If you deny the Trinity, you ll lose your soul. If you try to explain the trinity, you ll lose your mind. Augustine

SESSION 5: “Trinity, God Is” Equip School of Ministry: Calvary Chapel of Crook County The trinity of God is a doctrine that is fundamental (foundatio...
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SESSION 5: “Trinity, God Is” Equip School of Ministry: Calvary Chapel of Crook County

The trinity of God is a doctrine that is fundamental (foundational) to the Christian faith. Belief or disbelief in the trinity marks truth from lie. Christians and non share intriguing deep longings: love, relationships, communication, peace, unity. We have these because we are made in the image and likeness of God. No people can rise above their concept of God. If we have a faulty view of God, we suffer. Everything we are is connected to our understanding of God’s nature. Who is my God? Who do I believe? Who/what do I worship?

If you deny the Trinity, you’ll lose your soul. If you try to explain the trinity, you’ll lose your mind. – Augustine

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Our finite, human brain and reason cannot fathom the trinity, nor can logic explain it.

Cute little illustrations like an egg having three parts, or water having three forms doesn’t even scratch the surface of the trinity. The word “trinity” is not in the Bible, neither is the word “rapture,” or even “Bible,” but the concepts are all there. The doctrine of the trinity is plainly taught in scripture. Trinity – first used by Tertullian 155 Ad – the word summarizes the totality of who God is.1

Because of all the false doctrine going around, the early church was forced to study the trinity and affirm it’s truth. The term “trinity” is not the best one because it emphasizes the three persons, but not the ______ within the trinity.

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Mark Driscoll, Doctrine Series Part I: Trinity, God Is

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A proper definition of the trinity must include the ___________ and _________ of the three persons within the trinity as well as ______within the trinity…”the trinity is composed of three united Persons without _____________ – so completely united as to form one God. The divine nature subsists in three distinctions – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. – Moody’s Handbook of Theology (Pg 199) ____-______ may better express the doctrine. The trinity is one God (monotheism) who eternally exists as three distinct persons who think, speak, feel, and act. Three distinct persons: Father, Son, Spirit all fully and equally God. – all are all -knowing, allpresent, all- powerful. (Deuteronomy 4.25) 25 “When you beget children and grandchildren and have grown old in the land, and act corruptly and make a carved image in the form of anything, and do evil in the sight of the LORD your God to provoke Him to anger, (Deuteronomy 32.39) 39 ‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand. (Psalm 86.10) 10 For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God. (Isaiah 43.10) “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. (Isaiah 45.5) I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me... (1 Timothy 1.17) Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise,[a]be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 2.5) Christ Jesus,

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For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man

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“What about other religions?” (John 17.3) Jesus said He’s the only true God. There are all kinds of false gods (Acts 17). -

Other religions worship demons. Powerful spirit beings, fallen angels in league with Satan, masquerading as angels of lights performing signs and wonders.

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Don’t just be spiritual (angelic) but be CHRISTIAN.

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(Deut 32.17) They sacrificed to demons, not to God.

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(1 Corinthians 10.20) Pagans sacrifice to demons, not to God.

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The worship of Allah, a different God than YHWH the God of the Bible is demonic.

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Mother Earth is a demon.

Misinterpretations of the Trinity: I. ____-______: In early church history men like John Ascunages and John Philoponus taught that:

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There were three who were God, but they are only related in loose association. Like Peter and John and James were disciples.

The Problem: This idea abandons the unity within the Trinity. It taught there were ______________ rather than three Persons within one Godhead. II. Sebelliaism or ____________: (taught by Sebellias circa 200ad) - This teaching was just about the opposite of tri-theism. Sebellias spoke of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but understood the three as simply three forms of existence, or three manifestations of one God. - This teaching is also known as modalism because God basically appears in three ________, Father, Son, or Holy Spirit.

The fatal shortcoming of modalism is the fact that it must deny the personal relationships within the trinity that appearance so many places in Scripture where it must affirm that these are simply an allusion and not real. That's it must deny three separate persons at the baptism of Jesus where the father speaks from heaven in the spirit ascends on Jesus like a dove. And it must say that all those instances where Jesus was praying to the father are an illusion or a charade. The idea of the sun or the Holy Spirit interceding for us before God the father is lost. Finally modeless him ultimately loses the heart of the doctor the atonement – that. That is, the idea that God sent his son has a

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substitutionary sacrifice, and the sun bore the wrath of God in our place, and that the father, representing the interests of the Trinity, saw the suffering of Christ, and was satisfied – Grudem, pg. 242

1.) III. III. Arianism: a teaching by ______ (250-336 AD) Deny Father, Son, Spirit are all equally God: Jehovah’s witnesses. -

This teaching taught that the Son was subordinate to the Father. This got carried further to that Jesus was subordinate to the Father even in essence.

