Lost will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. A person distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A being is the whole nature or essence of something. Jesus Person is the image of Gods Person (Hebrews 1:3), and the Invisible Spirit of the Father that is in Him - God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. The Bible reveals that each person of the Trinity has unique roles, relationships, and functions which are distinct from one another. . Explaining the Holy Trinity. Pingback: 3 Reasons Why Jesus Humanity Really Matters Her & Hymn, Pingback: 3 Reasons Why Jesus' Humanity Really Matters, Pingback: How Jesus Teaches Us To Be Human Her & Hymn. Our God is three in one. Afterall, we can get rid of a few of its parts - for instance the shell - and still scramble an egg. God has revealed some mysteries from the Old Testament in the New Testament (the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the coming of the Messiah, salvation by grace through faith, etc.) 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). Stars were made on the forth day. He got married there in 1965, and his four . While each person is distinct, they are never separate from one another. So, in God, there are three distinct persons. If youve been involved in ministries for children or young people, questions about the Trinity have most likely come up. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw. However, many of our faithful, and even priests, attempted to simplify the Mystery of the Trinity and made it easier to understand by using MODELS AND ANALOGIES, giving birth to modern-day heresies/fallacies about the Trinity. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. 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 Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. That is heaven in a person. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. If one of the persons were not there, then we would not have God. As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. We worship one God who exists in three persons. So if all of these explanations are heretical, what is a good analogy? 2. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! The Trinity is pretty weird: the Father (or Mother), Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are in some sense distinct from one another, but are all unified in another sense. This is not an exhaustive list: For further reading on the Trinity, I would recommend James Whites The Forgotten Trinity, Wayne Grudems Systematic Theology and online articles by CARM.org. Time Analogy God is like time. If you looked at a single cloverleaf, you wouldnt call it a shamrock. He explains why the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to the gospel even if it seems abstract or confusing, highlights why all analogies and metaphors are of limited value when thinking about the Godhead, and responds to the . I can only shake my head when He does these things! What happens when an egg hatches? Some have used examples such as water, watermelons and eggs; the principle behind those illustrations is that even though each thing is one, it is also three. It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the three are all equally one God. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. Modalism denies the distinction of person in the trinity. The Council's definitions concerning the Trinity are really as easy as one, two, three four. The apple seed alone is not an apple. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. 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). He differs from the Father, but was and still is God. Its impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. 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). The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. No analogy is perfect, but we want to be careful of using wrong ones that may confuse people. Paul explains our finite understanding of beliefs like the Trinity as looking into a poor-quality mirror- a distorted image; dim and unclear. The visual form of God seperated from Jesus on the cross. How can God be Three in One? This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. Basic mathematics tells us that 1x1x1 = 1.. 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.. Your email address will not be published. Bach, and has released two previous CDs, one . The shortfall of this illustration, and others like it, is that God cannot be divided into "parts." This analogy actually falls prey to the same error of modalism. Here are a few common illustrations: The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. But understanding the Trinity is important. Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. If the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate beings, then its not really clear how someone can say that God is one or that only one God exists. When the Bible talks about God, it may be referring to Jesus Christ in a specific instance, the Holy Spirit in another and God the Father in a third occasion. Scripture however, doesnt depict God this way. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. The Holy Spirit prays for us. and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). Arianism clearly denies the deity of the three persons. This is just as bad as the Water analogy and leads to the same error. Vestment Emblems. Matthew 3:16-17- As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. 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.. Hello busy women! The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. There is what is called the 'triple point' the combination of pressure and temperature at which H2O can exist simultaneously in all three states: solid, liquid and gas. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of modalism. copyright 2009 by H.D. And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. Further, his dialectic is guided by the particular consideration of what true love is: a trinity of lover, beloved and the love that binds . Below is a compilation of the verses that reference all 3 persons of the one God. There would be three thrones. Jesus would have remained in the tomb, or hell, had Jesus sinned. As a result the water molecule must change forms. God does not morph from one person to another, nor does God exist as three separate beings. 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. But you cannot be broken when your faith is in Jesus, for the Spirit of the Son that lives in us and gives us the voice through which we cry Abba, Father, (Galatians 4:6,) this Spirit of the Father that dwells within you is there to strengthen, protect and guard your person. This description that all persons are fully God is called the Ontological Trinity. in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. 