The Trinity is not real in my life because of superior knowledge or insight. Wow! For instance, we know that God is perfectly loving. Lord of all, we bow before thee. What is the Trinity? Living Theologically The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1, *. We have the creeds for just that reason. Let's use an egg to explain the Holy Trinity! I go to prepare a place for you. The early church labeled this view "tritheism". Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. 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. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). - well, sort of. So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. As John 1:18 says, Jesus is "the only begotten God, in the bosom of [God] the Father.". 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. St. Augustine's Analogy for Understanding the Trinity The Son was begotten by the Father IN ETERNITY, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). For those, like myself, who are not from a highly-liturgical denomination, it may come as a surprise that June 11 was Trinity Sunday. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Andrew M. Bailey Moreover, the yoke and the whites are no longer as they used to be. One thing that Ive found helpful is using the Trinity to illustrate truths we know about God. My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! Analogies that we present would always be insufficient as none of them would equate to the incomprehensible beauty of God. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. But Hes God too, right? 3:15; John 17:1-4, The Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-13. What does the Bible teach about the Trinity? | GotQuestions.org So when God created us and revealed Himself to us, what He did was to invite us into the perfect goodness He has always known within Himself. Have you wondered what is God like? But understanding the Trinity is important. He wondered how it was possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be inseparable, while, in . The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. Therefore, we would rightly say, within the Ontological Trinity, there is no variation or distinction made. You can also catch up with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok He differs from the Father, but was and still is God. The idea of God as three-in-one is indeed a mysterious concept, one that is difficult to understand. God is kind of like a man who is a father, a son and an uncle God is kind of like a three-leaf clover, or a triangle; one object, but three different, identifiable leaves, or sides* 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. Humans as we are, we cannot fully understand how the three divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God. There are, however, some that work better than others. 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. What happens when an egg hatches? The mystery is in the how this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. The Cathedral - The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Quebec, Canada However, it breaks down on the level of equality: No one keeps or eats the shell of an egg. RELATED: Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? A person distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A being is the whole nature or essence of something. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. A Simple Way to Explain the Trinity - Keith Ferrin Unfortunately, Arianism is still around and can found within the Jehovah's Witnesses teachings. A man might be a father to his children, a husband to his wife, and son to his parents. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. The Egg and I - Part Two The concept is literally unthinkable. THE DISTINCTION AND UNITY of the Trinity is not for us to fully understand because it is a supernatural mystery. This description that all persons are fully God is called the Ontological Trinity. Your email address will not be published. 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. And for a mere mortal to have dared invent it and be able t. The beautiful depth of Gods eternal Triune nature is a sublime reality which should bring an end to our attempts to cognitively master Him. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. Check out verse four: Holy Author, Holy Word, Holy Spirit, three we name thee; Still, one holy voice is heard; undivided God, we claim thee, and adoring bend the knee, while we own the mystery. . 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. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. So whats one good way to explain what the Trinity is? The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. Rather, He created us in order to bless us. Copyright 2023 Christian Today. So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. The mystery is in the "how" this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. God does not play three roles.. But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. And let us once more come to illustrations. There are many mysteries to our faith. He can even be all three at the same time. And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. God the Father spoke from heaven and spoke of His Son, Jesus. There would be three thrones. Each person is fully God (Phil 2; Acts 5:3-4). True, we humans are image bearers but nothing in creation serves as an analogy for the Trinity because the Trinity is a doctrine of special (biblical) revelation not nature or reason. What Is the Trinity | Holy Trinity in the Bible | Explore God 4 Bad Ways to Explain the Trinity (and 1 Good One) One day, however, the image will be clear. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. Jesus isn't a demigod or partially god. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. 1B) This son of Graham and Lois Armstrong is Dave. I go to prepare a place for you. 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. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. The Holy Spirit prays for us. For instance at the baptism of Christ, the Father, Son and Spirit are all distinctly present and interacting (Matthew chapter 3 verses 16-17). 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! The Bible reveals that each person of the Trinity has unique roles, relationships, and functions which are distinct from one another. They are three in one egg. Some people think that H2O cannot exist in all three states simultaneously but that is not true. 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. Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. 