This doctrine teaches that the god of christianity is one in his essence but three in his persons. This eyeopening series addresses a myriad of questions about the origin and authority of the bible, god, the trinity, man, sin, salvation, revelation, miracles, the church, the end times, and more. This doctrine teaches that the god of christianity is one in his essence but three in. The doctrine of the trinity is foundational to the christian faith. Examining a publication of the watchtower society should you believe in the trinity is jesus christ the almighty god. One early church leader young discusses is gregory nazianzen, who is called gregory the theologian.
Sproul differentiates between what god could do from what he did do and explains why god shows his sovereign mercy. California coast coho, upper klamathtrinity rivers springrun chinook, central valley. Download and share this free ebook, what is the trinity. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading what is the trinity. Sprouls newest crucial questions booklets, what is the trinity. This doctrine teaches that the god of christianity is one in his essence but three in his personsthe father, the son, and the holy. Sproul looks at every aspect of jesus life and work, addressing such lifechanging topics as. Mccall millions of christians today recognize the term arminianism as a label for a theological position or movement. Rc sproul, mystery of the trinity 5 arabic subtitles. Sproul cuts through the fluff and gets to the essence of what matters, and there are always nuggets of scholarship that bring clarity to the mind.
The concept of the trinity has emerged as a touchstone of truth, a nonnegotiable article of christian orthodoxy. A brief declaration and vindication of the doctrine of the. We shall first present the scripture evidence on which the doctrine rests and then we shall present the credal statements. Below is rc sprouls 5th of 6 video lecture on the mystery of the trinity. This booklet will also be 50% off for the next month making it a great way to share this important doctrine with your. However, it has been a source of controversy throughout church history, and there remains much confusion about it to this day. That is about as close as we can get to articulating the historic doctrine of the trinity. This classic piece is often republished as the biblical. Giles was presented as a lecture at a plenary forum on the trinity at the annual meeting of the evangelical theological society ets on november 15, 2016, in san antonio, texas. Doctrine of the trinity biblical research institute.
Unlike those who worship allah, or those jews who claim to worship the god of abraham, christians worship the true and living god, who. Examining should you believe in the trinity a jw booklet. Sproul carefully explains the doctrine of the trinity, stressing that christians worship one god who manifests himself in three distinct persons. Below is rc sprouls 5th of 6 video lecture on the mystery of the trinity muslims often misunderstand the christian doctrine of the trinity as polytheistic.
Heres a paragraph from the introduction to gregory. The bible teaches that god is one in substance and three in personthe father, the son, and the holy spirit. Although not itself a biblical term, the trinity has been found a convenient designation for the one god selfrevealed in scripture as the father, son, and holy spirit. An evaluation of three recent proposals, southern baptist journal of theology 10. Strategies for solving the problem of the trinity the best solutions to the problem of the trinity all share a common feature. In his inimitable style sproul gives a lucid and cogent defense of the trinity as articulated in key passages of scripture and as has been defended in the great early church councils of nicea and chalcedon. Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android.
C download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. For the same reason, any solution they develop must avoid the heresies just described. Gregory was a defender of the bibilical doctrine of the trinity, but he also was concerned with positive affirmations of the christian way of life. Sproul to awaken men and women around the world to the holiness of god. The nicene and reformed doctrine of the trinity giles. But how many of us understand the theological significance of jesus actions before and after the crucifixion. Artists can reinvigorate our understanding of the trinity using the examples of rublevs icon and david hetlands stained glass. From ligonier ministries, in this crucial questions booklet, dr. Related to the divine being, his nature and mode of being. A sermon for trinity sunday 2007 one of the things i was most looking forward to in moving to surrey hills was that coming to a church named holy trinity. Understanding the biblical doctrine of the trinity godhead. Ive been reading sproul since the 70s, and never once have i come away without a deeper understanding of the topic, and that is certainly true of this little book as well.
