The Trinity

[Neopatriarch]

Three Divine persons in one God.

The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God.

The Father is not the Son is not the Holy Spirit is not the Father is not the Holy Spirit is not the Son is not the Father.

I'm a nerd.

Exactly. I think too many people use the word "separate" where they should be using the word "distinct". The persons of the Trinity are not separate. They are distinct persons.

-Neopatriarch

[Vickilynn]

Three Divine persons in one God.

The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God.

The Father is not the Son is not the Holy Spirit is not the Father is not the Holy Spirit is not the Son is not the Father.

I'm a nerd.

Exactly. I think too many people use the word "separate" where they should be using the word "distinct". The persons of the Trinity are not separate. They are distinct persons.

-Neopatriarch

Shalom Neo,

Would you expound on that please?

I don't believe the Father is the Son in a distinct role. Is that what you're saying?

Or are you saying that there are three distinct persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), all equally Divine, but not the same person?

[Neopatriarch]

Exactly. I think too many people use the word "separate" where they should be using the word "distinct". The persons of the Trinity are not separate. They are distinct persons.

-Neopatriarch

Shalom Neo,

Would you expound on that please?

I don't believe the Father is the Son in a distinct role. Is that what you're saying?

Or are you saying that there are three distinct persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), all equally Divine, but not the same person?

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are personally distinct from each other and have different roles. I don't use the word "separate" because that divides God into parts.

[Vickilynn]

Exactly. I think too many people use the word "separate" where they should be using the word "distinct". The persons of the Trinity are not separate. They are distinct persons.

-Neopatriarch

Shalom Neo,

Would you expound on that please?

I don't believe the Father is the Son in a distinct role. Is that what you're saying?

Or are you saying that there are three distinct persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), all equally Divine, but not the same person?

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are personally distinct from each other and have different roles. I don't use the word "separate" because that divides God into parts.

Shalom Neo,

Thank you for the explanation, I agree. I never thought about using the word "separate" like that and what that means. I learned something new today, praise the L-rd!

I won't use the word "separate" to describe the G-dhead in the future. Thanks!

[Guest forward2battle]

Modalism is probably the most common theological error concerning the nature of God. It is a denial of the Trinity which states that God is a single person who, throughout biblical history, has revealed Himself in three modes, or forms. Thus, God is a single person who first manifested himself in the mode of the Father in Old Testament times. At the incarnation, the mode was the Son. After Jesus' ascension, the mode is the Holy Spirit. These modes are consecutive and never simultaneous. In other words, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit never all exist at the same time, only one after another. Modalism denies the distinctiveness of the three persons in the Trinity even though it retains the divinity of Christ.

Present day groups that hold to forms of this error are the United Pentecostal and United Apostolic Churches. They deny the Trinity, teach that the name of God is Jesus, and require baptism for salvation. These modalist churches often accuse Trinitarians of teaching three gods. This is not what the Trinity is. The correct teaching of the Trinity is one God in three eternal coexistent persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

[Ovedya]

Modalism is probably the most common theological error concerning the nature of God. It is a denial of the Trinity which states that God is a single person who, throughout biblical history, has revealed Himself in three modes, or forms. Thus, God is a single person who first manifested himself in the mode of the Father in Old Testament times. At the incarnation, the mode was the Son. After Jesus' ascension, the mode is the Holy Spirit. These modes are consecutive and never simultaneous. In other words, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit never all exist at the same time, only one after another. Modalism denies the distinctiveness of the three persons in the Trinity even though it retains the divinity of Christ.

Present day groups that hold to forms of this error are the United Pentecostal and United Apostolic Churches. They deny the Trinity, teach that the name of God is Jesus, and require baptism for salvation. These modalist churches often accuse Trinitarians of teaching three gods. This is not what the Trinity is. The correct teaching of the Trinity is one God in three eternal coexistent persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

I would say that more prevalent is Tritheism, which is the exact opposite.

[AnotherTraveler]

I am always amazed that we find ourselves scholars concerning the nature of the godhead while Paul called it a great mystery, but we just can't leave it alone, can we?

None of us has seen God at any time. All of us trust for our salvation in the Word of God, and we would not allow anyone to add to or take away from the Word of God regarding salvation, but we will add thousands of words, then expalin the meanings, then form a doctrine or two, then demand that all submit to this or that doctrine, while the entire mess is still as much of a mystery as it was before we "explained" it.

My brethren that believe in the trinity are my brethren, my brethren that believe in oneness are my brethren, and my brethren that just agree with the Word of God in stating that great is the mystery of godliness are my brethren.

I have read a lot of history of the church, and many brethren have shared the same pulpit with differing ideas but a common love for the Lord in the past times, and it would be good if we received one another in these days without a litmus test to find out if we agree exactly on all things first.

just my two cents

[GeneV]

I am always amazed that we find ourselves scholars concerning the nature of the godhead while Paul called it a great mystery, but we just can't leave it alone, can we?

just my two cents

Right on AT

[Vickilynn]

I am always amazed that we find ourselves scholars concerning the nature of the godhead while Paul called it a great mystery, but we just can't leave it alone, can we?

Shalom AnotherTraveler,

It is our nature to try to understand.

Study is never wrong.

The Tri-Unity of G-d is a mystery to be sure, and no one has the correct understanding except G-d, but it is never wrong to learn all we can about Him, His ways and His nature.

This is something that we know by faith, that it is beyond our understanding, yet it is a good thing to discuss and learn.

[Vickilynn]

What I can elaborate on concerning what is not a mistery about the Trinity, is that in each case God is the Father, God is the Son and God is the Holy Spirit. Thiis is a biiblical truth in that we regard each one Holy and we refer to Jesus as God. If the Triunity was not a biblical truth then we would be found guilty of worshipping Christ above the Godhead. This is the position by which Islamics determine Christians guilty as infidels who do not worship the one true Holy God because of our Hold that the Triunity is true and that Jesus was in fact God.

"If the Trinity is not true, then Jesus is not who He claimed to be." (Basic Theology-Charles Ryrie).

Exodus 20:3, the First Commandment of God:

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

If the Triunity is untrue then Christianity has no foundation and we must all convert to Judaism and get back under the Law because by worshipping Jesus we have all broken the first commandment and are doomed to the Law.

Peace

CJ

Shalom CJ,

Good words! Amen. We do know that each of the persons of the G-dHead are G-D!