How did the Trinity doctrine develop in the early church?

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Davy

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Anyone who can read their New Testament Bible that declares that Jesus is the "express image" of The Father (Book of Hebrews), and in John 8 where Jesus Himself declared Himself as The "I AM", and especially Matthew 1:23 that reveals Jesus' name "Emmanuel" from the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy "Immanuel", which Matthew 1:23 says means, "God with us", can easily understand that Jesus is The Christ, and represents God The Son, and part of the triune Godhead of God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit.

Now per Apostle Paul in Romans 11, he showed that God has put the "spirit of slumber" upon the majority of Jews against understanding The Gospel, and that is why it's the Jews mainly that have a hard time accepting the idea of the triune Godhead with Jesus The Christ as a Person in The Godhead.

To this day, the unbelieving Jews still cannot answer Jesus' question to them below...

Matt 22:41-45
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

42 Saying,
"What think ye of Christ? whose son is He?" They say unto Him, "The Son of David."

43 He saith unto them,
"How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord, saying,

44 The LORD said unto my Lord, 'Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool?'
45 If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?
KJV
 
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Jack

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Anyone who can read their New Testament Bible that declares that Jesus is the "express image" of The Father (Book of Hebrews), and in John 8 where Jesus Himself declared Himself as The "I AM", and especially Matthew 1:23 that reveals Jesus' name "Emmanuel" from the Isaiah 7:14 prophecy "Immanuel", which Matthew 1:23 says means, "God with us", can easily understand that Jesus is The Christ, and represents God The Son, and part of the triune Godhead of God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit.

Now per Apostle Paul in Romans 11, he showed that God has put the "spirit of slumber" upon the majority of Jews against understanding The Gospel, and that is why it's the Jews mainly that have a hard time accepting the idea of the triune Godhead with Jesus The Christ as a Person in The Godhead.

To this day, the unbelieving Jews still cannot answer Jesus' question to them below...

Matt 22:41-45
41 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,

42 Saying,
"What think ye of Christ? whose son is He?" They say unto Him, "The Son of David."

43 He saith unto them,
"How then doth David in spirit call Him Lord, saying,

44 The LORD said unto my Lord, 'Sit Thou on My right hand, till I make Thine enemies Thy footstool?'
45 If David then call Him Lord, how is He his son?
KJV
And Hebrews 1, God calls His Son God the Creator!
 
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Brakelite

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Jesus was created inside Mary's womb, by the Holy Spirit.

God creates humans 4 different ways..

1.) Out of Dirt = Adam

2.) Out of Adam = Eve

3. ) By sexual intercourse = You

4.) Inside a Virgin's womb = Jesus the God Man
Yeah, the scriptures tell us that much. But doesn't explain the mechanics. It tells us what, but not how.
 

face2face

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Further to the above...
And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou has sent. John 17:3
Everywhere in the NT, it is explicitly taught that God sent His Son...that the Son came forth from the Father... that being the case, it is simply stupid to think that God did not have a Son to send.
Brakelite

In the Logos was "life and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4)

Logos represents the external manifestation of internal thought or reasoning. It goes beyond just a word, encompassing the deeper meaning or concept behind the word expressed. In other contexts, we also learn that wisdom was present with God from the beginning and was revealed through His actions of creation (Prov 8:22). This Source of Wisdom is a single source which expressed itself in the Logos which was sent John 17:3

Actually, the same can be said of the Creative acts - each one an expression of Him Who Willed it. Hence, all that was done, was done with His ultimate purpose in mind, and not as the result of blind force or chance.

F2F
 

face2face

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@Brakelite

The first occurrence in the Bible happens to be Genesis 15

"The word of Yahweh" Gen 15:1

This is the first instance of the notable phrase dabar Yahweh, which appears frequently throughout Scripture. It signifies the communication of Yahweh's will to humanity. The Ten Commandments are referred to as "ten words," which are translated as "commandments" (Deut. 4:13). The Psalmist proclaimed, "The sum of Thy word, dabar, is truth" (Psa. 119:160, R.V.). All of life's experiences and the entirety of Scripture come together to affirm the declared Word, so that the Word is nothing less than truth (John 14:6; Psa. 12:6).

Jesus is the result of the Spoken Word of Yahweh - if God Speaks His Word things get created!

F2F
 

Brakelite

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@Brakelite

The first occurrence in the Bible happens to be Genesis 15

"The word of Yahweh" Gen 15:1

This is the first instance of the notable phrase dabar Yahweh, which appears frequently throughout Scripture. It signifies the communication of Yahweh's will to humanity. The Ten Commandments are referred to as "ten words," which are translated as "commandments" (Deut. 4:13). The Psalmist proclaimed, "The sum of Thy word, dabar, is truth" (Psa. 119:160, R.V.). All of life's experiences and the entirety of Scripture come together to affirm the declared Word, so that the Word is nothing less than truth (John 14:6; Psa. 12:6).

Jesus is the result of the Spoken Word of Yahweh - if God Speaks His Word things get created!

F2F
Which denies the entire concept of Father and Son, makes it a metaphorical idea and loses the meaning of the word begotten , used exclusively in the sense of generating.
 

