The understanding of the Trinity is a unique one. There is no teaching on it in the Bible, but it permeates the New Testament. The idea of the Trinity came from Scripture and seeing God at work in the world. In the NT, we see reference to the Trinity in baptism (e.g. Matthew 28:19) and benediction (e.g. 2 Cor. 13:13), and in daily life we experience the revelation of God in different ways. God is one, understood in 3 "persons." In God, we see a tri--unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The NT readings for this Sunday, Romans 8: 12-17 and John 3: 1-17, reference this this tri-unity of God by using all 3 terms. This same God is at work in the OT readings of Isaiah 6: 1-8 and Psalm 29, which would be considered sacred text for John, Paul, Jesus, and Nicodemus, whose voices are heard in these NT readings.
At Pentecost last Sunday we celebrated the coming of the Spirit, which unites us in our different "languages," backgrounds, cultures, etc. This same Spirit has been with God and in the world since the beginning. The Spirit is referenced in the Old Testament (i.e. Genesis 1:2; Exodus 31:3; Numbers 27:18; Job 33:4; Psalm 104:30; Nehemiah 9:20), so the understanding of God having this form has been known for thousands of years.
I myself have trouble "understanding" the tri-unity of God. Maybe that is the point. We cannot fully understand God, but God still shows up in mysterious and powerful ways in this world and in our lives. The point of this doctrine is not so we can fully understand God, but so that we may open our lives to God in many ways. We may also understand that God represents the relationship we should have with each other and with this world. God is powerful, God is mysterious, God shows up, God is perfect, and God is for us. Praise God!
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