1. God in Three Persons Blessed Trinity
The attributes of God

2. Tertullian (c. 160 - c. 225) Against Praxeas
Everywhere I hold one substance [divine attributes] in three cohering….All are of one, by unity of substance; while the mystery of the dispensation is still guarded, which distributes the Unity into a Trinity, placing in their order the three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; three however…not in substance but in form, not in power but in appearance.

3. GBC Definition of “Trinity”
“We believe in one God eternally existing in three equal persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who have the same nature and attributes, but who are distinct in office and activity.”

4. Critical elements of definition
Mysterious
Trinity
EQUALITY
PLURALITY
UNITY

5. Unity OT – Dt. 6:4; Is. 43:10; 45:21-22; Mal. 2:10
NT - Mk. 12:28-29; Jn. 5:44; 1 Cor. 8:4-6; 1 Tim. 1:17; James 2:19

6. Plurality Plurality of Persons in the OT
Plural pronouns and verbs – Gen. 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Is. 6:8
Distinction of persons – Is. 48:16
Angel of the Lord – Gen. 16:7-13
Father is God – Ps. 89:26
Son is God – Is. 7:14; 9:6; Ezek. 1; Dan. 7:9-14
Spirit is God – Ps. 139:7-12

7. Plurality Plurality of Persons in the OT
Distinction of Persons in the NT – Mt. 3:16-17; Jn. 14:16-18; 16:7,10; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:14
Diversity of authority – John 8:42; 15:26; 16:13-14; 1 Cor. 15:27-28
Tri-unity, or three-in-oneness – Jn. 10:30; 14:9

8. Equality Father is God – John 6:27; 1 Pet. 1:2
Son is God – Jn. 1:1; 5:18; 8:58; 9:38; 10:30; 14:9; 20:28; Mt. 1:23; Phil. 2:6-7; Col. 1:15-17; 2:9; Heb. 1:2-3, 6, 8, 10-12
Spirit is God – Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 3:17-18

9. Analogies Of water and eggs The Church – Jn. 17; 1 Cor. 12
Marriage – Gen. 1-2; Gal. 3:28; 1 Pet. 3:7

10. Summary
God eternally exists as Three real Persons, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit
Each Person is fully God (equality)
Each person is distinct (plurality)
And yet there is just one God (unity)

11. History & Heresies
Polytheism
Mysterious
Trinity
EQUALITY
PLURALITY
Modalism
UNITY
Subordination

12. Specific challenges to Trinity
“Firstborn of all Creation”; Col 1:15
Dt.21:15-17
“literal first son who was born to a man”
“one who possessed the supremacy, with the legal rights of the firstborn”
John 1:3; Ps. 89:27

13. Specific challenges to Trinity
“Only begotten”; John 3:16
Literal: “only offspring”
Figurative: “unique”  such as Isaac in Heb. 11:17

14. Specific challenges to Trinity
“a god”; John 1:1
Cp. John 1:18
Heb. 1; Col. 1

15. Significance
Sacrificial love
True fellowship
True worship