The Trinity and the Nature of God

The Trinity 🕊️

Christianity teaches that there is **one God**, who exists as **three persons**: the **Father**, the **Son** (Jesus) and the **Holy Spirit**. This is the **Trinity**, set out in the Nicene Creed. The three persons are shown together at Jesus' baptism (Matthew 3:13-17): the Son is baptised, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father's voice is heard from heaven.

One or three?

Christians describe God as a Trinity. What does that mean?

• One God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
• Three separate gods
• One God who changes into different forms
• Two gods and a prophet

Match each person of the Trinity to its role

Creation 🌍

Christians believe God **created** the universe and humanity, as described in Genesis 1-3. John 1:1-18 adds that the **Word** and the **Spirit** were involved in creation. Christians read Genesis in different ways: some take it **literally** (creation in six days), while others read it **metaphorically** (a poetic account of God as creator, compatible with science such as the Big Bang and evolution).

Reading Genesis

Some Christians read Genesis metaphorically rather than as literal history. What does this allow them to do?

• Accept scientific accounts like the Big Bang and evolution while still believing God created everything
• Reject all scientific ideas
• Insist creation took exactly six 24-hour days
• Ignore the Bible completely

The Incarnation 👶

The **Incarnation** is the belief that God became **human** in Jesus, the incarnate **Son of God**. John 1:14 puts it as "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us", and 1 Timothy 3:16 speaks of God being "manifested in the flesh". For Christians, Jesus is both fully God and fully human.

Sorting the beliefs

Select ALL THREE statements about these Christian beliefs that are TRUE.

• The Incarnation means God became human in Jesus
• Christians believe in one God, not three
• The Holy Spirit is one of the three persons of the Trinity
• The Trinity means three separate gods
• Christians believe Jesus was only a human teacher
• God the Father became human

The last days of Jesus 🕯️

The Gospels (Luke 22-24) describe the final events of Jesus' life, central to Christian belief: - The **Last Supper** with his disciples. - His **betrayal and arrest**. - His **trial** and **crucifixion** (death on the cross). - His **resurrection** (rising from the dead) and **ascension** (returning to heaven).

The final events

An interactive activity.

Why it matters

Why is the resurrection so important to Christians?

• It shows Jesus defeated death and offers believers the hope of eternal life
• It proves the earth is exactly 6000 years old
• It is only a symbol with no real importance
• It means Jesus never actually died

Match each term to its meaning

Beliefs summary

Christians believe in one God as a _____: Father, Son and Holy _____. In the _____, God became human in Jesus. Christians believe Jesus was crucified and then rose from the dead in the _____.