Faculty, featured stories, teds searching for the historical harmenzoon. Introduction in this chapter we shall attempt to set forth in as clear language as possible the basic truths which the church holds concerning the doctrine of the trinity. Johnson, does the doctrine of the trinity hold the key to a christian theology of religions. Though the word trinity is not found in the bible, there is no doubt that the scriptures teach this triune nature of god. Sproul in the year 451, the church convened the great council of chalcedon, one of the most important ecumenical councils of all time. And yet, those are the sermons that we, and our people, need the most.
It was called to combat several heresies, the most significant of which was the monophysite heresy. From 1966 to 1968 he served as assistant professor of theological studies at gordon college. Sproul 19392017 was known for his ability to winsomely and clearly communicate deep, practical truths from gods word. Warfield, trinity, from the international standard bible encyclopedia general editor james orr, 1915. Lawrence, grizzly, bull, hollow tree, sproul, outlet, and tomki creeks. Doctrine of the trinity for instance, in the volume of. A proper understanding of this doctrine is essential.
Sproul teaches that god ordains and controls everything without destroying the freedom of his creatures. Yet a proper understanding of this doctrine is essential. Trinity sunday would then be our patronal festival. From 1965 to 1966 he served as instructor in philosophy and theology at westminster college. In a pluralistic and relativistic age, christians must stand firm in proclaiming the one living and true god who is revealed in scripture. To a large number of christians, however, it is a doctrine fundamental to christianity since it deals with a correct knowledge of god. He is the founder and president of ligonier ministries named after the ligonier valley just outside of pittsburgh, where the ministry started as. Sproul is the author of forty books, founder of ligonier ministries, and the daily radio teacher for the nationally broadcast renewing your mind. Most christians recognize the importance of christs death and resurrection.
A brief declaration and vindication of the doctrine of the trinity by john owen. The doctrine of the trinity is a difficult topic to discuss, because it stretches the limits of human language and logic. Why jesus baptism is relevant for our salvationthe similarities and differences. During the early centuries of the church, there were many attempts to explain the divinity of jesus and his relation to the father. What is the trinity by rc sproul a short 63 pages introduction to the trinity. Sproul gives a sweeping overview of this important doctrine, explaining difficult concepts, exploring biblical teaching, and defining what. Persons of the trinity might be thought of as one in precisely the way that, say, abraham, sara, and isaac are one.
Martin luther, for example, was convinced that what was obscure and difficult in one part of. In order to help further your understanding of the trinity, we are offering one of r. Sproul robert charles sproul, born 1939 in pittsburgh, pennsylvania, is a reformed theologian and pastor. Sproul was ordained to the gospel ministry by the pittsburgh presbytery upusa on july 18, 1965. This book is a good primer if you have no clue about the logic, reasoning or history behind the trinity concept. An analysis and defense of the social model of the godhead david paulsen and brett mcdonald the theology of joseph smith remains controversial and at times divisive in the broader christian community. Explaining the trinity to the jehovahs witnesses by jay hess1 the jehovahs witnesses2 hereafter abbreviated as jws hold to an arianlike theology insisting that the father alone is the one true god with the son being michael the archangel who is above all other angels. It is common to hear people claim that christians, jews, and muslims all worship the same god. Muslims often misunderstand the christian doctrine of the trinity as polytheistic. The doctrine of the trinity and the goal of the christian mission. Hagensick the rabbi s deep voice echoes through the dusk, hear, o israel. Vlach did constantine invent the trinity the doctrine of the trinity in the writings of the early church fathers nathan busenitz bibliography of works on the trinitarian theology dennis swanson volume 24, number 2.
This doctrine teaches that the god of christianity is one in his essence but three in his personsthe father, the son, and the holy spirit. The doctrine of the trinity in biblical perspective. We realize that god has brought ligonier ministries in contact with christians from many different backgrounds, particularly. Martin luther, for example, was convinced that what was obscure and difficult in one part of scripture was stated more clearly and simply in other parts. The doctrine of predestination has not only been at the center of much.
Watch his videos, read his books, listen to his tapes, experience his seminars and you see, hear, and experience. This is part of the crucial questions series, free on kindle and other ebook formats. However, the doctrine of the godhead trinity is without questions revealed in gods word. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source with renderx xep formatter, version 3.
