what is wrong with trinitarian theology

Non-Trinitarian belief necessitates downgrading of the Holy Spirit from a person with full divinity to something else.19 Arius considered the Holy Spirit in similar terms to the Son, and early fathers such as Irenaeus and Origen considered the Word and the Spirit to be (eternally) derived from the Father, effectively the Fathers hands in his work with creation. Space does not permit further discussion here. 6 - Contemporary trinitarian theology: problems and perspectives BIO Not only is the Trinity foundational, it is also unique to Christianity. Eilbertus has reminded us of the essential movement that we must make, has set us on the path that faith seeking understanding must follow: from the history of salvation to the eternal life and unchanging character of God. The second debate has to do with the eternal inner relatedness of the three Persons in the Trinity. We find all three Persons present simultaneously in the Gospel writers description of the baptism of Christ (Matthew 3:16, 17). In order to demonstrate how women should think and live and exercise their role, appeal is made to the respective roles of the members of the Godhead with the intention of showing equality between the Persons (ontological Trinity) while simultaneously having different functional roles (economic Trinity). This article is an attempt to get behind the heretical doctrines of non-Trinitarian groups to what their advocates are trying to achieve. Theologians have invented the words omniscient and omnipresent as convenient labels for these indisputably biblical ideas. You will not find the word Trinity in Scripture. Socinians believed that the Holy Spirit has no personal identity, but is merely the power of God.15 This is essentially the Christadelphian position; however, they differ from the Socinians in their understanding of the atonement. But it is high time to come to terms with the precise meaning of that movement, and for that task we need not images depicting the truth, but words: first the form of sound doctrine given in the teaching of the apostles, then the interpretive assistance of classical doctrines, and finally the conceptual redescription that characterizes constructive systematic theology in the present. You can discuss this post and others in the Faithlife Today group. First, social trinitarianism is a departure from the theology symbolized in the Nicene Creed. Jesus, in their view, was born by the power of the Holy Spirit but did not pre-exist; and after his death he was raised and exalted to the right hand of God. Before we turn to those trinitarian issues being debated today, there is the obvious issue: too often the Trinity is not discussed at all! No one who has studied the Scriptures closely can easily deny this. Eilbertus is offering an invitation here: above are the everlasting arms, outstretched but unbent, as linear and straight as panel borders or the beams of the cross, while below the salvation is received with appropriate passivity into the bent arms of the father of the race of humanity. Its the only way to bring together all the different threads of the tapestry in a unified whole. Add to that the term homoousios of the same stuff or of one substance. When thinking about the Trinity, remember each divine person is constituted by (1) the essential nature of Deity (the Word was God), that is, the attributes (ousia) that distinguish God from creation; (2) full self-consciousness (I Am), the actual reality of self, distinct from other persons, which in turn presupposes mental properties and internal relations; (3) unique relatedness (the Word was with God), distinguishing each member of the Godhead from the others; and (4) perichoresis (I am in the Father and the Father in Me), the mutual indwelling of each in the other without confusion of self-consciousness. Therefore, Jesus being born does not negate the Sons pre-existence. And fifth, it informs and norms soteriology. The next step, once it is established that Scripture is their final authority, is to understand what your Bible-respecting anti-Trinitarian friend does believe. First, the Bible teaches there is only one God ( Deuteronomy 6:4, among others). The Son, loving us and giving himself in our place. Ruth Sutcliffe received a PhD in historical theology from the Australian College of Theology and serves Bible colleges in the Majority World. 10 There are numerous debates surrounding the Persons of the Trinity today. ; The issues surrounding kenotic theories (Phil 2:6-7); The temptation of Christ (Heb 4:15); The New Apostolic Reformation (NAR, Pentecostalism) and its concept of pneumatology, also its application of Ontological Kenotic Christology; Feminist hermeneutics, theology and their resultant interpretation of God; etc. Theres only one answer: we have to resort to the doctrine of the Trinity. We may have all sorts of questions about it, but no one dares question the Trinity for fear of being branded a heretic, so it seems best to simply ignore it or decide it is best to remain confused rather than have ones orthodoxy questioned.6 Even worse, many Christians make no attempt to even try to understand it. Furthermore, the Bible makes a clear distinction between these Persons. Non-Trinitarians emphasize the subordination of the Son to the Father, not just in terms of the willing humbling and emptying of Philippians 2, but as the Sons intrinsically inferior nature to the Fathers. If so, where? . ), Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism, The Social God and the Relational Self: A Trinitarian Theology of the Imago Dei, The Named God and the Question of Being: A Trinitarian Theo-Ontology, The One, the