The Trinity Flashcards
The Trinity
The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three distinct persons
There is only one God
Necessary to define the relationship between the 3 persons
Each person is fully God - they co-exist
Biblical Testimony
- Tertullian (3 CE)
2. Nicene Creed (325 CE)
Adoptionism
Jesus is an ordinary man who became Son of God at his baptism
Arianism
Jesus is the highest being but not made of the same substance as God
Sabellianism
Jesus is divine; not human
What’s the best known definition of the Trinitarian Doctrine?
Athanasian Creed
Where does the word ‘Trinity’ doesn’t appear in the Bible?
It doesn’t
Genesis 1:1
God is referred to as Elohim (plural noun)
John 1
‘Jesus was the word and the word was God’
John 14:23
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is linked to the indwelling of Jesus and God
What does the Bible teach?
That God is one
What happened at the Council of Constantinople (381 CE)?
The Nicene Creed was amended to include the Holy Spirit and God
What happened at the Council of Toledo (589 CE)?
The Son was added to the Nicene Creed without the agreement of the 5 patriarchs of the Church
Filioque Controversy
- Divided the Eastern and Western Churches
2. Rome accused the Eastern Church of heresy for not accepting fiiloque
Immanent Trinity
Signifies what God is (3 persons, 1 God)
Economic Trinity
Signifies what God does (e.g. Holy Spirit sanctifies)
What does Augustine believe regarding the immanent and economic trinity?
He doesn’t differentiate between them.
Karl Barth
God has revealed himself to humans through the Son and the Holy Spirit
Issues with Barth’s ideas
- Doesn’t distinguish between the 3 persons
- Merges the immanent and economic trinity
- Sees the persons as an eternal repetition which destroys the eternal unity of the Godhead
What was Friedrich Schleirmacher’s book?
The Christian Faith (1821)
Tried to reconcile Enlightenment theology with traditional Christian beliefs
The monotheistic claims of the Doctrine of the Trinity
- To speak of three-in-one is a logical nonsense
- Jews and Muslims often comment that it suggests that there are 3 Gods
- The letter ‘A’ consists of 3 lines, each line needs the others to exist as a letter
- It’s caused confusion, argument and misunderstanding
Is the doctrine of the Trinity necessary to understand the God of Christianity?
- Some people dismiss it as an abstract belief that makes no sense
- Karen Kilby, ‘the doctrine of the trinity so easily appears to be an intellectual puzzle with no relevance to the faith of most Christians’
- It’s the only way in which Christians can make sense of the content and teaching of the Bible
- Plays a central part in worship
