Trinity

The Trinity:

The Trinity

Trinity: the central mystery :

Trinity: the central mystery For Christians, the mystery of God is expressed in the doctrine of the Trinity . The Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith. All of the Christian faith is connected to this mystery. The Trinity refers to the one God present in three persons : Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Why the Trinity?:

Why the Trinity? The New Testament speaks of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit . Jesus’ followers believed that in Jesus they had experienced God . The early Church’s experience of the Holy Spirit was also seen as an experience of God .

Persons/Relations of the Trinity:

Persons/Relations of the Trinity FATHER SON HOLY SPIRIT The Father “begets” the Son. The Son is “begotten” of the Father, not made . The Holy Spirit “proceeds” from the Father and the Son. All of these relations happen “eternally,” so the Son and Holy Spirit “ always ” existed with the Father.

Persons/Relations of the Trinity:

Persons/Relations of the Trinity Remember the Nicene Creed: “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father , God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father.”

Persons/Relations of the Trinity:

Persons/Relations of the Trinity FATHER SON HOLY SPIRIT The lover (Father) is eternally begetting. The beloved (Son) is eternally being begotten. Thus they are in relation to each other. The love that is present proceeds from them as the Holy Spirit.

Persons/Relations of the Trinity:

Persons/Relations of the Trinity The divine persons are who they are by virtue of their relationship to each other. The Father (unbegotten) is Father only because of the Father’s relation to the Son. The Son (begotten) is Son only because of the Son’s relation to the Father. The Holy Spirit is Holy Spirit because of its relation to the Father and the Son.

Persons/Relations of the Trinity:

Persons/Relations of the Trinity There is no logical problem with the Trinity because God is one in terms of divine essence , but three in terms of divine persons . “Everything in God is one except where there is opposition of relationship.” (Council of Florence 1442)

What does the Trinity tell us about God?:

What does the Trinity tell us about God ? The mystery of the Trinity teaches us that God is relational in God’s very nature . In some sense, God being God means God being in relation . Relationship is at the “heart” of who God is. Thus it makes sense to say that “God is love.” (1 Jn 4:16)

What does the Trinity tell us about us?:

What does the Trinity tell us about us ? Being made in the image and likeness of God, humans reflect the mystery of the Trinity . Humans are, in their very nature, relational creatures. Our sexuality is a sign of our own innate inclination to be in relationships.