One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. Haydn Lea is an Ordained Minister, and is currently serving as an Air Force Chaplain in Adelaide. (Which I just found out is in error). This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. For sure, our everyday experience does not include using our finite minds to understand the infinite! 2. However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind lived the doctrinal truth about the Trinity. Studying the Trinity poses difficulty to us Catholics. Its hard to explain! (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. But Hes God too, right? As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. 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. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. 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. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). Yet it appears to be almost entirely misunderstood within contemporary evangelical circles. They've always led to error and have been rejected by the church. The Unseen Father would have been put into Satans prison. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit. An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. What is wrong with what I said? Light comes from God. He has one essenceone substance. While each person is distinct, they are never separate from one another. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. - well, sort of. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves running, boxing and studying history and theology. But this idea is central to the Christian faith. Youre right, theyre all good but not perfect because only God IS perfect. So, the egg analogy doesnt work after all. 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. They are equally eternal, powerful, sovereign, and worthy of worship. Learn how your comment data is processed. Answer (1 of 25): Cynics assert that the idea of the Holy Trinity is a logical impossibility. Thanks, Ann! The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. 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. 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. In humans, our spirits are designed to operate with and be united to the soul which is the person of anyone and so it is with our Egg. In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Council's definitions concerning the Trinity are really as easy as one, two, three four. So if all of these explanations are heretical, what is a good analogy? It may not appear to agree with common sense. There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. Although God is transcendent, sovereign, unapproachable light, He has condescended to reveal something of Himself to His creation. The more I reflect on Easter, the more Ive realized how much its become a consumeristic holidayeven Did Jesus really rise from the dead? 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. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! 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). 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. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Or water can be evaporated and called steam. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. 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. In order to accomplish this union with God and man, He allowed His Shell to be broken with the weight of our sins to cleanse our souls so His holiness can approach, for God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. For example, we know that God didnt create humanity because He bored or lonely. If then the sun were eternal, the day would never end; but now, for such is not really the state of the case, the day begins with the beginning of the sun, and ends with its ending. Jesus is the visual form of God. Because God is utterly unique, all comparisons will fail at some point. To return to my Life Group anecdote, after our discussion I asked why does it even matter?. The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. Jesus is in the form of the Holy Spirit. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. For example, I would say, "God is like an egg." So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. He cares for his creation and his people. And whos the Holy Spirit? 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. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. 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. In trying to describe what they saw in the pages of the Bible, the early church decided to use the word person to describe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. His being is somewhat of a mystery to us. What is H2O? Copyright 2023 Christian Today. Here are four. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. We have the creeds for just that reason. 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. He has the world and our individual lives within His supremely capable hands. Blessings! 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 the error of Arianism (not to be confused with Aryanism, which is also bad). Our God is three in one. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) John 17). That is heaven in a person. Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. Lost will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. 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/. Have you wondered what is God like? Or, we can quote Daniel Webster; a strong Christian- I do not pretend fully to understand the arithmetic of heaven now. . [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. How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? The idea of God as three-in-one is indeed a mysterious concept, one that is difficult to understand. Notice the distinction between persons and being. God is like H2Olike water. If water is inadequate, there are a wide array of alternative analogies we can turn to in modern theological parlance. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. If you only had an apple core, you wouldnt pack it in your lunch. Before I even began writing this post, I had an unusual song stuck in my head Holy God, we praise thy name. Christians believe, then, that only one God exists but this God exists as a unity of three persons: a Trinity. But while this idea is central to the Christian faith, it is also incredibly mysterious to us. Each part of the egg make up only one portion of the wholethe yolk is not the fullness of the egg. The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. Analogies for the Trinity exist to explain the unexplainable. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. The military would like to have that power. These three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - exist together in complete unity, with no separation, as one divine being. The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. Intercession: The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Why is it wrong? 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. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. A single molecule cannot simultaneously exist in three different states. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. I and My Father are One (John 10:30). Although he is one he has different roles to different people. 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. There is only one egg with three different parts. If youre interested into diving deeper into the topic of the Trinity, here are some valuable resources that could help. 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. 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. THE DISTINCTION AND UNITY of the Trinity is not for us to fully understand because it is a supernatural mystery. Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. Father, Son, Holy Sprit : 3 persons, 1 great relationship, Copyright 2023 Fervr | Terms of Service. Im giving God the credit for stirring this memory, and am extremely grateful. For instance, we know that God is perfectly loving. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. What is the Trinity? Perhaps youve heard the analogy that the Trinity is like H2O (the molecular symbol for water). God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. The shell, while important, is no longer needed. 