The One True God and the Holy Trinity
As taught in the Pentecostal / Charismatic tradition
Exploring the unity of the Godhead as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in eternal relationship.
The question at the heart of the Pentecostal tradition is not merely "Who is God?" but "Who is the God who pours out His Spirit upon all flesh?" Within the vibrant, experiential, and biblically-centered world of Pentecostalism, the doctrine of the Trinity is not a dry, abstract formula to be solved by logic, but the essential foundation for a life lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. To the Pentecostal believer, the One True God is eternally existent in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—and this triune nature is the very reason why the "Baptism in the Holy Spirit" is a meaningful and life-altering event. If the Spirit were not fully God, the Pentecostal experience would be reduced to mere emotionalism; because the Spirit is God, the experience is an encounter with the Divine.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the biblical basis for the doctrine of the Trinity within the Pentecostal tradition, focusing on the tension between monotheism and tri-personality.
- **Distinguish** between the "Classical Pentecostal" Trinitarian view and the "Oneness Pentecostal" Modalistic view.
- **Explain** the significance of the singular "Name" in the baptismal formula of Matthew 28:19 as it relates to the unity of the Godhead.
- **Articulate** how the "Baptism in the Holy Spirit" depends upon the full divinity and distinct personality of the Holy Spirit.
- **Trace** the historical development of Pentecostal Trinitarianism through the "New Issue" controversy and subsequent confessional documents.
- **Defend** the doctrine of the Trinity using the four Scripture anchors provided, explaining their contextual and systematic importance.
- **Apply** the relational nature of the Trinity to the practice of worship, prayer, and communal life in the local church.
- **Compare** the Pentecostal emphasis on the "Economic Trinity" (God’s action in history) with the historic creeds’ emphasis on the "Immanent Trinity" (God’s internal nature).
Scripture
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