Once you have a list from the group, you may want to summarize the actual content of the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity.

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1 One God Leaders Guide September 23, 2007 Getting Started: A.W. Tozer said that, the essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. A right conception of God is basic not only to theology, but to practical Christian living as well. As you get started this week you may want to begin by simply asking your group to make a list of ways that practical Christian living is influenced by the doctrine of the Trinity. (Don t be surprised/discouraged if you get a short list. Move through the discussion questions and, if people have hard questions challenge them to do some homework and report back to the group the following week. ) Getting In: Once you have a list from the group, you may want to summarize the actual content of the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity. Here it is: 1. There is One God. 2. Three persons are called God. a. God the Father b. God the Son c. God the Spirit 3. God, in His very nature manifests both diversity and unity. a. God is Love Discussion Questions: Understanding the Trinity: 1. Is it possible to believe, benefit from, more importantly put your trust something you can t explain? How often do you do it? (Airplanes, cell phones, car brakes) 2. The Simple Gospel and the Trinity: Even the youngest of children come to faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior. There is a basic understanding that Jesus is not

2 just another human being, but in a special way the Son of God. That understanding, no matter how childlike, implies some grasp of Jesus unique relationship to the Father. How much understanding of the Trinity is necessary for salvation? Relating to the Trinity: 3. In light of the doctrine of the Trinity, explain the following statement: We have a God who is above us, for us, and in us. a. Now the real question How do we relate to a God is above us, for us and in us? 4. What effect does the doctrine of the Trinity have on the manner in which we pray? Is it o.k. to pray to the Son? The Spirit? Or only the Father? Love, Diversity & Unity within the Trinity: 5. In The Family: a. Why is God pleased when people exhibit faithfulness, love and harmony within a family? b. What are some ways in which members of your family reflect the diversity found within the Trinity? c. What are some ways in which your family relationships could reflect the unity of the Trinity more fully? d. How might the diversity of the persons in the Trinity encourage parents to allow their children to develop different interests from each other, and from their parents without thinking that the unity of the family would be damaged? 6. In The Church: a. Do you think that the Trinitarian nature of God is more fully reflected in a church in which all the members have the same background (ethnicity, cultural, economic), or one in which the members have diversity? i. Why? b. Have you ever thought that if your church allows new or different ministries to develop, it might hinder the unity of the church? i. How might the fact of unity and diversity in the Trinity help you think about what happens in your church? c. In the being of God we have infinite unity combined with the preservation of distinct personalities belonging to the members of the Trinity. How can this fact reassure us if we ever begin to fear that becoming more united to

3 Christ, and to one another in the Church, might tend to diminish our individual personalities? 7. In Our Community: a. In addition to our relationships with our families, we all exist in other relationships to human authority government, employment, educational institutions, etc. Whether in family or one of these other areas, give one example of a way in which your use of authority or your response to authority might become more like the pattern of relationships in the Trinity. 8. In Heaven: a. In Heaven, do you think you will be exactly like everyone else, or will you have a personality that is distinctly your own? How do Eastern religions differ from Christianity in this regard?

4 God is One Deuteronomy 6:4 September 23, 2007 Pastor Scott McKinney Life is about becoming one. Deuteronomy 6:4- Hear O Israel the Lord our God the Lord is one. Israel, here is what you need to hear about God- God is one. When we say that God is one we mean There is one God- Isaiah 43: "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. 1 Timothy 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. These three- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are One God. How can we believe in the Trinity? Just because you cannot explain or understand something does not mean that it does not exist. The Trinity is essential to the Faith. You can t say God is love if the Trinity is not a reality. John 17:24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

5 At the center of the Universe there is a relationship. So God created man in his own image in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God created us so that we could experience what He experiencesoneness. Sin destroys oneness. Jesus came to make us one again. John 17:11 Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name the name you gave me so that they may be one as we are one. John 17:20-21 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. Jesus came to make atonement for our sins.

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