Christian beliefs about the Trinity
The beliefs and teachings surrounding the Three persons in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. can help Christians to gain a deeper understanding of God and how he can be all of the things that the Holy Bible suggests.
The Trinity defines three distinct An action of God or supernatural power. persons that are not interchangeable, and yet they share the same divine substance, which is only present in these three divine persons.
The Holy Spirit: scriptural origins
Christians believe that the Holy Spirit is the power of God at work on the Earth. In the scriptures it is often depicted as wind, fire or in the form of a dove. It is through the power and workings of the Holy Spirit that God is known today, and how Christians can know what God wants them to do.
In John's Gospel, Jesus tells his apostles that, when he must leave them, God will send the Holy Spirit who:
will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
The Holy Spirit: the Nicene Creed
The Nicene Creed was first adopted in AD 325 at the A meeting of around 300 bishops from across the Roman Empire. The meeting was called by the Emperor Constantine with the aim of producing a clear and unified statement of Christian belief. The Council of Nicea produced the Nicene Creed. . The council was a huge meeting of around 300 bishops from across the Roman Empire, called by the Roman Emperor, Constantine. As Christians were persecuted and practised their faith in secret, all sorts of different versions of Christian beliefs were cropping up, especially on issues relating to the Trinity. The Nicene Creed acted as an official declaration of key points of Christian faith.
The original version of the Nicene Creed stated: 'I believe...in the Holy Spirit which comes from the Father', clearly making belief in the Holy Spirit an official doctrine of Christian faith.
The Nicene Creed was altered at another council that took place in 381 CE in Constantinople (now modern-day Istanbul) to say "I believe . . . in the Holy Spirit which comes from the Father and the Son." The disagreement over whether the Holy Spirit was sent just by God the Father or, as the changed version claimed, from the Father and the Son was a big factor leading to a split in the church in 1054 CE.
From this point there were two Christian Churches: The Roman Catholic Church in the West, which accepted the changed version of the Nicene Creed and the Eastern Orthodox Church, who could not accept the change.