Difference between revisions of "Trinity"

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==Synopsis==
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{{Infobox_Contents |
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  topic_name = Trinity |
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  subtopics = [[God the Father]], [[Jesus]], [[Holy Spirit]] |
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  opinion_pieces = {{short_opinions}}
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* [[Trinity (carm)]]
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* {{ebd}} |
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}}
  
__NOTOC__
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The Trinity is the unique teaching of Christianity about the three-yet-one nature of God. It is one of teachings that makes Christianity unique among other religions, and although impossible to fully comprehend, the doctrine can be summarised by the following:
 +
* There is one and only one God
 +
* The one God eternally exists in three distinct persons
 +
* The Father is God, [[Jesus]], the Son is God, and the [[Holy Spirit]] is God
 +
 
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The word "Trinity" is not found in the [[Bible]]. It was first used in writing by [[Theophilus of Antioch]] around 180 A.D. as a way of expressing the triune (three-yet-one) nature of the one God that is revealed in the Bible, which does use the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  
The Trinity is the Christian [[doctrine]] describing the triune nature of God. The doctrine asserts the following: there is one and only one God; the Father is God, [[Jesus]] the Son is God, and the [[Holy Spirit]] is God; the one God eternally exists in three distinct persons.}}
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==='''Scriptural References To The Trinity'''===
  
==Contents==
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A number of passages in the [[Bible]] refer directly to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
  
{{also}} {{ebd}}
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* [[Matthew 28:19]] - {{Bible verse|Matthew|28|19|lang=WEB}}  
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* [[Luke 1:35]] - {{Bible verse|Luke|1|35|lang=WEB}}
  
{{topics}}
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A number of verses also show that Jesus was God.
* [[God the Father]] | [[Jesus]] | [[Holy Spirit]]
 
  
{{opinions}}
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* [[John 1:1]] and [[John 1:14]] - {{Bible verse|John|1|1|lang=WEB}} {{Bible verse|John|1|14|lang=WEB}}
* [[Trinity (carm)]]
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* [[John 5:21]] - {{Bible verse|John|5|21|lang=WEB}}
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* [[John 8]]:23-24 - {{Bible verse|John|8|23|lang=WEB}} {{Bible verse|John|8|24|lang=WEB}}
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* [[John 8:58]] - {{Bible verse|John|8|58|lang=WEB}} ''([[Jesus]] is speaking in reference to when [[God]] told [[Moses]] to tell the Hebrews "I am has sent you" in [[Exodus 3:14]])
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* [[John 10:30]] - {{Bible verse|John|10|30|lang=WEB}}
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* [[John 10:38]] - {{Bible verse|John|10|38|lang=WEB}}
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* [[1 John 5:20]] - {{Bible verse|1 John|5|20|lang=WEB}}
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* [[Titus 2:13]] - {{Bible verse|titus|2|13|lang=WEB}}
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* [[Colossians 2:9]] - {{Bible verse|colossians|2|9|lang=WEB}}
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* [[Philippians 2]]:5-6 - {{Bible verse|philippians|2|5|lang=WEB}} {{Bible verse|philippians|2|6|lang=WEB}}
  
{{quotes}}
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===Etymology===
  
==Main article==
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The word trinity is derived from the [[Latin]] ''tri-unitas'' which literal means "three unity".
  
The Trinity is the Christian [[doctrine]] describing the triune nature of [[God]]. The doctrine asserts the following
+
===Difficulties in Understanding===
* There is one and only one God
 
* The one God eternally exists in three distinct persons
 
* The Father is God, [[Jesus]], the Son is God, and the [[Holy Spirit]] are God
 
  
The word "Trinity" is not found in the [[Bible]]. It was first used in writing by [[Theophilus of Antioch]] around 180 A.D. as a way of expressing the triune nature of the one God revealed in Scripture. The Bible does use the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit though.
+
Throughout the history of the church objections have been raised to the teaching of the Trinity, but the doctrine has stood as a central feature of orthodox Christianity despite this.
  