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This ultimately led to Arianism which denied the deity of Christ.

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Arian taught that Jesus was begotten, therefore He was created, so there was a time when Jesus didn’t exist.

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Arian and His teachings were condemned at the council of Nicea in A.D. 325

THE BIBLICAL EVIDENCE. A.

The progressive nature of the Old Testament evidence. I. The _____________ of God: Is found in the first verse of the Bible… (Genesis 1.1) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

God:__________ (a Hebrew plural form) for God. This word speaking of the plurality of God is used 2300 times in the O.T. El- God (singular) Elohim (plural) Dr Gary Brashears: Targum Niofiti (200 BC) A targum was an accepted Jewish translation and reading gof the O.T. The Jewish scholars would translate the O.T and accept them as Targum. Note it is 200 years before Jesus or the church, 500 yrs before the council of Niciea where Christians declare the Trinity Doctrine. It states this…

In the beginning by the Firstborn God created the heaven and the earth…and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. – Genesis 1.1 (Colossians 1.15-17) 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

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There were Jews who were waiting for Messiah who love and studied the Bible 200 yrs before Jesus who interpreted the opening line of the Bible to be Trinitarian. -

The rest of Genesis starts to make sense in light of the Targum.

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(Genesis 1.26-27) 26 Then God said, “Let ___make man in ____image, according to _____likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in ________________; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them .

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That makes no sense apart from the Trinity.

(Genesis 3.22) 22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of ___, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

At the destruction of the tower of Babyl… (Genesis 11.7) Come, let ____ go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” These verses allow later revelation of the trinity to fit nicely with early revelation.

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Who’s the “us and the “our?” The Father, Son and Holy Spirit. II.

The Distinctiveness of the Persons

(Genesis 16.7-13) 7 Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” 9 The Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” 10 Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” 11 And the Angel of the LORD said to her: “ Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has heard your affliction.

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12 He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.” 13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-

Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” -

The appearance of the Angel of Yahweh in each of His O.T. appearances suggests further the mystery of _________________ within deity.

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The title itself "Angel of Yahweh" (literally, “messenger of Yahweh”) suggests there is some distinctiveness of this messenger and Yahweh Himself. However, in each context, there is clear evidence that this "angel" is indeed Yahweh Himself!

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This is made clear either by the ___________ (who will use the terms "angel of Yahweh" and "Yahweh" interchangeably) or by the response of the ___________ visited by the angel.

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For example, Hagar speaks to the Angel of Yahweh, calling Him El Roi because God (El) has allowed Himself to be seen!

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This is difficult to understand apart from a Trinitarian interpretation of the event.

III.

More Trinity in the O.T.

(Isaiah 6.8) 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “ Whom shall I send, And who will go for ___?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” (Isaiah 48.16d) …And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit have (singular) sent Me.” -

The question is: who is writing this? Who is me? Jewish scholars say it’s Isaiah, but looking at the context…

(V12-16) 12 “ Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. 13 Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, And My right hand has stretched out the heavens;

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When I call to them, They stand up together. 14 “ All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? The LORD loves him; He shall do His pleasure on Babylon, And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans. 15 I, even I, have spoken; Yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper. 16 “ Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have[a] sent Me.” - This is hardly descriptive of Isaiah. The reference to two, distinct divine persons in connection with the Spirit anticipates the N.T. doctrine of the Trinity in a radical way. IV.

And yet the Bible does not teach _______________...

(Isaiah 46.10) Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is _____________; I am God, and there is none like Me, (Isaiah 45.5) I am the LORD, and there is ____________; There is no God besides Me… (Isaiah 44.6) 6 “ Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘ I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. B. The Five “Fingers” of Biblical Evidence: I. _______________________: We know there is One God: (1 Corinthians 8.4) Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one.

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(James 2.19) You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe— and tremble! One of the strongest examples: “The Shema” (Deuteronomy 6.4) “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! - This translation stresses the numerical singularity of God: He is one God. Also translated: "The LORD is our God, He is LORD alone." This would stress the uniqueness of God more than just His singularity. These translations are admiring to God.

"one" ('echad) can denote a single "cluster" (e.g., Num. 13:23 refers to "one" cluster of grapes), while the other Hebrew word for one (yachar) denotes total singularity (e.g., Gen. 22:2, “your one son”). The Trinity illustrates 2 truths: 1.) There is 1 God. 2.) The Father, Son and Spirit are God II. ______________________ (1 Corinthians 8.6) yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. There are fewer references that specifically denote the Father as God probably because this metaphor for God was so widely accepted. Everyone agrees the Father is God, even the heretics and cults get that. There are fewer references that specifically denote the Father as God probably because this metaphor for God was so widely accepted. In Paul’s letters, Paul tends to distinguish the Father from the Son by using "God" for the Father and "Lord" for the Son. III. _______________________ (John 1.1-4,14) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men….14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 5.18) Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

