Is the Trinity significant?

[curtisloew]

Reading the Bible I found that actually the Trinity is never actually directly stated as being true. The idea of God being 1 and 2 and 3 at the same therefore is invention, at least by the Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon...what significance does the Trinity have, if any?

 

[dawny0826]

It's the core of my religion. And it is there, within the bible. It all boils down to how one interpets scripture.

 

[Breathe]

It's very important to most Christians - well, except the non-Trinitarian ones.

 

[ayani]

it's true that the trinity- the idea of God being three persons in one Being, in never actually spelled out in the Bible.

many Christians regard this belief as central to Christian faith, to the extent of regarding non-trinitarian Christians as heretics. there are many non-trinitarian Christians, however, who would contest this.

i agree with Dawn, in that interpretation of Scripture plays a large part.

 

[Evolution_Not]

I have a lot of problems accepting the concept. It was not something that jumped
out at me reading the Bible. For example if Christ is God then who died on the cross, can God die? When the devil tried to tempt Christ in the desert it would be
moronic to think that he could tempt God.

 

[Godslove]

Reading the Bible I found that actually the Trinity is never actually directly stated as being true. The idea of God being 1 and 2 and 3 at the same therefore is invention, at least by the Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon...what significance does the Trinity have, if any?

(The idea of God being 1 and 2 and 3 at the same)
People do not under stand what this means, it dose not mean that there is only one God ,these are three different beings. God his son Jesus Christ and the holy Ghost are as one in mind for they are Rightists .this is what it means one God (united together as one mind) again God all powerful with all power with flesh and bone, Jesus Christ Like his Father flesh and bone, but is under his Father , the Holy Ghost is only spirit so that it can have place in us to help us in our lives to testify to the truths of all things, and gives us warning of dangers that can harm us. The holy Ghost can only remain with us if we are true and faithful at all time. For we can receive the Holy Ghost as a gift from God, by the laying on of hands. Amen

 

[Charity]

It is important to me in my belief.....It never does actually say the Trinity but refers to the GodHead which is three, Father, Son and Holy Ghost....I agree with others it is just how you interpret it.......

 

[doppelganger]

The idea of God being 1 and 2 and 3 at the same therefore is invention, at least by the Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon...what significance does the Trinity have, if any?

Among the known christian writings, the "Trinity" is first mentioned by Tertullian in rough form (very rough in the opinion of some) around the end of the second century C.E. He is the first known user of the term trinitas. That's long before the councils, and at a time when Christian orthodoxy as it would become by the time of the councils was only beginning to take form. In fact Tertullian himself would later be branded a heretic by orthodoxy (mainly for reasons other than his contributions to the trinitas of course).

 

[Surya Deva]

Trinity is not problematic to me as a Hindu. We say that god is transcendental and immanent; unmanifest and manifest. So when god is immanent he can have many incarnations, even simultaneously existing at a time, each of which can die, but without affecting the transcendent god.
Thus Jesus being an incarnation or manifestation of god can die, but not god himself.

 

[curtisloew]

The holy Ghost can only remain with us if we are true and faithful at all time.

Does this not suggest that the Trinity can exist and not exist at the same time?

 

[Dunemeister]

Trinity is not problematic to me as a Hindu. We say that god is transcendental and immanent; unmanifest and manifest. So when god is immanent he can have many incarnations, even simultaneously existing at a time, each of which can die, but without affecting the transcendent god.
Thus Jesus being an incarnation or manifestation of god can die, but not god himself.

That's not quite what the notion of the trinity is getting at, though. The trinity doctrine says that there is one and only one divine being but three and only three divine persons. The Holy Spirit is one of those three persons.

 

[Copernicus]

Among the known christian writings, the "Trinity" is first mentioned by Tertullian in rough form (very rough in the opinion of some) around the end of the second century C.E. He is the first known user of the term trinitas. That's long before the councils, and at a time when Christian orthodoxy as it would become by the time of the councils was only beginning to take form. In fact Tertullian himself would later be branded a heretic by orthodoxy (mainly for reasons other than his contributions to the trinitas of course).

