Our topic today is the Trinity. This topic is the first in an eight-part series entitled “Putting the Fun in…”. We want to have some fun in understanding the “fundamentals” or “essentials” of the Christian faith.
Our topic today is the Trinity. This topic is the first in an eight-part series entitled “Putting the Fun in…”. We want to have some fun in understanding the “fundamentals” or “essentials” of the Christian faith.
A famous Christian preacher, A. W. Tozer, wrote that “What you think about God is the most important thing about you” (Knowledge of the Holy, 1).
How we understand God profoundly impacts our everyday lives. And Christianity believes in one God, who exists as a Trinity.
The Trinity is three distinct persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). And these three Persons share one divine nature.
The Trinity is a genuine mystery. It is beyond our ability to comprehend completely. But by using analogies like a triangle, we can apprehend enough to know that it is not contradictory.
0:00 – Opening
0:14 – Welcome and introduction
1:23 – Christianity is a monotheistic religion, meaning there is only one God.
– Jesus confirmed this by proclaiming the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4 in Mark 12:29 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
– The two other monotheistic world religions are Judaism and Islam.
– But Christianity differs because our one God exists as a Trinity.
2:35 – “Trinity” or “Tri-Unity” means “Three-in-One” and is a mystery beyond our finite understanding.
3:00 – We cannot comprehend the Trinity altogether. But we can “apprehend” enough through analogies to show it is not contradictory.
3:19 – The Bible presents Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as God and the members of the Trinity. Some passages mention all three together:
– Jesus’ baptism (Matt 3:16-18) and
– His ascension back to heaven (Matt 28:18-20)
4:35 – We can apprehend the Trinity using an analogy to show that it is not contradictory. While no analogy is perfect, a triangle is functional:
– The three corners of a triangle must be present, separate, and simultaneous to each other to exist.
– The three corners represent the three persons of the Trinity. And Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit all share one divine nature
– The oneness or unity is God’s divine essence (what God is). The “three-ness” is the plurality of God’s persons (how he relates), so there is no contradiction
– So God is “Three in One” or “Trinity”
7:17 – So What? How does knowing about the Trinity practically apply to my life?
7:25 – God is pursuing a relationship with us. The Trinity is supremely relational, having been a community of three Persons eternally. But he also wants to extend a relationship to us!
– God the Father invites us to call him “Father”–like Jesus teaches us to pray in the Lord’s prayer.
– The Father sent the Son to take our punishment on the cross and bring us into God’s family.
– And the Holy Spirit is now God’s presence within us. He leads us and confirms that we are children of God!
8:34 – The Trinity radically changes how we pray.
– We are praying to God our Father–who cares for us and knows his plan for our lives
– Through the Son–That’s why we often end prayers “In Jesus’ name” because Jesus is the one who stands before God for us
– And by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:26)
9:41 – Changes how we worship. When worshipping, name all three of the Persons of the Trinity:
– “Father, I worship you and thank you for sending your Son.
– Jesus, I worship you and thank you for dying for me and sending the Spirit!
– Spirit, I worship you and thank you for now sending me into the world to show others how great you are!”
10:10 – Thank you and wrap up
