There would be three thrones. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. For example, triangles are not the kinds of things that are personal. Light comes from God. Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. God is much bigger than what we can understand yet He is close enough to us so that we can know some things about Him, though not completely and not everything. 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). For instance, we know that God is perfectly loving. A Simple Way to Explain the Trinity - Keith Ferrin He was with God in the beginning. Matthew 3:16-17- As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. See the depths of Catholicism for yourself! La da dee dee dum dum (I couldnt remember the in-between parts). The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. These hand embroidered emblems are made with metallic gold-plated thread with silver content, printed on canvas. In other words, God may manifest Himself as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. The unseen Father is in Christs mind. Every kid in Sunday school thinks he knows all about God. What happens when an egg hatches? Part 2. As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. The problem with this analogy is that it denies the distinction of persons in the God-head. This analogy denies the distinction of the God-head. Although he is one he has different roles to different people. Some people have suggested using an egg to explain how God can be both one and three. An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. Understanding the Trinity - Busy Blessed Women TO AVOID HERESIES, LET US LIVE BY WHAT HAS BEEN REVEALED TO US: 1. Theyve transformed. 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. Dont become discouraged if you cant answer the question to your liking. But they are one God. 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. Modalism teaches that one God just changes forms or modes over the course of scripture. And then theres Jesus, Gods son. 4 Bad Ways to Explain the Trinity (and 1 Good One) 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. But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. [Solved] Erickson discusses "God's Three-in-Oneness." What are the copyright 2009 by H.D. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. His ways are not my ways! Tritheism denies that there is only one God. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). His motto was that "There was a time when the son did not exist". 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. Each PERSON is distinct from one another. In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. The analogy explains that in the same way that one shamrock can have three leaves on it, the Trinity has three Persons that constitute one God. However, keep in mind that the one being who is God is a personal being. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. For since light is always in existence, it is manifest that its brightness also exists, because light is perceived to exist from the fact that it shines, and it is impossible that light should not shine. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Each separate being is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. RELATED: The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire. 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. Like modalism, the "three beings" view was rejected by the early church. What is the Trinity? Cool it down, and itll eventually freeze into a solid. The God of the Bible is one God. Therefore, there is one God, who is eternally present in three persons. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. For those, like myself, who are not from a highly-liturgical denomination, it may come as a surprise that June 11 was Trinity Sunday. Basic mathematics tells us that 1x1x1 = 1.. The Trinity is like an egg. God is like an egg in that He is 3-in-1 God the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. The beautiful depth of Gods eternal Triune nature is a sublime reality which should bring an end to our attempts to cognitively master Him. The word God in this sense is defined as a single being, having all divine attributes. Starting with the three biblical affirmations, ask your kids to show you how these examples support or deny what the bible teaches about the Trinity. The analogy explains that in the same way that one shamrock can have three leaves on it, the Trinity has three Persons that constitute one God. We Christians believe it on faith. Thanks, Ann! The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. 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. And the reason we know that is because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly loved each other for all eternity. The Son "proceeds" from the Father, and the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son.". If water is inadequate, there are a wide array of alternative analogies we can turn to in modern theological parlance. Few if any have every tried to teach the heresy of Tritheism, but it needs to be mentioned anyway. For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. Over the course of church history there have been several heresies that have cropped up that deny one of these three truths. What Is A Good Analogy For The Trinity? - Therefore, God Exists From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. This is just as bad as the Water analogy and leads to the same error. Modalism is a heresy because it denies the distinction of God. A good example would be an electrical cord. (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. 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. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. , 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you., For further reading on the Trinity, I would recommend James Whites, Lastly, below is a helpful graphical chart explaining the doctrine of the Trinity I found from the Christian blog by Tim Challies. Relationship Analogy (Husband/Son/Father) God is like a person with different relationships just as a man can be a Dad, but also someones Son, and also someones Husband. A, distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A. is the whole nature or essence of something. I go to prepare a place for you. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. Now that we know the doctrine of the trinity and its corresponding major heresies, now we are ready to look at some bad analogies for the trinity. The divine persons are really DISTINCT from one another, and not merely different roles of God at different times. But its all the same person, operating in three roles or functions. Shively, This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. Some who deny the Trinity claim 1+1+1=3, and therefore claim we worship three Gods. The mystery is in the "how" this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1 what and 3 whos*. Just like an egg, none of the parts are co-equal, nor are all of the parts necessary for the egg to exist. 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). A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. Or, we can quote Daniel Webster; a strong Christian- I do not pretend fully to understand the arithmetic of heaven now. . He began to play the organ as a chorister in England, before continuing his studies in Qubec and France. Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. That fire keeps devils away from the saved. We might call one side A, another side B, and the other C. So, there is a distinction between each of the sides, yet, all three are the same. We believe in only one true God in all existence, in all places, at all times. For instance at the baptism of Christ, the Father, Son and Spirit are all distinctly present and interacting (Matthew chapter 3 verses 16-17). One day, however, the image will be clear. 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? 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. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). 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. How Helpful Are Analogies of the Trinity? - Kuyperian Commentary [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. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. I write to see memory and language wrestle with reality. I did read about the shamrock analogy! There was no relational deficiency that prompted God to create us. Under Arianism Jesus is less than fully God. The Holy Trinity: Egg Analogy by Sharmaine Pagtakhan - Prezi The past is not the present and the present is not the future, yet all three together is what we call time. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. 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). Here are some common analogies that Christians have used about the Trinity: God is kind of like water which can be ice, liquid and steam. One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. Or water can be evaporated and called steam. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! They are unified in one divine being. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,, , Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. Many of these analogies have the best of intentions, but God cannot be described in a way we can fully comprehend or rationalize. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. RELATED: What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts? In the same way, there is a God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. 5And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. 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. This is the error of Arianism (not to be confused with Aryanism, which is also bad). These three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - exist together in complete unity, with no separation, as one divine being. 1. Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. As a result, this analogy can easily lead to tritheism in which there are three different gods which might share some like substance. This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. We all want to experience the good life. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. 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). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Paul explains our finite understanding of beliefs like the Trinity as looking into a poor-quality mirror- a distorted image; dim and unclear. Homily for The Solemnity of Holy Trinity For sure, our everyday experience does not include using our finite minds to understand the infinite! The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. 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). 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? How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? Though I find the video to be hilarious and often . He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. It is still important that we have some understanding of the concept, however. Devils cannot grab ahold of them to cast them into Satans prison. What portion is erroneous? The Bible teaches three truths: 1 - there is one God. For example, an equilateral triangle (a triangle with three equal sides) has three sides. 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. Does that make sense? The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). Holy Trinity: Some Analogies to Help Us Comprehend 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.
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