RCCG SUNDAY SCHOOL STUDENT’S MANUAL 18 SEPTEMBER 2022
LESSON THREE
(03)
TOPIC: DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY
SUNDAY SCHOOL
HYMN
1. O Sunday School, on the Lord’s day,
O how I love Thee well,
I am happy, it makes me glad
To rejoice at Thy birth.
2. O Sunday
School, on the Lord’s day,
Thy friendship suits me well,
Both young and will sing Thy song,
We long for Sunday School.
3. O Sunday
School, on the Lord’s day,
Christ was Thy first teacher,
The Holy Spirit, great teacher,
Does manifest in thee.
4. O Sunday
School, on the Lord’s day,
This testimony is sure,
That God, the Father Almighty,
Poured His blessings on me
5. O Sunday
School, on the Lord’s day,
Though the sun be so bright,
Or if the clouds be black with rain,
I’ll be in Sunday School.
6. O Sunday
School, on the Lord’s day,
I rejoice to see Thee,
Will thou pass over me today?
Without my being blest?
BIBLE PASSAGE: MATTHEW 3:16-17.
16. And
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the
heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove, and lighting upon him.
17. And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
MEMORY VERSE:
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” 1John 5:7.
INTRODUCTION: The doctrine of the Trinity is
foundational to the Christian faith. It is the revelation of who our Almighty
God is. God is an infinite Being, existing eternally as three co-equal and
infinitely distinct Persons also called the Godhead: God the Father, God the
Son and the Holy Spirit. The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the
Bible, although the word Trinity is not used in the Bible. The word ‘Trinity’
was coined by one of the early Church fathers, by the name ‘Tertullian.’ This
doctrine is called ‘Trinitarianism’ and its adherents are called
‘Trinitarians.’ The focus of this study is to clarify the concept of the
Trinity by providing the biblical basis for it with further clarifications.
OUTLINES:
1. BIBLICAL BASIS
2. THE EXPLANATION
1. BIBLICAL
BASIS
The Old Testament provides glimpses of the Trinity. For example, the Hebrew
word for God-“Elohim” – is a plural form of the word ‘El’: hence, in Genesis
1:26, God says (in the plural) “Let us make man in our image.” When God created
the heavens and the earth, Jesus was the instrument of God’s creation
(Jn.1:1-3; Col.1:15-16), in the company of the Holy Spirit who hovered over the
waters (Gen.1:2). Gen.11:7, “Go to, let us go down…” also provides us with the
evidence of the three-in-oneness of God.
The Torah
(the first five books of the Old Testament, also called the Law or the
Pentateuch) hinted at the idea of God existing in three Persons and predicted
His coming in the flesh (Gen.49:10) to be born in Bethlehem (Mic.5:2). He is
not only God’s Son (Isa.9:6) but a Messiah who would be God in the flesh
(Zech.2:10-11).
From the very
beginning of the church in the New Testament, Christians understood the mystery
of the Trinity. For example, John the beloved knew the Son was the Creator
(Jn.1:1-3), the “I Am” of the Old Testament (Jn.8:58; Ex.3:14), same with the
Father (Jn.10:30; 14:9), and the Judge of all the earth (Jn.5:22), who is to be
worshipped as only God is allowed to be (Matt.14:33). Also, the first
Christians knew the Holy Spirit was a separate Person (Jn.14:26) who intercedes
for us with God (Rom.8:26-27), proving He is a distinct Person from God the
Father.
The early
believers knew that the Father and the Son sent the third Person of the
Trinity, the Holy Spirit-“another Comforter”-to live in our hearts
(Jn.14:16-17, 26; 16:7).
New Testament writers mention all three Persons of the Trinity together
numerous times. For instance:
1.At Jesus’ baptism-Matthew 3:13-17 (voice of the Father, Son baptised, Spirit
descending like a dove).
2.At
Salvation-1Peter 1:2 (chosen by the Father, sanctified by the Spirit, sprinkled
with the blood of Jesus).
3.At
Sanctification-2Corinthians 13:14 (grace of the Lord Jesus, love of God,
fellowship of the Holy Spirit).
4.At
Christians’ Baptism-Matthew 28:19 (baptised in one name, yet, three Persons
-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).
5.For a witness-1John 5:7- For
there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost: and these three are one.
CLASS
ACTIVITY 1: Why do you believe in the Trinity?
2. THE
EXPLANATION
As Christians, we do not believe in three Gods, which is a heresy called
‘Tritheism.’ We do not believe that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are
three “forms” of God -like, steam, water, and ice. This is the heresy called
‘Modalism.’ The egg is comprised of three parts: the yellowish part, the
whitish part, and the shell. Despite this, the egg is not three but one.
The doctrine
of the Trinity holds that God is ‘one Being’ but ‘three Persons.’ The ‘three
persons’ define who God is (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) while the ‘one Being’
defines what God is (Infinite, Omnipresent, Omniscient, etc.). God has ‘one
nature,’ but ‘three centres of consciousness.’ This means the Father is God
(Gal.1:1), the Son is God (Jn.20:28) and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4).
They are not three gods but only one God (Deut.6:4).
The Father is
not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father, but each
is God individually and yet they are together: co-equal, co-eternal, having
precisely the same nature and attributes (Almighty, unchangeable, infinitely
powerful, wise, just, holy, etc.) and worthy of precisely the same worship,
confidence, and obedience.
CLASS
ACTIVITY 2: What is your view of the Trinity?
CONCLUSION:The
doctrine of the ‘Trinity’ is Christianity’s most unique, defining and awesome
mystery.
QUESTIONS:
1. What are the biblical basis of the trinity?
2. Explain the concept of the trinity
ASSIGNMENT:
Mention five (5) heretical beliefs/doctrines you have heard on the Trinity.
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