Dear Christian friends:

"We all believe in one true God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost" and we sing that hymn because today is Trinity Sunday. Everything we teach and believe is joined with the Holy Trinity. The Apostle's Creed; the Church Year; Christmas we praise God the Father who loved us and gave us His Son through the Virgin Mary, Lent and Easter we praise Jesus the Son who obeyed the Father and died and rose again for our salvation and after Easter and on Pentecost we praise the Holy Spirit who leads us in that one true faith.

Today Trinity Sunday we join with Christians all over the world and praise our wonderful God and sing the hymn, "Glory Be to God the Father:

Glory be to God the Father,
glory be to God the Son,
glory be to God the Spirit:
great Jehovah, Three in One!
Glory, glory while eternal ages run!

So let us today attend to our text for Trinity Sunday and learn how better to:


We can do this only if we believe that He is the one true God and that there is no other God. Many people do not believe in the Holy Trinity because that seems foolish to them: "Three persons in one God, an Everlasting God with no beginning and no end." Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Jews, and many others mock and despise that teaching of the Triune God.

Also our own natural reason despises that and is not interested in that. Paul says, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

So Nicodemus in our text thought Jesus' words about God, the Son and Spirit foolish. (Read John 3:1-7)

"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again."
"Born again", "How can a man be born again when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born again?" Some of you laugh at Nicodemus, because the Holy Spirit has already given spiritual light and understanding to you. But some of you see nothing funny in his question. Yes, his question is very reasonable and if you are not yet born again yourself you will think his question is very sensible.

So you will find and hear many good sensible arguments in the world against the Holy Trinity. Men born once only of flesh cannot accept such strange and wonderful things as God's Word teaches.

But the Holy Spirit teaches these things. Jesus Himself taught the Trinity also here in our text. He says that God, His Father sent him.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)

He means Himself the Son of Man which came down from heaven and ascended and then adds that even now while He talks to Nicodemus He is in heaven, too. And in John 3:5 He tells of the work of the Holy Spirit. "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

So whether we understand or not Jesus here teaches that there is one God in three persons. He furthermore shows that this Triune God alone saves sinful man. (verses 3&5) "He cannot see, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God" except He be born again and through that trust only in Father, Son and Holy Ghost."

So let us by God's Word and Spirit today cast away our proud natural reason and like children accept the clear words of God here. Let us confess our ignorance and pride and our judgment and criticism of His Holy Word, and then trust only in Jesus Christ who shed His blood for such pride and ignorance and all our many terrible sins. Let us humbly praise the Holy Trinity. He is the only true God and Savior.

Let us praise Him chiefly because He has shown mercy unto us. It will do us no good to know that God is triune if we do not know that He is merciful. Praise Him He does not leave us in doubt. He shows Himself, Father, Son and Spirit to show us His mercy. The Father loves us and sent His son Jesus; the Son obeys the Father and comes to die for us. The Son sends the Holy Spirit to teach us and lead us and keep us in one true faith. And what He does for me He does for all the Christian church on earth.

So today let us say with Christians all over the world:
Let us praise the Holy Triune God
He is One God. Let us give glory to Him,
because He has show mercy to us
O Lord your name is wonderful in all the earth.

Amen.