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. In the same way, water is all the same molecular structure, expressing itself in three different modes. Again, this analogy doesnt work because God doesnt morph, change, or become different aspects of Himself. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. Required fields are marked *. Misunderstanding 1: The transforming trinity So whats one good way to explain what the Trinity is? He began to play the organ as a chorister in England, before continuing his studies in Qubec and France. Surely this is a better understanding of the water analogy! He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. 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. 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). In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. God does not play three roles.. Each PERSON is distinct from one another. 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. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. He got married there in 1965, and his four . If youve been involved in ministries for children or young people, questions about the Trinity have most likely come up. We wont find the word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept is shown in many verses. This analogy actually falls prey to the same error of modalism. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. Wow! They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons Let's begin with the second view. But in the Godhead, each Person is fully and completely God unto Himself (even as they are all one God). The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk . The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. . She would explode!" 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. 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). Explaining the Holy Trinity. It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. Believing in the above 3 points leads all Christians to acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity. 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 why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. 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). Many of these analogies have the best of intentions, but God cannot be described in a way we can fully comprehend or rationalize. Who is God? Each person is fully God (Phil 2; Acts 5:3-4). A good example would be an electrical cord. The problem with this analogy is it denies the unity of the God-head. 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. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). And we know that because Hes been experiencing perfect love within Himself forever. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. To help you out, here is a comical and silly video that teaches about these bad analogies. My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. What does that really mean? Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. According to the first, just as water takes three forms (liquid, vapor, and ice), so too God takes the form of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 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. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. But understanding the Trinity is important. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. But having lots 6 Bible Study Tools To Help You Dive Deeper. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. Paul explains our finite understanding of beliefs like the Trinity as looking into a poor-quality mirror- a distorted image; dim and unclear. In an attempt to explain the Trinity, there are some bad examples people use, and some better ones. Yet there is still only one God we serve. We can say that the first is egg the shell, the second is egg the albumen and the third is egg the yoke. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. Cool it down, and itll eventually freeze into a solid. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. Stars were made on the froth day. 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. Others compare God to an egg, which is part shell, part white, part yolk. There is one GOD in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), 2. But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. They that dont have the Holy Spirit in them will talk like the Adversary. 3:15; John 17:1-4, The Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-13. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. In some ways, it resembles the tritheism view (Misunderstanding 2). The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. But its all water. Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. . The Trinity is like an egg. In the second instance, the truth of Gods Trinity reveals a further aspect of Gods love for His people. If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. Stars were made on the forth day. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. 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.. I bet I havent sung or heard this song in years! The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and are distinguished from one another. 1. Yet, as we view the pages of the Bible, we see that God is a personal and relational God. PART OF A WHOLE. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. But they are one God. Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! To become the people we were always created to be. There's a simple reason they don't work: The Trinity, as such, isn't like anything in creation. 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. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit also exist eternally and concurrently. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. 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.. show me your glory. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Unfortunately, most of them actually give us the wrong idea about what the Trinity is. An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Martyn Iles Removed as Managing Director of Australian Christian Lobby by Board, Seven Types of Rest to Restore Your Body, Mind and Spirit, 8 witnesses testified against Hillsong founder Brian Houston in court case, wife Bobbie reveals, Why you feel guilty for not going to church, Samaritan's Purse sends 52-bed field hospital to Turkey. But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. La da dee dee dum dum (I couldnt remember the in-between parts). Therefore it behoves us to know what He has revealed (including the Trinity), and to lovingly worship Him accordingly. Among the most popular analogies for the Trinity, two in particular stand out; and most of the others resemble one of them. If you looked at a single cloverleaf, you wouldnt call it a shamrock. As a result the water molecule must change forms. And then theres Jesus, Gods son. Water Analogy God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. I go to prepare a place for you. Below is a compilation of the verses that reference all 3 persons of the one God. If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. 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). 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. copyright 2009 by H.D. A, distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A. is the whole nature or essence of something. 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. Unfortunately, there is a problem with this view of the Trinity. He can even be all three at the same time. 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. The problem with this analogy is that it denies the distinction of persons in the God-head. Sending of another: The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. 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). In the Scripture we see "the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Col 1:9). This is a worse analogy than the egg because it is more analogous to the heretical doctrine of Modalism/Oneness than for the Trinity. . Indeed, how can an infinite God be contained in a finite human womb! show me your glory. He has been a member of the Royal Australian Air Force since 2007, and is now training to be an Air Force Chaplain. You can also catch up with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok The unseen Father is in Christs mind. Before we look at a few bad analogies that many often use to try to illustrate the trinity, we need to first understand the doctrine itself.
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