The background on the Trinity is the foundation for multiple Sunday school lesson plans. There appears to be much contradiction in the Bible when it comes to the Trinity, because scholars from all religions can point to different passages and show them as proof for or against the existence of the Trinity.
Sunday School Lesson: Background on the The Trinity
In the Hebrew Scriptures, or the Old Testament, God is seen as one divine being, apart from whom there is no legitimate God or divinity. In the New Testament, Jesus is presented as both God and man, joining with God the Father, the God of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus is clearly seen as part of God in divinity. The New Testament also references the Holy Spirit frequently. The Holy Spirit is often mentioned with Jesus and God, but nowhere does the Bible actually say that the three of them share the one divinity of God.
Because of this lack of certainty, the Trinity has been debated for centuries. It is part of the Christian doctrine, as decided on by councils such as that at Nicaea. The continued references to the three beings at once brought the early church leaders to believe that there was a divine connection between them.
Matthew 3:16-17
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
In this passage about the baptism of Jesus, a voice from heaven, assumed to be God the Father, announces that Jesus is his son. This leaves us no doubt that Jesus is fully divine, but it is not until later in the gospels and the New Testament that we learn about Jesus’ full humanity as well. Knowing that Jesus is God allows us to turn our focus to the other being present at the baptism, the Spirit in the form of a dove. The passage goes on to say that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit, who has now come down upon him. In these three persons, the Trinity is completed and the true work of God can be accomplished.
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Just wondering how you jumped to the conclusion that Jesus is God from that Matt 3v16-17 quote. God said Jesus is His son. Logic says the Jesus is God’s son not that Jesus is God.
I am my father’s daughter (son) but I am not my father.
Same with quotes like “I and my Father are one” – same logic applies. I could say My Father and I are one – doesn’t mean we are the same person, it just means we are one in mind and purpose.