One Body: The Holy Trinity, Part 2
Lesson 10 in our series (series began September 7, 2025)
Click here to view the lesson slides
Lesson Summary:
In this session of One Body, we continue exploring the article of faith on the Holy Trinity—why Christians must confess one God in three persons, and why this confession is essential for salvation. Building on last week’s study of God’s oneness, we examine how Scripture teaches not only that God alone is Creator and Ruler of all things, but also that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not modes or expressions but distinct, co-equal persons sharing one divine essence.
Key Takeaways:
God’s oneness:
Scripture teaches a Creator-creature distinction: God alone is uncreated, eternal, and sovereign.
God is not one among many beings—nothing else is like Him in essence or authority.
LDS theology vs. Christian confession:
The LDS Church denies creation ex nihilo, claiming God used pre-existing matter.
They teach that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate divine beings, united only in purpose.
They also teach that human souls pre-existed creation and can become gods—contradicting the biblical Creator-creature divide.
Because of these doctrines, LDS theology is not Christian according to the Athanasian Creed and historic church teaching.
Why “person” matters:
Early Christians used hypostasis (person) and ousia (essence) to confess one God in three distinct persons.
These terms guard against modalism—the idea that God merely takes on different roles or masks.
The Trinity in Scripture:
Creation: The Father creates, the Spirit hovers, and the Word (Son) brings light (Genesis 1; John 1).
New creation & baptism: The Spirit gives rebirth through water, the Son is lifted up for salvation, and the Father sends both (John 3).
Worship: We worship the Father in Spirit and truth—Christ Himself (John 4).
Jesus’ baptism: Father declares, Son is baptized, Spirit descends (Matthew 3).
Mission: Disciples are baptized into the one name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28).
Regeneration: The Spirit renews us through Christ, by the mercy of the Father (Titus 3).
Liturgical formation:
The Divine Service continually trains the church to confess the Trinity—invocation, Gloria, Scripture, Sacrament, and the Aaronic benediction all proclaim the triune name.
Baptism gives God’s name; the service echoes and returns us to that name; the funeral rite begins with it.
Scripture Referenced
Genesis 1:1–3 – Creation; Spirit hovering over the waters.
John 1:1–5, 14, 18 – The Word who is God and through whom all things were made.
John 3:3–16 – New birth by water and the Spirit; the Father sending the Son.
John 4:23–24 – Worship of the Father in Spirit and truth.
John 7:37–39 – Jesus’ promise of the Spirit.
John 14:15–17 – The Son sending the Spirit from the Father.
Matthew 3:16–17 – Jesus’ baptism with the Father’s voice and the Spirit’s descent.
Isaiah 61:1–2 / Luke 4:16–21 – The Spirit-anointed Messiah.
Matthew 28:18–20 – Baptism in the one Name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:4–7 – Salvation by the mercy of the Father through Christ in the renewal of the Holy Spirit.
Numbers 6:24–26 – The Aaronic blessing and God placing His Name on His people.