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/. The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. As a result the water molecule must change forms. I do not have the time or space to exhaustively demonstrate in scripture these truths, but the Biblical witness teaches these three truths consistently about God. These hand embroidered emblems are made with metallic gold-plated thread with silver content, printed on canvas. It is still H20, but just different forms. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. St. Augustine, one of the most important Fathers of the Church, wrote a great deal on the doctrine of the Trinity. This is the one I used long ago when trying to explain the Trinity to a group of 1st-5th graders. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. The problem here is it describes each part of the Trinity as 1/3 parts of the overall egg. Father, Son, and Spirit are each fully God (their own egg)- not fractions of one. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. in that while water can change into vapour or ice, Jesus cannot change into the Father or the Holy Spirit. If we separate them we still may have God the Egg yolk, God the Holy Spirit Egg white and God the Son, the Egg shell/image, three individual parts of an Egg, but they cannot be a Trinity, or tri-unity unless they are unified and are seen as one Egg, so to speak. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. God Himself explains why some things are still a mystery: For as heaven is higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Our human minds can never understand all of who God is and how He thinks and acts. Here are eight bible characters that you might not know about, but should. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. He has one essenceone substance. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (the word is not). 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. I believe that the best way to talk about the Trinity is to simply say that God is one God, who eternally exists in three Persons. The egg has a shell, the whites and a yoke. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites, The Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity. This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. How Helpful Are Analogies of the Trinity? - Kuyperian Commentary 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. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the . This error denies something central to God that makes Him God. In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not simply names designating modalities of the divine being, for they are really DISTINCT from one another: He is not the Father who is the Son, nor is the Son he who is the Father, nor is the Holy Spirit he who is the Father or the Son. (CCC 254), 3. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. 3. My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. We believe in only one true God in all existence, in all places, at all times. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) He was with God in the beginning. They've always led to error and have been rejected by the church. All of the above Bad Analogies would perhaps do more harm than good if used in explaining the Trinity. we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,neither blending their personsnor dividing their essence. The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. Although he is one he has different roles to different people. So "son" = "Dave". Montreal was home to two Trinity churches built in 1865 The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk . There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. RELATED: What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts? TO AVOID HERESIES, LET US LIVE BY WHAT HAS BEEN REVEALED TO US: 1. In the same way, water is all the same molecular structure, expressing itself in three different modes. The Latin word for trinity (trinitas) combines two words- unitas (unity) and trias (three). They are three in one egg. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. 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). 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. It's impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. How so? . They are unified in one divine being. Scripture however, doesnt depict God this way. 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. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. God is much bigger and much greater than we can understand, and to be honest, I'm ok with that. In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. So much of what we know about what God does is wrapped up in who He is. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. show me your glory. The Holy Spirit prays for us. And whos the Holy Spirit? This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. So, the egg analogy doesnt work after all. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. 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. Is the Trinity like H2O, an egg, or a triangle? - Fervr Memory, Understanding, and Will. Explaining the Holy Trinity Using Analogies - Militant Thomist The Holy Trinity Easy as One, Two, Three | by John K Adams These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. Shively, This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. If you say, "water" then you are incorrect. . We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. God is one. Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. One sits on the throne looking like Sardine and Jasper stone. A single molecule cannot simultaneously exist in three different states. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. 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? History, lifestyle, family, music, theology, scripture, literature, the saints, church history, parenting, politics, prayer, the pope, and more. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. Time Analogy God is like time. 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. What does that really mean? It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. I did read about the shamrock analogy! Misunderstanding 1: The transforming trinity Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. The Holy Trinity: Egg Analogy by Sharmaine Pagtakhan - Prezi I write to see memory and language wrestle with reality. The problem with this analogy is that it also leads to the heresy of MODALISM. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. 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). I and My Father are One (John 10:30). Augustine's typical dialectic is to move from the exterior realities of creation to the interior reality of the human soul where he hoped to encounter God in the image of God, damaged as it is by the fall. Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. 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). Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:13). There was no relational deficiency that prompted God to create us.