The word “Trinity” simply describes what the Bible says about the nature of God, that he is one God in three persons. The Trinity is the only way we can make sense of the statement, “God is love” (1 John 4:7). Love must have an object. Because God eternally exists as three persons in a perfectly loving relationship, we can say he is love–it’s essential to his nature. If God were only one person, he would have had to create something to love. Had he been a creator before he was a lover, then love could not be essential to his nature.

Prayer is Trinitarian in that each person of the Trinity (Father, Son and Spirit) are involved in our prayers.

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.  – Romans 8:14-17

Head

1. What is a Christian’s relationship to God?

2. What do we get to call God?

3. Look at Romans 8:1-4. What has Jesus done for us to bring us into God’s family?

4. What does the Spirit do for us?

5. What does it mean to be an heir?

6. What does it mean that we are co-heirs with Christ?

7. Look at Romans 8:26-27. How does the Spirit help us now?

8. Look at Romans 8:34. What is Jesus doing for us now?

Heart

1. How does knowing God is a good father change how you speak to him? How is it different from speaking to a boss or a neighbor or a friend?

2. How do these passages say the three persons of the Trinity work together as you pray?

3. Does knowing the Father loves you, the Son intercedes for you, and the Spirit prays with you change how you think of prayer?

4. Hands Give a prayer of thanksgiving for how Father, Son and Spirit all work together when you pray.

Go Deeper

[In prayer,] we join in with the fellowship as the Father, Son and Spirit are already enjoying it. That is, the Son–who is already interceding for us with his Father – brings us to be with him before his Father. Think of the high priest going into the presence of the Lord in the holy of holies: just so the Son takes us before his Father – and there the Spirit helps us (Rom 8:26). And so the Spirit supports us, the Son brings us and the Father – who always delights to hear the prayers of his Son – hears us with joy. With the Son, secure in him, enabled as he is by the Spirit, we pray to our Father. Now, to pray like this –to pray “Abba” in Jesus’ name, empowered by the Spirit–isn’t just the flashy Christian’s way of showing off his theological virtuosity; it is to revel in the shape of God’s own fellowship and beauty. Think how different it would be if God were not like this: if the Spirit did not make us cry “Abba” because God is not really a Father and has no Beloved beside him. Could such a single-person God even hear us from all the way up there in his self-involved transcendence? Wouldn’t our bleating just be an interruption on his precious me-time? Yes, if God were not triune, it would probably be better to keep quiet and hope to avoid being heart. After all, he may not want the existence of anything else.

– Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity (p. 98)