DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

Holy Trinity

Spa. Santisima Trinidad
Eng. Holy Trinity

1. Unity of Godhead - the Church teaches that there is only one God. Therefore, it is wrong to say that there are three Gods.

Isa 44:6 “the Lord Almighty, has this to say: I am the first, the last, the only God; there is no other God but me.”

James 2:19 “Do you believe that there is only one God? Good! The demons also believe- and tremble with fear.”

1. Distinction of Persons - the Church teaches that in one God there are three Divine Persons distinct to each other. But the Father is not the Son or the Holy Spirit. The Son is not the Father or the Holy Spirit and so with the Holy Spirit; He is not the Son or the Father, as revealed in the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.

Mt 3:16-17 “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out in the water. Then heaven was opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and lighting on Him. Then a voice said from heaven, ‘This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased’.”

Manifestation of the Three Divine Persons:

1. The Son Jesus Christ, baptized by St. John, is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity.
2. The Holy Spirit, in a form of a dove coming down from heaven, is seen with Jesus. He is the Third Person.
3. The Father, His voice in heaven saying “this is my own dear son, with whom I am pleased” is the First Person.

Question:

In what context or proof of the Bible that the Catholic Church arrived into a conclusion that God the Father is the first person, God the Son is the second and God the Holy Spirit is the third?

Answer:

From the teaching of Jesus to the Church before He ascended to heaven.

Mt 28:19 “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Christ first mentions the name of Father; second is the Son; and third name being mentioned is the Holy Spirit. This is the basic truth with all authority in heaven and on earth that must be taught and be known to all Christians in the world. And we Catholics are bound to believe and to obey this teaching for the greater glory of God.

For us Christians, we Catholics, believe that in one God there are three Divine Persons.

 Those who adhere this teaching are called Trinitarian.
 But the reality of this truth is openly opposed by oneness denominations and other non-Trinitarian sects who borrowed their heretical teachings from the past that has been longtime condemned by the Catholic Church.
“Prosopa” or Persons of God

What is a person?

a. Person – means “the actual unique reality of a spiritual being, an undivided whole existing independently and not interchangeable with any other.
b. Person – “an individual substance of a rational nature”.
c. Thus a person is a being who is aware of being and having intelligence and freewill. God, Angels, and men have intellect and freewill in common that make them person with or without a body.

Kinds of Persons

1. Divine Persons – Intellect (cf. 1Cor 1:24, free-will; Mt 6:10)
2. Person in Theology – Mt 28:19
3. Angelic Person – Intellect (2 Sam 14:20, freewill; Isa 14:12-14)
4. Human Person – Intellect (Sir 17:1-8, freewill; Sir 15:14-16)
5. Person in Grammar – first person “I”, second person “You”, third person “he or she.”

The Three Divine Persons According to the Bible

1. God the Father is a Person

a. As God in the Person of the Father, there is only one Father;

Jn 17:1, 3 “Father, the hour has come, give glory to your Son, so that the Son may give glory to you… and eternal means to know You, the only true God…”

b. Heb 1:1, 3 “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in time past unto the Fathers by the prophets… by whom also He made the worlds... who being the brightness of his glory, and the expressed image of His Person…(KJV).

1. God the Son as a Person

a. as God in the Person of the Son, He is the only-begotten God; or God the Son:

Jn 1:1, 14, 18 “Before the world was created, the Word already existed; He was with God, and He was the same as God…the Word becomes a human being… no one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is the same as God and is at the Father’s side, He made Him known” (GNB).

b. 2Cor 2:10 “to whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also; for if I forgave anything, to whom I forgave it, for your sake forgave in the Person in Christ” (KJV).

1. God the Holy Spirit as a Person

   Acts 5:3-4 “Peter, said to him, ‘Ananias, why did you let Satan take control of you and make lie to the Holy Spirit… you have not lied to men, you have lied to God’” (Mt 12:31-32; 1Cor 6:19-20).

THE TRINITY IN THE JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN BELIEF

The Presence of the Holy Trinity is implicit in O.T.

1. Gen 1:26 – “God said, ‘And now we will make human beings; they’ll be like us & resemble us.’”

2. Gen 3:22 – “Then the Lord God said, ‘Now the man becomes like one of us and has knowledge of what is good and what is bad.’”

3. Gen 11:5-7 – “Then the Lord came down to see the city and tower… and He said, ‘Now then, these are all one people and they speak one language…let us go down and mixed up their language…’”

Important Pointers

a) “God said, the Lord God said, He said”: are all in the singular form; it teaches that there is only one God.

b) “We will make, like us, resemble us, like one of us, let us go down”: the “we” and “us” are pronouns in a plural form representing more than one Person in God.

1. Isa 52:12 “But you are not to hurry away, you are not to leave like fugitives. No, Yahweh will go in front of you and the God of Israel will be your rear guard” (JB).

