Transcript Document

Understanding the Trinity
The Father, The Son, and The Holy
Ghost.
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the
word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:16
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Introduction
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The Trinity or the Triune Godhead
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For many the concept of the Trinity is only a
matter of theological scruples and should be left
to theologians.
It is a common mistake of most Christians to
write off such doctrines as insignificant and
unimportant to my everyday experience.
However, on the contrary your foundation as a
Christian is built on the everlasting truth of the
Triune Godhead.
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Objectives
At the end of this Course you should be
able to identify the 3 parts of the Trinity in
scripture and by definition.
 You should be able to realize the work of
each part of the Trinity and the impact it
has on our day to day lives.
 You will be equipped to rightly defend the
truth in the face of unbelievers, scoffers,
and false prophets.
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The Trinity
God
Jesus
The Holy Ghost
The Godhead
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Trinity – What does it mean?
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The theological term “Trinity” signifies the
union of three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit – in the Godhead.
The layman’s definition of the “Trinity” is thus:
God himself is a committee of one. He is a team
that has 3 equal and distinct members. Yet they
are “ONE” and working together for “ONE”
purpose in the best interest of man’s soul.
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Think about it like this:
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A tree has 3 distinct parts:
1.) The Trunk, 2.) The
Branches, 3.) The Leaves.
Yet it is known as a tree,
though made up of 3
totally distinct parts.
In the Godhead we find
the same. 1.) God, 2.)
Jesus, 3.)The Holy Ghost.
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Review
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What is the definition of the word
Trinity?
 Name the 3 parts of the Trinity.
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Historical Fact
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The actual word Trinity is not in the Bible.
The Doctrine of the Trinity has not always been accepted
by Religious Scholars.
Between the 3rd and 4th century A.D. a great debate arose
about the validity of the doctrine of the Trinity.
A scholarly man named Arius of the sect of the
Unitarians contended that Christ the Son of God was not
an eternal being, but created by God for the redemption
of mankind. (we will see later in scripture why this point
in and of itself is Heresy)
The First Council at Nice was convoked by Constantine
for the express purpose of resolving this matter.
Athanasius of Alexandria contended for the deity of
Christ and rightly proved it through the Scriptures. The
rejected doctrine is commonly known as the Arian
Heresy.
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God the Father
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The first part of the Trinity is God the Father. This
relative term is used in a two-fold sense.
First God is known as “The Father” He is our Heavenly
Father. David says: “Thou art my father, my God, and
the rock of my salvation.” –Psalms 89:26 What a
blessed consolation this is to the child of God; to know
that there is not only a God in Heaven, but he has made
himself personally responsible for our soul and He loves
and cares for His own.
Secondly, it is applied to God in contrast with Christ; to
distinguish the one from the other. Jesus says: “My
Father worketh hitherto, and I work”– John 5:17 See
also Acts 2:32, Romans 15:6, Galatians 1:1-4
God himself is Eternal. “Before the mountains were
brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and
the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art
God.”– Psalms 90:2 Also see Isaiah 57:15
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God the Son
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The second part of the Trinity is God the Son.
Otherwise known as Jesus Christ.
Many know the story of Jesus, the babe born in a
manger, in the town of Bethlehem to Mary and
Joseph.
What many don’t consider is the Immaculate
Conception or the Miraculous Birth of Jesus the
Son of God.
Consider the verse in Matthew 1:23 “Behold, a
virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a
son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us.” God the
Son left his glory in heaven above to dwell with
sinful man here on earth and to show man the way
of salvation.
Jesus himself is Eternal. “But thou, Bethlehem
Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come
forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose
goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting.”—Micah 5:2 See also: Rev. 22:13/16
St. John 17:5, Col.1:17 and various other
references.
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Review
Who refuted the Heretical Doctrine
known as the Arian Heresy?
 In the Trinity what is God known as? Can
you give a scriptural reference?
 What was so special about the Birth of
Jesus? How did this take place?
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God the Holy Spirit
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The third part of the Trinity is God The Holy
Spirit. Otherwise known as the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Spirit is also divine and is a distinct
person from the Father and the Son. He called
the Spirit of God. Many only recognize the Holy
Spirit as a guiding influence, yet He is a person.
In John 16:13 we read: “Howbeit when he, the
Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak:
and he will show you things to come.”
The Holy Spirit is Eternal. From the beginning
we find the work of the Holy Spirit. “In the
beginning God created the Heavens and the
Earth….. and the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters.”—Genesis 1:1-3
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Examples of the Trinity in the
Scriptures
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In the scriptures we can see each part of the Trinity distinctly
separate from the others. Sometimes we find Jesus - God the Son
praying to God the Father. Other times we see God the Father
sending God the Holy Spirit to do His will. In any event the
evidence of the scriptures overwhelmingly supports the Doctrine of
the Trinity.
Let us take a moment and see what the Scriptures sayeth.
In Matthew 4:16-17 we see all three parts of the Trinity. “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.”
