What About This "Trinity"?

I have been friends with a fellow in Canada for some time now, and I was disappointed to find out he did not believe in the Trinity the way I do. I have been reading my Bible so much, even if I have only three minutes, I read it. I can't imagine someone not holding the Trinity concept the same as I do without them not being saved, so I will pray for him, but perchance someone else out there has the same theology, and I can present a Bible study about the Trinity to convince them from Scripture that there are three persons in one God; three personnas, if you will...

I would like to start with the Holy Spirit, because this part of our God seems the most mysterious for most Christians. To present His omniscience, counsel, wisdom, omnipotence, and wisdom, let me take you to this one spot in the Old Testament: "And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;" (Isa. 11:2) Are these not all qualities of God as we know Him from the Bible?
As my friend astutely put it, the Father is the dominant personna of God. What makes me conclude this? Take what Jesus said in the garden; "He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, 'O My Father, if this cup may not pass away from Me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.'" (Matt. 26:42) Let's look at this; Jesus was not in an anxious hurry to be nailed to the cross, as you can read His words, but He knew the plan of the Father, He knew the will of the Father, and although He was and still is God, yet He subjected Himself to the will of He who sent Him. Now this leads to an attack on Jesus' deity, because His submission to the Father in the text may seem to the undiscerning that Jesus is less than deity. Here is one place where Jesus stood firm under fire concerning who He was; "But Jesus held His peace. And the high priest answered and said unto Him, 'I adjure thee by the living God, that Thou tell us whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God.' Jesus saith unto him, 'Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.'" (Matt. 26:63 - 64) Plainly He was painting Himself as our deity, our Savior, and our God; and there are more verses to this effect. "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." (Matt. 28:20) Here Christ is affirming that He is onmipresent, something only God can be. Scrutinize John 1:1 - 14, 18;John's first verse declares Jesus to be with God and God at the same time, doesn't it? It also declares Him to be the pre-existent Christ, does it not?
There are times when Christ's deity is attacked, and it is said by those who don't believe in Him, but we believe Christ to be the bodily representation of God; for it is written, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.  For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." (Col. 2:8 - 9)

"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Eph. 4:4 - 6) This is a piece of Scripture that identifies the unity of God; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost! Here the Spirit is identified, Jesus is identified in the Lord and one faith (because believing in Jesus is paramount to salvation (John 3:16)), and one Father is of course, the Father in the Trinity. Note the three relationships between the Father and all mankind, the Lord Jesus Christ, and all believers. I also have some Old Testament text to prove God is not just one He, but an Us and Our! "And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Gen. 1:26) Here is proof of the Trinity from the very beginning of Scripture, the first book of the Bible! A blind man could read it in braille and believe in the Trinity from this and all the rest I've presented!

While this selection of Scripture shows God's triune unity, there is another piece of text that also shows their distinct separateness! "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'" (Matt. 3:16 - 17) This is the only place in all the Bible wherein the three are represented apart from each other. Jesus in a human form, the Holy Ghost as a dove, and the Father as a voice!
Jesus also said some things that go along with the God = egg analogy; you know, ther is one egg, but it has three parts; the shell, the albumin (white), and the yolk. Or how about God is like a book; the book is contained within one binding, but it has three chapters in one book. Finally, there are three persons in one God; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let's look at some more unifying statements. "I and My Father are one." (John 10:30) "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him." (John 1:18) "Jesus saith unto him, 'Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, "Shew us the Father?" Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works' sake.'" (John 14:9 - 11) Clearly Jesus is saying much to make Him intimately united with the Father. Is it any wonder why I think there should be no doubt that Jesus is one of the three speaking in Genesis saying, "Let Us make man in Our image..."?

Finally, I want to offer one more proof of Jesus' deity. "And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev. 20:11 - 15) Jesus is He who sits on the great white throne. If He has the power to throw you in the lake of fire (and He does!), then that makes Him God enough for me!
Our God is a complex God, three personnas in one; It is simple to say God is love, and He is, but it is more complex to say He is our all in all, and even moreso to say He is the Triune God, because not everyone can grasp or find the credulity in the concept!