How do Christians derive the Trinity?
[Jhn 17:1-5 KJV] 1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. 5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Before the world is before the universe. Before the universe is before time and space and uncreated, one being, before time and space and alone. There can only be one being before time and space, because then you would have to ask where do these other intelligences or beings come from?
Jesus is saying that He existed before time and space with the Father since He says they are equal, and since the life of the Father and the Son is the Spirit so is true of the Spirit.
This is where we get the Trinity from. Paul even said Jesus accounted Himself equal with the Father, "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient [even] unto death, yea, the death of the cross. Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven and [things] on earth and [things] under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2.5-11).
http://www3.telus.net/trbrooks/thewayofthelord.htm
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