 +
The following folk story illustrates the difficulties in understanding the Trinity.
 +
: ''It has been said that when the church father [[Augustine of Hippo|Augustine]] wrote a treatise about the Trinity he encountered a little boy walking along the seaside. The boy appeared to be scooping water from the sea in a little basin at the beach and Augustine asked him what he was doing. The boy answered: "I want to sccop the sea in my pond," to whicch Augustine responded: "You will never succeed." But the boy replied: "I'm doing the same thing as you: You want to understand the mystery of the triune God with your human mind."''
  
==='''Scriptural References To The Trinity'''===
+
The teaching of the Trinity was clearly articulated in the [[Nicene Creed]] of [[325 AD]].
  
Many scriptures refer directly to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
+
Historically many religions have been critical of the doctrine of the Trinity. The [[Quran]] has numerous quotations questioning and denying the Trinity and it is an issue that many Muslims exploring Christianity find to be barrier.
  
* Mathew 28:19: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"
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Recently numerous off-shoot religions related to Christianity have formed that deny the Trinity. These includes religions such as the [[Jehovah's Witnesses]].
  
* 2 Corinthians 13:13: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you."
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{{stub}}
  
* 1 John 5:7: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one." (This scripture is controversial becasue many claim it was not in the before the 16th century)
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'''Trinity Analogy'''
  
* Luke 1:35: "The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God."
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It seems that the best way to think of what the Trinity is, are in the terms of an analogy. It should be what we already have observed to be present and accepted.  
  
====God The Son====
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If the Trinity is to be recognized as how God Is, should there be some evidence of this conceptually and perceptually in our world today?? Creation should logically mimic its’ Creator in some way, should it not??
 
Still more bible verses support Jesus being God.
 
  
* John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." together with John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
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The following is accepted without question in the realm of science:
  
* John 1:18: "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known."
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'''Space''' - which is made up of height, width and depth. height is Space but it is not width or depth. Width is Space but it is not height or depth. Depth is Space but it is not height or width. All three when separate, height, width and depth are Space and when combined is Space.  
  
* John 5:21: "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives them life to whom he is pleased to give it."
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'''Time''' - which is made up of past, present and future. Past is Time but it is not present or future. Present is Time but it is not past or future. Future is Time but it is not past or present. All three when separate, past, present and future is time, and when combined is Time.
  
* John 8:23-24: "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins."
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'''Matter''' - which is made up of solid, liquid and gas. Solid is Matter but it is not liquid or gas. Liquid is Matter but it is not solid or gas. Gas is Matter but it is not solid or liquid. All three when separate, solid, liquid and gas are Matter, and when combined is Matter.
  
* John 8:58: "'I tell you the truth', Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am" (Jesus is speaking in reference to when God told Moses to tell the Hebrews "I am" has sent you" Exodus 3:14)
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If the above is correct why are there so many objections to the conceptual and perceptual knowledge of the Trinity?? Is it illogical??
  
* John 10:30: "I and the Father are one."
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When:  
  
* John 10:38: "But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."
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The Christian '''God''' – which is made up of '''Father, Son and Holy Spirit'''. Father is God but He is not Son or Holy Spirit. Son is God but He is not Father or Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is God but He is not Son or Father. All three when separate, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is God, and when combined is '''GOD'''.
  
* John 12:41:  "Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him." (in refernce to Isaiah 6:1
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Why is the logic of the Trinity rejected when the exact same logic is universally accepted by science when referencing space, time and matter??
  
* 1 John 5:20: "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life."
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==Quotes==
  
* Titus 2:13: while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ."
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'''[[Justin Martyr]]'''
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: "We will prove that we worship him reasonably; for we have learned that he is the Son of the true God himself, that he holds a second place, and the Spirit of prophecy a third. For this they accuse us of madness, saying that we attribute to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of all things; but they are ignorant of the mystery which lies therein" ([[First Apology]] 13:5–6 [A.D. 151]).
  
* Colossians 2:9: "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form"
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==Video==
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<YouTube>
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title=The Trinity Explained
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUy-H5MmeGU
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&rel=1
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embed_source_url=http://www.youtube.com/v/bUy-H5MmeGU
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&rel=1
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wrap = yes
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width=500
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height=400
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</YouTube>
  
* Phillipians 2:5-6: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,"
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Also see [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kreSbagj_RM Trinity Explained by Ravi Zacharias]
 
* Revelation 1:17-18: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." This is seen as significant when viewed with Isaiah 44:6: "This is what the LORD says - Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God."
 
