So whats one good way to explain what the Trinity is? If you say, "water" then you are incorrect. Jonathon serves as a lay pastor at Gospel Life Church in New Braunfels, TX and currently works as the IT Manager for a non-profit ministry. You know, that bearded guy on the throne who looks something like Zeus, right?
Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. So God performs 3 different roles/relationships but 1 God. We find it in all four Gospels. The mystery is in the "how" this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. Paul leaves the Corinthians with this blessing in 2 Corinthians 13:14- May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). 5And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. The divine persons are really DISTINCT from one another, and not merely different roles of God at different times. A man might be a father to his children, a husband to his wife, and son to his parents. God is much bigger than what we can understand yet He is close enough to us so that we can know some things about Him, though not completely and not everything. This is a place to find encouragement and hope from God's Word as you move through your busy life. He was with God in the beginning. I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. This analogy actually falls prey to the same error of modalism. But this idea is central to the Christian faith. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. Haydn Lea is an Ordained Minister, and is currently serving as an Air Force Chaplain in Adelaide. (It is also why the Jews had an issue with Jesus calling Himself God.). The visual form of God seperated from Jesus on the cross. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. My interview: https://www.readlotswritelot.com/wp/podcast/episode-21-john-k-adams/, More from Catholicism for the Modern World, https://www.readlotswritelot.com/wp/podcast/episode-21-john-k-adams/. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25).
But in the Godhead, each Person is fully and completely God unto Himself (even as they are all one God). 2A) Dave is a father of four children: three boys and a . His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. Yet, as we view the pages of the Bible, we see that God is a personal and relational God. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. Paul explains our finite understanding of beliefs like the Trinity as looking into a poor-quality mirror- a distorted image; dim and unclear. When we tend to make an analogy about the trinity we are forced to diminish one of the three trinitarian truths in order to make the analogy work. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. Modernizations of this analogy include that of an apple (with the peel, the flesh, and the core) or an egg (with its shell, yoke, and white). And when the time comes when death is allowed to crack your shell in its final hour and your believing soul is released; the Spirit of God that holds you will carry you in His arms to your heavenly home because In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. Arianism denies the deity of each person in the trinity. When we think about influential New Testament leaders, most names are male.
Holy Trinity: Some Analogies to Help Us Comprehend And when the time comes when death is allowed to crack your shell in its final hour and your believing soul is released; the Spirit of God that holds you will carry you in His arms to your heavenly home because In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. See the depths of Catholicism for yourself! When they used the word person, they didnt mean it in the same way that we do today. You can also catch up with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. (Which I just found out is in error). The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. This description that all persons are fully God is called the Ontological Trinity. What happens when an egg hatches? Common, yes. But theres one problem: the water analogy is not the biblical picture of God. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind.
PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Andrew M. Bailey 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. An analogy illustrates that in a similar way, one shamrock can have three leaves on it, and the trinity has three persons that comprise one God. PART OF A WHOLE. God does not play three roles.. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. An egg is made up of shell, white and yolk. None of the 3 are less divine than the others. Or water can be evaporated and called steam. RELATED: What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts? This is perhaps the most common analogy for the Trinity. Now were going to look at how some people often misunderstand the Trinity. There is only one egg with three different parts. In the same way, at one moment God is the Father, but at different times God morphs or transforms into the Son or Holy Spirit. They are three in one egg. The Egg and I - Part Two It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. The Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. The Bible teaches three truths: 1 - there is one God. As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. The angel answered (Mary), The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High (referring to the Father, italics mine) will overshadow you. Each one is fully God. What is the Trinity? We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. Notice the distinction between persons and being. Each one is fully 100% God. Jesus is fully God. in that He is not made up of three parts one part () the Father, another part () Jesus Christ and a third part () the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, this trinity is related to a shamrock, an apple, or an egg. Holy Trinity, the downtown Greek Orthodox church that was partially destroyed by fire 11 years ago, was a special place for 57-year-old Georgiou. The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of tritheism. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. It is still H20, but just different forms. It may not appear to agree with common sense.
"The Egg and i - A Simple Explanation of The Trinity" - cafe Logos According to modalism, God does not actually exist in three persons. He cares for his creation and his people. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. It is the Fathers desire to join His Spirit with all of us as well for He has said They shall be My sons and daughters (II Corinthians 6:18). Now God can be in you by His Spirit! At the Cathedral, we recognize that there are responsibilities that come with . The Son was begotten by the Father IN ETERNITY, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Tritheism denies that there is only one God. What portion of the analogy holds true with Church Teaching? [4] The goal of an analogy is to draw out similarities between it and its referent in illuminating ways, not to define the referent itself. Basic mathematics tells us that 1x1x1 = 1.. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (the word is not). , 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you., For further reading on the Trinity, I would recommend James Whites, Lastly, below is a helpful graphical chart explaining the doctrine of the Trinity I found from the Christian blog by Tim Challies.