Three and the Many: God, Creation and the Culture of Modernity, The Beauty of the Infinite: The Aesthetics of Christian Truth, Trinity and Religious Pluralism: The Doctrine of the Trinity in Christian Theology of Religions, Holiness, Speech and Silence: Reflections on the Question of God, The Trinity in a Pluralistic Age: Theological Essays on Culture and Religion, Communion and Otherness: Further Studies in Personhood and the Church, The Twelve Patriarchs. If a picture is worth a thousand words, three pictures placed together in significant visual proximity are not increased simply by addition of ideas, but rather by a remarkable multiplication of meaning. But in rejecting pre-existence, they are forced to interpret metaphorically every passage stating or alluding to that pre-existence. Focus on the Family has a staff of pastoral counselors who would love to speak with you over the phone. Therefore, the study requires mental effort, plus an investment of time given to reading and research, and, most of all, faith in the Word of God. "useRatesEcommerce": true Many of these are Person specific, focusing on God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit. It is also essential to recognize that the Son existed as God the Word throughout eternity (see John 3:13, 17:5; Col 1:16; Heb 1:13), but that the man Jesus of Nazareth had a distinct beginning at his conception/ incarnation when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (see Matt 1:18; Luke 1:3135; John 1:12, 14). Contact info for the churchs treasury is: http://www.servatius-siegburg.de/kirchen-einrichtungen/ Fourth, it identifies God by the gospel. Alternatively, an Adoptionist perspective must be upheld. Read below as Fred Sanders explores the question by tracing the "visual arguments" of the medieval master craftsman, Eilbertus of Cologne. ' ( omnipresence). We should also point out that the earliest Christian confession of faith consisted of two words: Iesous Kyrios, Jesus [is] Lord (I Corinthians 12:3). The debate pendulum swung back and forth over the first four centuries of early church history: the Docetists denied Jesus humanity; the Ebionites denied His deity; the Arians reduced His deity, while the Apollinarians reduced His humanity; the Nestorians denied the union of the two natures, while the Eutychians emphasized only one nature. One writer distinguishes this from Unitarianism by the term biblical monotheism;10 however, orthodox Trinitarianism is also biblical and monotheistic, as opposed to being ditheistic, tritheistic, or polytheisticterms mean nothing without agreed-upon definitions. But the reason runs deeper than a concern to defend orthodox Trinitarianism. "coreDisableSocialShare": false, The Predicament of Postmodern Theology: Radical Orthodoxy or Nihilist Textualism? Two historical examples include Arianism and Socinianism, approximated today by the Jehovahs Witnesses (JWs) and Christadelphians, respectively. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive. Books and articles that equip you for deeply biblical thinking and ministry. . "Logic," from the Greek word logos, is the science of correct reasoning, and provides tools for analyzing the form and content of arguments. The Son existed only in the mind of God, who loved and glorified him in prospect. by Michael Bird. What Is Trinitarian Theology? (with picture) - Language Humanities The craft and wisdom of Eilbertus frame the discussion, but we need to have the discussion. A. Stating the topic We say that we have a "Trinitarian theology." However, most churches accept the doctrine of the Trinity, and their theology is at least somewhat Trinitarian, but we emphasize the Trinity more than most churches do. The Son begins existence as a creature and is exalted because of his work. Because the New Testament speaks about Jesus submission to his Father during the incarnation (Jn 5:19; 14:28; 1 Cor 11:3; Phil 2:5-7) and even post-ascension as Gods vice-regent (Acts 2:33; 5:31; Rom 8:34; 1 Cor 15:28; Col 3:1; Heb 1:13; 10:12; 12:2; Rev 3:21), we must acknowledge that the Sons submission demonstrates something of the eternal relationships within the Godhead. We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. What's Wrong with this Picture? Why You Need More Nicaea in Your Home Family QAs Get Help Family Q&A Faith Q&As Trinitarian Theology and the Bible. In this view of substitution, God chooses a perfectly innocent man to take the blame and punishment for other humans sins. BBC - Religions - Christianity: The Trinity What is social trinitarianism? | carm.org Trinitarian theology is a "summary label" for an approach to theology where the Trinity is the originating impulse and organizing principle for other doctrines of the Christian faith. They said that "corrupt" theologians of the second and third centuries "invented" this idea under the influence of "Greek thinking." Some missionaries from another religious group came to my door and told me that the word "Trinity" never once appears in Scripture. There is a commonly understood and accepted tradition when it comes to explaining the person and work of each member of the Trinity. Here is the revelation of the Trinity, in the work of Christ and the Spirit.4. } This may stem from scriptural or non-scriptural bases. Trinitarian monotheism acknowledges plurality within the one Godhead, not external to him. You will readily observe that most, if not all, of the theologians will develop their discussion of the Trinity and each of the Persons of the Trinity along the same or similar lines, even referencing many of the same Scriptures to support their propositions. 3, 5.
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