Jesus Affirms the Trinity

⁵"But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?'

⁶"But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

⁷"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

⁸"And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;

⁹concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me;

¹⁰and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me;

¹¹and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

¹²"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

¹³"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

¹⁴"He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.

¹⁵"All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

John 16:5-15 (NASB)

In this short passage of Scripture, Jesus makes it clear that God is three persons. I do not believe you can read this and accept a modalistic view that God is one God in three manifestations, appearing as circumstances warrant. God in three persons are existing at the same point of time. I think this passage also helps support a view of an economic Trinity (a view that explains how the three persons in the Godhead relate to each other and the world, each having a different role). I cannot hold to the belief that God manifests Himself as Father in creation, Son in redemption and Spirit in regeneration; a modalistic approach adopted within Oneness Pentecostal belief.

Yet there are many who hold to such belief. Is it clear in your mind that God is three persons in one essence or do you follow the line of reasoning that there is a Oneness to God that allows multiple manifestations in dealing within creation?