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. Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. 1. [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. And we know that because Hes been experiencing perfect love within Himself forever. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. Therefore it behoves us to know what He has revealed (including the Trinity), and to lovingly worship Him accordingly. The doctrine of the Trinity tells us that there's ONE GOD who is THREE distinct PERSONS existing as a community of self-giving and loving relationships with each other. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. H2O is a combination of two particles (atoms) of hydrogen and one particle of oxygen and this compound can exist as water (liquid), ice (solid) and vapour (gas). We can think of it this way: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. The shell, while important, is no longer needed. This view teaches that three separate beings exist. 1 Corinthians 8:6: Yet for us there is but one God.. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. This view, also known as "modalism", was rejected by the early church. . 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*. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John14:2, 3). Jesus isn't a demigod or partially god. Let's use an egg to explain the Holy Trinity! Lord of all, we bow before thee. Our words should dissipate and be replaced instead with an awestruck adoration and wonder, as we realise the only appropriate response is to fall to our knees and humbly worship the one truly perfect, unified divine essence, comprising three diverse, co-equal and co-eternal divine persons. So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:13). He can even be all three at the same time. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John14:2, 3). The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. But Hes God too, right? Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. What is the Trinity? - well, sort of. Light comes from God. For example, an equilateral triangle (a triangle with three equal sides) has three sides. Through the brokenness of the Shell, His Son, the Spirit white pours out into our beings through our faith in what was done and believers are joined with the yolk, for it is by One Spirit we have access to God the Father (Ephesians 2:18). But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. There is only one egg with three different parts. This is perhaps the most common analogy for the Trinity. We can say that the first is egg the shell, the second is egg the albumen and the third is egg the yoke. Yet there is only one God. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. Part 2. The sun comprises the sun itself, its light and its heat. That is why Moses said. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. Jesus Person is the image of Gods Person (Hebrews 1:3), and the Invisible Spirit of the Father that is in Him - God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). Dr. Bruce Ware does an excellent job in his book Big Truths for Young Hearts. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Further, we can label each of the sides. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. All of the above Bad Analogies would perhaps do more harm than good if used in explaining the Trinity. Genesis 1:26- Let us make man in our image, in our likeness The plural us and our show more than one person was involved. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. I did read about the shamrock analogy! In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). Or have you ever tried to teach kids about the Trinity? There are some analogies that come close. But having lots 6 Bible Study Tools To Help You Dive Deeper. They say that three separate beings exist 2. Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. Deuteronomy 6:4- Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. This verse is also the beginning of the Jewish Shema prayer; their confession of faith. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. We wont find the word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept is shown in many verses. Lastly, below is a helpful graphical chart explaining the doctrine of the Trinity I found from the Christian blog by Tim Challies found at Challies.com. The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. Under Arianism Jesus is less than fully 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. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. But in the Godhead, each Person is fully and completely God unto Himself (even as they are all one God). So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. Christians believe, then, that only one God exists but this God exists as a unity of three persons: a Trinity. Yet there is still only one God we serve. (Which I just found out is in error). In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) But thats not how they understood it. The following verses attest to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.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). Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. The early church labeled this view "tritheism". When we see them as three individual spirits, (God is one Spirit John 4:24), then that is the blasphemy of polytheism which is the worship of more than one God. Some people have suggested using an egg to explain how God can be both one and three. But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. He was with God in the beginning. The Father Matthew 27:45-46 (usually there is no argument that the Father is not God, since every place Jesus speaks to God, he is addressing the Father. That is why Moses said. None of the 3 are less divine than the others. 1:8-12; 1 Pet. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). Although God is transcendent, sovereign, unapproachable light, He has condescended to reveal something of Himself to His creation. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (the word is not). From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Stars were made on the froth day. Truly, it is a Mystery. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. Theyve transformed. Depth isnt the same thing as height and height isnt the same thing as width, yet all three together are what comprise space. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit also exist eternally and concurrently. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. And let us once more come to illustrations. Each PERSON is distinct from one another. