The Trinity
Sarah Lawrence
Christian Theology
What is the Trinity?
The trinity is one of the most fundamental concepts in Christianity. Almost every Christian has heard the phrase but few understand its meaning. The trinity is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The concept of the trinity is found throughout the bible from Genesis until Revelation although the word itself is never used. Along with the doctrine of the Trinity come confusion and misconceptions from both Christians and non Christians. Through reading and analyzing scripture we have come to understand that God is one in essence but three distinct people. The doctrine of the trinity teaches there are three persons; the father, the son, and the holy spirit, combined into one being called the godhead. R. Scott Clark writes in his paper that the Athanasian Creed teaches Christians that
...we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one, the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal.
Many people have trouble comprehending this model because it is different. The Christian belief is that there are three people in one God, all three persons have the same power and should be worshipped equally. Common in Sunday schools is the teaching that god only appears to be three persons; we teach that god plays different roles at different times instead of him being three in one. (clark) No one can possibly understand the Trinity entirely and although the bible never actually uses the word “Trinity” it is described many times throughout the New and Old Testament in ways that make it easier for us to comprehend. It starts in Genesis, with Genesis 1:26 saying with God using the word “us” to describe himself “Then God said “Let us make man in the image, in out likeness…”(Women’s Devotional
Christian Theology
What is the Trinity?
The trinity is one of the most fundamental concepts in Christianity. Almost every Christian has heard the phrase but few understand its meaning. The trinity is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The concept of the trinity is found throughout the bible from Genesis until Revelation although the word itself is never used. Along with the doctrine of the Trinity come confusion and misconceptions from both Christians and non Christians. Through reading and analyzing scripture we have come to understand that God is one in essence but three distinct people. The doctrine of the trinity teaches there are three persons; the father, the son, and the holy spirit, combined into one being called the godhead. R. Scott Clark writes in his paper that the Athanasian Creed teaches Christians that
...we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one, the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal.
Many people have trouble comprehending this model because it is different. The Christian belief is that there are three people in one God, all three persons have the same power and should be worshipped equally. Common in Sunday schools is the teaching that god only appears to be three persons; we teach that god plays different roles at different times instead of him being three in one. (clark) No one can possibly understand the Trinity entirely and although the bible never actually uses the word “Trinity” it is described many times throughout the New and Old Testament in ways that make it easier for us to comprehend. It starts in Genesis, with Genesis 1:26 saying with God using the word “us” to describe himself “Then God said “Let us make man in the image, in out likeness…”(Women’s Devotional