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The doctrine of trinity and its significance
The doctrine of trinity and its significance
Thesis statement on the doctrine of the trinity
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The doctrine of the Trinity is used to describe God as three persons within one in the Christian community, both past and present. Throughout the Bible, it is made known that the Trinity is referring to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Theological term, homoousios, meaning three substances in one, is closely linked to this particular doctrine and plays into multiple theories of the Holy Trinity. Alister E. McGrather refers to this doctrine as being, “...the outcome of a process of sustained and critical reflection on the pattern of divine activity revealed in scripture” (textbook, 117). Often times this concept is linked to the now popular term referred to as blind faith. Society has become accustomed to pushing this …show more content…
Each of the three aspects of the Trinity hold its own standing and purpose; however, one cannot simply stand alone. Each portion profoundly depends on the other and feeds into the unity within the Trinity. McGrather goes on to say, “ The Trinity is thus an instrument of theological precision, which forces us to be explicit about the God under discussion” (textbook 129) What many do not realize is that the Trinity is unknowingly, strengthening our individual relationships with the Lord. We cannot put into words the ultimate purpose and clarification for the Holy Trinity; nonetheless, it still exists. The Bible teaches the truth of this doctrine, having faith in the Word of God means all the difference when believing in the three divine persons. Although many can argue that this conception alters or limits our overall vision and understanding of the Lord, it is imperative to make known that the Lord would not be who he is, if it were not for the various aspects of the Trinity and the essence that is associated with …show more content…
Irenaeus of Lyons began the development with his hypothesis of God being of higher order than any other portion of the doctrine. Both logos (Son) and sofia (Spirit, wisdom) stem from God in this theory; however, there is a significant differentiation in the Lord. This brings about the concept of strict monotheists, believing that there is only one God, every other element of the Trinity being of less significance. Tertullian of Carthage had a different understanding on the Doctrine of the Trinity, claiming that there are essentially three differentiations in God. This is supported by the belief of Sabellianism, three aspects or “roles” of the Lord, rather than three different persons. Origen of Alexandria built on Triunitas’ idea of Sabellianism, with his own idea of Modalism. This theory stated that the godhead has three persons stemming out from him, although a stronger emphasis is placed on the Holy Spirit. Athanasius of Alexandria believed in divine equality when it came to the Trinity. Three distinct persons are present within the doctrine, undivided in their
...nity. The Holy Spirit allows human beings to become closer to God, and the relationship between the Father and the Son. After writing about both the Trinity and Salvation, I have learned that they are immensely interconnected. The Trinity allows human beings to find Salvation. All in all, the Trinity is not three separate parts, but one part with three different essences.
The Bible never makes of the specific reference of the trinity, the Bible does talk about the divine existence of each of the three members of the Trinity, God (The Father), The Son (Jesus Christ), and the Spirit (The Holy Spirit). It is still a complex idea for me to understand fully but scripture does indeed tell of the work and existence of the trinity.
Chapter four addresses the divisions within the Corinthian church, such as jealousy, quarrelling and their defective view of the church. The apostle Paul links their view of the church to church leadership stating “If they had a true view of the church, they would have a true view of the leaders of the church” (p79). The situation was that their view was lower for the church and higher for the leaders thus they were boasting about the leaders. Paul’s view was that the Corinthian church was spoon feed Christians not maturing as they should. Paul’s reference to addressing the church as worldly did not mean they were unregenerate because they did possess the Spirit but they were not being spiritual, not being controlled by the Holy Spirit. He goes on to say “They have experienced new birth by the Spirit but have remained babies in Christ; they have not yet become mature in Christ” (p80) The Apostle most likely would express the same opinion about many Church congregations today. Many churches are elated with their church growth, but it is often superficial. If the church does not offer a real growth opportunity the journey is short lived. The church fills up with Christians not participating in the sanctification process. As with many churches today the Corinthians had a self-serving attitude about themselves and their church. The Corinthians would have never behaved the way they did if they had a higher view of the church and what it stood for and a lesser view of the leaders. Paul outlines three visions of the church “each of which has important implications” (p82). The first metaphor is agricultural: God’s field (v9) 9 For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God...
The ministries of Jesus and the Holy Spirit are closely related, each one serving an individual purpose while complimenting the other. Although the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all one in the trinity, they each have different roles that they play. The Holy Spirit plays an active part in our lives, as does Jesus. The role of the Spirit changed with Jesus. When Jesus died and rose from the cross, He opened up a new doorway for us, a new opportunity for us to experience the Holy Spirit. The Spirit became active and real to us in a way that He never could before. Today, our lives are focused on Jesus, focused on His love and sacrifice. His present ministry is seen through His believers. We are His lights in this present dark world.
...ipture it is specifically shown that God has a one-ness, that though it is not directly stated, it is implied that there is a Trinity, and it is also specifically stated that Christ was fully human (his humanity) and fully God (his deity) at the same time.
The first neo-platonic conception is the idea that the God is The One, who is unified, who is constant. By Plotinus, the One, or as it is also called “The Good”, is the origin of all existing things and the limit of all of them. All existing substance emanates from The One to the inferior beings, flows back and merges with God-Absolute. (Moore, n.d.) Augustine shows his believe in One God in lines “Thee, the One Good” (Saint Augustine. Confessions, trans. Henry Chadwick. Book 2, p. 13). Here he is trying to ask for forgiveness and addressing his prayers to God. Hayy tries to obtain the intuitive vision in order to get the essence of “the One, the True, the Necessary Being” (p.
