What is The Trinity?

Douglas Forster - Central 9/10/2015

What is The Trinity…

Part 1: What is The Trinity?19Go therefore and make disciples of all

nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

(Matthew 28:19)

• This is who God is!

Part 2: How does it work?

1) Father, Son and Spirit create2) Father, Son and Spirit rejected3) Father, Son and Spirit plan to rescue4) Father sends Son into The World5) Son leaves but Spirit comes6) Believers are married to The Son

1) Father, Son and Spirit create

26Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness … 27So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him;

male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

• They made Us !!!

• That effects gender

2) Father, Son and Spirit rejected

God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden’ … but the serpent [蛇 ]said to the woman … ‘God knows that when you eat of it … you will be like God … she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave

some to her husband who was with her and he ate.

(Genesis 3:3-6)

3) Father, Son and Spirit plan to rescue

14God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity [仇 ] between you and … her [the woman’s] offspring [后裔 ] he

shall bruise your head(Genesis 3:14-15)

4) Father sends Son into World

9The true light, which gives light to every one, was coming into the world … 14And the Word

became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the

Father (John 1:9, 14)

• The Son is Light!

• The Son reveals Glory

4) Father sends Son into World37And the Father who sent me… (John 5:37a)

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you [Philip, the person Jesus was talking to] say,

‘Show us the Father’? 10Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

(John 14:9b-10)• The Father sent the Son• The Father and The Son are close

• We know The Father if we Know The Son

4) Father sends Son into World

16For God so loved the world, the He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him

should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

• This is Why He was sent!

• We must never forget that.

5) When The Son left The Spirit Came

1In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day

when He was taken up (Acts 1:1)

they [the closest follows Jesus left behind] were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4)

8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them… [precedes to tell “them” about Jesus]

(Acts 4:8)

5) When The Son left The Spirit Came

5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live

according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6For to set the mind on the flesh is death,

but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it

does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot. (Romans 8:5-7)

• The Spirit changes believers’ minds

5) When The Son left The Spirit Came

29For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image

of his Son (Romans 8:29)

• He will carry on until we are like Jesus!• If you’re a Christian, you’ll have

experienced some of this already• If you’re not a Christian you can ask Him

to start now (see Luke 11:13)

6) Believers will be married to The Son

2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her

husband (Revelation 21:2)

• Imperfect human marriage points to this which is perfect

Part 3: What difference does The Trinity make?

1) Prayer

2) Islam

1) Prayer“When you pray, say: ‘Father, …’”

(Luke 11:2)14Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, The Son of God … 16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace

(Hebrews 5:14,16)the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for

us with groanings [嘆息 ] too deep for words.(Romans 8:26)

2) Islam

• Many Muslims don’t “get” Trinity

• Allah is One. Muslims submit

• As we’ve seen, God is 3 persons and relational

• Invite Muslims to join this relationship!

What is The Trinity…

Discussion1) What questions do you still have about

The Trinity (please ask a leader in your group!)

2) What have you learned tonight about who God is?

3) How can who God is (three persons) change your relationship with Him?