Modalism (i.e. Sabellianism, Noetianism and Patripassianism)
...taught that the three persons of the Trinity as different �modes� of the Godhead. Adherants believed that Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not distinct personalities, but different modes of God's self-revelation. A typical modalist approach is to regard God as the Father in creation, the Son in redemption, and the Spirit in sanctification. In other words, God exists as Father, Son and Spirit in different eras, but never as triune. Stemming from Modalism, Patripassianism believed that the Father suffered as the Son.
Tritheism
...Tritheism confessses the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as three independent divine beings; three separate gods who share the 'same substance'. This is a common mistake because of misunderstanding of the use of the term 'persons' in defining the Trinity.
Arianism
...taught that the preexistent Christ was the first and greatest of God�s creatures but denied his fully divine status. The Arian controversy was of major importance in the development of Christology during the fourth century and was addressed definitely in the Nicene Creed.
Docetism
...taught that Jesus Christ as a purely divine being who only had the �appearance� of being human. Regarding his suffering, some versions taught that Jesus� divinity abandoned or left him upon the cross while other claimed that he only appeared to suffer (much like he only appeared to be human).
Ebionitism
...taught that while Jesus was endowed with particular charismatic gifts which distinguished him from other humans but nonetheless regarded Him as a purely human figure.
Macedonianism
...that that the Holy Spirit is a created being.
Adoptionism
...taught that Jesus was born totally human and only later was �adopted� � either at his baptism or at his resurrection � by God in a special (i.e. divine) way.
Partialism
...taught that Father, Son and Holy Spirit together are components of the one God. This led them to believe that each of the persons of the Trinity is only part God, only becoming fully God when they come together.
Sourced ~ monergisim.com�
*** On this web-site per the above they Judge �ALL� these listed to be �Heresies� against the Trinity�and Yet I see NO Mention of their own �Unity� of Agreement as to what Concept of Trinity is NOT Heresy to them...
I'm interested to know the " Concept" yall have...thanxs...xo
As the nature of God is progressively revealed in Scripture, the one God is seen to exist eternally in three persons. These three persons share the same divine nature yet are different in role and relationship. The basic principle at the heart of God's triune being is unity and distinction, both coexisting without either being compromised. Anything that is necessarily true of God is true of Father, Son, and Spirit. They are equal in essence yet distinct in function.
The doctrine of the Trinity is most fully realized in the NT where the divine Father, Son, and Spirit are seen accomplishing redemption. But while the NT gives the clearest picture of the Trinity, there are hints within the OT of what is yet to come. In the beginning of the Bible, the Spirit of God is �hovering over the face of the waters� at creation (Gen. 1:2) and is elsewhere described as a personal being, possessing the attributes of God and yet distinct from Yahweh (Isa. 48:16; 61:1; 63:10). Some interpreters think that the plurality within God is seen in the Hebrew word for God, �Elohim, which is plural in form (though others disagree that this is significant; the word is used with singular verbs and all agree that it has a singular meaning in the OT). In addition, the use of plural pronouns when God refers to himself hints at a plurality of persons: �Then God said, �Let us make man in our image�� (Gen. 1:27; cf. Gen. 3:22; 11:7; Isa. 6:8). The plurality of God also seems to be indicated when the Angel of the Lord appears in the OT as one who represents Yahweh, while yet at times this angel seems to be no different in attributes or actions from God himself (cf. Gen. 16:7, 10�11, 13; 18:1�33; Ex. 3:1�4:31; 32:20�22; Num. 22:35, 38; Judg. 2:1�2; 6:11�18). There are also passages in the OT that call two persons God or Lord: �Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions� (Ps. 45:6�7). David says, �The Lord says to my Lord: �Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool�� (Ps. 110:1). The God who is set above his companions (Ps. 45:6) and the Lord of Psalm 110:1 are recognized as Christ in the NT (Heb. 1:8, 13). Christ himself applies Psalm 110:1 to himself (Matt. 22:41�46). Other passages give divine status to a messianic figure distinct from Yahweh (Prov. 8:22�31; 30:4; Dan. 7:13�14).
The OT glimpses of God's plurality blossom into the full picture of the Trinity in the NT, where the deity and distinct personalities of Father, Son, and Spirit function together in perfect unity and equality (on the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, see The Person of Christ). Perhaps the clearest picture of this distinction and unity is Jesus' baptism, where the Son is anointed for his public ministry by the Spirit, descending as a dove, with the Father declaring from heaven, �This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased� (Matt. 3:13�17). All three persons of the Trinity are present, and each one is doing something different.