That is correct, but it is worth noting that Hindu missionaries existed in the Empire at the time, and Hinduism seems to have had an influence on the Greek mystery traditions. Tertullian himself may have been influenced by the existing concept of Trimurti. Of course, the Christian concept of Trinity is not the same as the Hindu concept of Trimurti, but that does not mean that it was totally unrelated.

 

[ChurchPlantings]

Reading the Bible I found that actually the Trinity is never actually directly stated as being true. The idea of God being 1 and 2 and 3 at the same therefore is invention, at least by the Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon...what significance does the Trinity have, if any?

The Bible mentions the Trinity in Genesis, and through-out the Old Testament reveals the Trinity until at last gives a name to the "Son", Jesus Christ, in the New Testament.

It's always there, it just was not known until Jesus Christ came then all the dots could be connected, what was being talked about when God said "our", or when the Bible mentioned the Holy Spirit as the quickening, the Messiah as the quickening, then Jesus Christ mentions himself as God, the Holy Spirit and the quickening.

So...yeah there's Biblical basis for the Trinity, quite strong basis actually.

 

[Delamere]

The term "Trinity" was coined by Tertullian long before the great Church Councils and it is a feature of some theological light-weights to claim that the doctrine was a later creation of the Church. The roots of the doctrine are found in virtually every part of the New Testament and, as Christians assert, is found also in the Old Testament of the Bible e.g. "the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters" or read Isaiah 53 and ask who is being spoken of.
The New Testament was written by the very community of followers created by Jesus and they were all trinitiarians. The first Christians were all monotheistic Jews who were driven to revise their understanding of the nature of God in the light of what they knew of the person of Christ and what he taught.

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is utterly biblical but is also utterly profound and mysterious too.

 

[uu_sage]

The Trinity, in principle, as I understand it, is supposed to make God more intimate and by extension to demonstrate the myriad of ways that God can be understood. I agree that God can be understood in myriad of ways; however the concept of the trinity I believe is un-scriptural, and contrary to reason. I am a proud, unapologetic Christian in the Universalist and Unitarian traditions. Jesus being a devoted Jew, and an itinerant Rabbi was a human prophet who constantly subordinated himself to God, and was attuned to God's presence and voice. He constantly recited the Shema- O Hear O Israel the Eternal our God is one and only one (Deuteronomy 6:4–9) Later as Jesus was being crucified at the hands of the Romans for preaching God's all inclusive love, and radical hospitality he questioned God in the famous words of Psalm 22, "My God, My God- why have you forsaken me?" In Luke 22:42, Jesus as he is ready to be executed is going through a crisis of faith and asks his God, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done" When Jesus is praying in the garden, then why is it is necessary, if Jesus is God? I believe in worship that one worships and prays to God, and to God alone not the messenger. If one is finite as Jesus is, then one cannot also be infinite. If one is infinite as God, then God cannot be finite. In John 4:24, it states that God is spirit, and those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth" With God being spirit, spirit doesn't have a body, and spirit therefore cannot be divided. A Unitarian Godhead makes more sense to me as it brings Christianity back into harmony with Judaism, that rather than saying that there is a God of y tradition, and a God of x tradition, that by affirming God's oneness then all of us are beloved children of a singular unitary God. Further, Unitarian theology allows us to follow to the religion of Jesus (his teachings, and example) as opposed to the religion about Jesus (creeds, dogmas made up about him) finally, if God is one it also says that the human family is one, our Earth is one. In regard to the verses that seem to defend the Trinity, when it comes to John 10:30 of Jesus’ claim that I and the Father are one. He is not talking about being the same substance of God of but instead he refers to spiritual oneness of being attuned to God's voice. Next comes John 8:5-8 where Jesus is said to "tell people the truth" that before Abraham was born, "I am". I am is the name of God, and nowhere in this passage is it referring to Jesus he is pointing back to God. In John 14: 7, which says that if you have seen Jesus, you have seen his Father”? This verse tells us that by Jesus’ actions and his words you are given a glimpse of God.

