God and the holy spirit, defense of his deity and person. Trinity, in christian doctrine, the unity of father, son, and holy spirit as three persons in one godhead. Doctrine of the trinity for instance, in the volume of. It is used to summarize the teaching of scripture that god is three persons yet one god. However, in recent times some adventists have begun to question its validity. The term trinity is not a biblical term, and we are not using biblical language when we define what is expressed by it as the doctrine that there is one only and true god, but in the unity of the godhead there are three coeternal and coequal persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence. Biblical portraits and royal priesthood in the english reformation and the formation of christian doctrinethe potters promise is the fascinating pilgrimage of leighton flowers, director of apologetics and youth. Jws say it was invented in the fourth century at the councils of nicea in a.
Historical development of the doctrine of the trinity and. For a discussiondebate on the holy trinity and oneness pentecostals. Defining and defending the doctrine of the trinity this message investigates a biblical teaching that is vital to every christian the trinity the belief that god is threeinone. Defense of my doctrinal position regarding the trinity as consistent with the statement of methodological commitment j. We still have to consider the biblical view of the spirit. The doctrine of the trinity in biblical perspective 325 trinity, but this mystery must be accepted in terms of the biblical reelation. Its teaching is moralistic and legalistic and reveals a very limited unders tanding of the gospel. Professor erickson further states that the trinity teaching is not present in biblical thought, but arose when biblical thought was pressed into this foreign mold of greek concepts. The student will also learn a strong defense for the deity of christ, recognizing that christ was either a madman or the lord of the universe.
Understanding this doctrine wont help a person in his marriage, make him a better parent, help. If any doctrine makes christianity christian, then surely it is the doctrine of the trinity. Online apologetics degrees and courses at trinity trinity. Finally, although the doctrine of the trinity belongs to revealed theology rather than to natural theology, we may ask if there are any positive arguments which might be offered on behalf of the plausibility of that doctirne. May 16, 2011 this outline study presents a biblical case for the doctrine of the trinity, citing roughly 1,000 references drawn from well over 300 different chapters of the bible, including references from all 27 books of the new testament. The biblical basis of the doctrine of the trinity an. To a large number of christians, however, it is a doctrine fundamental to christianity since it deals with a correct knowledge of god. Bible knowledge quiz from trinity college and seminary. The mission of trinity southwest university is to provide quality higher education for adult learners. Sep 28, 2011 if any doctrine makes christianity christian, then surely it is the doctrine of the trinity. Shows what length antitrinitarians go to in denying. The below bible verses and scriptures about the trinity will help you have a better understanding of who god is.
It should be noted that the word trinity is never given in the bible. The doctrine of the trinity has come under increasing attack over recent years from a variety of groups. This series of short questions and multiple choice answers will show how well you know general questions about the contents of the bible. A formulation and defense of the doctrine of the trinity. Teaching them, through a variety of biblicallybased academic disciplines, to uphold the divine authority of the bible as gods only inspired. Thus, the doctrine of the trinity goes beyond and even distorts what the bible says about god p. Related to the divine being, his nature and mode of being. A common tactic of satan is to imitate or counterfeit the things of god in order to make himself appear to be like god. Warfield, trinity, from the international standard. The letter of barnabas author unknown was addressed to christians in danger of relapsing to judaism. The logos is generated begotten yet without a diminishing of the divine essence. One reason those who deny the trinity do so is the bible clearly teaches monotheism, meaning that god is one god. Some of these groups such as muslims and jehovahs witnesses deny that this doctrine is even found in scripture.
How to defend the doctrine of the trinity catholic answers. Reason neither affirms nor denies it, but is rightly em ployed in the esnmination of the biblical evidences of the soundness of the doctrine. The authors have provided a multidisciplinary consideration of the doctrine of the trinity, the deity of christ, and the doctrine of the incarnation in light of heresies both ancient and modern. Warfield the term trinity is not a biblical term, and we are not using biblical language when we define what is expressed by it as the doctrine that there is one only and true god, but in the unity of the godhead. Upon completion of this session, the student will have built a biblical foundation for the doctrine of the trinity looking at the teachings of both the old and new testaments. Jesus biblical mandate of the trinity is clearly spelled out for the disciples and the church to see. There are a number of other passages of scripture that encourage escaping from danger or even using force in selfdefense, if necessary, and encourage us to defend other people against wrongful attacks. Why we should believe in the trinity probe ministries. According to the capitalization guide in our style manual. The trinity in creation inspiration and the trinity the trinity and.
