Triune God

• Triune God


  One God who is made known in three persons
• Trinity


  One God in three persons
• The Catechism says the Trinity is one, we do not confess three gods but one God in three persons
• Shield of the Trinity


  • Common image which might help you to remember the doctrine of the Trinity
• Trinity/Triune God


  • The three persons are equal but distinct
  • They are not the same as each other
• Triune God


  Focuses on the oneness of God, the fact that there is one God or oneness first
• Trinity


  Focuses on the fact that there are three persons, the three-ness first
• The doctrine of the Trinity is considered an essential part of Christian belief
• The terms 'triune God' and 'Trinity' are not mentioned in the Bible, they were developed later by the early church
• There is plenty of evidence to support the doctrine of the Trinity within the biblical text
• Christianity started off as a small religious sect within Judaism, and the Jewish religion is monotheistic
• The importance of the belief in one God is underlined by the fact that Jews recite the words of Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4 every day as part of a prayer called the Shema
• Christians can accurately be described as monotheists
• Doctrine of the Incarnation


  God has revealed himself by taking on human form in the person of Jesus
• Baptism narratives


  God has revealed himself as the Father, the Son, and the Spirit
• The use of the threefold distinction Father/Son/Spirit in reference to God was commonplace in the writings of St. Paul and the other apostles
• The doctrine of the Trinity can be supported by evidence from the Old Testament, such as the first creation narrative in Genesis
• In the first creation narrative, we see the role of God the Father as the creator, God the Spirit hovering over the waters, and a reference to God the Son as the Word of God
• The use of the plural term 'us' and 'our' in Genesis 1:26-27 is interpreted by Christians as evidence of the Trinitarian nature of God