How to Explain the Trinity to Children | Free Printable The Sun was created on the forth day. This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. Cool it down, and itll eventually freeze into a solid. The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. Another analogy that Tim remembers, being Irish Catholic, is the analogy of the shamrock with its three parts. However, it breaks down on the level of equality: No one keeps or eats the shell of an egg. The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. Jesus Person is joined to the Father by the Fathers Holy Spirit, because Gods Spirit is also Jesus Spirit - "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Revelation 4:3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. That would not be had God be three persons.
That is why Moses said. When we speak of someone as being a "person", we often mean an individual who is separate from other people, or we simply mean a human being.
4 Bad Analogies for the Trinity Justin Deeter How do we make sense of the Trinity? We believe that it is a revelation that comes from Christ Himself.
What are some popular illustrations of the Holy Trinity? The wonders and ways of God may not be apparent or fully known at present, but we can still marvel at His supremacy and worship Him in wonder- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Because Gods Person is unapproachable, the Spirit White acts as insulation, for we know that it is through the Holy Spirit that God can communicate, speak through and interact with mankind. I'm always interested in ways to encourage you, so feel free to contact me and let me know what areas interest you! The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! How can God be Three in One? He has the world and our individual lives within His supremely capable hands. The Spirit white is connected to Jesus Person I will come to you (John 14:18) and the Fathers Person, We will come to him and make our abode with him (John 14:23). This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. Shively, This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. Who is God? That fire keeps devils away from the saved. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer.
Jesus then becomes a created being and thus less than fully God. There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. He has been a member of the Royal Australian Air Force since 2007, and is now training to be an Air Force Chaplain. Some have taken on the task of explaining how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist as one. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw. The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. Proof texting is when we cite a bunch of bible verses to support a theological stance. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and, (usually there is no argument that the Father is not God, since every place Jesus speaks to God, he is addressing the Father.). They say that three separate beings exist, 2. Unfortunately, there is a problem with this view of the Trinity. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. Modalism, or Sabellianism, denies the three distinct Persons of the Trinity and claims that God is one Person who appears in different modes at different timesin the Old Testament He appeared as the Father, in the Gospels He appeared as the Son, and from Pentecost onwards He appears as the Holy Spirit. Relationship Analogy (Husband/Son/Father) God is like a person with different relationships just as a man can be a Dad, but also someones Son, and also someones Husband. Perhaps youve heard the analogy that the Trinity is like H2O (the molecular symbol for water). However, in some instances, the use of carefully chosen analogies may be of help for some of our brethren in learning the teachings of the Church. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 butmore like 1 x 1 x 1.You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. Many of these analogies have the best of intentions, but God cannot be described in a way we can fully comprehend or rationalize. The trinity is like water. The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. Sure enough, one member answered Well Ive heard that the Trinity is like water: water can be liquid, gas (steam), or solid (ice), but its still the same water. And in our efforts to grasp it, weve come up with a number of analogies. Three persons is false. These three Persons are all equally God and all equally Persons. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. RELATED: The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything, 3 Reasons Why Jesus Humanity Really Matters Her & Hymn, 3 Reasons Why Jesus' Humanity Really Matters, How Jesus Teaches Us To Be Human Her & Hymn. In Biblical Trinitarianism we can never have one without the other because they are one Spirit; each is the totality of the other which means we cannot have the Holy Spirit without the Father and the Son, We will come (into the believer through the Holy Spirit, John 14:23), and we cannot have the Son without The Father whose Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20). Armstrong. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. What we can understand and accept is that God exists eternally as one divine nature, substance, or essence, comprising three co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial personsthe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Space Analogy God is like space. It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the what is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the whos being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Therefore the eternal brightness shines forth before Him, and co-exists with Him, in that, existing without a beginning, and always begotten, He always shines before Him; and He is that Wisdom which says, I was that wherein He delighted, and I was daily His delight before His face at all times.. Some people think that H2O cannot exist in all three states simultaneously but that is not true. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! The 3 Most Common "Trinity Analogies" (and their limitations) The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. We recommend you adhere these emblems to your vestments by mounting on the material with fabric glue and then stitching them . But Hes God too, right? I never thought about it in that way some of these examples Ive never heard of. The water analogy of the Trinity follows this line of reasoning: water can be a solid (ice/frozen water), liquid, and gas (water vapor), and yet all three forms are still water (H 2 O), and likewise, God manifests Himself in 3 different ways in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Discover the richness of the old yet living 2,000-year-old religion which built the West. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. It does not represent 3 persons existing simultaneously. This was first used by Patrick of Ireland (yes there really was a Patrick of Ireland and he was a great guy), around 400 A.D. 2. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1 what and 3 whos*.
Seven Simple Facts About the Trinity - biblequery.org In the same way, there is a God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. But remember, it is much better to let Scripture teach the 3 points above which establish the doctrine of the Trinity than to rely on analogies. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14). Jesus Person is joined to the Father by the Fathers Holy Spirit, because Gods Spirit is also Jesus Spirit - "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you.