The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith and helps us realize that God exists as three distinct consubstantial persons the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit The first defence of the doctrine of the Trinity was in the early 3rd century by the early church father Tertullian He explicitly defined the Trinity as Father Son and Holy Spirit and defended the Trinitarian theology against the Praxean heresy The heart of the Trinity lies in the fact that although the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit are three discrete persons they share the essence of one God who is the creator of heaven and earth who is eternal almighty and holy In essence the three persons are one God They are co equal co eternal and worthy of the same confidence and worship as God himself At the same time the three persons are distinct from one another in their relations of origin and in their relation with one another It is the Father who generates the Son who is begotten and the Holy Spirit who proceeds
