The Godhead, Three in One

 

Shalom to all believers in Christ,

 

With an open prayer, we do understand that God is described by the Christian doctrine as existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit, three separate persons sharing one homoousion. In this instance, the one essence defines what God is, whereas the three persons define who God is. Trinitarianism is the name of this belief, and those who uphold it are referred to as trinitarians; those who oppose it are referred to as antitrinitarians or nontrinitarians.

 

As early Christians and church fathers sought to make sense of the relationship between Jesus and God in their canonical writings and ancestors' traditions, they first developed the theology of the Trinity.

 

The Trinity has been seen as being referenced frequently in the Old Testament. One of these is the Messiah prophecy in Isaiah 9. "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" are titles given to the Messiah. Some interpret this line to indicate that the Messiah will serve as the triune God on earth. This is so because the Holy Spirit is referred to as a counsellor (John 14:26), God is referred to as the Trinity, God the Father is referred to as Father, and Jesus is referred to as the Prince of Peace.

 

The New Testament contains a number of trinitarian formulae, including Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Corinthians 12:4-5, Ephesians 4:4-6, 1 Peter 1:2, and Revelation 1:4-5, even though the established idea of the Trinity is not explicitly stated in the texts that make up the New Testament. Theologians have attempted to explain the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit throughout history as a result of early Christians' reflection on passages like the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" and Paul the Apostle's blessing: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all."

 

The theology of the Trinity—one Godhead existing in three persons and one substance—was eventually formed by combining the various allusions to God, Jesus, and the Spirit found in the New Testament. The Trinity concept was used to refute competing theories about how the three are related and to defend the church from accusations that it worships two or three deities.

 

While traditional Christian theology maintains that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person of God himself, earlier Jewish theology argued that the Spirit is merely the divine presence of God himself. This trend starts early in the New Testament, when the Spirit of God is described and given far greater attention than it was in earlier Jewish texts. The Old Testament contains 75 references to the Spirit, and the Dead Sea Scrolls contain 35, but the New Testament, despite being much shorter, contains 275 allusions to the Spirit. In addition to receiving more attention and importance in the New Testament, the Spirit is also characterised in language that is considerably more particular and personalised.

 

More so than in the Old Testament or ancient Jewish scriptures, the New Testament passages frequently depict activities that seem to give the Spirit a very personal dimension. So, for instance, Paul mentions the Spirit as having "driven" Jesus into the wilderness (Mk 1:12; contrast "guided" in Mt. 4:1/Lk 4:1) and as having "told" believers of their ancestry with God (Rom 8:14–16). Other instances of this can be found in Acts, where the Spirit forbids Paul from going on a missionary journey to Asia (16:6), directs the Jerusalem council to decide regarding Gentile converts (15:28), tells the church in Antioch to send Barnabas and Saul, and warns Paul (through prophetic oracles) of trouble ahead in Jerusalem (21:11).

 

The Spirit is not shown as the object of cultic devotion in the New Testament; rather, worship is primarily directed toward God the Father and the risen/glorified Jesus. The Nicene Creed, as it later evolved, stated that it was appropriate to include the Spirit as the object of worship. However, Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14, which refer to the Spirit as the object of religious ceremony, may come the closest to this in the New Testament.

 

The Trinitarian formula, "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," is typically used to confer baptism. [Mt 28:19] In the words of Basil the Great (330–379), "We are bound to be baptised in the language we have received, and to proclaim faith in the terms in which we have been baptized." Trinitarians associate this designation with the Christian faith, into which baptism is an entrance.

 

According to the First Council of Constantinople in 381: "We learn to believe in the Names of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit through the faith we receive at our baptism." This Faith affirms the existence of a single Godhead, Godpower, and Godbeing composed of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. " It is possible to interpret Matthew 28:19 to mean that this formula has been a part of baptism since the very beginning of the Church. Revelation 1:4-5, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6, Ephesians 4:4-6, 1 Peter 1:2, and 2 Corinthians 13:14 are a few other places in the New Testament where the Trinity is mentioned.

 

According to the doctrine of the trinity, God is one entity with three divine beings existing within him. The three persons who make up the Trinity are coequal, coeternal, and identical in nature, essence, power, activity, and will.

 

The phrase "economic Trinity" concentrates on what God does, whereas the phrase "immanent Trinity" concentrates on who God is. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, The Fathers of the Church made a distinction between economy and theology (theologia) (oikonomia). The term "economy" refers to all the ways in which God manifests and communicates his life, whereas the term "theology" refers to the mystery of God's inner life inside the Blessed Trinity. Theologia is disclosed to us through the oikonomia, but conversely, theologia also sheds light on the entire oikonomia. The mystery of God's inner being illuminates our understanding of all his works, while the works of God themselves reveal who he is in himself. Like how it is among human beings. A person's actions reveal who they are, and the more we know about someone, the more sense we can make of their behaviour.

 

In order for Us to exist, we need parents. So, the natural calculation would be Father + Mother = Child = Trinity. A child is equivalent to ONE, as in GOD in ONE.

There are several "analogies for the Trinity" that an apologist or evangelist might use today. There are times when the triune God is compared to water. God manifests as the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, just as water can exist in three different states (liquid, solid, and gas). The mathematical comparison is 1+1+1=3, whereas 1x1x1=1, which explains the Trinity in another way. Trinity does not only mark the number "3", but it is always with us, whether we realise it or not. In order for Us to exist, we need parents. So, the natural calculation would be Father + Mother = Child = Trinity. A child is equivalent to ONE, as in GOD in ONE.

 

Catholics must receive sacraments such as Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation. Therefore, we were Baptised in the name of God the Father, ate the body of Christ during Holy Communion of the Son, and were ready to spread the good news as in the Holy Spirit, another Trinity for true Christianity.

 

Before reaching the end of the article, let’s reflect on the early passage regarding [Arianism]. Unitarianism, Binitarianism, and Modalism are examples of Christian nontrinitarian beliefs that have been denied and been proclaimed as false doctrine. These beliefs can be found throughout the Asia Minor region up until the Arabian Peninsula, where another Spiritual Book exists just to enunciate their Arianism doctrine altogether with a new scripture decree. The only way to make people trust this defunct doctrine was by introducing a "Nontrinitarian Messiah having a conversation with the Man-made Trinity Believers" passage in the all-new sacred scripture Word of God that was "somehow" given by the Almighty.

 

Christianity has existed since almost 2000 years ago. Our faith and the truth have never change in fact Christianity has never change but it was us, human, kept on changing. We always try to please ourselves by trying to find a scripture that suits our best interest. Dead Sea Scrolls are among the best Christianity history to refer to. It even pre-date the existence of other nontrinitarian messianic scripture.

 

We know the truth; we always know the truth, but we can never accept the truth because of our desire. The false doctrine that we can never try to rid it off.

 

 Amen.

(This article was made possible by referring to multiple sources in the grace by the Holy Spirit)

 

Damian Surin
St. Aloysius Church, Mantin,
Negeri Sembilan