Trinity Test Flashcards
WCF 7: What is God?
God is a Spirit,
in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable,
incomprehensible, every where present, almighty, knowing all things,
most wise, most holy, most just,
most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
Spirit: John 4:24
Wise: Rom. 11:33-34
Merciful/gracious: Exodus 34:6
WCF 8: Are there more God’s than one?
There is but one only,
the living and true God
One: Deut. 6:4, 1 Cor. 8:4, Mark 12:28
True: John 17:3
WCF 9: How many persons are there in the Godhead?
There be three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory; although distinguished by their personal properties
Three: Matt. 3:16-17, 28:19
One: John 1:1, Col. 2:9
WCF 10: What are the personal properties of the three persons in the Godhead?
It is proper to the Father to beget the Son, and to the Son to
be begotten of the Father, and to the Holy Ghost to proceed from
the Father and the Son from all eternity.
Begotten: Heb. 1:5–8, John 1:14-18
Proceed: John 15:26, Gal. 4:6
WCF 11: How doth it appear that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father?
The Scriptures manifest that the Son and the Holy Ghost are
God equal with the Father, ascribing unto them such names,
attributes, works, and worship, as are proper to God only
names: 1 Cor. 8:4, Acts 5:3-4
works: Col. 1:16, Gen. 1:2
What do we mean by “person?”
We say person to distinguish, but not separate the persons of the Trinity, who are the same essence.
“Person is used metaphysically rather than psychologically or subjectively” (Sanders, 141).
What is Arianism and Seballianism?
“Arius held that the Father alone was the eternal and true God, inasmuch as He alone in the full sense of the word was unregenerated.” Arianism denies that all of the persons of God are on the “God side,” only sees the Father as truly Divine, which the Son / Spirit implies separate/division of being
Sabellius held that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were but three names for one and the same God” (Bavinck, 139). Denies any real distinction between the divine persons in the internal life of God, and the names of God are modes of revelation of the One God
What does it meant that “the One is Three from the perspective of their properties?”
Although God has no separation of essence and attributes, the persons of the Trinity are distinguished by their relations of origin, nothing else.
One cannot distinguish God by his economic actions since his operations are inseparable.
What does it meant that “the Three are One from the perspective of their divinity?”
It means that there is no separation of God’s essence. All three persons are God and share all of his attributes.
What’s the relationship between the economic and immanent Trinity?
The economic sendings/missions of the Trinity reveal the eternal/immanent Trinity.
The missions are a means of both salvation and self-revelation
What are the incommunicable attributes?
Independent (aseity)
Unchangeable
Simple
Eternal
Omnipresent
Define Independence (Aseity)
Not conditioned on anything outside of God, utterly free
Define Unchangable
The same in being, thought, and will, not moved upon or changed by outside forces, impassable
Define Simple
Without parts, not composite, singularity and simplicity, uniqueness
Define Eternal
God’s immutability with respect to time, he is not changed by time