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There are three testimonies in this verse to Christ's deity: (a) Jesus' own statement; (b) The Jews’ understanding of Jesus' claim (c) John's interpretation of Jesus' claim. (John 8.58) 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (The God of Abraham and Moses) 59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him (and elsewhere) because you being a mere man claim to be God. (John 20.28) Thomas cried out “My Lord and My God” (Romans 9.5) …Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. (Titus 2.13) Our great God and savior Jesus Christ (1 John 5.20) Jesus Christ, He is the one true God. There are three testimonies in this verse to Christ's deity: (a) ________ own statement; (b) The _________ understanding of Jesus' claim (c) ____________interpretation of Jesus' claim. IV. ____________________________ 1. He is a He, not an it. He is not an impersonal force or an it. a.) He can be grieved (Ephesians 4.30) a force is not grieved. Gravity is not grieved. b.) He can be resisted (Acts 7.51) c.) He convicts us of sin, guides us, empowers us, informs us, instructs us. d.) He can be insulted – you can’t insult electricity (2 Corinthians 3.17-18) 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. -

Here Paul is telling of Moses’ encounter with God. The glory of God so shined on Moses that he had to cover his face.

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Paul explains who the Lord (YHWH) of the story is…the Spirit, who shares the same personal name used only of God.

(Acts 5.3-4) 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.” One God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit – The Trinity

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The Trinity of Love: The Definition of God: LOVE (1 John 4.7-8) 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. -

God doesn’t need love from us, He IS love.

No other religion has right to say God is love. Only we can believe God is love because we believe in the Trinity and the essence of Trinitarian community is love. -

In Jesus’ earthly life: He goes from eternity past and enters into an earthly life

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(John 3.35) 35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.

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(John 14.31) 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.

V. The Three Persons are all ____________ and __________ God: A. All are present at Jesus’ baptism: (Matthew 3.16-17) 16 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He[c] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” B. “The ________________ Formula”: (Matthew 28.19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, - This verse shows that all three are distinctly separate but equal. - This has been known as “the _______________ of the Trinity.” C. The __________________: (2 Corinthians 13.14) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen. D. Other References in Scripture: These references show how prevalent the trinity was taught and spoken of throughout the lives of the apostles, even when they were speaking on different themes.

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“The doctrine of the trinity was deeply enmeshed in the lives of the apostles.” – Adam Pool Every Chapter of Ephesians References the Trinity: (Ephesians 1.3-14) In the work of salvation, the Father chooses, the Son redeems, the Spirit seals. (Ephesians 2.17-18) And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. (Ephesians 3.14-17) 14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,[c] 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, (Ephesians 4.4-6) There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you[a] all. (Ephesians 5.18-21) 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.[c] (Ephesians 6.10-11, 17) 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord (context is Jesus) and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; (1 Peter 1.2) elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: (Revelation 1.4-5) John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits (seven-fold ministry of the Spirit) who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed[a] us from our sins in His own blood,

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(1 Corinthians 12.4-6) There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. V. -

The Three Persons are Equal in _________________: The _____________ is recognized as authoritative and _______.

(1 Corinthians 8.6) yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. -

The Son is recognized as ________to the Father in every respect.

(John 5.21-23) 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, 23 that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him. -

The Spirit is likewise recognized as equal to the Father and the Son.

(Matthew 12.31) “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. There is in a sense voluntary, functional subordination in terms of function and role, but not in term of essence, quality, worth. (similar to the order in the marriage relationship, governmental relationships, family order, ect). o There’s an others-centeredness – they all glorify each other. In the Son’s ministry, He did the will of the Father, not knowing the day or the hour. Equality in terms of being, difference in roles to carry out Father: predestines Son: Carries it out Spirit: Applies it. -

People say the Trinity is something that has been recently thought up…

We believe in One God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Of all things visible and invisible. We believe in One Lord, Jesus Christ the only Son of God. God from God, light from light, true God from true God. Begotten not made, of one being with the Father, Through Him all things were made. For us

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men and for our salvation He came down from heaven, By the power of the Holy Spirit He was made man. For our sake He was crucified died and was buried. He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and of his kingdom there will be no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the lord and giver of life who proceeds from the Father [and Son], Through the Father and Son is glorified, He has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church We believe in communion of saints, the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Nicaean Creed 325 AD. -

We don’t believe it because the early church said this, but because the Word declares it.