My goal in this article is to provide some clarity concerning how we can know the triune god from scripture so that the churchs. In fact, to distance themselves from the catholic version of the trinity, many protestant leaders from the 19th century preferred the more biblical term godhead when referring to the triune god. Moving beyond the modern reticence to provide robust biblical justification for the doctrine of the trinity, our god is triune is a thoroughgoing defense of the very foundation of the christian faith. The doctrine of the trinity is difficult for some people to understand.
Historical development early doctrinal formations 100 230 a. The doctrine of the trinity separates orthodox christian teaching from heresy. The biblical basis of the doctrine of the trinity an outline. What is commonly referred to as the unholy trinity, described vividly in revelation 12 and, is no exception. A biblical concept of the trinity and its defense real. The biblical basis of the doctrine of the trinity by robert bowman, jr. These misconceptions affect how one would assess the biblical evidence for orthodox trinitarianism. If you feel led to donate to my church trinity bible fellowship please mail your donation to. The doctrine of the trinity is considered to be one of the central christian affirmations about god. Historical development of the doctrine of the trinity and of. Jan 01, 2005 but what about sybts claim on page seven that the trinity was unknown throughout biblical times and several centuries thereafter. This essential teaching of christianity states that we believe in one god who exists in three separate and distinct personsgod the father, god the son, and god the holy spirit. In the ot the spirit ruah is primarily the power that comes from god to man, enabling him to do extraordinary things. The term trinity was not used until tertullian ad 200, who used the latin word trinitas pronounced trineehtoss to describe the three persons of the trinity the doctrine of the trinity is not illogical, but it is difficult to wrap.
Their counterparts in the unholy trinity are satan, the antichrist, and the false prophet. God is three distinct individuals god the father, the son jesus, and the holy spirit in one true god. A brief declaration and vindication of the doctrine of the. This outline study presents a biblical case for the doctrine of the trinity, citing roughly 1,000 references drawn from well over 300 different chapters of the bible, including references from all 27 books of the new testament. For more advanced discussion of the biblical texts, doctrinal development, trinitarian terminology, and history of the early catholic christian creeds and councils, please consult the following books. Box 8500, charlotte, nc 28271 phone 704 8878200 and fax 704 8878299 1 statement dt160 the biblical basis of the doctrine of the trinity i. Posing a dogmatic question to the scriptures presupposes that the. To conclude this defense, i want to do three things. Representing god as one, the scriptures also ascribe divinity to father, son and holy spirit. A biblical argument for selfdefense crossway articles. Biblical research institute silver spring, md june 1999 introduction the doctrine of the trinity lat. Both muslims and christians agree that there is at least one person in god, the person christians call father, and since we have given a defense of the christian belief that jesus christ is god, the son of god, it remains only to say a word about the person of god the holy spirit, knowing that our muslims friends deride the person and the work of the holy spirit. To see verses where the holy spirit is equal to god, compare isa. John says the word was not only present but also active as a member of the godhead during every act of creation cf.
The word trinity is not used in the bible, but the concept is certainly present throughout scripture. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source with renderx xep formatter, version 3. The doctrine of the trinity states that in the unity of the godhead there are three eternal and coequal persons. Any standard dictionary will define trinity as the godhead father, son, holy ghost as one divine entity, but a more standard definition simply defines trinity. Weve seen already that the elements of the trinity are biblical. For an explanation of the method, reasoning, and background of this study, please see the introduction. It cannot be subordinated to the old, metaphysical doctrine of gods unity nor can it be relegated to second level disourse. Having shown that scripture emphatically rejects the notion that the father, son and spirit are synonymous persons, only five propositions remain to be demonstrated in order to provide biblical substantiation for the concept of the trinity.
The doctrine of the trinity in history and scripture teacher. From the early church onward, clarifying and defending the doctrine of the trinity has been of vital importance in the life and health of the church, specifically with. Any number of biblical passages can be used to support this. Trinity and certitude in the theology ofjohn calvin. Jesuss disciples carried swords, even after three years of traveling with jesus. If either misconception were actually true, a foundational. The shepherd of hermas author unknown is an allegory. But this is what god has revealed in scripture about his own being, so we should believe it. While the developed doctrine of the trinity is not explicit in the books that constitute the new testament, the new testament possesses a triadic understanding of god and contains a number of trinitarian formulas, including matthew 28. Jan 01, 2001 any number of biblical passages can be used to support this.
