Belief in the Trinity Revision summary: The Trinity in worship, prayer and everyday life

God, oneness and the Trinity

What is the Trinity?
Defines God as being in 3 divine persons, The Father, The Son and the
Holy Spirit, this belief is known as the doctrine of the Trinity - > Believe
there are 3 distinct Persons that form a unity
Name the persons of the Trinity and explain the different roles they take.
God the Father – The creator and sustainer of all things
God the Son – Incarnation of God as a human being (Jesus)
God the Holy Spirit – The power of God which is active in the world,
drawing people towards God
What is the Trinity? Explain two different ways Christians pray, showing they believe in the Trinity.
How does believing in God as Trinity impact on Christians in their everyday In Orthodox services, Christians raise their hand to invite the Holy Spirit during prayer
life?
Christians also use the Lord’s prayer to show their belief in Jesus ( The Son)
How do Christians show that they believe in the Trinity in Communion or Eucharist services?
In the Eucharist service, the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus (The Son) are
celebrated using bread and wine
How does believing in the Trinity affect Christians in their everyday life?
Hint: Think about God’s power, his presence in the world today and Jesus’ understanding of
human beings because he has lived as a human in the world.

Key terms and other important words to know Christian attitudes towards belief in God What does the Bible and Christian teaching say? Extension activities

Provide definitions for this key vocabulary.
monotheism: To believe in only one God
Trinity: Belief of God as 3 divine persons
Father: The creator and sustainer of all things (God)
Son of God: Incarnation of God as a human being
(Jesus)
Holy Spirit: The power of God which is active in the
world, drawing people towards God
incarnation: Becoming flesh, taking human form
resurrection: Rising from the dead, also refers to Jesus
rising from the dead-on Easter Day
Messiah (Hebrew)/Christ (Greek):
creed: system of religious belief, a faith
Explain how these beliefs affect how
Christians think about God.
God is omnipotent. God has unlimited power
to do anything such as breaking the laws of
nature
God is omnibenevolent. God is all loving, he
loves for mankind
God is omniscient. God is all knowing, he
knows everything that has happened and is
happening
God is omnipresent. God is present
everywhere; he sees everything that happens
Jesus was fully man and fully God. Jesus
was both a human being who lived to teach
others of God while being the Son of God
Record any relevant Bible or Christian
teaching. How does each teaching help
Christians understand the Trinity?
‘When Jesus was baptised, a voice from
Heaven said “You are my Son” ‘Mark 1:11
Jesus came from God therefore is the
Son. Proves how God can be the Son and
the Father.
Christians believe in eternal life after
death (afterlife). The ability to be
resurrected after death shows The Holy
Spirit within human beings as God uses
his power to bring people back alive.
Christians believe in Heaven and Hell.
Shows That separate realms could not
just exist, therefore was created by God
the Father
The Lord’s Prayer is used to praise God
for his guidance and aid. This also shows
that they believe God (The Father) is
always listening as he is omniscient
Create a set of examination questions about the Trinity using the
guidance below. Then swap with a partner and attempt to answer
them.
To extend this task, you could also write the mark sheet including
all the possible correct information that could be included in an
answer.
1. Which is not an attribute of God?
a) Omnipotent b) Omniscient c) Peaceful d)
Omnibenevolent 1 mark]
2. Give 2 forms of God in the Trinity [2 marks]
3. Explain 2 contrasting views on the existence of God’ [4marks]
4. Explain 2 Christian teachings about the Holy Spirit Refer to
Christian teaching in your answer.’ [5 marks]
5. “The Lord’s Prayer is the most important form of prayer”
‘Evaluate this statement. In your answer you should:
 refer to Christian teaching
 give developed arguments to support this statement
 give developed arguments to support a different point
of view
 reach a justified conclusion.’ [12 marks]

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© Oxford University Press, 2016
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© Oxford University Press, 2016
www.oxfordsecondary.co.uk/acknowledgements