The doctrine of the trinity was used to oppose alternative views of how the three are related and to defend the church against charges of worshiping two or three gods. You cannot be called the father unless you have a child. The bible teaches that there is one eternal god who is the creator and sustainer of the universe. The surprising origins of the trinity doctrine united. The family is united in love, and the three persons of the trinity live in a relationship of love with one another. The central elements of the doctrine are neatly summarized in a passage of the athanasian creed, one of the most widely respected summaries of the christian faith. Many people assume that god the father, jesus christ the son, and the holy spirit form what is commonly known as the trinity.
The biblical basis of the doctrine of the trinity by robert. This is why this author, in this study, has sought to explain this teaching in an easy to understand manner. There is no reason to obfuscate the doctrine of the trinity because it has been explained clearly by the church fathers and. Today it would be called oneness or jesus only, and its the view of. The trinity is first of all important because god is important. The historical origin of the doctrine of the trinity is the bible. Is the trinity true or false is the trinity doctrine true. That one, individual god fills the role of the father, son, and holy spirit in much the same way that one actor can play three roles in the same movie.
The doctrine of the trinity recognizes that god is one god, coexisting in three distinct persons of the father, son and holy spirit. To a large number of christians, however, it is a doctrine fundamental to christianity since it deals with a correct knowledge of god. The trinitythe trinity t he complex doctrine of the trinity is so sim ply wonderful and wonderfully simple as to demand a divine origin. Representing god as one, the scriptures also ascribe divinity to father, son and holy spirit. The trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the christian religionthe truth that in the unity of the godhead there are three persons, the father, the son, and the holy spirit, these three persons being truly distinct one from another. The doctrine of the trinity is usually summed up as a belief in one god existing in three distinct but equal persons. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source with renderx xep formatter, version 3.
The origin of the doctrine of the trinity is the bible, although the word trinity is not used in the bible. In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy spirit. The most distinctive doctrine of the trinity is that of the personality and deity of the holy spirit. The doctrine of the trinity is derived from the bible using logical, mathematical, and deductive reasoning. First we need to understand what the trinity doctrine is and what it is not. The doctrine of the trinity means that there is one god who eternally exists as three distinct personsthe father, son, and holy spirit. Trinity doctrine, the meaning of the word person in latin persona, in greek. In the nature of the case we can know only as much concerning the inner nature of the godhead as has been revealed to us in the scriptures. Therefore, the doctrine of the trinity is arrived at by looking at the whole of scripture, not in a single verse. The doctrine of the holy trinity is a revealed truth. The word trinity is derived from the latin word trinitas, which came from the platonic term trias meaning three.
May 27, 2003 first, the doctrine of the trinity was a widely held belief prior to the council of nicea. Feb 06, 2015 ravis explanation of the triunity of god is amazing. At mass, the priests prayers frequently mention the father, the son, and the spirit as well. A pregnant mother contains another person within her, which is similar to how the divine persons cannot be separated from each other.
Trinity doctrine, too, the son derives his being from the father. The doctrine of the trinity, simply stated, is as follows. Doctrine of the trinity biblical research institute. Neither the word trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the new testament. It was coined by the church to help us better understand the sacred mystery of the three divine persons in one god. Those personalities are the father, the sonand the holy spirit, acting in unison as one. The trinity is an unfathomable, and yet unmistakable doctrine in scripture. Is god a mysterious unity of three coequal and coeternal persons as most christians believe. The biblical doctrine of the logos was explained in terms of greek philosophical thought rather than that of scripture, which lead to a false understanding of christ and his relationship to the father. The trinity is a doctrine that all christians believe but no one really understands.
At this point i think we should acknowledge the chief objection to the doctrine of the trinity, which is that it is absurd. The teaching, however, is present in seed form in the old testament and is revealed explicitly in the new testament. Chong 4 in conclusion, i submit that it is a simple matter of misrepresentation that underlies the watchtowers objections to the doctrine of the trinity. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free john 8.
May 02, 2014 what does the bible reveal about the nature of god. If you try to explain the trinity, you will lose your mind. Pdf the doctrine of the trinity paigepatric j d samuels. Further, we should allow the fact that god is triune to deepen our worship. Karl rahners doctrine of the trinity source of the trinity.
Each is distinct from the others but never acts independently. Chapter 26 how and why the trinity is false and unbiblical. Pdf this paper contends that origens christology which presented jesus. The core of the trinity doctrine is the reality of a triune godhead god lives in fellowship and relationship with himself. The trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the christian religion the truth that in the unity of the godhead there are three persons, the father, the son, and the holy spirit, these three persons being truly distinct one from another. It is rooted in the fact that god came to meet christians in a threefold figure. The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. Consequently we do not presume to give a full explanation of it. This doctrine comes from the new testament with hints from the old testament.
The trinity doctrine destroys the central message of the gospel. Trinity history of trinitarian doctrines stanford encyclopedia of. By the trinity is meant the unity of three persons in one godhead. In their attempt to define in words the nature and meaning of their encounter with the galilean, the inspired writers or the nt point to him as the son of the living. The doctrine of the trinity in the writings of the early church fathers nathan busenitz instructor of theology the masters seminary opponents of the doctrine of the trinity often claim that it was an invention of emperor constantine at the council of nicaea. The problem of the trinity in historical context the doctrine of the trinity says that god exists in three personsfather, son, and holy spirit. There are three that testify in heaven, the father, the word, and the holy spirit, and these three are one.
