The Triune God
As taught in the Baptist tradition
Understanding God as one essence eternally existing in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The question of "Who is God?" is the most fundamental inquiry of the human soul and the foundational bedrock of the Christian faith. Within the Baptist tradition, this question is answered not through the lens of abstract philosophical speculation or the mere inheritance of tradition, but through a rigorous, submissive, and joyful adherence to the self-revelation of God in the Holy Scriptures. The doctrine of the Trinity—the belief that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—is the Baptist’s primary confession. It is the doctrine that distinguishes the Christian God from the monads of Unitarianism, the polytheism of the ancient and modern worlds, and the vague "higher power" of contemporary therapeutic deism.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the specific biblical foundations for the doctrine of the Trinity within both the Old and New Testaments.
- **Distinguish** between the "essence" of God (what God is) and the "persons" of the Godhead (who God is) without falling into the errors of tritheism or modalism.
- **Explain** the Baptist distinctiveness of "Sola Scriptura" as it applies to the development and defense of Trinitarian theology.
- **Articulate** the unique roles and operations of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the work of creation, providence, and redemption.
- **Trace** the historical development of Trinitarian confession within the Baptist tradition, specifically through the 1689 Second London and 1833 New Hampshire Confessions.
- **Defend** the full deity and eternal sonship of Jesus Christ and the full deity and personality of the Holy Spirit against contemporary theological challenges.
- **Apply** the doctrine of the Trinity to the life of the local church, specifically in the areas of worship, baptism, and the life of prayer.
- **Compare** the Baptist reading of the Trinity with other major traditions, noting where emphasis on the "fountain of deity" (the Father) and the "procession of the Spirit" shapes different theological outcomes.
Scripture
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