While the holy trinity is characterized by infinite truth, love, and goodness, the unholy trinity portrays the diametrically opposite traits of deception, hatred. Teaching them, through a variety of biblicallybased academic disciplines, to uphold the divine authority of the bible as gods only inspired representation of reality to humankind, and equipping them to apply its eternal truths to all. Two, does the bible teach that jesus and the father are separate and distinct persons. Yet the word trinity is not found anywhere in the bible. Doctrine of the trinity biblical research institute. The doctrine of the trinity in biblical perspective. Jan 02, 2020 the holy trinity consists of god the father, the son jesus christ, and the holy spirit. Jun 20, 2018 online apologetics degrees and courses at trinity video transcript. A significant truth conveyed in the nt is the direct involvement of the second member of the trinity in the original act of creation. Dec 15, 2014 how the doctrine of the trinity developed. Yarnell iii, research professor of systematic theology, author of god the trinity. This biblical affirmation of the trinity plays a crucial role in the preaching, teaching, worshipping and evangelism of the church. The three great ecumenical creedsthe apostles creed, the nicene creed, and the athanasian creedare all structured around our three in one god, underlying the essential importance of trinitarian theology.
In biblical doctrines warfield reveals his mastery of such doctrines as the trinity, the person and work of christ, redemption, and faith. In defense of biblical theology contra ironicallynamed site, as it argues against the doctrine of the trinity. Moreover, he found no biblical grounds for affirming the eternal generation of the logos from the. The biblical view of the spirit in the old testament. The term trinity is not a biblical term, and we are not using biblical language when we define what is expressed by it as the doctrine that there is one only and true god, but in the unity of the godhead there are three coeternal and coequal persons, the same in substance but distinct. The jehovahs witnesses and the resurrection of jesus christ, 2nd ed. Jan 10, 2018 both muslims and christians agree that there is at least one person in god, the person christians call father, and since we have given a defense of the christian belief that jesus christ is god, the son of god, it remains only to say a word about the person of god the holy spirit, knowing that our muslims friends deride the person and the work of the holy spirit. Although justly famed for his landmark defense of the divine inspiration and authority of scripture, b. First, we need to define what the word trinity means, which is similar to the word unity in that the prefix uni means one and tri means three. The trinitythe trinity t he complex doctrine of the trinity is so sim ply wonderful and wonderfully simple as to demand a divine origin.
Understanding the biblical doctrine of the trinity godhead. Father, son and holy spirit, the same in essence but distinct in role three persons or three centres of consciousness and one being see diagram, below. However, just because an apostate church believes in the trinity, or any other doctrine for that matter, does not automatically make it unbiblical. A brief declaration and vindication of the doctrine of the trinity by john owen. They are often quick to point out that the word trinity is to be found nowhere in the bible. The word trinity comes from tri meaning three and unity meaning one. One of the most important christian doctrines to have attracted philosophical attention is the doctrine of the trinity. I close with an argument which a number of christian philosophers have defended for gods being a plurality of persons. The key element in successfully explaining and defending the trinity is to recognize that the doctrine is based on the plain teaching of scripture. The term trinity was not used until tertullian ad 200, who used the latin word trinitas pronounced trineehtoss to describe the three persons of the trinity. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source.
In biblical doctrines warfield reveals his mastery of such doctrines as the trinity, the person and work of. A proper evaluation of the biblical evidence for the doctrine of the trinity will depend on the faithful application of sound principles of biblical interpretation. It is doubtful whether there are any types or symbols of the trinity. If christian apologetics is the defense of the christian worldview, then we want to know how to defend it against some of the best arguments and evidences brought against our position from atheists, muslims, and other opposing world views. By the trinity is meant the unity of three persons in one godhead. But what about sybts claim on page seven that the trinity was unknown throughout biblical times and several centuries thereafter.
Braxton hunter and i want to take just a moment to tell you about trinitys degree programs in christian apologetics. This classic piece is often republished as the biblical. The doctrine of the trinity in history and scripture. It does not contain any direct statements relating to the trinity. Bible knowledge quiz test your knowledge of the bible, both old and new testaments, with the trinity college bible knowledge quiz. It is rooted in the fact that god came to meet christians in a threefold figure. Jesus christ our creator a biblical defence of the trinity.
For a discussiondebate on the holy trinity and modern arians. Scripture, the sheer volume of work done to defend and articulate it in both councils and statements of faith affirm. Logs of debates between christian apologist robert bowman, and jehovahs witness apologist greg stafford and others. Warfield, trinity, from the international standard bible encyclopedia general editor james orr, 1915. The biblical doctrine of the trinity by benjamin b.