In St. John 17:5 we read where Jesus is praying to his Father and
reminding Him of the Glory they shared in Heaven before the world
began. “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with
the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
In Acts 7:56 Stephen caught a glimpse of Heaven and saw that Jesus
returned to his place with the Father that he had from the beginning.
“And said, Behold I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man
standing on the right hand of God.”
In 1 John 5:7 we find overwhelming proof of the evidence as we
read: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the
Word (Jesus), and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
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The Jesus Only Heresy
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We have done much to prove the Eternal Truth of the
Doctrine of the Trinity. It is factual and it is biblical.
Yet there are some religious groups in the realm of
Christianity who deny the Trinity in favor of Jesus
Only Doctrine. Some of these groups include
Apostolics and Full Gospel churches.
They contend that God is Jesus only and that is the
extent of who God is. But in reality we realize that God
is so great and so vast that the heavens and the earth
cannot contain him, let alone one separate entity.
To their credit, Jesus is God, but not God alone. We
have just seen various instances and scriptural texts that
prove that God is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit
is God. And all three are one in God.
It is absolutely impossible for us to understand God
outside of His written Word. The human mind could
not even begin to grasp the concept of God without the
Word of God to reveal Him unto us and the Spirit of
God to explain Him to us.
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three
are one.”—1 John 5:7
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Review
What is the 3rd part of the Trinity?
 What scripture reference plainly shows
all 3 parts of the Trinity at once?
 What is the Jesus Only Doctrine?
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The Work of the Trinity
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What is the ultimate purpose and work of
the Trinity? As stated earlier God has made
himself a committee of one to look out for
the best interest of man’s soul. We know
that in the beginning sin separated man
from God. (Genesis 3 / Isaiah 59:1-2) And
ever since God has sought to be reunited
with his most beloved creation, mankind.
This is the mission of the Trinity. To
reunite man and God.
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How does it work?
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Salvation or the Redemption of
Mankind is a process. It can
only be done by the Trinity.
Man cannot save himself or
others.
It starts with love. “For God so
loved the world that he gave his
only begotten son, that
whosoever believeth in him
should not perish but have
everlasting life.”—John 3:16
No matter what man has done,
how low in sin he goes, God
never stops loving him.
(Romans 8:35)
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Immediately after the fall of man in the Garden of
Eden God conceived a plan for the Full
Redemption of Man. “And the Lord God said
unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this,
thou art cursed…..And I will put enmity between
thee and the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise his heel.”—Genesis 3:14-15
Right then and there God decided that when the
time was right He would send His son Jesus in
the form of man to redeem mankind. Read the
following:
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God
sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under
the law, To redeem them that were under the law
(of sin)…”—Galatians 4:4-5
“To wit that God was in Christ, reconciling the
world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses
unto them…”—2 Corinthians 5:19
We see God and Jesus working together as
separate parts of the Trinity to Redeem Man.
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A Closer Look
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We see God working in Jesus to help the pitiful
state of fallen mankind, but what does God the
Holy Spirit do?
Jesus says in St. John 6:44 “No man can come
unto me, except the Father which hath sent me
draw him…”
“It is the spirit that quickeneth…(draws, alerts,
awakens)—St. John 6:63
“And when he (the Spirit) is come, he will
reprove (convict) the world (mankind) of
sin…”—St. John 16:8
“All that the Father giveth me shall come to
me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out.”—St. John 6:37
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It is Finished!
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So we see in order to receive the experience of Full
Redemption in Salvation through Jesus Christ there is a
process that takes place.
God loves you and sends His Holy Spirit to Draw you
and Convict you of the Sins you’ve committed.
The Holy Spirit does his office work in the heart of man
and man feels Godly Sorrow for Sins committed.
The Holy Spirit leads man to the Cross of Repentance,
where Jesus Christ stands with outstretched arms to
receive and forgive man of his sins and brings him back
to an acceptible or Justified state with God.
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Anything Else?
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What else does God do through the
Trinity?
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The Holy Spirit teaches us all things pertaining to
God’s Will for our lives. St. John 14:46, John
16:13
The Spirit bears witness to us that we are
accepted with God as one of His children.
Romans 8:16
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The Holy Spirit Teaches us what to pray for and
how to pray for it. –Romans 8:26-27
Jesus hears our prayers and he is praying for us
to. We pray in the name of Jesus and He takes
our prayers to the Father.– Hebrews 7:25
God the Father hears our prayers and sends us the
answer and the blessing of grace that we need.—
1 John 5:14-15
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Summary
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We hope through this Learning Course that you now have
a solid understanding of the Doctrine of the Trinity. We
also hope that it will not be treated as a doctrine alone,
but a personal experience that we have with the Triune
Godhead. We furthermore pray that you can clearly see
how God is working to help you in your everyday
Christian walk.
Remember: God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost have your
back. They will support you, uphold you, and help you.
“If God be for us, who can be against us?”
What can you do with what you’ve just learned? Share it
with someone else!
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Where to Get More Information
Visit our website at
www.churchofgodjacksonmichigan.com
 Write to us at: The Church of God 140 W.
South St. Jackson, MI 49203 c/o Outreach
Ministries attn: Bro. Bobby Beauchamp
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