what is the trinity, Historical development, how did the early church undersand the trinity. This is taken from a theolgy programe I have been studying which I found interesting, I hope it helps those who have a difficult time accepting the doctrine of the trinity. These are the theolgy teachers words Im typing.....
God in the OT, the Father was understood to be God, when God called moses to led his people out of Egypt in this miraculous way, moses asks what will I tell the people, who will I say sent me, and God said tell them "I Am" sent you. God always potrays Himself as God the Father which is fine, but in the NT Jesus defines Himself as God so we have another problem, so is the Father God of the Old Testment Jesus of the NT. Jesus accepts people worship, Jesus has claimed to be from the beguining. John 1:1 in the beguining was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. So now do we have two Gods ? and then we have Jesus leaving acts chapter2 and the Holy Sprirt coming and He is apparently God so now we have three different people if you will called God, yet we only have one God. so now we have to try and figure out whats going on with our bible. The Father is God and it seems the Son is God and now it seems that the Spirit is God yet we are claiming there is only one God. and thats what leads to this position here.
St Augustine speaking on this issue in the 4th centuary says to his readers let me ask of my reader, wherever, alike with myself, he is certain, there to go on with me; wherever, alike with myself, he hesitates, there to join with me in inquiring; wherever he recognizes himself to be in error, there to return to me; wherever he recognizes me to be so, there to call me back: so that we may enter together upon the path of charity, and advance towards Him of whom it is said, "Seek His face evermore." And I would make this pious and safe agreement, in the presence of our Lord God, with all who read my writings, as well in all other cases as, above all, in the case of those which inquire into the unity of the Trinity, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; because in no other subject is error more dangerous, or inquiry more laborious, or the discovery of truth more profitable.
We are treading on territory that has defined orthodoxy since the very begining of the church, since this issue is really wrestled with and its the first issue that was wrestled with since the history of the church and it is something that if you do don't abide, or do not hold to the principles set forth by the early church and their understanding of the Scriptures you have been deemed as unorthodox, there is no way to saying that someone who denies the doctrine of the trinity yet loves Jesus Christ is a orthodox believer according to the historical definitions of what orthodoxy is. First and foremost, orthodoxy says who is God.
Orthodoxy says " who do you say that he is, so we enter in to territory which is very difficult, so difficult that you see that many people have a belief in God, would have believed differently about God by denying the trinity.
The mormons who say they read the same bible say that Jesus is not part of a trinity but Christ is the product of a sexual relationship between the father and the godess, satan is his brother. [ 11.5 million ] bible believers
Jehovahs witnesess say that Jesus [also known as michael the archangel ] is a creation and the Holy Spirit is a force. [ 13. 3 million ] bible believers
Muslims say Christ was a great prophet. [ 1.3 billion ] bible believers.
Oneness pentecostals who use the same bible [ 6 million ] say that, Father Son and Holy Spirit are one person who reveals Himself in three different ways.
Liberal christians say that Jesus is a Good man
The uninformed christain those who have never been exposed to orthodox teaching on the trinity therefore unintentionally hold to an unorthodox view.
Teaching on this subject is a difficult matter because it is something we have to ask you to wrestle with, we have to ask you not to say to us give us the right understanding of the trinity but we can give you what the bible says about it.
So what is it we believe about God ? lets start with this orthodox position.
We believe in One God who eternally exists in three persons. The Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. All of them who are fully God and are fully equal.
Ok I shall post this first more to follow.