MonoBiblical

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@Brakelite

The first occurrence in the Bible happens to be Genesis 15

"The word of Yahweh" Gen 15:1

This is the first instance of the notable phrase dabar Yahweh, which appears frequently throughout Scripture. It signifies the communication of Yahweh's will to humanity. The Ten Commandments are referred to as "ten words," which are translated as "commandments" (Deut. 4:13). The Psalmist proclaimed, "The sum of Thy word, dabar, is truth" (Psa. 119:160, R.V.). All of life's experiences and the entirety of Scripture come together to affirm the declared Word, so that the Word is nothing less than truth (John 14:6; Psa. 12:6).

Jesus is the result of the Spoken Word of Yahweh - if God Speaks His Word things get created!

F2F
The worder YHWH is a phrase about God communicating to mankind. Dabar yahweh means the worder being Yahweh.
 
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face2face

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Which denies the entire concept of Father and Son, makes it a metaphorical idea and loses the meaning of the word begotten , used exclusively in the sense of generating.
No, because we are God's children through the same means which is why he is called firstfruits, first begotten etc. As soon as you make Christ pre-existent you lose all identify with him as the Son of Man and he no longer represents us.

F2F
 

Brakelite

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No, because we are God's children through the same means which is why he is called firstfruits, first begotten etc. As soon as you make Christ pre-existent you lose all identify with him as the Son of Man and he no longer represents us.

F2F
The firstbegotten and firstfruits in particular, are a direct reference and antitype to the feast of firstfruits from the OT, and is in context connected to the resurrection. Not His beginnings.
“20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. ”
1 Corinthians 15:20-23 KJV
 

Jack

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No, because we are God's children through the same means which is why he is called firstfruits, first begotten etc. As soon as you make Christ pre-existent you lose all identify with him as the Son of Man and he no longer represents us.

F2F
Which God??? You clearly reject God of the Christian Bible.
 

St. SteVen

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New topic:


[
 

GodsGrace

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Trinitarian (or at least binitarian) theology was a necessary development because of the remarkable first century claims attributing to Jesus Christ characteristics normally associated with God:
  1. Pre-existing from the beginning and being "God" or "a god" and "with God" (John 1:1-2, 15; John 17:5)
  2. Pre-existing and having the "form" of God (Philippians 2:6)
  3. Having God's "fullness" (Colossians 1:19)
  4. Creator of all things (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16)
  5. Holding together all things (Colossians 1:17)
  6. Having authority over all things (Colossians 1:18)
These claims conflict with the non-negotiable basic claim of Judaism: That YHWH our God is One.

There are other passages; these are the ones that come to mind first. I've read that the early church had some traditions also, but I don't know enough about them; I'll leave that to others. You also have the problem that Jesus is depicted as a Person distinct from the Father, having His own will (Matthew 26:39 and synoptic parallel in Luke; also John 6:38), relating to the Father in a distinct way, and having human characteristics such as being able to die, being able to be tempted, not being omniscient (Matthew 24:36), getting tired, needing to eat (and presumably go to the latrine)...

You can only live with cognitive dissonance so long; you have to resolve the contradictory claims inherent in Christianity somehow, or throw out the Bible. Trinitarianism wasn't the only solution tried over the first few centuries either. Some of the other threads talk about Arianism and Sabellianism and a "lesser god" theory and a "dual-nature" theology and others. It's complex, it's convoluted, and they had to import some Greek concepts about "form" and "substance" and "hypostasis", but it's necessary, because a real contradiction exists in scripture.
I don't care to get involved with this,
but
What's the contradiction that exists in scripture?

Your last sentence...
It's complex, it's convoluted, and they had to import some Greek concepts about "form" and "substance" and "hypostasis", but it's necessary, because a real contradiction exists in scripture.
 

GodsGrace

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There are better quotes...
Quotes that actually state that Jesus is GOD.
Sorry, no time.
But some:

Ignatius of antioch:

“Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to the Church at Ephesus in Asia . . . predestined from eternity for a glory that is lasting and unchanging, united and chosen through true suffering by the will of the Father in Jesus Christ our God” (Letter to the Ephesians 1 [A.D. 110]).

“[T]o the Church beloved and enlightened after the love of Jesus Christ, our God, by the will of him that has willed everything which is” (Letter to the Romans 1 [A.D. 110]).


Aristides:

“[Christians] are they who, above every people of the earth, have found the truth, for they acknowledge God, the Creator and maker of all things, in the only-begotten Son and in the Holy Spirit” (Apology 16 [A.D. 140]).

Tatian:

“We are not playing the fool, you Greeks, nor do we talk nonsense, when we report that God was born in the form of a man” (Address to the Greeks 21 [A.D. 170]).

Melito:

“The activities of Christ after his baptism, and especially his miracles, gave indication and assurance to the world of the deity hidden in his flesh. Being God and likewise perfect man, he gave positive indications of his two natures: of his deity, by the miracles during the three years following after his baptism, of his humanity, in the thirty years which came before his baptism, during which, by reason of his condition according to the flesh, he concealed the signs of his deity, although he was the true God existing before the ages” (Fragment in Anastasius of Sinai’s The Guide 13 [A.D. 177]).