Covenant Chapel Mens Wednesday Morning Bible Study

8/29/2011 TGE

On The Doctrine of the Trinity

The doctrine of the Trinity is important yet sometimes neglected, simple yet difficult, sublime yet basic to our understanding of God. Often more pressing concerns get in our way of what seems to be a doctrine that is way out there, or boring or irrelevant. It has also been a great source of division in the church. Yet it is basic to our understanding of who God is. If you deny it you deny Christ. At the same time it is almost impossible to say anything about the Trinity without saying something heretical. With that in mind, here are a few doctrinal statements that have been developed over the centuries. The doctrine of the INCARNATION discusses the nature of the God-man Jesus Christ. That is not part of our present discussion.

Westminster Confession of Faith (1643 AD)

2.III. In the unity of the Godhead there be three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.[38] The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; [39] the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. [40] Notes from http://www.reformed.org/documents/wcf_with_proofs/ [38] (Traditionally, I John 5:7 is placed here, but we have, for obvious reasons, omitted it in our online edition) MATT 3:16-17 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. MATT 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. II COR 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. [39] JOHN 1:14,18 And the Word was made 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. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

[40] JOHN 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me. GAL 4:6 And Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Nicene Creed (325 AD) http://www.creeds.net/ancient/nicene.htm

We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not
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made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
NOTE: From Covenant Chapels Discovery Course weve updated it to include this article: http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/what-is-the-doctrine-of-the-trinity

From Session 14: No one can define the Trinity. A famous theological professor once said, 'the man who denies the trinity will lose his soul. The man who tries to understand the trinity will lose his mind.' We, who are finite, cannot comprehend God, who is infinite.
We try to illustrate the concept of the Trinity, but the attempt is wholly inadequate. For example, I could describe water (H2O) as a liquid, a solid or a vapor--depending on whether it was liquid, ice, or steam. Or another illustration: I am to my father and mother a son (daughter), to my spouse a husband (wife); to my children a father (mother); yet, I am really only one person with different roles and responsibilities. But no illustration is adequate. At best, it only suggests what the triune God is like.

Athanasian Creed (Sixth Century)

NOTE: Please understand the word catholic today can be misunderstood The adjective use of the word is used here: universal, whole, comprehensive. In the Creed below the word catholic is not a reference to the Roman Catholic Church.

http://www.ccel.org/creeds/athanasian.creed.html 1. Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith; 2. Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. 3. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; 4. Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance. 5. For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit.
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6. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. 7. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. 8. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. 9. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible. 10. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. 11. And yet they are not three eternals but one eternal. 12. As also there are not three uncreated nor three incomprehensible, but one uncreated and one incomprehensible. 13. So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Spirit almighty. 14. And yet they are not three almighties, but one almighty. 15. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; 16. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. 17. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord; 18. And yet they are not three Lords but one Lord. 19. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord; 20. So are we forbidden by the catholic religion to say; There are three Gods or three Lords. 21. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. 22. The Son is of the Father alone; not made nor created, but begotten. 23. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. 24. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits.

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25. And in this Trinity none is afore or after another; none is greater or less than another. 26. But the whole three persons are coeternal, and coequal. 27. So that in all things, as aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped. 28. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity. 29. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 30. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man. 31. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world. 32. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. 33. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood. 34. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ. 35. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God. 36. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. 37. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ; 38. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead; 39. He ascended into heaven, He sits on the right hand of the Father, God, Almighty; 40. From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. 41. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies; 42. and shall give account of their own works. 43. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
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44. This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.

A Short List of Errors Regarding the Trinity

That there are three gods not one That there is one person not three in God That the Son is less than the Father That the Spirit is less than God That the Father became incarnate That the persons of the Trinity are different That the persons of the Trinity are the same That the Father became incarnate That the Spirit is not spirit That God has different modes, wills, thoughts, or actions in each person

For Further Study:

Ligonier http://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/athanasian-creed/ John Piper http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/what-is-the-doctrine-of-the-trinity Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, Ch 14 (36 pages) http://www.christianbook.com/systematic-theology-introduction-to-biblical-doctrine/waynegrudem/9780310286707/pd/28670 Augustine of Hippo On the Holy Trinity http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf103 Hilary of Poitiers On the Trinity http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/ReligionTheology/HistoryofChristianity/?view= usa&ci=9780199551644 http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf209.toc.html Calvins Institutes I.XIII (32 pages) http://www.ccel.org/ccel/calvin/institutes.iii.xiv.html

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