The NT authors employ a Trinitarian cadence as they write about the work of God. Prayers of blessing and descriptions of gifts within the body of Christ are Trinitarian in nature: �The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all� (2 Cor. 13:14); �Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone� (1 Cor. 12:4�6). The persons of the Trinity are also linked in the baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19�20, �baptizing them in [or into] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.� There are many other passages that reveal the Trinitarian, or at least the plural, nature of God (e.g., John 14:16, 26; 16:13�15; 20:21�22; Rom. 8:9; 15:16, 30; 2 Cor. 1:21�22; Gal. 4:4�6; Eph. 2:18; 4:4�6; 1 Pet. 1:1�2; 1 John 4:2, 13�14; Jude 20�21).
Differences in roles also appear consistently in biblical testimonies concerning the relationships between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The uniform pattern of Scripture is that the Father plans, directs, and sends; the Son is sent by the Father and is subject to the Father's authority and obedient to the Father's will; and both Father and Son direct and send the Spirit, who carries out the will of both. Yet this is somehow consistent with equality in being and in attributes. The Father created through the Son (John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2), and the Father planned redemption and sent the Son into the world (John 3:16; Rom. 8:29; Gal. 4:4; Eph. 1:3�5). The Son obeyed the Father and accomplished redemption for us (John 4:34; 5:19; 6:38; Heb. 10:5�7; cf. Matt. 26:64; Acts 2:33; 1 Cor. 15:28; Heb. 1:3). The Father did not come to die for our sins, nor did the Holy Spirit, but that was the role of the Son. The Father and Son both send the Holy Spirit in a new way after Pentecost (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7). These relationships existed eternally (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:4; Rev. 13:8), and they provide the basis for simultaneous equality and differences in various human relationships.
Within God there is both unity and diversity: unity without uniformity, and diversity without division. The early church saw this Trinitarian balance clearly. For example, the Athanasian Creed (c. a.d. 500) says:
We worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity; we distinguish among the persons, but we do not divide the substance. . . . The entire three persons are co-eternal and co-equal with one another, so that . . . we worship complete unity in Trinity and Trinity in Unity.
This unity and diversity is at the heart of the great mystery of the Trinity. Unity without uniformity is baffling to finite minds, but the world shows different types of reflections of this principle of oneness and distinction at every turn. What is the source of the transcendent beauty in a symphony, the human body, marriage, ecosystems, the church, the human race, a delicious meal, or a perfectly executed fast break in basketball? Is it not, in large part, due to the distinct parts coming together to form a unified whole, leading to a unified result? Unity and distinction�the principle at the heart of the Trinity�can be seen in much of what makes life so rich and beautiful. Woven into the fabric of the world are multiple reflections of the One who made it with unity and distinction as the parallel qualities of its existence.
The closest Concept that I can think of to �explaining� The Trinity is Water. Water can be a Liquid�a Solid�or a Gas. Three Different Distinct Forms�but still One�Water! With The Trinity we have God�Jesus�and The Holy Spirit. Three Different Personas�but One Entity � GOD!
� They are not each One-Third God�with all Three combining to form God.
� They are not Three Forms (or Shells) which God takes turns inhabiting.
� They are not Three Entities that God �Channels� Himself through to accomplish His Work.
� They are not Three Different �Hats� or �Titles� that God Uses to Accomplish different aspects of His Plan for Salvation.
� They are not Three Different � Separate Gods! One God!
� They are all (all Three of Them) Divine in Nature (with Christ also having a Human nature � thus Two natures�Human and Divine).
� None of the Three �Persons� in The Trinity were �Created�. Jesus Christ was �Begotten� (Born of a Woman) not �Created�. His Divine Nature was there from Birth�not �imparted to Him later.
God has No Beginning and He has No End. God is a Mystery that we will Never Understand. Don�t even Try! Just Believe�Obey and GLORIFY HIM!
Hey Yall !!!...Thanxs Donna, Lengthy post but well worth the Read and Study...and Arch...an Excellant example using Water and Simple...So it appears the 3 of us are in agreement with Trinty being a Tri~Unity or Triune God...being One and In the Same...Father...Son...HolySpirit....:yay:...:applause:...:bouncy:...xo
There are plenty of articles explaining the Trinity on that site, but it is hard to find just a simple explanation of the doctrine of the Trinity. That being said Monergism.com is probably the very best website on the net for theological articles.
I typed in "definition of the Trinity" and I found a very short article by James White explaining the Trinity.
Here is the link to it because it has a diagram that won't show up on this forum:
I know that one of the most oft-repeated questions I have dealt with is, "How does one explain, or even understand, the doctrine of the Trinity?" Indeed, few topics are made such a football by various groups that, normally, claim to be the "only" real religion, and who prey upon Christians as "convert fodder." Be that as it may, when the Christian is faced with a question regarding the Trinity, how might it best be explained?