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
 
 
* [http://trinities.org/blog trinities] A blog by a Christian philosophy professor devoted to recent and past theories about the Trinity
 
* [http://trinities.org/blog trinities] A blog by a Christian philosophy professor devoted to recent and past theories about the Trinity
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*[http://orthodoxwiki.org/Holy_Trinity Holy Trinity] by OrthodoxWiki
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*[http://www.contenderministries.org/biblestudy/trinity.php A Comprensive Defense of the Trinity]
 
* [http://www.catholic.com/library/Trinity.asp Early Church Fathers on the Holy Trinity]
 
* [http://www.catholic.com/library/Trinity.asp Early Church Fathers on the Holy Trinity]
 
* [http://www.mtio.com/articles/bissar107.htm One God in Three Persons], by Dr. Bill Weinrich
 
* [http://www.mtio.com/articles/bissar107.htm One God in Three Persons], by Dr. Bill Weinrich
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* [http://www.ucg.org/booklets/WG/ Who Is God?]
 
* [http://www.ucg.org/booklets/WG/ Who Is God?]
 
* [http://biggergod.com/trinity.html Understanding The Trinity], by Matt Perman
 
* [http://biggergod.com/trinity.html Understanding The Trinity], by Matt Perman
* [http://www.theologicalstudies.org.uk/god_trinity.html The Doctrine of the Trinity]
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* [http://www.theologicalstudies.org.uk/god_trinity.php The Doctrine of the Trinity]
 
* [http://www.jude3.net/trinitylinkindex.htm Articles On The Trinity]
 
* [http://www.jude3.net/trinitylinkindex.htm Articles On The Trinity]
* [http://homepage.mac.com/byfarthersteps/Trinity.html An Unpublished Essay on the Trinity], by [[Jonathan Edwards]]
 
 
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20031229035144/www.modernreformation.org/mr99/septoct/mr9905threeinone.html The Splendor of the Three-in-One God: The Necessity and Mystery of the Trinity], by R.S. Clark
 
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20031229035144/www.modernreformation.org/mr99/septoct/mr9905threeinone.html The Splendor of the Three-in-One God: The Necessity and Mystery of the Trinity], by R.S. Clark
* [http://www.gospelpedlar.com/trinity.html The Bible's Teaching About The Trinity], by James Montgomery Boice
 
* [http://www.alliancenet.org/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID307086%7CCHID581342%7CCIID1654148,00.html God in Three Persons], Blessed Trinity, by Michael Horton
 
 
* [http://www.tmch.net/theo4.htm The Being of God, The Character of God, The Trinity], by Paul D. Adams
 
* [http://www.tmch.net/theo4.htm The Being of God, The Character of God, The Trinity], by Paul D. Adams
 
* [http://reformedperspectives.org/newfiles/joh_frame/TH.Frame.Trinitarian_Analogies.html Trinitarian Analogies], by [[John Frame]]
 
* [http://reformedperspectives.org/newfiles/joh_frame/TH.Frame.Trinitarian_Analogies.html Trinitarian Analogies], by [[John Frame]]
* [http://home.earthlink.net/~calltoreformation/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/revivedtotrinitarianism.pdf Revived to Trinitarianism: The Need for Evangelicals to Believe In and Live On God] (PDF), by Jim Hamilton
 
 
* [http://www.heaven.net.nz/writings/trinity.htm The Trinity Doctrine] Heaven Net
 
* [http://www.heaven.net.nz/writings/trinity.htm The Trinity Doctrine] Heaven Net
  
{{returnto}} [[God]] | [[Christian doctrine and debates]]
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{{returnto}} [[Christianity]] -> [[God]]
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[[Category:Trinity]]
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[[Category:Videos]]
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[[Category:Pages with YouTube content]]

Revision as of 08:19, 11 October 2015

Trinity
RELATED TOPICS
SERMONS, ESSAYS AND OPINIONS
CONTENTS

The Trinity is the unique teaching of Christianity about the three-yet-one nature of God. It is one of teachings that makes Christianity unique among other religions, and although impossible to fully comprehend, the doctrine can be summarised by the following:

  • There is one and only one God
  • The one God eternally exists in three distinct persons
  • The Father is God, Jesus, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God

The word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible. It was first used in writing by Theophilus of Antioch around 180 A.D. as a way of expressing the triune (three-yet-one) nature of the one God that is revealed in the Bible, which does use the words Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Scriptural References To The Trinity

A number of passages in the Bible refer directly to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

  • Matthew 28:19 - Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
  • Luke 1:35 - The angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.

