The Doctrine Of The Trinity

One of the major topics of discussion in the early church was about the nature of God. Some people questioned the oneness of God and did not believe that there is one essence in all three persons of God. Some other people did not believe that there are three persons of God. The major heresies all fit on a scale between two opposites. These opposites consist of Monarchianism and Tritheism. The heresies eventually led the church to establish the doctrine of Trinity in the Council of Nicaea held in the year 325 A.D. Even though the heresies between the two extremes were appealing, the Catholic Church rejects them and teaches the doctrine of Trinity.

Christians believe in one God, yet the apparent contradictory nature of the Trinity is such that it has caused many to doubt whether Christianity is indeed monotheistic. This has consequently caused Christians to defend their monotheism in relation to the Trinity. In the two such defenses that are studied in this essay, we find that Christians have explained the nature of Trinity with varying degrees of effectiveness and success. Timothy the Patriarch defends the Trinity before the Caliph Madhi with few compelling arguments, and Gregory of Nyssa explains it in a more abstract and therefore more effective way. Each however defends the Trinity according to his understanding of it.

The Trinity is an area of the Christian faith where Christians and non-Christians alike struggle to explain the Godhead in a way that is biblical and understandable.  In this paper I will discuss whether there is any mention of the the word Trinity in the Bible at all and what does the biblical concept of Trinity mean? I will explain as well how this Triune concept is expressed biblically and what are the similarities / differences between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit? Finally, I will discuss what it means to be a Trinitarian with a Jehovah’s Witness.

This included stealing of his neighbors fruit for no other reason besides the fact that he wanted to commit the sin. Then he would boost about sleeping around with women even though he hadn’t because he wanted the attention. These experiences are how Augustine believed that humans were inclined towards original sin, and could only be saved from the grace of God. Next, in his work about the Holy Trinity, Augustine wrote about how the Holy Trinity was one substance, including the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and not separate. “This does not, however, make three gods or three creators. The Father, the Son and the Spirit are each one Person, and any person affirms himself for himself”(De Trin, VII, 11). Lastly, in the City of God, Augustine wrote that the fall of the Roman Empire was not at the hands of the Christians. In this, he also emphasized his original position on original sin, and include statements of good versus evil. Furthermore, Augustines work were vital to debating points in the first council that defined the Holy Trinity(First Council of Nicaea), set up by Constantinople.

Trinity In Chapter 6 of Theology and Sanity, F. J. Sheed explains the debate of three distinct beings possessing the same nature from the doctrine of Trinity. Sheed begins by identifying the problem in how different branches of Christians perceive the idea of “how one can equal three.” Christians who accept the idea of three distinct people with one divine nature accept it through faith. It cannot be understood, it can only be accepted with having faith in God as it came from the Word of God.

Christianity’s attachment to underlying principles and beliefs are centered on the devotion of the Holy Trinity. The perception of the trinity has shaped controversy by finding a solution from a reliable origin. Deliberation on the true entity of God is unavoidable and contrasting opinions emerge by human endeavor. Debate on the trinity largely was derived by disagreement on the concepts ousia (common essence) and hypostasis (substance). These concepts became distinctive by The Cappadocian Fathers: Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus. The relationship of God, the Father, and his son Jesus Christ was defined by the Cappadocian Fathers and what is understood today in the Christian Doctrine. The Cappadocian Fathers were highly commended martyrs that advanced the development of early Christian theology. Without the efforts of The Cappadocian Fathers evolvement in defining the relationship of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, there would still be contest identical to early progression in Christian history.

This theological “treatise” is divided into six main chapters, that each focus on the Trinitarian doctrine. Understanding the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to the Christian faith, which is the central goal of this book. The main focus of this study is to examine the ways in which the three Persons of the Trinity relate to one another, how they relate to us, and what difference this makes to our lives. Dr. Ware accomplishes this through discussing the wonder of each

An important historic doctrine of the second century dealt with the Trinity. Now this term “the Trinity” and all three aspects were not flushed out during this time, but the beginning thoughts mainly on the relationship of the Father and Son were beginning to be discussed. The main cause for the laying of the foundation of the Trinity was Gnosticism. Gnostics “believed in One God who is wholly transcendent, spiritual and far removed from the fallen, material universe, which he did not create (pp. 37).” Additionally, “human beings are sparks of the same spiritual substance that God is ... thus salvation is to escape from the bondage of material existence (pp. 37).” Gnostics “regarded Jesus as the human vehicle for this heavenly messenger”, which meant that they all “rejected the idea of God becoming

Throughout the ages, scholars and different denominations tried to explain the Trinity, the three distinct Persons of God. But yet through the limited understanding of human knowledge and perceptions of God, they were not able to comprehend indefiniteness of God. One of the issues that Christians wanted to understand is the Triune God; in order to understand Trinity, it is helpful for us to know the existence of God. Then ask questions like; How the three Gods united and become One God? How should we understand Trinity? What are the positions and differences of Seventh-day Adventist belief from Evangelical? The scope and limitation of this paper are to answer the questions above and my own understanding of God as I study the scriptures.

