The Trinity

There has been some discussion on Nicaea and the Trinity in the Blogosphere as of late. The Trinity is core to the Christian Faith. God will not be ok with you misapplying what He has given us in Scripture. Otherwise you are in danger of creating an idol or falling into a heretical doctrine like Modalism, or Arianism.

Colossians 2:8-9 (ESV) See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits, of the world and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.

See also Titus 2:13 and John 20:28

Got this from Countercult Apologetics

“In other words, the doctrine of the Trinity can no longer be treated as a theoretical abstraction with little relevance to the Christian life, but must rather be seen as a fundamental underpinning of all pastoral practice. If this is true, it is especially significant in a secular age where the general tendency is to reduce all religions to a single category and regard them as basically interchangeable. A Trinitarian faith would not only exclude traditional Unitarians, but also Jews, Muslims and followers of other faiths that do not share this particular understanding of Deity. That in turn is bound to have the most serious consequences for interfaith dialogue, which can hardly get very far as long as Christians insists on the centrality of the Trinity for their practice (as well as for their belief, of course).”

—Gerald Bray “The Trinity: Where Do We Go From Here” in Always Reforming: Explorations in Systematic Theology. Edited by A.T.B. McGowan (IVP, 2006), 24.