For me, I know that simplifying the doctrine to its most basic elements has been very important and very useful. When we reduce the discussion to the three clear Biblical teachings that underlie the Trinity, we can move our discussion from the abstract to the concrete Biblical data, and can help those involved in false religions to recognize which of the Biblical teachings it is denying.
We must first remember that very few have a good idea of what the Trinity is in the first place - hence, accuracy in definition will be very important. The doctrine of the Trinity is simply that there is one eternal being of God - indivisible, infinite. This one being of God is shared by three co-equal, co-eternal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
It is necessary here to distinguish between the terms "being" and "person." It would be a contradiction, obviously, to say that there are three beings within one being, or three persons within one person. So what is the difference? We clearly recognize the difference between being and person every day. We recognize what something is, yet we also recognize individuals within a classification. For example, we speak of the "being" of man---human being. A rock has "being"---the being of a rock, as does a cat, a dog, etc. Yet, we also know that there are personal attributes as well. That is, we recognize both "what" and "who" when we talk about a person.
The Bible tells us there are three classifications of personal beings---God, man, and angels. What is personality? The ability to have emotion, will, to express oneself. Rocks cannot speak. Cats cannot think of themselves over against others, and, say, work for the common good of "cat kind." Hence, we are saying that there is one eternal, infinite being of God, shared fully and completely by three persons, Father, Son and Spirit. One what, three who's.
NOTE: We are not saying that the Father is the Son, or the Son the Spirit, or the Spirit the Father. It is very common for people to misunderstand the doctrine as to mean that we are saying Jesus is the Father. The doctrine of the Trinity does not in any way say this!
The three Biblical doctrines that flow directly into the river that is the Trinity are as follows:
1) There is one and only one God, eternal, immutable.
2) There are three eternal Persons described in Scripture - the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. These Persons are never identified with one another - that is, they are carefully differentiated as Persons.
3) The Father, the Son, and the Spirit, are identified as being fully deity---that is, the Bible teaches the Deity of Christ and the Deity of the Holy Spirit.
One could possibly represent this as follows:
The three sides of the triangle represent the three Biblical doctrines, as labeled. When one denies any of these three teachings, the other two sides point to the result. Hence, if one denies that there are Three Persons, one is left with the two sides of Full Equality and One God, resulting in the "Oneness" teaching of the United Pentecostal Church and others. If one denies Fully Equality, one is left with Three Persons and One God, resulting in "subordinationism" as seen in Jehovah's Witnesses, the Way International, etc. (though to be perfectly accurate the Witnesses deny all three of the sides in some way---they deny Full Equality (i.e., Jesus is Michael the Archangel), Three Persons (the Holy Spirit is an impersonal, active "force" like electricity) and One God (they say Jesus is "a god"---a lesser divinity than Yahweh; hence they are in reality not monotheists but henotheists). And, if one denies One God, one is left with polytheism, the belief in many gods, as seen clearly in the Mormon Church, the most polytheistic religion I have encountered.
Hopefully these brief thoughts will be of help to you as you "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Thanxs James...I appreciate your input and agreement in the Tri-Unity of God...Its an Important part of Christianity and seems to be mis-understood by many...as the Good Book says...Its a Mystery...:laugh:...you mentioned ~ "The doctrine of the Trinity, is a fence inside of which we sheep may safely graze."...AMEN !!!...xo
The Holy Spirit,who is the Paraclete we do not have His name mentioned in Scripture.
Holy Spirit:GOD the Holy Spirit is GOD
The Father is not the Son,nor the Holy Spirit
The Son is not the Father,nor the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is not the Father,nor the Son
The Father is Omnipotant,Omniscient,and Omnipresent
The Son is Omnipotant,Omnipresent,and Omniscient
The Holy Spirit is Omnipotant,Omnipresent,and Omniscient
The Father does not need Yeshua or the Holy Spirit to being GOD.
Nor Does He need Yeshua for His existence,nor for anything else.
The same thing could be said of Yeshau and the Holy Spirit.
The Father,Son and the Holy Spirit do not need each other in order to being GOD,for this is who they are and this is what they are like.
Yet the three PERSONS within the GODHEAD move,work and will in unison with one another.
Though there are three distinct persons within the GODHEAD,yet there is ONE WILL amongst the three;
That is the WILL OF GOD!
This will is to GLORIFY GOD.
And to save those whom have been PREDESTINED unto salvation.
Joh 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Joh 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
Joh 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Joh 17:6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
Joh 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Joh 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord of the promise is not slow, as some deem slowness, but is long-suffering toward us, not having purposed any to perish, but all to come to repentance.
