Theological Words Every Youth Worker Should Know: Trinity Edition
Teaching the Bible is hard work. It can be even harder if you do not have the right tools in your toolbelt to describe the concepts God has revealed in his word. In the “Theological Words Every Youth Worker Should Know” Series we will be defining some terms everyone should know so they can faithfully talk about how God has revealed himself in scripture. In this post, we’ll see six words that will help you teach and think more clearly about the Trinity.
Trinity: The one God eternally exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Key Scriptures
"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14
"According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.” 1 Peter 1:2
Why it Matters
Nothing matters more than getting who God is right. The Trinity isn’t always the most practical matter, but that is because God doesn’t exist for some practical reason outside of simply knowing him. Knowing God as the Trinity is the most important unique doctrine of Christianity. As intimidating as it may be, youth workers need to teach their students about the Trinity.
Nature: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share the same divine nature.
Key Scriptures
“For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ” Colossians 2:9
"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature” Hebrews 1:3
Why it Matters
A common temptation is to treat the persons of the Trinity as unique beings. Since we believe in one God, we also confess that God has one nature (or substance). The Council of Nicaea condemned the idea that God had multiple “substances” as heresy. As it says in Colossians, Christ is not a second God, but shares the fullness of God’s nature.
Person: The Father, Son, and Spirit are distinct persons within the one nature.
Key Scriptures
”Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19
"This is the declaration of the Lord to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.’” Psalm 110:1
Why it Matters
We do not believe in three Gods, but we do believe the one God exists as Father, Son, and Spirit. They share in one nature, but are three persons. This is an important distinction. It matters because this is who the God of the Bible is. To know him we must know who he is! In places like Psalm 110 we can see the one God talking to another person of the one God. This gives us a small picture into the inner life of God.
Perichoresis: The three persons of the Trinity are equal and united with one another.
Key Verses
“…the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” John 14:9-10
“For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” Colossians 1:19
Why it Matters
Perichoresis allows us to maintain the equality and unity of all three persons. They are eternally in perfect relationship with and through one another. This helps us articulate how God is always existing as all three persons and not simply appearing as one person or another.
Processions: The Divine processions are: The Father is unbegotten. The Father begets (or generates) the Son. The Father and Son send the Spirit.
Key Verses
"For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
”For just as the Father has life in himself, so also he has granted to the Son to have life in himself.” John 5:26
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26
Why it Matters
People often wonder how they are supposed to distinguish, or tell the difference between the persons in the one God. The way we distinguish the persons is by how they relate to each other in their relationships. The verses above show the person’s relationship to one another. This does not mean the Father is “more God” than the Son or the Holy Spirit. Instead, the processions help us understand the relationship among the persons of the Trinity.
Inseparable Operations: The three persons of the one God always act inseparably (as one) because God has one will.
Key Verses
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Deuteronomy 6:4
"Jesus responded to them, “My Father is still working, and I am working also.” John 5:17
Why it Matters
If the persons of the one God each had a separate will that acted on its own, you would functionally have three Gods. If there were three wills, there could be disagreement in God. If the three wills are always acting of one accord, then that is redundant. This is why we confess God has one will. This helps us understand that we distinguish the persons of the Trinity by how they’re sent, not by their individual actions. When any member of the Trinity acts, God (in all his Triune fullness) acts. That is why when we talk about God’s actions we talk about the one God!
More on the Trinity by YPT: