THEO 5 H
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Grand Canyon University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
505-O502
Subject
Religion
Date
Apr 3, 2024
Type
docx
Pages
3
Uploaded by MegaRavenMaster687
THEO 5 H
BRAZZ
LIB
The essential elements of the doctrine of the Trinity are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These essential elements are the keys that make up the Christian doctrine. It allows us to know the likeness of God, know who God is, shape how we interact with God, and reveal how God operates. As Erickson writes, [1]“The doctrine of the Trinity is crucial for Christianity. It is concerned with who God
is, what he is like, how he works, and how he is to be approached”. (Erickson 2013,1)
In the Old Testament the Trinity is revealed by engaging the scriptures through the lens of a hermeneutics approach. Although it is never stated directly in the bible that God is three in one, it is implied in several areas of the bible. While the trinity is clearer in the New Testament, it is stated in the Old Testament as well. Erickson helps paint a clearer picture of the Trinity by using a passage in the Old Testament. Genesis 1:26 states “God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image”. (New International Version) Erickson writes, [2]“Here the plural appears both in verb
“let us make” and in possessive suffix “our”. (Erickson 2013,2) The use of these plural pronouns can only point to there being plurality in the nature of God.
In the New Testament the Trinity is outlined in various passages. The passage in which readers can see all three working at the same time is found in Matthew 3:16-17 which states “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the
water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (New International Version). In this passage we can see the Holy Spirit coming on the Son and the Father speaking and acknowledging this it is his Son who is from him. Understanding the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to understanding Christianity. There are many, even within the Christian faith, who do not believe in the Trinity. Erickson, in his second point writes it this way, [3]“The deity of each of the three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, must be affirmed. Each is qualitatively the same. The Son is divine in the same way and to the same extent as
is the Father, and is true of the Holy Spirit as well”. (Erickson 2013,26) Scripture implies that God must be viewed as part of the Trinity. The Trinity must be affirmed in order to have an accurate understanding of God. Without this understanding, one
can miss the mark of God’s personal nature.
There are other views within Christianity, such as the orthodox view and modalism, who see God as three separate people at different moments in time. However, that view is contradictory because it misses the point that God is one “being” in three
distinct “persons”. In order to understand the Trinity, we have to first understand that a “being” and a “person” are two different things. A “being” is what we are but a “person” is who we are. Each are equal but the roles are different. For example, the Father’s role creates, the Son’s role saves people from the punishment that is due, and the Holy Spirit’s role is to sanctify and convict people. 1 Peter 1:2 provides the best understanding of the role of the Trinity stating, “who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance”. (New International Version)
The understanding of the doctrine of the Trinity helps deepen our faith because it shows how God works and what God is like. Our faith is then deepened when we understand what God is like because we can approach him and have direct relationship with him. This is contrary tothe distant view of God found in many other
religions that expresses a need to appease God through works rather than a direct relationship with God. [1] [1] Erickson, Millard. “Christian Theology Third Edition” Grand Rapids Michigan Baker Academics 2013), 1
[2] Ibid, 2
[3] Ibid, 26
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help