All three persons of the Trinity co-operate in God's work of salvation. For this purpose, the Father sends the Son and the Holy Spirit to redeem his people on earth and to live in and among them.
The Son and the Holy Spirit do God's work on earth
In the OT, the LORD alone is Saviour
Isaiah 43:11 See also Psalm 19:14, Psalm 78:35; Isaiah 43:3, Isaiah 49:26, Isaiah 60:16; Jeremiah 14:8; Hosea 13:4
I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no Savior but Me.
In the NT, the Son is the Saviour
Matthew 1:21 See also Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Galatians 3:13, Galatians 4:5; Titus 2:13, Titus 3:6
She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
In the OT, the LORD lives among his people
Exodus 29:45 See also Psalm 135:21; Isaiah 57:15; Ezekiel 43:7; Joel 3:17; Zechariah 2:10–11
Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.
In the NT, the Spirit lives in the church
1 Corinthians 3:16 See also John 14:17; Romans 8:9, Romans 8:11; 2 Timothy 1:14
Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
Father and Son in the mission of Jesus Christ
The Father sends the Son
Galatians 4:4 See also Matthew 10:40; Mark 12:6; John 3:16–17, John 7:28, John 8:42; 1 John 4:9
But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
The Son reveals the Father
John 8:38 See also John 1:18, John 15:15, John 17:6, John 17:26; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3
I speak of what I have seen in the presence of the Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.”
The Son does the Father's work
John 5:19 See also John 4:34, John 5:17, John 9:3–4, John 10:37, John 14:10
So Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself, unless He sees the Father doing it. For whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
The Son speaks the Father's words
John 12:49–50 See also John 3:34, John 8:28, John 14:24, John 17:8
I have not spoken on My own, but the Father who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to say it. And I know that His command leads to eternal life. So I speak exactly what the Father has told Me to say.”
The Father testifies to the Son
John 5:37 This refers to God's testimony to his Son in the OT Scriptures. See also John 5:32, John 8:18; 1 John 5:9
And the Father who sent Me has Himself testified about Me. You have never heard His voice nor seen His form,
The sending of the Holy Spirit
The Father gives the Spirit
Luke 11:13 See also Acts 5:32; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Galatians 3:5; Ephesians 1:17; 1 John 4:13
So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
The Son gives the Spirit
John 16:7 See also Matthew 3:11 parallels Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16; John 1:33, John 20:22
But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.
The Father sends the Spirit through Jesus Christ
John 14:16–17 The varied terminology about who sends the Spirit reflects the close co-operation between and the shared activity of the three persons. See also John 14:26, John 15:26; Acts 2:33
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you.
The three persons share the work of salvation
The incarnation
The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
Jesus Christ's baptism
Matthew 3:16–17 parallels Mark 1:10–11, Luke 3:21–22
As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”
Jesus Christ's ministry
Acts 10:38 See also Luke 10:21; John 3:34
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.
The work of redemption
1 Peter 1:2 See also 2 Corinthians 1:21–22; Galatians 4:4–6; Ephesians 1:3–14, Ephesians 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14; Titus 3:4–6
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Commissioning the disciples
John 20:21–22 See also Acts 1:7–8
Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.” When He had said this, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ's exaltation
Acts 7:55 See also Acts 5:31–32
But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
Proclaiming the gospel
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off — to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
Building the church
Ephesians 2:22 See also 1 Corinthians 12:4–6
And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.