Sproul has had enormous influence in reformed circles, and unfortunately he is an example of the serious confusion about saving faith found in conservative churches. Yet a proper understanding of this doctrine is essential to the health and welfare of the church. Crucial questions series book 10 kindle edition by sproul, r. This booklet will also be 50% off for the next month making it a great way to share this important doctrine with your church. However, if you already knew the church accepted trinity explanation but it just didnt really make sense to you or you dont agree with the accepted reasoning, this book will not help. When was the last time you preached or heard a sermon on god his nature, character, purposes, plans, ways, and will. He was founder of ligonier ministries, founding pastor of saint andrews chapel, first president of reformation bible college, and executive editor of tabletalk magazine. Identifies the objections against the doctrine of the trinity as. Behind the concept of unity is the biblical affirmation of monotheism. One cannot properly teach or effectively defend the central biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone unless one knows what both faith and justification are. In 1989, jehovahs witnesses received a publication designed to destroy the christian belief in the trinity, the belief that the one, true, almighty god of the bible has revealed himself in three persons, the father, the son, and the holy spirit.
We realize that god has brought ligonier ministries in contact with christians from many different backgrounds, particularly since the addition of our radio ministry in 1994. Although not itself a biblical term, the trinity has been found a convenient designation for the one god selfrevealed in. Like nevertheless, we can make a distinction between the three persons of the trinity, because each member of the godhead has unique attributes. Sproul packs a good bit of content on the trinity in a short book. Before we can talk about the trinity, we have to talk about unity, because the word trinity means triunity. The most basic application of the doctrine of the trinity to the goal of christian mission is simply this.
One of the most helpful sections in this book is when sproul explains what the trinity is, by explaining what it isnt. Posing a dogmatic question to the scriptures presupposes that the. Although in many ways the doctrine of the trinity is beyond our comprehension, we believe this doctrine because this is how god reveals himself to us in his word, as father, son, and holy spirit, who are the one true god. The apophaticism characteristic of the theologicai thought of the eastern church is not an impersonal mysticism, an experience of the absolute divine nothingness in which both the. However, if you already knew the church accepted trinity explanation but it just didnt really make sense to you or you dont agree. The distinctions within the godhead are, if you will, subdistinctions within the essence of god. They are real, but they do not disturb the essence of deity. Sep 30, 2011 a proper understanding of this doctrine is essential. In this message entitled one in essence, three in person, dr. One would say, an absolute necessity of perfect being. Many of us, when asked about the trinity, unknowingly offer heretical answers. The doctrine of the trinity in biblical perspective 325 trinity, but this mystery must be accepted in terms of the biblical reelation. The nicene and reformed doctrine of the trinity cbe. We say the father is god, the son is god, and the holy spirit is god, but we dont say that the father is the son.
Wilkin editor journal of the grace evangelical society irving, texas r. Warfield, trinity, from the international standard. Sadly, we hear and preach all too few sermons about god. Sproul was a uniquely gifted communicator, and his ability to make complex topics easy to understand was evident throughout his teaching.
Sproul, maurice england for free with a 30 day free trial. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source. C download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or. Chong 4 in conclusion, i submit that it is a simple matter of misrepresentation that underlies the watchtowers objections to the doctrine of the trinity.
Sproul begins this new series on the mystery of the trinity with a message which affirms that christians worship one god. Sproul shows that the truths of scripture relate to each other in perfect harmony. The trinity in creation bryan murphy inspiration and the trinity william d. Sproul gives a sweeping overview of this important doctrine, explaining difficult concepts, exploring biblical teaching, and defining what the term mystery means. The doctrine of the trinity recognizes that god is one god, coexisting in three distinct persons of the father, son and holy spirit.
759 330 288 650 496 227 1477 1266 1109 1425 1447 667 587 585 30 714 1222 406 1475 1015 177 1518 1270 960 220 1394 570 1009 388 78 223 1127 698 748 228 368 666