the holy trinity???

Question

are christians polythiesti or monothiestic? because every time they mention the holy trinity it sounds like they have three gods? was jesus a god or was jesus the son of god? or the son of man like it says in the bible. its all so confuseing?

Answer 1

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity states there is one true God who is made up of three separate but equal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

How this works is not fully known and is one the Christian mysteries.

There is a story told about St Augustine:

Augustine was walking along the seashore trying to figure out the mystery of the Holy Trinity and came up to a little boy. The boy was trying to pour the ocean into a hole in the sand with a seashell. Augustine told the boy what he was doing was impossible. Then the little boy told Augustine that it is also impossible for the mind of man to try to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity. The little boy turned into an angel and disappeared.

The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is shared by most Christian denominations including Roman and Orthodox Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Pentecostals and Episcopalians.

All of these groups would state that they are monotheists.

Some non-trinitarian religions like Islam occasionally accuse Trinitarians of polytheism.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

I Just answered this question recently, so I am going to cut and paste a bit. However the answer is my attempt to show you how the "Holy Trinity" works. The answer is not complete, because the intracies of God are deeped than my mind can coprehend.

The Christian God eternally exists in three distinct persons, but yet there is only one God. We call God a Tri-unity or Trinity. Each of these persons is no greater or less than any other person, but each have different functiions and responsibilities. One of these persons is called the "Father". He is the creator of the universe including life. He is also the sustainer of life. Without God the Father you and I would die in a moment. This person of the trinity lives outside of time and space in what we call "Eternity"

Right in the very first chapters of the Bible we see that man was created in the image of "God". It also says that God walked with and talked with man. The person of God that works directly with man is called God the "Son". One of the things that God the Father gave to man was free will. If man did not have this free will he would be less than human. At some point in time, man rebelled against God. (We could get into the role of satan etc., but that would be a digression). This was no suprise to the Trinity. In fact in the third chapter of the first book of the Bible the Trinity declares how this rebellion will be eventually crushed. God the Son was given the responsability to crush the rebellion. In order to do this he took on the very form and nature of man. Several times in Older Covanant we see God in human form. (as an example the story in the book of Daniel about the three men thrown into the Firey Furnace, the King saw four men in the flames and then announced that the fourth looked like a God.) In the new Testament, the son takes on a permanent physical body. He then proceeds to crush the rebellion that started at the very beginning of human existance. He did this by his death and ressurection. God the Son is still working directly with man to help him overcome the effects of the human rebellion.

The third person of the Trinity is called God the Holy Spirit. His responsibility is somewhat less defined than the other two persons. His role is to convict man of his rebellion, and then to lead man to a place of forgiveness.

This is my own opinion. It is not official Christian dogma. Each of the three Persons takes on both specific tasks, and also takes on limitations. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, for example do not have a physical body. Perhaps the Holy Spirit did not have need to be part of the physical creation. Possibly God the Son and the Holy Spirit do not need to have foreknowledge. I could go on, but I hope that you get the point that an all powerful and an all knowing God can be one God in three different persons.

I hope this helps

Bryan

Answer 3

Read down. Some more has been added.

I have to be brief. It is a long and involved question and I am going to give it to you without quoting a lot of Bible verses.

Christians believe in ONE God, a "Godhead" comprising three distinct entities, God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. It is not any particular person's or group's supposition, we believe it came from God's teaching and has been a Christian dogma from very early times in the chuch's history.

I have to be brief. It is a long and involved question and I am going to give it to you without quoting a lot of Bible verses.

No Jesus did not actually say the word 'Trinity" nor is the word mentioned in the Bible. Nor did he ever say " I am God." but he gave us a lot to add to the other pointers in the Bible about the Trinity and himself.

The trinity and Jesus Divinity is a mystery, which is beyond human explanation, ie how God can be made up of three seperate identities. There are many things in religions, which are beyond human comprehension. Which is why God gave us the gift of faith.

In the first Chapter of the Bible it says, "...and the spirit of God was moving across the waters...." So we know that the spirit of God existed at the beginning.

There can be know doubt about The Father in heaven who is evident throughout the Bible.

Jesus said, of himself "....I came down from heaven...."
So we know that He was there from the beginning too, especially as St Paul says, "...through Him (Jesus) all things were made..." and "....... He ( again Jesus) did not cling to His equality with God.... "

Then on the occasion when he met his disciples before he ascended to heaven He had the power to breath the Holy Sprit into them.

In the new Testament letters, The Holy Spirit is referred to (twice I think) as the Spirit of Jesus. Which is why we can be sure that "the helper, advocate" that he had the authority to say that he would send, was the Holy Spirit.

The fact that he said that his apostles/disciples should go and baptise "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ", is just one verse to add to the many others which are the basis of our belief in the Trinity.

I think the verses I have mentioned also show (with others that I can give you if you like) The Divinity of Jesus the rest, as I have said is Faith. Not a popular woprd these days.) I don't know what sort of proof somepeople expect; after all religion is not science!
+++++++
I am now adding to my answer. Having re-read your question, I think you deserve more, even though it makes my answer much longer than I intended.

Jesus was not a god (although some people try to say he was) but God the Son.

Jesus often referred to himself as 'son of man'. This was to emphasise his human nature, for if he was not human as well as divine, his sacrifice was pointless. (An interesting fact is that some Christians tried to deny Jesus' human nature some time after his death and said that he was wholly Divine.


Christians believe that Jesus had a dual nature, human and Divine. There was a divine Sonship in Heaven from the beginning of time, Jesus words " ...the glory I shared with you before the world began." "...I came down from heaven..." prove this. Why God exists in a way that involves his having three separate entities, making up the Godhead is beyond human understanding and is none of our business.
The time came when God, in his infinite wisdom, had to come down to earth. So a child was born to Mary, not through any man, but by God's power. He was called Jesus and the Sonship of God came down and entered that body.
I think that one of the problems that people often face, is the need and belief that everything has to be and can be explained in human terms and that thereshould be no mysteries with God. Hence our reliance on science these days. This makes it very difficult for some to accept things through faith without being able to understand/explain them.

Bearing in mind that Jesus was a Jew and came to live and work among Jews and that they were to be the people chosen to carry the light to the nations, what he did and taught had to be understood within the context of their culture not of our culture of today, but of those people. Culturally speaking, if God had to come down among his people he could do so in no better way than as "a son of God", especially an only begotten son. Sons were of great importance in the culture of Jews and their ancestors. And the idea of there being a sonship aspect to 'God's being' should have made Jesus more acceptable to them.

My previous comments about Jesus are underlined by his own words " ...the glory I shared with you (speaking to the Father) before the world began." and "...I came down from heaven..." .

Why God exists in a way that involves his having three separate entities, making up the Godhead, one of them a sonship" is beyond human understanding.
When the time came for God, in his infinite wisdom, to come down to earth ( and Christians understand why He had to) a child was born to Mary, not through any man, but by God's power. He was called Jesus and the Sonship of God came down and entered that body.

Bearing in mind that Jesus was a Jew and came to live and work among the Jews who were chosen to carry the light to the nations, what he did and taught had to be understood within the context of their culture not of Arabic culture, nor of our culture today, but of those people. Culturally speaking, if God had to come down among his people he could do so in no better way than as a son, especially an only begotten son. Sons were of great importance in the culture of Jews and their ancestors. And the idea of there being a sonship aspect to 'God's being' should have made Jesus more acceptable to them.

Her are just a few verses about what Jesus and others said about his nature. There are others that I can send you if tou wish.


'... most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham existed (ever was) I am.' Jn 8:58
(my italics)



' for in Christ the fullness of God lives in bodily form...' Coll 2:9


Thomas said, after he had met Jesus after He had ascended from the dead,
'My Lord and My God.' Jn 20:28


'....the Father and I are one...' Jn 10:30


'...Christ existed before all things...' Coll. 1:17



If you need any more references, let me know.