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In an attempt to explain the Trinity, there are some bad examples people use, and some better ones. He cares for his creation and his people. 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). Each one is fully 100% God. Furthermore, this trinity is related to a shamrock, an apple, or an egg. 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. This view teaches that three separate beings exist. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). If youve been involved in ministries for children or young people, questions about the Trinity have most likely come up. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. Homily for The Solemnity of Holy Trinity Examples of these different roles would be: The Incarnation: Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. He also knows how to perfectly love us. So God performs 3 different roles/relationships but 1 God. It can also be a liquid and called water. 4 Bad Analogies for the Trinity Justin Deeter The Latin word for trinity (trinitas) combines two words- unitas (unity) and trias (three). You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. The problem with this analogy is it denies the unity of the God-head. Proof texting is when we cite a bunch of bible verses to support a theological stance. The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. We can think of it this way: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Just like an egg, none of the parts are co-equal, nor are all of the parts necessary for the egg to exist. Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. These attributes are: omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipresence (exists in all places). He wondered how it was possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be inseparable, while, in . The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature. (Lateran Council IV), 4. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? They say that three separate beings exist, 2. Analogies often fall short. 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. How to Explain the Trinity to Children | Free Printable Unfortunately, most of them actually give us the wrong idea about what the Trinity is. It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. Trinity Egg Analogy . Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. Wow! Some people have suggested using an egg to explain how God can be both one and three. 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). Or what? 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. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Surely this is a better understanding of the water analogy! 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. How to Explain the Holy Trinity to a Child: 3 Important Teaching Tips One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. 1. It is still H20, but just different forms. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. Both are one. Understanding 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. This may be my favorite verse of them all. 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. From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. Explaining the Holy Trinity. 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. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. Arius was condemned by the council of Nicea in 325 AD. 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 DISTINCTION AND UNITY of the Trinity is not for us to fully understand because it is a supernatural mystery. They are three in one egg. Lord of all, we bow before thee. Who is God? That is why Moses said. 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). My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. Good and Bad Analogies of the Trinity - Answers . It is still important that we have some understanding of the concept, however. The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. 4 Bad Ways to Explain the Trinity (and 1 Good One) Jesus was standing in the Jordan River, His Father speaks from heaven above, and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him as a dove. There are many mysteries to our faith. The Holy Trinity - A Scientific Analogy - The Fra Angelico Institute A Simple Way to Explain the Trinity - Keith Ferrin What makes it hard is that all of our analogies and metaphors fall short of capturing what the Trinity actually is. If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. Hello busy women! Why All Analogies of the Trinity Fall Short - Joshua's Pen 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. Water Analogy God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. 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. copyright 2009 by H.D. But while this idea is central to the Christian faith, it is also incredibly mysterious to 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). We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. Required fields are marked *. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father., 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. Notice the distinction between persons and being. They all exist as fully God, with none of them lacking in any attribute or aspect that defines God. The sun comprises the sun itself, its light and its heat. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. 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. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. 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). I have the good one. In some ways, it resembles the tritheism view (Misunderstanding 2). . 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. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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? Each separate being is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. God Is Like An Egg - vtaide.com 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. The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). Rather, He created us in order to bless us. There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. Youre right, theyre all good but not perfect because only God IS perfect. But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. Water at room temperature is liquid. One sits on the throne looking like Sardine and Jasper stone. ), The Son Phil. A good example would be an electrical cord. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . The trinity is like 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.. 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. 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. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. 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). They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. The best analogy for the Trinity (hold your stones) - The Project on The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. The problem with this analogy is that no one molecule of H2O can actually exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time. This analogy actually falls prey to the same error of modalism. Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. CafeLogos.orgThe Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity The Son "proceeds" from the Father, and the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son.". Although he is one he has different roles to different people. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (the word is not). The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. I did read about the shamrock analogy! What does the Bible teach about the Trinity? | GotQuestions.org 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). His being is somewhat of a mystery to us. You are an egg! But having lots 6 Bible Study Tools To Help You Dive Deeper. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. While each person is distinct, they are never separate from one another. Because God is utterly unique, all comparisons will fail at some point. Jesus is the Holy Spirit. The visual form of God seperated from Jesus on the cross. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. Each one is fully God. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. The Holy Spirit prays for us. There is only one egg with three different parts. I go to prepare a place for you. God is one. So, the egg analogy doesnt work after all. - well, sort of. Shively, This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. You can also catch up with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok Afterall, we can get rid of a few of its parts - for instance the shell - and still scramble an egg. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. In the same way, there is a God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit also exist eternally and concurrently. Therefore it behoves us to know what He has revealed (including the Trinity), and to lovingly worship Him accordingly. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. The shell, while important, is no longer needed. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) Likewise we cannot have the Father or His Spirit without the Son I am the Way the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by Me- John 14:6. 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. In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity Easy as One, Two, Three | by John K Adams As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. The shortfall of this illustration, and others like it, is that God cannot be divided into "parts." Others compare God to an egg, which is part shell, part white, part yolk. I think the analogy of the Sun works well. (It is also why the Jews had an issue with Jesus calling Himself God.). Its downright hard to understand. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)One of my Sunday School students said, "How could Jesus (God) enter Mary's stomach (womb) and be born? Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and, (usually there is no argument that the Father is not God, since every place Jesus speaks to God, he is addressing the Father.). RELATED: The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire. Similarly, in our aquatic analogy, water can appear in three different modes, depending on the environment, but the three are not co-existing. If water is inadequate, there are a wide array of alternative analogies we can turn to in modern theological parlance. We all want to experience the good life. If youre interested into diving deeper into the topic of the Trinity, here are some valuable resources that could help. For example, I would say, "God is like an egg." 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. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). Sending of another: The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. Many of us would use analogies to explain the Trinity. There would be three thrones. They are equally eternal, powerful, sovereign, and worthy of worship. Christians believe, then, that only one God exists but this God exists as a unity of three persons: a Trinity. In reality, I change my role depending on who I am interacting with. This is the Christmas paradox. They say that three separate beings exist 2. 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. 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. Holy Trinity: Some Analogies to Help Us Comprehend It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. Is He Jesus side-kick? He has one essenceone substance. As a result, this analogy can easily lead to tritheism in which there are three different gods which might share some like substance. Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. Below is a compilation of the verses that reference all 3 persons of the one God. If you only had an apple core, you wouldnt pack it in your lunch. For those, like myself, who are not from a highly-liturgical denomination, it may come as a surprise that June 11 was Trinity Sunday. Analogies that we present would always be insufficient as none of them would equate to the incomprehensible beauty of God. 5And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. Armstrong. show me your glory. The meme above discourages the use of analogies in explaining the Trinity. What does that really mean? The Holy Spirit prays for us. Here are a few common illustrations: The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk. This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. But theres one problem: the water analogy is not the biblical picture of God. 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. 3 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons. 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. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. This would make Jesus something less than fully God. This is the one I used long ago when trying to explain the Trinity to a group of 1st-5th graders. This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. Like modalism, the "three beings" view was rejected by the early church. Theyve transformed. What portion of the analogy holds true with Church Teaching? 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). If the Sun existed from eternity past then so were the light rays from the Sun. 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. . It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. A good follow up verse to help explain is the baptism of Jesus. The Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. Some people think that H2O cannot exist in all three states simultaneously but that is not true. We can admit it is a mystery and accept that our incomplete knowledge cannot fully comprehend it. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. 2A) Dave is a father of four children: three boys and a . RELATED: Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? What Is the Trinity | Holy Trinity in the Bible | Explore God 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). What are some popular illustrations of the Holy Trinity? But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. The egg analogy fails because it denies that each person of the Trinity is of the same eternal essence. Therefore, there is one God, who is eternally present in three persons. These hand embroidered emblems are made with metallic gold-plated thread with silver content, printed on canvas. 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.