Who is God?

Discussion

What was your biggest take away from the Pre-Work this week?

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word Trinity?

Why do you think the Trinity is not a frequent topic of teaching or contemplation in most churches?

What do we lost if we neglect to teach a distinctively Christian view of the Trinity?

Of the three persons of the Trinity, which do you feel most acquainted with? Which is easiest to attach your affections and worship to? How does your personal history of family or church shape the answers you gave?

Write your definition of the Trinity. How would you explain it to someone?

You Are a Theologian: An Invitation to Know and Love God Well Pray

Brief Definition: God eternally exists as one essence and three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is fully God, yet there is one God.

The deeper we understand Trinitarian concepts, the more deeply we can know God and come to love Him and begin to experience His love for us.

The aim of Christian discipleship is love and worship of the triune God.

What makes the Father the Father, the Son the Son, and the Spirit the Spirit?

Immanent Trinity

The Father is eternally unbegotten

The Son is eternally begotten

The Spirit is eternally spirated/sent.

What do they share in common/what makes them distinct?

What are some ways we get the Trinity wrong?

We are not saved by having perfect doctrine. We’re saved by having a perfect Lord.

Spiritual maturity is about growing in our love and knowledge of God.

We want/need to know God more.

There should be a level of dissonance/mystery in learning about God.

He is infinite, we are finite.

This isn’t something we should be lackadaisical in our thinking about.

“I can’t find the word Trinity in my Bible.”

You can’t find the word “Bible” in the Bible.

Genesis 1:2

Colossians 1:15

Common misconception

OT = God the Father

Gospel = God the Son

Acts and beyond = Holy Spirit.

Augustine attempted to explain the Trinity with the analogy of “love” itself.

Thee is always a trinity present in love: “One who loves, that which is loved, and love itself.”

How do we handle 1 John 4:15-16?

How is this a misused statement?

Herman Bavinck p. 245

God being Trinity impacts life/daily walk with God.

God is one

Our worship is focused on one God—we don’t have a pantheon to keep straight.

Many things have our affections

God must have our worship and devotion

The gospel is only possible if God is Trinity

We have fellowship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Not a generic God.

Intimacy

John 13-17

I and the Father are one, you are in Me.

I’m going to leave to be with the Father, but leave you with the Spirit.

Prayer life

How we pray to God the Father through the priestly work of the Son in the Power of the Holy Spirit, who indwells us.

Why does the Trinity matter in discipleship?

Jesus ties the Trinity into His commission for His disciples.

Matthew 28:18-20

Even in the original go/tell, the mission of God is Trinitarian theology.

The Trinity’s work in salvation

Economic Trinity

Ephesians 1:3-14

What does the Father do? (vv. 3-6)

The Father initiates

What does the Son do? (vv. 7-10)

The Son accomplishes

What does the Spirit do? (vv. 11-14)

The Spirit applies

God the Father sends God the Son who sends God the Holy Spirit.

You Are a Theologian: An Invitation to Know and Love God Well Pray

1. Which of God’s attributes are you most familiar with? Which are less familiar to you? Why?

2. Which of God’s attributes make you feel uncomfortable? Which feel most relatable or understandable? Why?

3. Choose one incommunicable attribute and discuss how it increases your understanding of your own limits. How does it increase your love for God? How does it enliven you to worship?

4. Choose one communicable attribute and discuss how it increases your understanding of your own limits. How does it increase your love for God? How does it enliven you to worship?

Discussion

If you had to, how would you summarize the story of Scripture?

What are some examples of formative practices you are already doing, Christian or otherwise?

What are some examples of distinctly Christian spiritual disciplines/practices?

Looking at Ephesians 1:3-14, Do you see any more explicit Trinitarian language in this reading?

Pre-Work 9.24.25

Read Genesis 1, Psalm 1, John 1, Romans 1, Hebrews 1.

Read “What is the Bible?” from You Are A Theologian.

Turn and Tell: Who can you share something you learned in this session with? What do you plan on sharing with them?

Begin working on “My Life’s Story”

We’ll have this completed by week 4.