Private Reserve: Adult Confirmation on The Trinity

The Trinity

The discussion delves into the concept of the Trinity, explaining that God is revealed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It emphasizes that God is love and that His nature is beyond human comprehension. The Trinity is described as three distinct persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who are one in essence, with each person being co-eternal and co-equal. The Nicene Creed is referenced to illustrate the church's belief in the Trinity, highlighting the Father's almightiness, the Son's eternal existence, and the Holy Spirit's role as the love between the Father and the Son.

Outline

Understanding the Trinity

• The speaker explains that Jesus Christ reveals God, and John in his Gospel states that no one has seen God, but some Christians did see God made man, Jesus Christ.
• God is described as love, and His name is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost or Spirit. Speaker 1 emphasizes the danger of inventing new names for God.
• God is not like anything else; He is love, and we are not happy until we please Him. God is everywhere at once because He has no body and no parts.
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct yet one, known as the Holy Trinity. The Nicene Creed summarizes the church's understanding of God.

The Nature of God

• The speaker states that God is almighty, meaning He has power over everything and made everything out of nothing.
• The Son, Jesus Christ, was always with God and was always God, begotten not made, and of one substance with the Father.
• The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is equal to them, eternal, and never absent.
• St. John's Gospel describes the Son as the Word of God, God's own reason, thinking, and love.

The Holy Trinity and the Nicene Creed

• The Nicene Creed is used to give an oath to God in church, summarizing what God has done for us.
• The Father is almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
• The Son, Jesus Christ, is the Only Begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, and is one substance with the Father.
• The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, is worshiped and glorified, and is equal to the Father and the Son.

The Relationship Between the Persons of the Trinity

• The Father and the Son have always loved each other, and their love is perfect and alive.
• The Holy Spirit is the name for the love between the Father and the Son.
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct enough to say "I love you," but close enough to be one thing, called the Holy Trinity.
• The Nicene Creed helps us understand the Trinity through its three paragraphs.

The Unity and Distinctness of the Trinity

• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct yet one, known as the Holy Trinity.
• The Nicene Creed summarizes the church's understanding of God, and when said together in church, it gives an oath to God.
• The Father is almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
• The Son, Jesus Christ, is the Only Begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, and is one substance with the Father.

The Role of the Holy Spirit

• The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is equal to them, eternal, and never absent.
• The Holy Spirit is called Lord, and He is the giver of life.
• The Holy Spirit is not made out of anything else, and the Father did not have to lose part of Himself to have the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and the Son, and there was never a time when there was not a Holy Spirit.

The Essence of God

• God is love, and we are not happy until we please Him.
• God's name is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost or Spirit, and it tells us that God is in three persons.
• God is everywhere at once because He has no body and no parts.
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct yet one, known as the Holy Trinity.

The Perfect Love of God

• The Father and the Son have always loved each other, and their love is perfect and alive.
• The Holy Spirit is the name for the love between the Father and the Son.
• God is never lonely; He is the one who loves, is loved, and is Himself the love between the two.
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct enough to say "I love you," but close enough to be one thing, called the Holy Trinity.

The Nicene Creed and the Trinity

• The Nicene Creed summarizes the church's understanding of God and what God has done for us.
• The Creed is used to give an oath to God in church, and it helps us understand the Trinity.
• The Father is almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
• The Son, Jesus Christ, is the Only Begotten Son of God, begotten of His Father before all worlds, and is one substance with the Father.

The Unity of the Trinity

• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct yet one, known as the Holy Trinity.
• The Nicene Creed helps us understand the Trinity through its three paragraphs.
• The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal and eternal, and there was never a time when they were not.
• The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, and is worshiped and glorified with them.