Making Sense of the Trinity

The Trinity is one of the most difficult concepts in faith. In this post, I try to make sense of it. But be warned: I am not a professional theologian!

First off, as Paul points out, as early as Genesis, God, when talking to himself, speaks in the plural. For example, after Adam and Eve eat fruit from the tree of life, God says (Genesis 3:22, ESV),

Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.

So there's an early hint that God consists of multiple "elements," for lack of a better term. More importantly, we need all three of those elements for our own salvation.

First, we need the Father to extend to us his infinite mercy, because we are infinitely sinful. Without him grabbing our attention and extending to us his mercy, there is no salvation. (This topic steps into the area of unconditional election, which I know is a subject of debate among different denominations. I will leave that debate to trained theologians, but I'll add that, to me, it really doesn't matter. The main point is that we need God for salvation.)
Second, we need the atoning death of the Son. Without that atoning death, we are bound by the Old Testament law. As written in Deuteronomy 27:26 (ESV),

Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.

Therefore, if we break any part of the law, we are cursed. But we all break the law! So how do we avoid this curse? As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV),

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

That is, Jesus served our sentence for us, freeing us from the law, and entering us into a covenant of grace.

Third, we need the Spirit, because even after receiving salvation, we are still drawn to sin. We need the Spirit to give us new life, and guide us in proper paths.

That's my (admittedly amateurish) understanding of the trinity. If our prayers, let us acknowledge and be thankful for all three elements.