The Trinity 🌷🌺

God as the Trinity

• The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirt

• Matthew 3:16-17 describes how at Jesus’ baptism, Jesus “…saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

• In Philippians 2:6, St Paul described Jesus as having “equality with God”

Nicene Creed

1. In 325AD, Church leaders from around the world gathered at the Council of Nicaea. They produced a creed - a statement of beliefs. This was further developed at the Council of Constantinople in 381AD, and is known as the Nicene Creed. It describes how Christians see God:

   • “We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth… We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God… of one Being with the Father… was made man… he suffered death and… he rose again… We believe in the Holy Spirit, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son… who has spoken through the prophets.”

2. Before this, not everyone had agreed that the Son of God was one with God, rather than having been made by God. Now they agreed that he was equally important

3. The importance the early Church placed on the Trinity in the Nicene Creed means it is a key belief for most Christians - but some groups, such as Christadelphians, don’t believe in the Trinity.

THE FATHER

• For many Christians, God the Father is the God of the Old Testament. He created Heaven and Earth sustains them. God the Father might be described as the transcendent part of God.

• The title ‘Father’ is a mark of respect for God, and s used by Jesus in the Gospels: “Be perfect, therefore as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

THE SON

• Christians believe Jesus is the incarnation of God in human form. He is seen as both divine and human - the immanent and personal part of God, who understands human suffering.

• Christians believe that Jesus provides a model for Christian behaviour in obedience to God the Father. The Gospels contain a record of his life and teachings, and are an important source of guidance for Christians on how they should live their lives.

THE HOLY SPIRIT

• Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is the presence of God in the world. Before his death, Jesus promised his disciples: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you for ever - the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17)

• The Holy Spirit is seen as the immanent yet personal part of God - it continues to guide the Church

• Some Christians feel that the Holy Spirit also guides them personally in being good Christians. The Catechism of the Catholic Church 736 says “By this power of the Spirit, God’s children can bear much fruit.”

Mark Scheme Evaluation - The Trinity

• God in three 'persons' but still one God / Father, Son, Holy Spirit, each with their own characteristics.

• Although Father, Son, Holy Spirit are different forms and experienced in different ways, they are still God.

• God the Father - first person of the Trinity / creator / omnipotent / omnipresent / omnibenevolent / omniscient.

• God the Son - Jesus, incarnate in the world / fully human and fully God at all times.
  God the Holy Spirit - a source of strength for humans / influence and guide / unseen power of God at work in the world / seen by some as the feminine aspect of God.

Sources of Christian belief and teaching can be related to any 'person' of the Trinity or the Trinity as a concept eg references to God the Father in Genesis creation story, Psalms etc, to Jesus' divinity in gospels and epistles etc / and Holy Spirit in Jesus' baptism, Pentecost etc. References to Nicene or Apostles Creed etc are creditable / 'In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit / according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ...' (1 Peter 1:2) etc.