in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. This view teaches that three separate beings exist. 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. How Helpful Are Analogies of the Trinity? - Kuyperian Commentary Though I find the video to be hilarious and often . Explaining the Trinity | Catholic Answers 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. A, distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A. is the whole nature or essence of something. In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. 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. Jesus loves us so much that he did not obliterate people who died, with power that set stars in the universe. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, constructed between 1800 and 1804, is the first Anglican cathedral to have been built outside the British Isles. But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. The mystery is in the how this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. For example, triangles are not the kinds of things that are personal. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. Learn how your comment data is processed. Thanks, Ann! show me your glory. The above picture is a famous work of art by Andrei Rubilev, the great medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescos. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. Devils cannot grab ahold of them to cast them into Satans prison. It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. RELATED: What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts? 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). The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. We recommend you adhere these emblems to your vestments by mounting on the material with fabric glue and then stitching them . I know in the past Ive used analogies that werent the best (more on those later.) Shively, This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. Its all one person, simply functioning in three different roles. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. What is the Trinity? Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. They have a common purpose in making harmonious music, but each note is its own separate entity. My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! That is a holding pen for final judgment. The Trinity is Like an Egg How the analogy goes: The Trinity is like an egg. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. 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. Water can exist in liquid at room temperature. Jesus is fully God. Take a moment and give it a try. What is wrong with what I said? But, when it's heated, it turns into a gas (steam) and, when it's frozen, it turns into a solid (ice). Three Gods or one? Finally, I would suggest that the mere fact that we cannot understand the full depth of the Trinity (even with our myriad of analogies) has implications. 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. This is because the H20 is changing forms in representing each person. Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. Every kid in Sunday school thinks he knows all about God. Bach, and has released two previous CDs, one . These images fall short, because these components arent enough to be considered a whole on their own. We came up with several practical implications of this doctrine. Cool it down, and itll eventually freeze into a solid. It does not represent 3 persons existing simultaneously. Shively It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. In the same way, water is all the same molecular structure, expressing itself in three different modes. Sadly, theres something "rotten" about this egg analogy. 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. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1, *. 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). Yet God lovingly chose to create and eventually redeem us anyway (both thoroughly Trinitarian acts), at great cost to Himself. God is like H2Olike water. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. 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. we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,neither blending their personsnor dividing their essence. He has the world and our individual lives within His supremely capable hands. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. 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). They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. Haydn Lea is an Associate Pastor in Queensland, and is currently studying his Master of Arts (Theology). This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. Haydn Lea is an Ordained Minister, and is currently serving as an Air Force Chaplain in Adelaide. 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. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). They are three in one egg. Who is God? - well, sort of. Depth isnt the same thing as height and height isnt the same thing as width, yet all three together are what comprise space. Modalism teaches that the trinity is not three distinct persons, but just different modes that God reveals himself to human beings. I write to see memory and language wrestle with reality. 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. We all want to experience the good life. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. . 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. . 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 thats not how they understood it. What portion is erroneous? For instance, we know that God is perfectly loving. That is why Moses said. 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. One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. The shell, while important, is no longer needed. God is much bigger and much greater than we can understand, and to be honest, I'm ok with that. 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? This analogy denies the distinction of the God-head. 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. It may not appear to agree with common sense. The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. HO may act as water, steam, or ice, but it is still HO. I go to prepare a place for you. This is a place to find encouragement and hope from God's Word as you move through your busy life. Why is it wrong? The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. 1:8-12; 1 Pet. If water is inadequate, there are a wide array of alternative analogies we can turn to in modern theological parlance. 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. But in the Godhead, each Person is fully and completely God unto Himself (even as they are all one God). But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. I bet I havent sung or heard this song in years! In this episode, Fred Sanders discusses what it really means to say that God is a Trinitythree persons in one God. The Holy Trinity Easy as One, Two, Three | by John K Adams Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. The Holy Trinity, one of the five Dogmas of the Church, is an extraordinary and unfathomable mystery. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. Analogies often fall short. The Egg and I - Part Two Did I leave out any analogies? Well the issue is, the water analogy is akin to the heresy of Modalism. 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, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have a unique and unbreakable unity, and their existence together is the being that is God. And let us once more come to illustrations. 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? Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). Its downright hard to understand. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. There are many mysteries to our faith. And we know that because Hes been experiencing perfect love within Himself forever. Again, this analogy doesnt work because God doesnt morph, change, or become different aspects of Himself. This view, also known as "modalism", was rejected by the early church. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. The trinity is a like a Three-Leaf Clover. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. Although God is transcendent, sovereign, unapproachable light, He has condescended to reveal something of Himself to His creation. Some people have suggested using an egg to explain how God can be both one and three. 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. 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). The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. The word God in this sense is defined as a single being, having all divine attributes. Moreover, the yoke and the whites are no longer as they used to be. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. There would be three thrones. 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). 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. Although he is one man who is simultaneously a husband, a father, and a student, he would consider it Modalism to suggest that this is a good Trinitarian analogy. 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. Hello busy women! At the Cathedral, we recognize that there are responsibilities that come with . John 17). I dont know how our majestic God feels about being compared to watermelons and eggs, but He is also a loving Father, and like any father, I believe God would seek to provide simple explanations so His little children can understand. Christians believe, then, that only one God exists but this God exists as a unity of three persons: a Trinity. The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) Holy Trinity: Some Analogies to Help Us Comprehend Should Women Really Keep Silent in Church? Our limited intellects are unable to comprehend its reality, yet, our Scriptures and scholarly Tradition makes it known to us. Yet others have thought that H20 (water) shows us the Trinity since H20 can be three things: solid (ice), liquid (running water) and vapor (steam). This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. 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. 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). In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. You are an egg! We believe in only one true God in all existence, in all places, at all times. Arianism denies the deity of each person in the trinity. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. I'm always interested in ways to encourage you, so feel free to contact me and let me know what areas interest you! 5And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. 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. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves running, boxing and studying history and theology.

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