Around the time after Jesus’ resurrection, Christians were confused and they needed answers. Jesus was just arisen from the dead. The Church now had Jesus and God to look to, but who was the leader of it all? Who were they to worship? Where does the Spirit fit into all of this? After many questions, they looked to Scripture. Christians have had the belief of Monotheism and that there is One God. Yet, it wasn’t until the Church looked to Scripture that they pieced together what is now known as the Holy Trinity.
“The practice of baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the second century propelled the development of the trinitarian theology” (LaDue 48). According to Collins, the trinity can be defined by three statements “1. There is only one true God. 2. This one true God exists as three distinct persons. 3. Each person is fully divine” (Collins 29-31). The three people that make up the trinity are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. First there is the Father. There are many Bible passages where God is referred to as the Father, this can be concluded because He alone created all things and His first human creation, Adam, was called the son of God. Jesus is God’s son and he was sent by his father, the Father, to offer humanity salvation from their sins. The “God of the Israelites reveals himself as a distinct, unique, superior deity who is always there. God’s being there is what defines him” (LaDue 14). The Israelites sometimes see the God Yahweh as an imitation of the trinity in the old testament, but they do not have distinct leveled personalities. Although God is distinct and unique, the idea that He is superior can be a false assumption as all the persons of the trinity have equal power and divinity. Another person of the trinity is the Holy Spirit. Yes, the Holy Spirit is a person. This is a common misconception of the
In Christianity one of their primary beliefs is the idea of a Triune God, which means the belief of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as one entity not three separate beings. This would result in God being indivisible and could not be divided into three different parts for an ...
According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Catholicism's faith is based on the holy trinity. The word trinity, comes from "tri" meaning three and "unity" meaning one; Catholics believe that the Father God, the son, and the holy spirit are the same person. This doctrine comes clear when it interacts dialectically with the Catholic narrative dimension. For example in the Bible, one can find a description of the holy trinity; the book of John Chapter 15: 22, mentions, " When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me." This explains how God acquires three different forms without losing his essence. For Catholics rejecting the existence of the holy trinity is denying God's sacrifice on the cross and not accepting that his spirit is between us. However, many people questioned Catholicism since they believed that ...
In John 10:30 Jesus says; “I and the Father are One.” By this, He meant that He and God were the same. For example, God and the Son of God both created everything (1 Corinthians 8:6) (Morgan, 211–212). The Holy Spirit is also God too, as one can read in 1 John 5:7–8: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” This Holy Divinity is called the Trinity- a group of three, as One. “In the name of the Trinity the living God is revealed” (Robinson, 187) This Trinity is God, the Father, God, the Son, and God, the Holy Spirit. “The Triune God is an all-sufficient God, all-sufficient for Himself and all-sufficient for His people” (Robinson,
The doctrine of the Trinity, as seen in the Christian bible, is primary to the Christian faith. The word “Trinity” does not actually appear in the bible; it is a theological label meant to summarize certain teachings of certain passages of scripture, and is crucial to properly understand what God is like, how He relates to us, and how we relate to Him. It may also raise many difficult questions including what does it mean that God is a Trinity? While it is difficult for us to fully understand everything about the trinity, it is quite possible to answer questions like this one and come to a solid grasp of what it means for God to be three in one.
Nengean, Isaiah Gesa. "The imago Dei as the imago Trinitatis: an analysis of Jürgen Moltmann's doctrine of the image of God." Westminster Theological Journal 71, no. 2 (September 1, 2009): 490-318. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed April 25, 2011).
The Trinity is made up of God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This concept is what many Catholics believe in, but other worldwide religions believe in other beliefs. Out of all the three Divine Persons, “Jesus is the most qualified to bring the renewal of creation because it was through him that creation came into being” (Pohle February 7th). We as humans will have to face the consequences for actions that we have done in the past, present and future. Jesus has come into the world as a human to show his dignity and save us from sin; he was the world and of all creation. As we come to read more about Jesus we get to know Jesus more, we learn about what he did, how he did it and why he had to do these saving actions.
Four movements, now heresies, of the past each adopted one of these four views mentioned previously. They are: Nestorianism, Eutychianism, Apollinarianism, and Arianism. Nestorianism and Eutychianism fall under the controversy of the relationship between the two natures. The controversy of Nestorianism arose over the propriety of the term theotokos (“God-bearing”) as a description of Mary. At the Council of Chalcedon in 428 Nestorius gave his view of theotokos to which he held and overly dividing view of the two natures of Christ. Nestorius felt that the term was of doubtful propriety unless the term anthropotokos (“human-bearing”) was also used. Nestorius was later condemned when Cyril of Alexandria; who held the belief in Christ having one nature got involved. Nestorius’ pronouncement towards the birth of Christ caused Cyril to oppose him. Nestorius said that God cannot have a mother; no woman can give birth to God. Cyril of Alexandria suggested that Nestorius was proposing that Jesus has two natures joined in a purely moral union. After Nestorianism came Eutychianism. Eutyches who was repeatedly summoned to the standing Synod of Constantinople in 448, finally appeared and stated his position whereas Christ has two natures before the incarnation, that was but one afterwards. The result of the Synod was the Eutyches was deposed and excommunicated and the one- nature doctrine rejected.