Romans 8. 12-17: Living in the Fullness of the Trinity
Living in the Fullness of The Trinity
Please note that the “answers” given below are not intended as the “correct answer”. They are given to help facilitate discussion.
This week our housegroup studies follow the celebration of Trinity Sunday, celebrated the week after Pentecost. Unlike most Christian celebrations this is not based specifically on events, but is the drawing together of a doctrine from different parts of the Bible, so you will be using different passages in your study. I would suggest your focus should be on our own understanding of what the Trinity is informed by the Scripture passages.
Readings: set service readings - Romans 8 v.12-17 and Matthew 28 v. 16-20
Note: Questions to discuss are in bold, notes for the person leading the group are in italic – you will need to ensure you have the verses you need for the study to hand.
Potential Icebreaker
How important is the concept of 3 in creation - think of things that consist of 3s?
Q – We don’t see the word ‘trinity’ in the Bible. Should we use it?
Trinity isn’t a Bible word – it comes from the Latin term ‘Trinitas’, meaning triad or three. Like a bunch of other theological terms (omnipotence, omniscience, divinity) it sums up a concept found in Scripture. The word itself is just a useful tool. What is important is the concept it represents.
Q – Isn’t ‘one God in three persons’ a contradiction?
The statement is certainly mysterious. We should gladly admit that the Trinity can’t be fully comprehended. (By the way, would anyone want to worship a God who could be fully understood?).
We need to grasp God as ‘one’ in name and nature and position, but is revealed to us through the three persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit who live together in harmony.
Q – Can analogies help us understand the Trinity?
Understanding how the Trinity works is difficult and sometimes an analogy ‘The Trinity is like….’ can help we say that one (complicated) thing is like another (simpler) thing. Employing this method, you’ve probably heard that the Trinity is like…
· A shamrock (one stem with 3 leaves).
· Thee parts of an egg (shell, white and yoke)
While these analogies might appear helpful, on closer inspection they can be problematic.
These can be misleading as they offer the illusion that each person of the Trinity is only one third of the whole. In fact, the Bible teaches that each person of the Trinity is fully divine in their own right (see Col 2:9) and how Jesus is described, even if the one God comprises the three persons together.
You can discuss in the group how Jesus fits into the Godhead in the light of this passage!
So to answer the question, analogies are limited. However, it is an interesting fact that we see so many ‘triads’ in creation!
Q – Where is the biblical evidence that Jesus (God the Son) was/is divine?
[You will need to select the passages you want to use]
Many Bible statements unambiguously affirm Jesus’ deity. In John’s gospel alone Jesus is described as being “the Word” who “was God” (John 1:1); as being “one” with the Father (John 10:30); and confesses him as “Lord” and “God” (John 20:28). Paul describes Jesus as the one in whom the whole fullness of deity dwells (Colossians 2:9), while Peter gives him the titles, “our God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1).
In addition to such statements, we see Jesus doing things that only God can do. Jesus creates and sustains the cosmos (Colossians 1:16). He forgives sins (Mark 2:7), raises the dead and is the final judge of humankind (John 11:25; John 5:25, 28-29).
Q – Is the Holy Spirit a mere force, or a person with a mind and will?
It’s crystal clear from Scripture that the Holy Spirit is a person. For one thing, personal pronouns are repeatedly used of the Spirit, such as him, him, him and me. The Holy Spirit can be lied to (Acts 5:3, 5) and grieved (Eph 4:30) – something that cannot be true of impersonal forces. In Romans 8: 12-17 we have a picture of how the Holy Spirit is intimately involved with salvation and enables us to be God’s children.
Q – How can we know the Spirit is divine?
Acts 5 gives one of the clearest proof-texts. In two parallel statements Ananias is said to lie to the “Holy Spirit” and to “God” (Acts 5:3, 5). The Holy Spirit is also included in a number of important ‘triads’. For example, disciples are to be baptised into the name (singular) of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). Similarly in 2 Corinthians a blessing comes from God, which includes the love of God the Father, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14). This we know as ‘the Grace’ which we use to finish off times of prayer. In it we acknowledge that our God exists in three persons.
Q – How do we reconcile God the Son’s will to give his life on the cross and his apparent struggle in Gethsemane?
This is a tricky question, and probably needs to be answered along the lines of God the Son/Jesus having two separate wills. The key point, however, is that the human nature of Jesus was tempted to disobey God, yet he ultimately submitted to the Father’s will in a way that the first Adam didn’t.
Q – What are some of the heresies to avoid regarding the Godhead?
· modalism: God exists in different modes at different times, but should not be understood as three distinct persons.
· tritheism: there are three separate gods, who all share the same Godhood.
· arianism: God the Son was a created being and thus not full divine.
· macedonianism: the Holy Spirit is a created being, and thus not God.
· partialism: the teaching that each person of the Trinity is only a part of God, and that each person only becomes fully God when they join with the others.
Q – What were some of the key landmarks in church history regarding the Trinity?
At the Council of Nicea (AD 325), bishops affirmed the full deity of God the Son. This was being challenged by a bishop named Arius. The Council of Constantinople (AD 381) agreed that the Bible taught the deity of the Holy Spirit. That is emphasised in the Nicene Creed.
Q – But why should God be three persons at all?
This is always difficult – the Jews always found it easier to have ‘One God’. For us as Christians it is perhaps easier to understand the fellowship that exists between the Trinity, which develops and demonstrates the love of God. A fellowship which God wants to draw us into as His adopted children. Most importantly, though it was Jesus who told his disciples to baptise in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit – He knew God as three persons.
After your discussion it might be good to ask each person which person in the Godhead they find easier to pray to - and then end in prayer.