Studying Christianity
Beliefs About God - Oneness & Trinity
Monotheism:
Christians are monotheists. They believe in one God. Christians believe God is all-powerful, all-loving, all-
knowing and eternal.
Extraordinary God & Ordinary Language:
God is not a person and there is nothing else in existence to compare with God. That makes describing God
using ordinary language difficult. We use everyday language to describe everyday ordinary things we
experience but God is not ordinary. Describing and understanding God is therefore not easy. Language
used by Christians will never fully express the true nature of God but might help them to understand some
of His characteristics.
Important Christian beliefs about the One God are expressed in the doctrine of the Trinity.
The Trinity
The Trinity is a way for Christians to express and try to understand three aspects of One God. It expresses
three ways in which God is God and three ways in which He acts within the world and people’s lives. The
three ‘persons’ of the Trinity are all part of the same One God; they are not separate gods. Each ‘person’ of
the Trinity helps Christians to understand different aspects of the nature of God but God is not each one
separately. It is important for Christians to try to understand that God is all three together. God exists as
all three ‘persons’ of the Trinity and always as just One God.
According to the doctrine of the Trinity, Christians understand God as God the Father, God the Son and
God the Holy Spirit.
Statements about the Trinity are found in the Nicene Creed (a Christian statement of faith often recited
aloud during worship).
Nicene Creed
The Creed says: God the Father:
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, There is only one God. God is all-powerful. God
maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible created all that exists.
and invisible.
The Creed says: God the Son:
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son Jesus is the Son of God. He is of the same nature
of God, eternally begotten of the Father, true God as God. Jesus came from God. God was in and
from true God, begotten not made, with Jesus.
Of one Being with the Father.
For us and for our salvation he came down from God became human in the form of Jesus to teach
heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became and show humans how to live so that they might
incarnate of the virgin Mary, and was made Man. enter heaven. His birth was a miracle because he
was from God.
The Creed says: God the Holy Spirit:
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of God exists as the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a
life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. part of God, like the Father and the Son. God gives
With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and life through the Holy Spirit.
glorified. He spoke through the prophets.
God’s Holy Spirit inspired and communicated with
the prophets (messengers) so that they could
share God’s will with people.
God the Father:
God is the Creator and Father of all things;
God is the Father of Jesus Christ;
God is all-loving. He knows, loves, listens to and cares for all people like a Father;
God provides for the needs of people as a good Father would;
God teaches right and wrong. He shows the way to live a good and successful life through His laws and
commandments;
God will reward good behaviour (and perhaps punish too).
God the Son:
Jesus Christ is the Son of God;
God came to earth in the form of Jesus;
Jesus is from God and a part of God;
Jesus is of the same nature as God;
Jesus came to teach people God’s will;
Jesus showed people how to live a good life so that they might enter heaven;
Jesus taught people about God and showed them what God is like;
Jesus was able to perform miracles because he had the power of God with him;
Jesus died and rose again to demonstrate God’s promise of eternal life after death;
Jesus is a living saviour, in and relevant to the lives of Christians today.
God the Holy Spirit:
God’s Holy Spirit exists and acts in the world today;
God’s Spirit helps, guides and supports people;
The Holy Spirit is the invisible power of God at work in the world today;
The Holy Spirit gives life and inspiration to people.
