The Christian doctrine that God, though one, exists in three persons. According to most historians, the term was coined by Tertullian in 3rd Cent, though Theophilus of Antioch (2nd Cent) is sometimes cited as another possible candidate as the inventor of the term.
Though the word 'Trinity' does not appear in Scriptures, it is the tenet—worked out through a process of long and rigourous debate through most of the 3rd and 4th Cent—that most satisfactorily makes sense, theologically, of all that Jesus taught about God the Father, himself and the Holy Spirit, and experientially of the Christian life.
The proper doctrine of the Trinity is not to be confused with Tritheism, which is the belief that the Trinity is not one God in three, but three gods of one substance (much as three persons sharing one humanity). When Jews and Muslims complain about the Christian belief in the Trinity, it is actually tritheism that they actually have in mind (in the case of Islam, it is usually 'the Father, the Son, and the Virgin Mary' who constitute the Trinity).
Though there is no stream of the historic Christian church that does not affirm the truth of the Trinity, there has, however, been an increasing number of evangelicals, esp. in North America, who are abandoning the historic creedal affirmations about the Trinity and, while outwardly affirming the creed, they are explaining it away in style reminescent of the ancient heresy of Arius. Seeking to find support for their complementarian view the relationship between men and women, they have resorted to redefining the relationship between the members of the Trinity in hierarchical terms, making the Son eternally subordinate to the Father, a concept that has since acquired its own label eternal functional submission (or EFS) which is considered heretical by many other evangelical theologians. Most seriously EFS is propounded by Wayne Grudem, the author of a best-selling work on systematic theology. The doctrine is far too important for a mere summary other than that noted above. A more detailed exposition on the subject is being prepared; meanwhile we hope you will find the resources listed below helpful.
Basics:
(For Newbies, we recommend reading first Stamps, followed by Macleod.)
Luke Stamps, "The Biblical Doctrine of the Trinity," Biblical Reasoning, 12 May 2022. A very succinct summary of the Trinity in just six points.
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Donald Macleod, "Doctrine of the Trinity," Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 3.1 (1985):11-21.
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Louis Berkhof's entry on the Doctrine of the Trinity in The History of Christian Doctrines, first published in 1937. 6-7 L
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Article by B. B. Warfield. 6-7 L
Further Reading:
Brian Edgar, The Message of the Trinity : Life In God. The Bible Speaks Today; Notthingham: Inter-Varsity Press, 2004. 6
Fred Sanders, The Deep Things of God : How the Trinity Changes Everything. Wheaton: Crossway, 2017. 6
Stephen R Holmes, The Quest for the Trinity : The Doctrine of God in Scripture, History and Modernity. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2012. 7
Khaled Anatolios, Retrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2018. 7
Michael Rea, ed., Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology, Volume 1: Trinity, Incarnation, and Atonement. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. 7-8
Michael Bird and Scott Harrower, Trinity without Hierarchy: Reclaiming Nicene Orthodoxy in Evangelical Theology. Grand Rapids: Kregal Academic, 2019. 6-7Amazon
Fred Sanders, The Trinune God. New Studies in Dogmatics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016. 6-7Book Review: Foundations
Media Resources:
J. I. Packer, Trinity. Sydney Anglicans. 46:22 mins.
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The Gospel Coalition, The Doctrine of the Trinity: Explore the Distinctive and Central Doctrine of the Christian Faith. Curated by Fred Zaspel.
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Third Millennium Ministries, The Biblical Doctrine of the Trinity. 3 lectures.
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David Pawson, Understanding the Trinity. David Pawson is one of the most able and renowned British expositors of the Bible. Here is a two-part exposition on the Trinity.
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Mark Thompson, "Trinity, I [in John 1]". Talk delivered at the Theologian Students Conference, 2001. ProclamationTrust, UK.
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R. C. Sproul, The Mystery of the Trinity. Ligonier Ministries. 6 lectures. video N
Augustine, On the Trinity. Nicene & Post-Nicene Fathers. ccel.org.
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Roger Beckwith, "The Calvinist Doctrine of the Trinity," Churchman, 115.4 (2001):308-15.
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Gerald Bray, "The Trinity: Persons and Nature," Evangel 4:1 (1986): 5-6. (Part 1). Pdf N 5-6 (Open on Phone)
Gerald Bray, "The Trinity: Persons and Work," Evangel 4:1 (1986): 5-6. (Part 2). Pdf N 5-6 (Open on Phone)
R. G. Crawford, "Objections to the Trinity," Evangelical Quarterly 45.4 (1973): 241-48.
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Giles Emery and Matthew Levering, eds., Introduction to The Oxford Handbook of the Trinity. Oxford University Press, 2018.
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Kevin Giles, "The Evangelical Theological Society and the doctrine of the Trinity Evangelical Quarterly 80.4 (2008): 323-338.
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Myk Habets, "A Little Trinitarian Reflection," Evangel 19.3 (Autumn 2001): 80-82.
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Donald Macleod. "The Doctrine of the Trinity," Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 3.1 (Spring 1985): 11-21.
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Peter May, "The Trinity and Saccidananda," Indian Journal of Theology 7.3 (Jul-Sept 1958): 93-98.
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James Sexton, "How We Got Here: The Evangelical Trinitarian Milieu".
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Bruce Ware, Systematic Theology I. Lecture 12: Knowledge of God; the Trinity. BiblicalTraining.org.
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Bruce Ware, Systematic Theology I. Lecture 13: The Trinity. BiblicalTraining.org.
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For more articles on the Trinity, see Monergism.com
For more resources, see Monergism.com.
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