He got married there in 1965, and his four . We have the creeds for just that reason. Yet the orthodox view is that each person of the Trinity is fully divine. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! Yet, these persons are not separate from one another. It became real to me because I have experienced His love, grace, guidance, redemption, conviction of sin, and fellowship that comes from Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Arianism denies the deity of each person in the trinity. God is much bigger and much greater than we can understand, and to be honest, I'm ok with that. At the Cathedral, we recognize that there are responsibilities that come with . There are some analogies that come close. The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk . It is still important that we have some understanding of the concept, however. THE TRUTH IS: From the very beginning, the Blessed Trinity Father, Son, and Spirit was there. But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. An essential factor lacking from those concepts is the relational quality of God. A good example would be an electrical cord. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. The Egg Analogy God is like an egg. Indeed, how can an infinite God be contained in a finite human womb! This analogy denies the distinction of the God-head. (It is also why the Jews had an issue with Jesus calling Himself God.). All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. The teaching of the trinity is clearly taught in Scripture and must be preserved as such. Theyve transformed. What portion is erroneous? A good follow up verse to help explain is the baptism of Jesus. Many of these analogies have the best of intentions, but God cannot be described in a way we can fully comprehend or rationalize. The word God in this sense is defined as a single being, having all divine attributes. There's a simple reason they don't work: The Trinity, as such, isn't like anything in creation. That is heaven in a person. 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 (. How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? And we know that because Hes been experiencing perfect love within Himself forever. PART OF A WHOLE. One of the more traditional analogies is to the states of water. 3:15; John 17:1-4, The Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-13. Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. 2A) Dave is a father of four children: three boys and a . Try starting your explanation with a simple definition and then ask for further questions: No one can completely know or understand God. Does that make sense? Every kid in Sunday school thinks he knows all about God. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. St. Augustine, one of the most important Fathers of the Church, wrote a great deal on the doctrine of the Trinity. Depth isnt the same thing as height and height isnt the same thing as width, yet all three together are what comprise space. Have you wondered what is God like? God is NOT like H2O in that He does not need the right pressure and temperature to exist as three persons. Similarly, light and heat are simply creations of the sun, yet it is the heresy of Arianism to claim that the Son or Spirit are mere creations of the Father. As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. 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. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. Discover the richness of the old yet living 2,000-year-old religion which built the West. What happens when an egg hatches? They all exist as fully God, with none of them lacking in any attribute or aspect that defines God. In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. But Jesus makes it clear in John 10:30- I and the Father are One. The Greek word for one means one thing, not one person. They are united in their essence (spirit, nature) but not identical persons. God controls that light. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit. The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . Intercession: The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. Here are some of them: The problem with this is that it leads to the view that God is a Trinity simply because He relates differently to us at different times. From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. 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. The apple seed alone is not an apple. we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,neither blending their personsnor dividing their essence. But theres one problem: the water analogy is not the biblical picture of God. In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). 6And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons., , The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all., There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. So whats one good way to explain what the Trinity is? 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. Love was not given to Jesus. The past is not the present and the present is not the future, yet all three together is what we call time. Blessings! My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. They say that three separate beings exist 2. Answer (1 of 25): Cynics assert that the idea of the Holy Trinity is a logical impossibility. (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. H2O can only ever be one form at a time. It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. According to modalism, God does not actually exist in three persons. But understanding the Trinity is important. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. The Son is like the light rays that visibly reveal the sun, as Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). They are three in one egg. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. This would make Jesus something less than fully God. Its a very common explanation within the church to try to explain how God, who clearly exhorts His followers to preserve His supreme oneness (Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4), could also be identified with Jesus (Titus chapter 2 verse 13), and the Holy Spirit (Acts chapter 5 verses 3-4). Just as water changes forms so too is the trinity. 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. This description that all persons are fully God is called the Ontological Trinity. 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). 3 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons. Thus the Father is in Jesus " I and My Father are One" (John 10:30), "The Father is in Me" (John 14:10) God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. But its all the same person, operating in three roles or functions. Analogies for the Trinity exist to explain the unexplainable. If one of the persons were not there, then we would not have God. You are an egg! In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. If you're looking to dive deeper into God's word, here are 6 kinds of bible study tools and resources 9 Influential Female Leaders in the New Testament. 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). This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Truly, it is a Mystery. For those, like myself, who are not from a highly-liturgical denomination, it may come as a surprise that June 11 was Trinity Sunday. The problem with this analogy is that it teaches that God has three components: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Haydn describes himself as a five-point Calvinist, but he recognises that many faithful Christians disagree. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. Each separate being is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. Dont grieve the Holy Spirit out of you. Jesus is fully God. Each PERSON is distinct from one another. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. copyright 2009 by H.D. We all want to experience the good life. We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. Similarly, people have used the example of the apple in the same way- skin, flesh, and seeds. Further, his dialectic is guided by the particular consideration of what true love is: a trinity of lover, beloved and the love that binds . The above picture is a famous work of art by Andrei Rubilev, the great medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescos. The three distinct notes come together to make one beautiful sound. God is one. He has been a member of the Royal Australian Air Force since 2007, and is now training to be an Air Force Chaplain. So under modalism, God acts as the Father in the Old Testament, the son in the Gospels, and the Spirit in Acts and the Epistles. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. Genisis 1:17, KJV. 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 . The mystery is in the "how" this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. 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. 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. And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. Each person is fully God (Phil 2; Acts 5:3-4). 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. . We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. Why is it wrong? Hi Im not a theologian and I dont disagree with what you say but when you state that we know the persons of the Trinity have perfectly loved for eternity etc how do we know? God controls that light. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. Stars were made on the forth day. HO may act as water, steam, or ice, but it is still HO. 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). He has not yet revealed some mysteries (what did Jesus do in His childhood, when will He return, what does the word Selah mean in the Old Testament- and so many more.). Ontological means the nature or essence of something. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. 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. Here are a few common illustrations: The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk. Both are one. They've always led to error and have been rejected by the church. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. 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). There are, however, some that work better than others. 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. God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. In using analogies, we need to acknowledge the demerits and limitations of the said analogy. Trinity is like a Shamrock (or an Apple or an Egg). Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. 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. The shortfall of this illustration, and others like it, is that God cannot be divided into "parts." Did I leave out any analogies? They say that three separate beings exist, 2. John introduces us to the Trinity in John 1:1- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. If the Sun existed from eternity past then so were the light rays from the Sun. The sun comprises the sun itself, its light and its heat. The Trinity are three distinct persons who exist apart from each other. It can also be a liquid and called water. The trinity is Like a man who is a father, husband, and son. A single molecule cannot simultaneously exist in three different states.
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