A number of verses also show that Jesus was God.

  • John 1:1 and John 1:14 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh, and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.
  • John 5:21 - For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.
  • John 8:23-24 - He said to them, "You are from beneath. I am from above. You are of this world. I am not of this world. I said therefore to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins."
  • John 8:58 - Jesus said to them, "Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM." (Jesus is speaking in reference to when God told Moses to tell the Hebrews "I am has sent you" in Exodus 3:14)
  • John 10:30 - I and the Father are one."
  • John 10:38 - But if I do them, though you don't believe me, believe the works; that you may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father."
  • 1 John 5:20 - We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
  • Titus 2:13 - looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ;
  • Colossians 2:9 - For in him all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily,
  • Philippians 2:5-6 - Have this in your mind, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped,

Etymology

The word trinity is derived from the Latin tri-unitas which literal means "three unity".

Difficulties in Understanding

Throughout the history of the church objections have been raised to the teaching of the Trinity, but the doctrine has stood as a central feature of orthodox Christianity despite this.

The following folk story illustrates the difficulties in understanding the Trinity.

It has been said that when the church father Augustine wrote a treatise about the Trinity he encountered a little boy walking along the seaside. The boy appeared to be scooping water from the sea in a little basin at the beach and Augustine asked him what he was doing. The boy answered: "I want to sccop the sea in my pond," to whicch Augustine responded: "You will never succeed." But the boy replied: "I'm doing the same thing as you: You want to understand the mystery of the triune God with your human mind."

The teaching of the Trinity was clearly articulated in the Nicene Creed of 325 AD.

Historically many religions have been critical of the doctrine of the Trinity. The Quran has numerous quotations questioning and denying the Trinity and it is an issue that many Muslims exploring Christianity find to be barrier.

Recently numerous off-shoot religions related to Christianity have formed that deny the Trinity. These includes religions such as the Jehovah's Witnesses.

This article is a stub. You can help WikiChristian by expanding it. For help please read the WikiChristian Tutorial and our writing guide.

Trinity Analogy

It seems that the best way to think of what the Trinity is, are in the terms of an analogy. It should be what we already have observed to be present and accepted.

If the Trinity is to be recognized as how God Is, should there be some evidence of this conceptually and perceptually in our world today?? Creation should logically mimic its’ Creator in some way, should it not??

The following is accepted without question in the realm of science:

Space - which is made up of height, width and depth. height is Space but it is not width or depth. Width is Space but it is not height or depth. Depth is Space but it is not height or width. All three when separate, height, width and depth are Space and when combined is Space.

Time - which is made up of past, present and future. Past is Time but it is not present or future. Present is Time but it is not past or future. Future is Time but it is not past or present. All three when separate, past, present and future is time, and when combined is Time.

Matter - which is made up of solid, liquid and gas. Solid is Matter but it is not liquid or gas. Liquid is Matter but it is not solid or gas. Gas is Matter but it is not solid or liquid. All three when separate, solid, liquid and gas are Matter, and when combined is Matter.

If the above is correct why are there so many objections to the conceptual and perceptual knowledge of the Trinity?? Is it illogical??

When:

The Christian God – which is made up of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Father is God but He is not Son or Holy Spirit. Son is God but He is not Father or Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is God but He is not Son or Father. All three when separate, Father, Son and Holy Spirit is God, and when combined is GOD.

Why is the logic of the Trinity rejected when the exact same logic is universally accepted by science when referencing space, time and matter??

Quotes

Justin Martyr

"We will prove that we worship him reasonably; for we have learned that he is the Son of the true God himself, that he holds a second place, and the Spirit of prophecy a third. For this they accuse us of madness, saying that we attribute to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of all things; but they are ignorant of the mystery which lies therein" (First Apology 13:5–6 [A.D. 151]).

Video

Also see Trinity Explained by Ravi Zacharias

Links



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