“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
Matthew 28:19
Born in Carthage around AD 155, Tertullian didn’t come to know Christ until he was 30 years old. His pagan parents had the means to give him a good education which included studies in philosophy, history, and law. It was an education that ended up being a great blessing for the church. One of his first works as a Christian was called Apology, written in AD 196. Tertullian used Roman law to persuade the empire against the persecution of tax-paying, law-abiding Christians, and good citizens who even prayed for the Emperor.
Tertullian would eventually write 36 other books. His most helpful arguments were about the nature of God. A false teaching had crept into the church saying that God manifested Himself in different modes. It denied the unique personhood of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
Tertullian helped the church articulate God’s unique, Trinitarian nature found in Scripture. He taught that God is one in substance though He exists in three distinct persons. He even coined the term we often use today: Trinity.
Tertullian would eventually write 36 other books. His most helpful arguments were about the nature of God. A false teaching had crept into the church saying that God manifested Himself in different modes. It denied the unique personhood of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
Tertullian helped the church articulate God’s unique, Trinitarian nature found in Scripture. He taught that God is one in substance though He exists in three distinct persons. He even coined the term we often use today: Trinity.
Scripture Focus
John 10:29-31; John 14:16-21
Insight
“We worship unity in trinity, and trinity in unity;neither confounding the person nor dividing the substance.” (Tertullian, c. AD 155-220)
Bible In A Year
- 2 Kings 15-16
- Proverbs 18
- 1 John 1-2