2. Num 6:22 “May Yahweh bless you and keep you; may Yahweh let his face shine on you and be gracious to you; may Yahweh uncover his face to you and bring you peace!” (JB).

Ex 34:5-9 “Yahweh passed before him and proclaimed Yahweh, Yahweh, a God of tenderness and compassion.”

The presence of the Holy Trinity is explicit in the New Testament:

1. Jn.14:16, 26 “the helper, the Holy spirit, whom the Father will send in my name (Son), will teach you everything…”

2. 2 Cor 13:3 “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”.

3. Mt. 28:19 “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

4. In the baptism of Jesus, the three Divine Persons manifest themselves:

a. the voice of the Father
b. the Son being baptized
c. the Holy Spirit in a form of a dove (Mt 3:16-17)

1. 1Cor 12:4-6 “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit gives them. There are different ways of serving, but the same Lord is served. There are different abilities to perform service, but the same God gives ability to all for their particular service.”

Pointers to Remember

a. “Same Spirit” - God is Spirit (cf. Jn. 4:24; Acts 5:3-4; Mt 12:31-32; 1Cor 6:19-20)
b. “Same Lord” - The Lord is God (cf. Mt 4:7; Ps 100:3; Rom 10:12; Acts 10:36; Lk 1 42-43; 1Cor 8:6)
c. “Same God” - The Father is God (cf. Heb 1:5-10; Jn. 17:1, 3)

1. 1Jn 5:7-8 “there are three witnesses; the spirit, the water, and the blood and all three give the same testimony (GNB).

Pointers to Remember

a. “The Spirit” - God is Spirit. (cf. Jn 4:24)
b. “The Water” - The Holy Spirit. (cf. Jn 7:38-39; Acts 5:3-4)
c. “The Blood” - God the Son. (cf. Rev 19:13, 16; 1Jn 5:20)

1. 1Jn 5:7 “for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one (KJV).

Point to Remember

The “Word” in the passage is God the Son, who was with the Father before anything else existed (cf. Jn. 1:1, 14, 18, GNB; Rev 19:13, 16)

THE THREE DIVINE PERSONS ARE CO-EQUAL AND CON-SUBSTANTIAL

The three Divine Persons have eternal existence, the Son is born from eternity (cf. Mic 5:2, KJV); the Holy Ghost proceeds from eternity. God the Father is un-begotten and proceeds from no one. God the Son is begotten of the Father, and so distinct from Him; and God the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son as from one principle, and consequently is distinct from both. The three Divine Persons are all equal in glory and power, for they are One and the same God.
:
TRUE GOD IS FATHER SON HOLY SPIRIT
OMNIPOTENT Ex 6:3 Rev 1:7-8 Acts 10:38, Judas 1:20, Rom 8:9-11, Lk. 1:35
OMNISCIENT Sir 23:19-20 1Cor 1:24, Jn 21:17 1Cor 2:10-11,
OMNIPRESENT 1Cor 3:16, Jer. 23:23-24 Mt 18:20, Eph 5:23, Mt 28:20, 2Cor 13:5 Ps 139:7-13
ETERNAL Ps 90:2 Micah 5:2 Jn 17:5;8:57-58, Heb 13:8 Heb 9:14,
CREATOR Ps 33:6 Col 1:15-18,
Heb 1:10 Job 33:4
GIVER OF LIFE Gen 2:7 Jn 14:6;5:21-23 Job 33:4, Rom 8:11

1. Divinity of God the Father – 1Cor 8:6; Jn 17:1-3

2. Divinity of God the Son – Jn 1:1, 14, 18; 5:18-23, 20:28-29; 10:30; 1Jn 5:20; Phil 2:5-11; Tit 2:13; 2Pet 1:1; Rev 19:13, 16; 1:7-8; Jn 17:5, 13:13; Col 2:8; Isa 9:5; Mt 1:23, 4:7; Ps 100:3

3. Divinity of God the Holy Spirit – Acts 5:3-4; Mt 12:31-33; 1Cor 6:19-21

They are not and there are no 3 Gods (cf. Mt 28:19; 1Jn 5:7)

             SCIENCE OF ANALOGY

1. The sun on earth is one but with three realities:
   a.) Heat
   b.) Light
   c.) Color

2. Triangle with three angles

3. Water:
   a.) liquid
   b.) Solid
   c.) Gas

4. Multiplication – 1x1x1=1

CONCLUSION:

1. When we make the sign of the Cross we say “in the name” not “names” because there is only one God. We are naming “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” because in one God there are three divine persons” (cf. Mt 28:19).

2. In case you cannot still Father the Wisdom of Church’s teaching, then consult this for you to be satisfied.

Sirac 43:31-33 – No one has seen him, no one can describe him; no one can praise him as he deserves. Mysteries greater than these are still unknown; we know only a fraction of his works. The Lord made universe and then gave wisdom to devout men.