-
Jacopo BassanoHoly Trinity1547
-
El GrecoThe Trinity1577
-
Hans MultscherThe Trinityc. 1430
-
UFDN 3100: Christian TheologyThe Holy Trinity
-
IntroductionMany Christians today find the doctrine of the
Trinity to be confusing, unnecessary, and/or outdated
As a result, it is either ignored or categorized as a mystery
not to be understood
-
IntroductionYet the doctrine of the Trinity is central to the
Christian faithit is the Christian way of identifying God
The doctrine of the Trinity is more a means of worshiping and
relating to God truly than it is a proposition for intellectual
assent
Furthermore, rejecting fundamental features of the doctrine of
the Trinity leads to inevitable problems in our understanding of
salvation
-
How is this Doctrine Meant to Function in the Lives of
Christians?It is meant:(1) to enable people to recognize and relate
to the God who saves us (2) to protect against crucial
misunderstandings of GodIt is not meant to exhaust the reality of
God
An Example
-
In order to get clarity on what the doctrine of the Trinity
affirms, it is helpful to begin by specifying what the Trinity is
not
-
What the Trinity is Not:Belief in three Gods (Tritheism)
-
What the Trinity is Not:Belief in one true God and two
semi-divine figures (Arianism)
Arius
-
What the Trinity is Not:Belief in one God who wears three masks
(Modalism)
-
What the Trinity is Not:Belief that God has three parts
-
A Brief QuizHow would you assess the following?
The Trinity is like an egg (or an apple)
The Trinity is like H2O (ice, liquid, vapor)
-
What the Trinity Is:
Three Persons (not parts!) sharing one divine essence
Father, Son, Holy Spirit One God
-
Christians Believe That There is a Unity of Operations Between
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:
--This means that every act of God is an act of all three
Persons
--Still, certain activities or characteristics are particularly
associated with one Person
