The Trinity (AQA GCSE Religious Studies A) : Revision Note

God as a Trinity

• The Holy Trinity is the belief that God is one but exists in three ‘persons’

  • God the Father

  • God the Son (Jesus)

  • God the Holy Spirit

• The word Trinity comes from ‘tri-unity’ or ‘three-in-one’

  • Belief in the Trinity is belief in one God with three unique roles

• The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes it clear that this does not mean that there are three gods, but just one God:

God the Father

• God the Father is the creator of everything, the maker of all things, as described in the Biblical account of creation in the book of Genesis

• God the Father is the transcendent part of God: the omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnibenevolent (all-loving) being

• The title Father is a mark of respect for God and shows his role as Creator

• The Nicene Creed describes the belief in God the Father using these words:

God the Son

• God the Son is Jesus Christ – God incarnate, meaning God in human form

• Christians believe that Jesus is fully divine and fully human

  • He was born, lived and died as a human 

  • He was crucified to redeem humanity’s sins

  • Therefore he knows and understands human suffering

• Jesus the Son of God had a unique position of being able to communicate God’s message directly to his followers while on earth

  • His teachings and the example he set while on earth is a model for Christian behaviour

• The Nicene Creed describes the belief in God the Son using these words:

God the Holy Spirit

• The Holy Spirit is the invisible power of God at work in the world today, just as Jesus promised his disciples

• The Holy Spirit is a source of spiritual strength for Christians today, guiding and inspiring 

  • the lives of individuals 

  • the direction of the whole Church

• The Nicene Creed describes the belief in God the Holy Spirit using these words:

The significance of the idea of the Trinity

• The Trinity is a key belief for Catholic Christians

• It is described as a ‘mystery’ so Christians can accept that there are things that they cannot know about God

• It can help Christians to understand how God is present in their lives in different ways today

  • As the Father, God is loving

    • Christians may feel loved and demonstrate love for others for example by giving to charity

  • As the Son, God was incarnate and lived and died among humans

    • Christians know that God can understand them and felt pain like they sometimes do, so they can pray to God for help

  • As the Holy Spirit, God is a source of spiritual strength

    • Christians can feel the Holy Spirit at work in their lives which can strengthen and support them

Scriptural Origins of Belief in the Trinity

• The term Trinity is not mentioned in the Bible

• It was developed later by the early Church to help describe this belief

• However, even though the term Trinity is not in the Bible, there is plenty of Biblical evidence to support belief in the Trinity

Biblical references to the Trinity

The Great Commission

• Before Jesus left his disciples to return to heaven after his resurrection from the dead, he gave them the task of bringing more disciples to the faith

  • This task was known as the Great Commission

  • Jesus’ command to his followers was expressed using the idea of belief in the Trinity

The Baptism of Jesus

• The baptism of Jesus is one of the most important Biblical passages illustrating the idea of God as Trinity, since each of the persons of the Trinity are represented

• Both Matthew and Mark’s gospel describe the event in very similar ways:

• In this passage, God has revealed Himself as:

  • the Father – The voice speaking from Heaven

  • the Son – Jesus Christ, who is being baptised

  • the Holy Spirit – Descending in the form of a dove

The writings of St Paul and the early Church

• By the time St. Paul and the other apostles were writing letters to members of the early Church, the use of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in reference to God was common

• For example, in his letter to the Galatians, Paul refers to God as Father, Son and Spirit within a single verse:

References to the persons of the Trinity

• There are several references to God as Father, and Jesus referred to this belief:

• Jesus is described as the Son of God many times in the Gospels, generally by other people, for example, John the Baptist who said:

• The Holy Spirit is mentioned by Jesus as a gift to his followers, an ‘advocate’ to help them 

Development of the Idea of Trinity in the Council of Nicaea

• The idea of Trinity is not explicitly stated in the Bible, although the idea is clearly included (see above)

• The name was first used in the second century, by Theophilus of Antioch

• As the Christian Church developed and grew, Church councils were held, where Church leaders from around the world gathered

• At the Councils of Nicaea in 325AD and Constantinople in 381AD, these Church leaders drew up a statement of agreed beliefs. This explained what they understood to be the exact nature of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit

  • Before this, there were some differing ideas about the exact nature of who Jesus was. Some people thought that he was made by God, rather than being ‘one with God’

• The statement of agreed beliefs became the Nicene Creed 

• This formalised the idea of the Trinity as it is understood today

• The version developed at the Council of Constantinople is the version still used today and recited by Catholic Christians at Mass

• It is known as the Nicene Creed and remains the chief source of teaching about the Trinity as God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit