Week 6: What About Alternate Views of the Trinity?

We are continuing to explore tough questions about our faith. Right now, we're focusing on the Trinity. We're fine-tuning our understanding of this foundational doctrine, but also meditating on how it directly applies to our lives.

Key Themes:

• Common heresies related to the Trinity:

• Tri-Theism

• Modalism 

• Arianism

• Trinity as the foundation of our worship: reflection on Ephesians 2:11–22

• Trinity as the foundation of our prayer life: reflection on Romans 8:9–11, 14–17

  
Digging Deeper:

• Video: "The Truth About the Council of Nicaea"

• Chapter: "How Can God be Three and One?" Without a Doubt, Kenneth Samples

Week 5: Why Should I Care About the Trinity?

We are continuing to explore tough questions about our faith. One of the toughest concepts for unbelievers to understand is the Trinity. But rather than throwing up our hands in despair, let's take some time to understand how this doctrine is actually the core of our entire faith.

Key Themes:

• Basics of the doctrine of the Trinity

• Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

• "What We Believe" on the Grace-Church web site 

• Trinity as the foundation of our salvation: reflection on Ephesians 1:3–14

• Trinity as the foundation of our identity and mission: reflection on John 14:5–21

  
Digging Deeper:

• Video: "The Trinity explained part 1"

• Video: "The Trinity explained part 2"

• Chapter: "How Can God be Three and One?" Without a Doubt, Kenneth Samples

• Free on Kindle: What is the Trinity? RC Sproul

• Book: Delighting in the Trinity, Michael Reeves 

Week 4, Part 1: What Does it Mean to be a Christian?

This week we are introducing some foundational tools for doing good theology: creeds (or statements of faith). Talking to our OIKOS about what it means to be a Christian is a lot easier when we know what we believe.

Key Themes:

• Establishing boundaries of the Christian worldview

• Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

• "What We Believe" on the Grace-Church web site

  
Digging Deeper:

• Chapter: "Aren't Creeds a Thing of the Past?" Without a Doubt, Kenneth Samples

• Worship: "This I Believe"

Week 4, Part 2: Is God Good?

In this conversation, we are exploring a foundational component to the Christian worldview: the Fatherhood of God. Many people in our OIKOS have broken relationships with their earthly fathers which damages their views of God.

Key Themes:

• The biblical case for seeing God as Father

• Parables of Luke 15: the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son

• Discussion: "What if my dad was made God for a day?"