I still use the language of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or in the modern speak Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. The traditional language can be interpreted from a Unitarian theology. Father is the Eternal God, Jesus is a son of God in that we are all children of God, and the Holy Spirit is the power of God's love manifest in the universe or the divine spark within.

 

[roli]

I have a lot of problems accepting the concept. It was not something that jumped
out at me reading the Bible. For example if Christ is God then who died on the cross, can God die? When the devil tried to tempt Christ in the desert it would be
moronic to think that he could tempt God.

Who can comprehend the relationship of the father and the son, and how it's possible that God can come in the form of man, yet the bible is clear on the attributes,nature and power of Christ as being that which is found in God.


The essence of Christ being coming to the earth is that he had to relinquished the power he had when he was with the father to come in the likeness of sinful man, and become sin and the sacrifice for it.

 

[Lucian]

Reading the Bible I found that actually the Trinity is never actually directly stated as being true. The idea of God being 1 and 2 and 3 at the same therefore is invention, at least by the Councils of Nicea and Chalcedon...what significance does the Trinity have, if any?

Hmm, I'll explain some of my visions on the significance. I can safely say that the term isn't a necessity, and not everyone has used it because of the meanings it has been given later.

The term is not found in the scriptures, nor is the doctrine which is now commonly called "trinitarianism". That doctrine promotes the equality of the Father and the Son, against the Early Church's faith that the Son is subordinate to the One God, the Father.

It was first used by Theophilus of Antioch in 170 (later in the 3rd century by Tertullian, and for the first time in a creed in the Second Creed of Sirmium of 357), and it simply referred to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, not to the dogma with which it is now commonly associated with.

Theophilus of Antioch (d. 183/185): In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the Trinity, of God, and His Word, and His wisdom. And the fourth is the type of man, who needs light, that so there may be God, the Word, wisdom, man.

The Second Creed of Sirmium (357): ... the Father is greater for no one can doubt that the Father is greater in honour and dignity and Godhead, and in the very name of Father, the Son Himself testifying, "The Father that sent Me is greater than I” ... And the whole faith is summed up, and secured in this, that a Trinity should ever be preserved, as we read in the Gospel, “Go ye and baptize all the nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. And entire and perfect is the number of the Trinity ...

An explanation of the Early Church faith -

Michael Schmaus (1897-1993), a Roman Catholic theologian: The Christian writers of the second and third centuries considered the Logos as the eternal reason of the Father, but as having at first no distinct existence from eternity; he received this only when the Father generated him from within his own being and sent him to create the world and rule over the world.

The act of generation then was not considered as an eternal and necessary life-act but as one which had a beginning in time, which meant that the Son was not equal to the Father, but subordinate to Him. Irenaeus, Justin, Hippolytus and Methodius share this view called Subordinationism.

And the views of the Holy Spirit -

Basil of Caesarea (d.379): Of the wise men among ourselves, some have conceived of him [the Holy Spirit] as an activity, some as a creature, some as God; and some have been uncertain which to call him...

And therefore they neither worship him nor treat him with dishonor, but take up a neutral position.

 

[Jonsul]

As I see it, the term the trinity was created to help explain when people asked about the mentions of Jesus as God, the Holy Spirit, and God. It's not necessary, all it is is a tool to help explain all three. It basically means they are the same and one.

From what I can tell Jesus was God in human form

And the Holy Spirit is God in action. I.E. The holy spirit fell upon them.

If you think about it people place way to much on it, cause it's really just a complicated way of saying they're all God.

 

[curtisloew]

ChurchPlantings wrote:

'The Bible mentions the Trinity in Genesis, and through-out the Old Testament reveals the Trinity'

Actually I think you may have ignored my point... Please quote to me where in Genesis the bible expressly states...God is three and one at the same time.

 

[lunamoth]

The Trinity is like a pool of water that reflects self and all as one while at the same time being none of those things.