The Trinity

Hello Folks!

I know it has been a long time since I have posted but I hope you all have had a very, very Merry Christmas break!

This week in class we had a speaker come talk about the Trinity and let's just say my head is still rolling from it haha! There was so much information and it was pretty confusing! Below is my outline for it and I hope you enjoy it... but just a warning... if you come out of it feeling confused don't worry! I am still confused!

Introduction

• The Trinity is a doctrine that the majority of the Universal Church accepts. It states that Christianity believes in the one true God who is three persons but still one God.

The Trinity is important theologically because it is true.

a.     It is important to attempt to grasp the Trinity because God is triune.

                                               i.     A simple way to explain this done by Glenn Kreider is as follows:

1.     There is one God

a.     Deuteronomy 4:35 – “To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him.”

b.     Isaiah 45:5a – “I am the Lord, and there is no other; besides Me there is no God…”

2.     The Father is God (eternally)

a.     Ephesians 4:6 – “one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all”

3.     The Son is God (eternally)

a.     John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

b.     John 1:14 – “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

4.     The Spirit is God (eternally)

a.     Romans 8:9 – “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”

5.     The Father is not the Son or the Spirit

a.     1^st Corinthians 8:6a – “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things and we exist for Him”

6.     The Son is not the Father or the Spirit

a.     1^st Corinthians 8:6b – “and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom all things, and we exist through Him.”

7.     The Spirit is not the Father or the Son

a.     John 14:26 – “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

b.     There are hints of plurality across the Bible

                                               i.     Genesis 1:26a – “Then God said, “Let US make man in OUR image, according to OUR likeness;”

                                             ii.     Genesis 3:22 – “Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of US, knowing good and evil…”

                                            iii.     Genesis 11:7 – “Come, let US go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”

                                            iv.     Isaiah 6:8 – “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for US?’ Then I said, “Here am I. Send me.”

                                             v.     John 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.”

c.     It is important to remember that between the three there is no rank, they are different but the same.

Figure 1: Taken from Glenn Kreider’s Trinitarianism Talk

The doctrine of the Trinity is important to me personally because what I believe about God and His roles in my life shapes my personal beliefs and actions.

a.     God the Father created me.

                                               i.     Because God created me and breathed life into my lungs, my life should be meant to uplift His name and His purpose.

1.     Genesis 2:7 – “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

                                              ii.     I know that because I am His creation that He has a plan for my life.

1.     Psalms 143:10 – “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!”

                                            iii.     God the Father makes everything perfectly in His plan so I know that I am perfectly made.

1.     Psalm 139:14 – “I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.”

b.     God the Son died for my salvation.

                                               i.     I have been redeemed by God Himself.

1.     Ephesians 1:7 – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,”

                                              ii.     I can have a personal relationship with God because Jesus bridged the gap.

1.     Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

2.     John 14:6 – “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

                                            iii.     We should live like the example Jesus gave us.

1.     Ephesians 5:1-2 – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

c.      God the Spirit dwells within me.

                                               i.     The Spirit convicts me to live a life for God.

1.     Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

                                              ii.     He brings power, love, and self-discipline to my life.

1.     2^nd Timothy 1:7 –“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

                                            iii.     My body is the Spirit’s temple – I need to treat it as such.

1.     1^st Corinthians 6:19-20 – “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

 Conclusion

• The Trinity is infinitely simple yet infinitely complex all at the same time. I would never act like I could come close to explaining it fully or understanding it fully but that is okay. I love the fact that my God is so big I cannot wrap my mind around Him. If I could, then He would not be true to His character! I have faith that my God is one yet three in persons.