The Trinity
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain Christian beliefs about the Trinity and how these beliefs may influence Christians.
Key learning points
- The Trinity is the belief that there is one God in three Persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
- Each Person of the Trinity is fully God, but at the same time, is distinct from the other Persons.
- There are references to the three Persons of the Trinity in the Bible, which later influenced the Nicene Creed.
- The Trinity is significant for most Christians because it emphasises the Oneness of God.
- Belief in the Trinity influences the actions, behaviour and worship of many Christians today.
Keywords
Holy Spirit - the third Person of the Trinity; believed to be present with believers since Pentecost and active on earth
Trinity - the belief that God as One includes God also being manifest in three Persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Oneness of God - the belief that God is one singular divine being (who can be manifest in the three Persons of the Trinity)
The Father - the first Person of the Trinity, the belief in God as creator and sustainer of the universe
The Son/Son of God - the second Person of the Trinity; Jesus believed to be God incarnate
Common misconception
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three separate gods.
Most Christians believe in the Oneness of God and that all three Persons of the Trinity are present in only one God, therefore the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are not three separate gods.
Teacher tip
You may wish to remind students of the Christian beliefs about the nature of God and discuss how these are seen in the three Persons of the Trinity.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which characteristic of God is challenged by the existence of evil and suffering?
Q2.What is natural evil?
Q3.Which book of the Bible suggests that evil and suffering can result from the misuse of free will?
Q4.Christians argue that God allows suffering to help humans develop qualities.
Q5.The philosopher Epicurus argued that God cannot be all-powerful and all- if evil exists.
Q6.The story of Job teaches Christians to remain to God during times of suffering.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the term "Trinity" refer to in Christianity?
Q2.Which Person of the Trinity is believed to have been present at Jesus' baptism?
Q3.What Christian belief is emphasised by the unity of the Trinity?
Q4.The Trinity teaches Christians that Jesus is God in human form, also known as the ...
Q5.The Nicene Creed describes the Holy Spirit as "the giver of ".
Q6.At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles to help them spread the ...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: The Trinity, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: The Trinity, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Christianity: Beliefs unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.