St. Patrick was born in Britain, taken captive by the Irish, was enslaved. When he was finally let go, he had developed such a heart for the Irish people, the he went home, studied, went to seminary, went back to Ireland and over 60 years started 300 churches denying paganism. One way he explained the trinity was the three leaf clover. (Isaiah 40.18) To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him? Conclusion: (Deuteronomy 29.29) “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

If God were so small for me to understand Him, He wouldn’t be big enough for me to worship Him. – J.B. Philips, Bible Translator (John 8.24) Unless you believe I am you will perish in your sins: If you believe Jesus is a _________________ - Mormons An ____________ – Jehova’s W. A _____________ – Islam A _________ – Christian Science…You perish in Your sins. - The Mormon’s reject the trinity. - The J.W.’s deny the deity of the H.S. They pass out a track with a weird threeheaded monster depicting the Trinity. (2 John 9-11) Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. 10 If

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anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds.

We worship one God in Trinity, because the scriptures reveal one God in Trinity. Trinitarian life: 1.) It’s ____________: The Holy Spirit resides in me. Everything I do is by the Spirit through the Son, to the Father. 2.) It’s __________: Unless you know who love is, where love comes from, what it is. Trinitarian love is for the well-being of the other not using.

Para coreses: coreograph – A dance of the Trinity as one God. The early church fathers used to use this word to enter into the dance with God. 3.) It’s _____________: It’s not good to be alone. Loneliness, isolation is not what God intends. Relationship, community, friendship is what God intends. 4.) ____________: There is open, honest, authentic transparency among the Trinity. 5.) ____________: There was never a day where Jesus was jealous of the praise lavished on the Father. There was never a day where the Spirit covets Jesus’ glory. -

“Father, not my will, but Your will be done.”

6.) It’s ____________: (1 Cor 11) The head of the woman in marriage is man, and the head of the Man is God. - If you are defiant, you are not Trinitarian. That’s satanic. I won’ listen to or follow anyone but me. 7.) Trinitarian life is ____________: No one is happier than God. There is joy because there is no sin, jealousy, conflict, disrespect, lying, hiding, blaming. There’s just love, communication, affection, adoration in imminent trinity. He’s the most happy person who has ever existed. -

There is sin, and falling short, but in great joy the Son came to die, forgive us, and have the Spirit indwell us and set us apart.

The Importance of the Doctrine of the Trinity: Why was the church so concerned about the doctrine of the Trinity? Is it really essential to hold the full deity of the son and the Holy Spirit? Yes it is, for this teaching has implications for the very heart of the Christian faith.

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First, the atonement is at stake. If Jesus is merely created being common and not fully God, then it is hard to see how he a creature, could bear the full wrath of God against all of our sense. Get any creature, no matter how great really save us? Second, justification by faith alone is threatened if we deny the full deity of the sun. This is seen today in the teaching of the Jehovah's Witnesses he not believing justification by faith alone. If Jesus is not fully God, we would rightly doubt whether we can really trust him to save us completely. Could we really depend on any creature fully for our salvation? Third, if Jesus is not infinite God, should we pray to him or worship them? Who but an infinite god, omniscient God could hear and respond to all the prayers of all gods people? And who but God himself is worthy of worship? Indeed, if Jesus is merely a creature, no matter how great, it would be idolatry to worship him – get the New Testament commands us to do so. Fourth, if someone teaches that Christ was a created being but nonetheless one he saved us, then this teaching wrongly begins to attribute credit for salvation to the creature and not to God himself. But this wrongfully exalts the creature rather than the creator, something scripture never allows us to do. Fifth, the independence and personal nature of God are at stake: if there is no Trinity, then there were no interpersonal relationships within the being of God before creation, and, without personal relationships, it is difficult to see how God could be genuinely personal or be without the need for a creation to relate to. Sixth, the unity of the universe is at stake: if there's not perfect plurality and perfect unity and got himself then we have no basis for thinking there can be any ultimate unity among the diverse elements of the universe either. Clearly, in the doctrine of the Trinity, the heart of the Christian faith is at stake. Herman Davin Eric says that "Anthony see us understood better than any of his contemporaries the Christianity stands or falls with the confession of the deity of Christ and of the Trinity." He adds, "in the confession of the Trinity throbs the heart of the Christian religion: every error results from, or upon deeper reflection maybe traced to, a wrong view of this doctrine.- Grudem pg 247. Questions for Application: 1.) We all existing other relationships to human authority in government, employment, and vote voluntary societies, and educational institutions, and it athletics, for example. Sometimes we have authority over others and sometimes we are subject to the authority of others. Whether in the family or one of these other areas, give one example of a way in which your use of authority or your response to authority might become more like the pattern of relationships in the Trinity.

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2.) If we see the Trinitarian existence of God as the fundamental basis for all combinations of unity and diversity in the universe, then what are some other parts of creation that show both unity and diversity (for example: the interdependency of environmental system on the earth, or the fascinating activity of bees in a hive, or the harmonious working of the various parts of the human body?) Do you think God has made us so that we take spontaneous delight and demonstrations of unity and diversity, such as a musical composition that manifests great unity and yet great diversity of various parts of the same time, or in the skillful execution of some plan strategy by members of an athletic team working together?

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