The trinity is a doctrine that god has revealed to humankind through the scriptures. It aptly describes the actions of japan in its march to dominate the world. On the one hand, it says that there are three distinct personsfather, son, and holy spiritand that. The doctrine of the trinity as taught by most churches states that there are three coequal equal in every respect, coeternal the same age, omniscient all knowing, omnipotent all powerful gods, who are not three gods, but one god. Pdf the historical development of the doctrine of trinity. Hence the churchs constant concern to safeguard the revealed truth that god is one in nature and three in persons. Learn more about the history and evolution of the doctrine. Related to the divine being, his nature and mode of being. It is crucial for properly understanding what god is like, how he relates to us, and how we should relate to him. The word trinity was introduced by tertullian 160225 ad who was a pagan turned catholic theologian and one of the early church fathers who wrote in the early third century to define the teaching concerning the godhead.
In our material existence, the concept that god is one god, yet exists as three distinct persons, is foreign to us. Many christian denominations teach that god is a trinity. Although early christian theologians speculated in many ways on the father, son, and holy spirit, no one clearly and fully asserted the doctrine of the trinity as explained at the top of the main entry until around the end of the socalled arian controversy. Trinity explained the explanation of the trinity by trinitarians is extremely confusing. Since baptism is a universal act of obedience for new believers, it is significant that jesus uses trinitarian language in matthew 28. If you would like to know what the doctrine of the trinity entails, another dedicated question may be.
Box 8500, charlotte, nc 28271 phone 704 8878200 and fax 704 8878299 1 statement dt160 the biblical basis of the doctrine of the trinity i. Without gods direct revelation, we could not know that the one god is a trinity of persons, cf. By the words of the athanasian creed it is, the father is god, the son is god, and the holy spirit is god, and yet there are. The third person in the trinity is called both the spirit of the father matt 10. Ravis explanation of the triunity of god is amazing. The roman emperor constantine the great, while himself not really a christian, convened and played a major role in the council of nicaea, which laid the groundwork for acceptance of the trinity doctrine. However, within the nature of this one god are three persons, or three centers of consciousness the father, the son, and the holy spirit. The doctrine of the trinity poses a deep and difficult problem. And the same goes for the second person in the trinity. Stated differently, god is one in essence and three in person.
The doctrine of the trinity is founded on two fundamental theological realities. To understand more fully what god is like is a way of honoring god. In order to do some justice to this sublime subject, we shall look only briefly at the. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source. The doctrine of the trinity is foundational to the christian faith. A brief declaration and vindication of the doctrine of the.
It is the doctrine that there is only one god, not three, and that the one god exists in three persons. The mystery of the holy trinity is the most fundamental of our faith. The definition of the trinity the doctrine of the trinity, simply stated, is as follows. This is the view that there is only one person in the godhead. Understanding the biblical doctrine of the trinity godhead. The trinity doctrine is far more involved far more complex. Many christian apologists argue that the doctrine of the trinity is biblical i. Jan 23, 2006 matt perman is the director of career navigation at the kings college nyc, a blogger, and an author.
Tertullians concern was a doctrine known as modalism. Trinity, in christian doctrine, the unity of father, son, and holy spirit as three persons in one godhead. The development and meaning of trinitarian doctrine grand. This goes against much evidence that the early church fathers affirmed the trinity. Any analogy used to explain the trinity will fail to represent it with complete accuracy true false 33. Jan 02, 2020 the origin of the doctrine of the trinity is the bible, although the word trinity is not used in the bible. This mystery is called the doctrine of the trinity, though that term is not used in the bible. On it everything else depends and from it everything else derives. The best concise definition of the doctrine of the trinity, so far as we are aware. Explanation of the christian doctrine of the trinity. So the human analogy fails to describe the trinity and would in fact confuse this doctrine if we took the example seriously. The death by a thousand cuts nashikuzushi is a hardtopronounce japanese word.
It is crucial for properly understanding what god is like, how he relates to us, and. The apologists doctrine was anything but orthodox trinitarianism. The doctrine of the trinity is perhaps the most mysterious and difficult doctrine that is presented to us in the entire range of scripture. This supplementary document discusses the history of trinity theories. There is no reason to obfuscate the doctrine of the trinity because it has been explained clearly by the church fathers and many many christians for many many years. God has one nature, but three centers of consciousness.
You cannot be called the son unless you have a father. Understanding the biblical doctrine of the trinity. In fact, the god of the bible is never described as. As all orthodox christians agree, the doctrine of the trinity holds that god is one essence but three persons. But lets put a godsized doctrine into perspective god is beyond our comprehension. The council of nicea and the doctrine of the trinity probe. Trinitarians teach that there are three persons, but one essenceall equal. And god seeks people to worship him in spirit and truth john 4. A brief declaration and vindication of the doctrine of the trinity by john owen. As jonathan edwards noted, after studying the topic extensively, i think the doctrine of the trinity to be the highest and deepest of all divine mysteries an unpublished treatise on the trinity.
From their childhood, catholics learn to pray the sign of the cross. The name of a doctrine does not need to be explicitly stated in scripture as long as the elements which define the doctrine are stated or implied. What does the bible reveal about the nature of god. Is the trinity true or false is the trinity biblical. In fact, in the second clause, john made a distinction between jesus and his father and the word was with god. A distinction must be made between them to avoid the false doctrine of modalism where one god wears different masks and sometimes appears as jesus. First, at the baptism of jesus, the father, the son. A right understanding of the trinity is vital to a right understanding of redemption. The doctrine of the trinity correctly teaches that jesus is not the father. Could any human reason, however, can 2 not fathom the trinity, nor can the son, who was called the logic nor can explaining it al word of god. Theologians sometimes use that term when they want to refer to god the father, god the son and god the holy spirit as three divine persons in one god.
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