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. Three Gods or one? His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! A certain YouTube page created a famous video titled "St. Patrick's Bad Analogies" (which can be found here), in which the historic St. Patrick meets charming villagers who deride him based on the analogies which he uses in the process of explaining the Holy Trinity. So whats one good way to explain what the Trinity is? 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. In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. Unfortunately, there is a problem with this view of the Trinity. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. For instance, we know that God is perfectly loving. Lost will be burned up. That fire keeps devils away from the saved. In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each one is fully 100% God. If God has existed for all eternity in a perfectly loving Triune relationship, then it shows He is completely self-sufficient and requires no further relationship in order to complete or satisfy Himself. Which ones have you heard? I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. When we separate them and view them as individual deities, that is the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual gods as one. God is Great, I always try to figure out how to explain it to my Sunday school kids and they get confused which i get, how would you explain it to them? This analogy seems to make a lot of sense, but it actually reinforces a fatal misconception about the Trinity called modalism. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. They are equally eternal, powerful, sovereign, and worthy of worship. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. 2:5-6; Col. 1:15-17, 2:9; Heb. If water is inadequate, there are a wide array of alternative analogies we can turn to in modern theological parlance. God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. 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 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). 2 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each God. Starting with the three biblical affirmations, ask your kids to show you how these examples support or deny what the bible teaches about the Trinity. Modalism teaches that the trinity is not three distinct persons, but just different modes that God reveals himself to human beings. But they are one God. The Trinity is distinct in their roles and individuality, but united in their attributes of love, mercy, holiness, knowledge, etc. . In one of his sermons, he wrestled with the passage in Scripture recounting Jesus' Baptism. An essential factor lacking from those concepts is the relational quality of God. . The beautiful depth of Gods eternal Triune nature is a sublime reality which should bring an end to our attempts to cognitively master Him. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. 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. But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. In reality, I change my role depending on who I am interacting with. We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. Over the course of church history there have been several heresies that have cropped up that deny one of these three truths. If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. The Egg Analogy - This claims to be a good representation of the Trinity because Eggs have three distinct parts: the shell, the yolk, and the whites. However, keep in mind that the one being who is God is a personal being. When we think about influential New Testament leaders, most names are male. , 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. We believe that it is a revelation that comes from Christ Himself. But if modalism is true, and the Trinity really is like water, then the story of Jesus (the Son) praying to the Father as recorded in the Bible seems like an awfully strange masquerade. But, when it's heated, it turns into a gas (steam) and, when it's frozen, it turns into a solid (ice). THE DISTINCTION AND UNITY of the Trinity is not for us to fully understand because it is a supernatural mystery. God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. One day, however, the image will be clear. Haydn Lea is an Associate Pastor in Queensland, and is currently studying his Master of Arts (Theology). Its hard to explain! Each one is fully 100% God. Thanks, Ann! Unfortunately, most of them actually give us the wrong idea about what the Trinity is. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the, is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the, being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The egg example, while not perfect or complete by any means, will still give us a basic understanding of the primary principle of Biblical Trinitarianism. We believe in only one true God in all existence, in all places, at all times. This is the Christmas paradox. When they used the word person, they didnt mean it in the same way that we do today. Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. Space Analogy God is like space. And for a mere mortal to have dared invent it and be able t. What is wrong with what I said? Your email address will not be published. Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. Armstrong. When we see them as three individual spirits, (God is one Spirit John 4:24), then that is the blasphemy of polytheism which is the worship of more than one God. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. 7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christs gift., , according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure., , But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.. Should Women Really Keep Silent in Church? 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. Sending of another: The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. But it cant be that way with God. He is one God in three persons, all at the same time. Have you wondered what is God like? They are unified in one divine being. In the same way, there is a God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. As John 1:18 says, Jesus is "the only begotten God, in the bosom of [God] the Father.". The Bible teaches three truths: 1 - there is one God. Cool it down, and itll eventually freeze into a solid. This is a general rule when we study this Mystery using our human weakness since it is absolutely impossible for our human minds to comprehend the Divine. Modalism is a heresy because it denies the distinction of God.
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