has always been. The Son is in the bosom of the Father, near to the Father’s heart, in closest relationship with the Father, and He has made Him known. 

Even the Torah gives us the closest picture we have on earth: marriage. A man and wife, two separate persons, join together and become one. This is the same picture of God the Father and God the Son. They join together to form a compound unity rather than a singular unity. Within the Godhead exists a compound unity between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who holds it together. Each exalts the other in a perfect cycle of pure love and fellowship. 

Application: 

• Receive God not as distant or isolated, but as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, perfect love and fellowship.  

• Let your identity be rooted in this truth: you were made in the image of God, not angels, created from His own relational glory.  

Prayer: 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I worship You as the One God who exists in perfect love. Open my heart to the mystery of Your compound unity, where each exalts the other in pure fellowship. Jesus, make the Father known to me, and draw me near to His heart. Holy Spirit, hold me in communion with God and sanctify me for obedience. Let me live as one made in Your image, reflecting Your love, Your unity, and Your glory.