The Holy Trinity

• The creed affirms that God is one being in three distinct persons - Father, Son, and Spirit.
• It was formulated at the Council of Nicaea (325 CE) to combat Arianism, which denied Jesus' divinity.
• The Nicene Creed is the most widely used statement of faith by Christians.
• Jesus was fully divine (God) and fully human at the same time.
• He died on the cross as an act of love and forgiveness for all people's sins.
• The doctrine of the Trinity has been debated throughout Christian history, with different interpretations emerging over time.
• Oneness of God


  Christians believe in one God, a belief called monotheism
• Trinity


  The belief that there are three persons in the One God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - who are separate, but are also one being
• Holy Spirit


  The third person of the Trinity whom Christians believe is the inspiring presence of God in the world
• Son of God


  A title used for Jesus, the second person of the Trinity; denotes the special relationship between Jesus and God the Father
• God is not a physical being, although one 'person' of the Trinity-Jesus (the Son) - did have a physical presence in history
• The Trinity describes: 1) There is only one God, 2) Each person of the Trinity is fully God, 3) The persons of the Trinity are not the same
• God the Father


  The first person of the Trinity, believed to be the creator of the earth and all living things on it, and to be all powerful, all loving, all knowing and present everywhere
• God the Son


  The second person of the Trinity, incarnate on earth and in history through Jesus, who was both fully human whilst on earth and also fully God at all times
• God the Holy Spirit


  The third person of the Trinity, believed to be the unseen power of God at work in the world in the past, present and future
• The Holy Trinity


  The belief that God is one, but can be experienced in three different Persons
• The three distinct Persons of the Trinity

  • God the Father - the creator and sustainer of all things
  • God the Son - the incarnation of God as a human being, Jesus Christ
  • God the Holy Spirit - the power of God which is active in the world, drawing people towards God
• God exists as three persons but is one being, having a single divine nature
• The members of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature, power, action, and will
• They cannot be separate from one another. Each person is understood as having the identical essence or nature, not merely similar natures
• Tri-Unity


  The idea that the three Persons of the Trinity form a union
• The Trinity is the belief that God is ONE SUBSTANCE (one "thing") with three different characteristics
• The Trinity is like a Mars Bar - without the nougat, it's just a Chomp (chocolate and caramel), without the caramel, it's just a Milky Way and without the chocolate, it's a great big
• Trinity


  The belief that God is one substance (one "thing") with three different characteristics: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit
• The three persons of the Trinity are co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature, power, action, and will
• The three persons of the Trinity are not names for different parts of God, but one name for God because three persons exist in God as one entity
• The three persons of the Trinity cannot be separate from one another, and each person is understood as having the identical essence or nature, not merely similar natures
• Tri-Unity


  The idea that the three persons of the Trinity form a union, rather than being a sum of three parts
• Analogies for the Trinity

  • A person having three characteristics (mother, daughter, wife)
  • Water appearing in three different states (liquid, gas, solid)
  • A Mars bar needing nougat, caramel, and chocolate to be complete
• Trinity Clover


  A common symbol of the Trinity, where a three-leaf clover represents the three persons in one
• Saint Patrick used the shamrock as an educational symbol to explain the Holy Trinity to nonbelievers as he converted the Irish to Christianity in the fourth century
• God the Son


  Jesus, the incarnation of God as a human being, who performed miracles, died, and rose again as the redeemer and saviour
• God the Holy Spirit


  The power of God which is active in the world, helping and guiding people, and breathing new life into them
• God the Father


  The creator and sustainer of all things, who continues to care for us as a father would his own children, and who will judge and sustain everything
• The Trinity is a controversial doctrine, and many Christians admit they don't understand it or behave as if they believe in three Gods and at other times as if they believe in one
• The early church had problems explaining the Trinity, suggesting that the concept is not a useful way of talking about God
• The idea of the Trinity can be a helpful way of understanding people's experience of God, as it shows the transcendent and impersonal God (the Father), the immanent and personal nature of God (the Son), and the always-present power and love of God (the Holy Spirit)
• Augustine's explanation of the Trinity

  The Trinity is like love, with the Person that loves, the Person who is loved, and the act of love itself
• The Council of Nicaea in 325CE produced the Nicene Creed, which established the divine nature of Jesus and his relationship to God the Father
• The Nicene Creed shows that there is one God who exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit