THE TRINITY
The word “trinity” is a term used to define the so-called Christian doctrine which says that God exists in a unity of three distinct persons or personalities: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
If that's the case, then which of the three should we worship or which of the three should we pray to?
You will hear the response: “Pray to the Father in the Name of the Son.” However, most denominations pray “in the name of the Father, the Son, AND the Holy Spirit?”
Where does the truth lie in all of this?
A bit of history:
The “Holy Trinity” was introduced into Christianity in 325 AD by Constantine, a Roman emperor. Constantine appeared to be a Christian because he had ended the massacre of Christians, painted a cross on his army's shields, and erected a cross on the Hagia Sophia. In reality, he was not a Christian, but rather an accomplished politician.
Just before a battle with his Roman rival, Maxentius, Constantine had a dream in which he was instructed to paint a cross on his soldiers' shields. The odds were against him, and the enemy had an army twice his size, but he followed the instructions he had been given and won the battle. He noticed that there was something special about Christianity and recognized that the prayer of Christians was a powerful ally for an emperor.
Constantine, a practicing pagan, organized the first ecumenical council in Nicaea, Rome, in 325 AD, where he brought together Christian factions and pagan idolaters. This meeting, called the “Council of Nicaea,” resolved the differences between various opposing groups within Christianity, united church and state, and gave power to a universal church.
Constantine primarily united two rival Christian factions. One faction considered Jesus to be divine. The other considered Jesus to be a created being, therefore less than God.
After much discussion and political dispute, an agreement was reached that the Son was the true God, co-eternal with the Father and formed from the same substance as the Father.
This made Jesus an “equal” being to God. The foundation was laid for the acceptance of the “Holy Trinity” by most factions of Christianity.
Here is the first “Nicene creed” written and applied by the Council of Nicaea.
We believe in one God, the Almighty Father, Creator of all things visible and invisible,
And in the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten Son of the Father, of the substance of the Father, God of God, Light of Light, true God born of true God, begotten, not made, with the Father
By whom all things were made, both things in heaven and things on earth.
For us men, who came down from heaven for our salvation and was incarnated and became man.
He suffered, and on the third day he rose again and ascended into heaven.
And he will come to judge the living and the dead.
And in the Holy Spirit.
And whoever says that there was a time when the Son of God was not, or before he was begotten he was not, or that he was made of things that were not, or that he is of another substance or the essence of the Father or that he is a creature, or capable of being changed or converted - all of which, so to speak, the Catholic and Apostolic Church condemns.
With this newly granted power, the creeds were applied mercilessly, under penalty of exile, torture, or death. The world was soon plunged into the Dark Ages, during which more than 68 million people were killed in the titles of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (The Glorious Reformation, Schmucker, 1838).
Here is a brief explanation of the Divinity, taken from the book Exposition of the Seven Church Ages, chapter 1.
At the beginning of the Church, they did not believe in three Gods. No such belief is found among the apostles. It was after the apostolic age that this concept was introduced, and it was at the Council of Nicaea that it became a point of debate and a cardinal doctrine. The doctrine of the Divinity caused a schism at Nicaea.
And this schism led to two extremes: on one side, the polytheists, who believed in three Gods, and on the other, the unitarians. Of course, this didn't happen overnight, but that's where we ended up, and that's what we have today. But the Revelation given by the Spirit to the Churches, through John, said: “I am the Lord Jesus Christ, and I am the WHOLE. There is no other God.” And He seals this Revelation with His seal.
Consider this: Who was Jesus' Father? Matthew 1:18 says, “Mary...was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.” But Jesus Himself affirmed that God was His Father. God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are terms we often use, and here we see that the Father and the Spirit are ONE. They are indeed, otherwise Jesus would have had two Fathers. However, note that Jesus said that He and His Father are One—not two. That makes ONE God.
If this is the case, then which of the three do we worship and which one do we pray to?
You will hear the answer: “Pray to the Father in the Name of the Son.”
But then most denominations pray “in the name of the Father, Son, AND Holy Ghost?”
Where’s the truth in all this?
If this is the case, then which of the three do we worship and which one do we pray to?
You will hear the answer: “Pray to the Father in the Name of the Son.”
But then most denominations pray “in the name of the Father, Son, AND Holy Ghost?”
Where’s the truth in all this?
Références bibliques
If this is the case, then which of the three do we worship and which one do we pray to?
You will hear the answer: “Pray to the Father in the Name of the Son.”
But then most denominations pray “in the name of the Father, Son, AND Holy Ghost?”
Where’s the truth in all this?