The Father: I AM that I AM. The first person of the Trinity: holy and eternal. He is the front of Deity (autotheos). He has no source but Himself, He is utterly transcendent and unknowable: “No man can come to the Father…” The Father is the ultimate source of the Godhead and of all things. The Son: The Word of the Father. He is the second Person (hypostasis) of the Trinity. He is eternally begotten of the Father, He is not made, “Begotten, not made.” His source is the Father’s Person (hypostasis), so he is not Deity (autotheos), but Divine. His divinity is inherited from the Father, despite having a source, He has always been. He never not existed. He was brought to the earth and carried by the Virgin Mary after she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ was fully human and fully God, two natures in one person: a hypostatic union. He was killed and resurrected, conquering Death forever. He sits at the right hand of the Father, awaiting the day of final judgment. Humans can only approach the Father through the Son. Holy Spirit: The Lord, the giver of life. He is the third Person (hypostasis) of the Trinity. Despite having a source, he has always existed.

John Feinberg states that one possible way to logically conceive the mystery of the Blessed Trinity is through the "label relative trinitarianism." By approaching the Trinity with a relativistic lens, Feinberg attempts to reconcile the ancient disputes which played a real part in "the split between the Eastern and Western Churches." However, the Church has always approached the mystery of the Trinity with tentativeness, especially since it is a dogma of revelation. In other words, although the Trinity is not mentioned directly in Scripture, it is nonetheless revealed sequentially. Because it is a revealed truth, it cannot be said to go against reason but as the Vatican I council of the 19th century concluded: "The divine mysteries, by their very nature, so far surpass the created understanding that, even when a revelation has been given and accepted by faith, they remain covered by the veil of that same faith and wrapped, as it were, in a certain obscurity"¦." With this essential point in mind, this paper will show that the doctrine of the mystery of the Blessed Trinity contains nothing that goes against reason but yet that cannot either be fully grasped by human reason alone.

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; this is one of the biggest mysteries of Christianity. How do three persons, each of which contains all of the divine attributes of the others including, omnipotence, omniscience and eternality among others, be one and at the same time be individuals? The issue at hand is; does biblical evidence support the doctrine of the Trinity? The doctrine of the Trinity distinctively marks and sets Christianity apart from other religions. Comprehending this is an issue all to itself. John Wesley said, “Bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and then I will show you a man that can comprehend the triune God.” While understanding the Trinity fully may not be possible, it is possible for Christian’s to gain a solid understanding of what it means for God to be three in one. This paper will attempt to provide that understanding of what the Trinity is and why it is important to Christians.

The Holy Trinity is, according to the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, “the theological doctrine that God consists of three persons” (Audi, 928). Those persons are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each within the religion of Christianity are considered omnipotent and omniscient (IEP, URL). This theory validates the actions of the religion 's savior Jesus Christ, who as the Son of God (and part of the Holy Trinity) died a painful death of suffering for the sins of humans. This offers reasoning for the worship of different God 's within the monotheistic religion. The concept of the Holy Trinity creates a paradoxical puzzle that many philosophers and theologians are still trying to explain to this day. However, during medieval times philosophers may have gone through greater lengths to explain the trinitarian view than any other era in philosophical history.

Like most doctrines of the Church the doctrine of the trinity do not develop fully until there was a need to establish the orthodox view point. The Council of Nicaea determined and stated that Christ and God were separate yet unified, each fully God. This was more of a statement of belief and not theological doctrine. As heresies arouse in regard to the nature of Christ and his relationship to the Father it became more important to develop a theological doctrine that would support the not fully developed orthodox beliefs of the Church that had been taught and believed since apostolic times. This was especially the case with the heresy of Arianism which taught that the Son of God was not co-eternal and consubstantial with His Father, but

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. Basically, I would like to define the doctrine of the Trinity as follows: God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is fully God, and there is one God according to Grenz.