The Holy Trinity in Depth I

OBJECTIVE

This lesson will discuss the attributes of God and the attributes of the Divine Persons. We will discuss how the Father is NOT the Son, and is NOT the Holy Spirit

INTRODUCTION & HOOK - 5 Minutes

Please review the previous week's lesson. (5 minutes)

At the beginning of the class the teacher can ask, "Have you ever been told that Christians worship three gods or being a polytheist " the belief in multiple gods"? A servant can light a candle and explain the three components of fire that are not separated but one thing: Light, heat and flame. Another way, servants call one of the kids in the middle of class, servants bring to kids' attention that their friend is body, word and soul that are not separated.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 5 Minutes

Memory Verse - John 10:30 " I and My Father are one."

Alternate Verses:

  • John 1: 1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made"
  • John 17:22 "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one"
  • Matthew 3: 16 -17 "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and bHe saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"

Theophany = "The Revelation of God"

The icon of the Theophany shows the same theology.

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 20 Minutes

The first thing to keep in mind is that the Holy Trinity is of One Essence, Undivided, United, Inseparable, and Distinct.

  • The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit is infinite, and has all of the infinite divine substance.
  • The Father is unborn, without beginning and is the beginning.
  • The Son is co-existent with the Father, is born of the Father simultaneously and eternally.
  • The Holy Spirit is co-existent and proceeding from the Father

St. John of Damascus explains that because the Son is born of the Father does not mean that He is separate, as the light is not separated from the fire. The fire gives birth to light simultaneously. That is why we cannot say that the fire existed before the light. The Son is born of the Father but simultaneously and eternally and is never separate. The same is true of the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father but simultaneously and eternally and never separated.

We confess ONE God in Three Persons (The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit). The Christian Dogma that we believe in is indeed monotheistic as our Orthodox Creed clearly begins by stating, "We believe in one God ...," but that same creed goes on to explain that our God is three in one: "We believe in One God, God the Father .... We believe in One Lord Jesus Christ .... Yes we believe in the Holy Spirit"

We need to define two crucial words that we need to understand when we learn about the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.

  • Essence: is oftentimes synonymous with the words "substance" or "nature" -- it's basically WHAT something is.
    • The Church has taught us since the very first apostolic centuries that God's essence is one and the same.
    • The Divine Essence of God is shared perfectly and completely in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
    • Essence in Greek is Ousia; the father used the "homoousios" to describe that Christ is coessential with The Father which means of the same nature/essence.
  • Person: meaning Who someone is.
    • The term used in Greek is Hypostasis
    • This keyword of "Person" is what explains the uniqueness of and distinguishes characteristics between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

And this is where the mystery of the Holy Trinity lies -- in the fact that Our God is one in essence, and yet three Persons.

Although the three Persons of the Trinity are in the same Divine Essence and are united in that one Essence, they are also unique in their personhood.

The Father is the un--begotten, the Son is the begotten, and the Spirit is He who proceeds. All three united and are One, and all three Diverse without ever being divided

St Athanasius in many of his writings in teaching on the Trinity, He says the following:

"The Trinity, praised, reverenced and adored, is one and indivisible and without degrees. It is united without confusion, just as the One God is also distinguished without separation. For the fact of those venerable living creatures (Isa. 6; Rev. 4:8) offering their praises three times, saying 'Holy, Holy, Holy,' proves that the Three Persons are perfect, just as in saying 'Lord,' they declare the One Essence." St. Athanasius (The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Second Series Vol. IV)

It is for this purpose that the Church in her liturgical prayers has always taught that even if our focus should be directed to one Person of the Holy Trinity, we are always reminded that our God is Three in one and One in Three. When we offer worship to the Father, we are reminded of Son and the Spirit and offer worship to all three. When we remember the Holy Spirit, our minds are brought back to the Father and the Son. And the same also applies when praying to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Although we confess the uniqueness of the Persons of the Trinity, we also never separate them. They are united and same in essence.

When we say that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one in Essence, we are saying that all Three are in one Divine essence, meaning that they form a single, unique, specific reality. Within that reality is oneness with no hint of division.

In conclusion, it is good to simply reaffirm that indeed we believe in One God in three Persons -- always united, never separated in will, in dignity, in honor and glory

DISCUSSION (Challenge) - 10 Minutes

  • Explain what it means that the Holy Trinity is of One Essence?
  • What are the attributes of The Holy Trinity "The Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit"?
  • Give an example that St. John of Damascus gave about explaining the Holy Trinity.
  • What do we believe in/confess about The Holy Trinity?
  • What does Essence mean?
  • What does Person mean?

LIFE APPLICATION - 05 Minutes

God's essence is one and the same and yet three Persons.

The Divine Essence of God is shared perfectly and completely in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Although the three Persons of the Trinity are in the same Divine Essence and are united in that one Essence, they are also unique in their personhood.

The Father is the un--begotten, the Son is the begotten, and the Spirit is He who proceeds. All three united and are One, and all three Diverse without ever being divided

Read Matthew 3

ACTIVITY - 10 Minutes

Activity 1:

Split the kids into groups, The kids can act Theophany skit (Mathew 3).

Activity 2:

The servants can print the word search below about The Holy Trinity

The Holy Trinity Word Search

SERVANT RESOURCES

PARENTS CORNER/HOMEWORK

Parents can review with the kids the lesson update and read together all resources that will be e-mailed by Sunday school servants.