In other words, God may manifest Himself as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Christs spirit in us guiding us into all truth. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Andrew M. Bailey I'm always interested in ways to encourage you, so feel free to contact me and let me know what areas interest you! ANALOGY OF CHARACTERS. The three parts create a unified whole. The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. 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. The problem with this analogy is that it denies the distinction of persons in the God-head. 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. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. 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. (It is also why the Jews had an issue with Jesus calling Himself God.). Why Analogies And Illustrations Of The Trinity Fail If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. 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. Take a moment and give it a try. But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. Why analogies of the Trinity fail Youthworks Share your thoughts with us in the comments! Love was not given to Jesus. There are three different cloves that represent the three different persons of the trinity. His motto was that "There was a time when the son did not exist". Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. If youre interested into diving deeper into the topic of the Trinity, here are some valuable resources that could help. The God of the Bible is one God. Further, his dialectic is guided by the particular consideration of what true love is: a trinity of lover, beloved and the love that binds . Among the most popular analogies for the Trinity, two in particular stand out; and most of the others resemble one of them. God Is Like An Egg - vtaide.com But its all the same person, operating in three roles or functions. Homily for The Solemnity of Holy Trinity They have a common purpose in making harmonious music, but each note is its own separate entity. Truly, it is a Mystery. 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. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. There are many mysteries to our faith. God is one. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. Have you wondered what is God like? 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. So, in God, there are three distinct persons. That is why Moses said. He has the world and our individual lives within His supremely capable hands. In this analogy, God is compared to a man. For example, triangles are not the kinds of things that are personal. It is still H20, but just different forms. My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! God controls that light. As a result the water molecule must change forms. On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. And the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. 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. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. in that while water can change into vapour or ice, Jesus cannot change into the Father or the Holy Spirit. The problem with this analogy is that no one molecule of H2O can actually exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (the word is not). Further, we can label each of the sides. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). 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. They are three in one egg. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Music - The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Quebec, Canada For example, an equilateral triangle (a triangle with three equal sides) has three sides. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. This is the one I used long ago when trying to explain the Trinity to a group of 1st-5th graders. Over the course of church history there have been several heresies that have cropped up that deny one of these three truths. We can admit it is a mystery and accept that our incomplete knowledge cannot fully comprehend it. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. 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? But the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. This would make Jesus something less than fully God. Devils cannot grab ahold of them to cast them into Satans prison. God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. The meme above discourages the use of analogies in explaining the Trinity. A Note on Trinitarian Analogies | Place for Truth - Alliance of The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Light comes from God. The three-leaf clover analogy is OK. God is like an egg in that He is 3-in-1 God the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. In Arianism, the Son is not eternally equal with the Father, but was the Fathers first and best creation. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. It should bring us to realise that we truly are finite creatures standing before a sovereign, transcendent, divine mystery. Stars were made on the froth day. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. The Son "proceeds" from the Father, and the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son.". He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. What Is A Good Analogy For The Trinity? - Therefore, God Exists Trinity is like a Shamrock (or an Apple or an Egg). There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 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. 2 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each God. Just as water changes forms so too is the trinity. Is the Trinity like H2O, an egg, or a triangle? - Fervr H2O can only ever be one form at a time. Water can exist in liquid at room temperature. . In one of his sermons, he wrestled with the passage in Scripture recounting Jesus' Baptism. The Holy Trinity: Egg Analogy The Holy Trinity is GOD in three divine persons GOD the FATHER GOD the HOLY SPIRIT GOD the SON But together they makeup and are still ONE GOD Like how an egg is made up of three things but is still ONE EGG. 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). An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? Arius was condemned by the council of Nicea in 325 AD. And the reason we know that is because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly loved each other for all eternity. What portion is erroneous? There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 1B) This son of Graham and Lois Armstrong is Dave. . 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. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. They say that three separate beings exist 2. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. St. Augustine, one of the most important Fathers of the Church, wrote a great deal on the doctrine of the Trinity. Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. The Holy Trinity Easy as One, Two, Three | by John K Adams These two analogies are the "water" analogy and the "egg" analogy. Lord of all, we bow before thee. 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). One sits on the throne looking like Sardine and Jasper stone. Learn how your comment data is processed. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. This is the Christmas paradox. Therefore, there is one God, who is eternally present in three persons. He has one essenceone substance. The Trinity is Like an Egg How the analogy goes: The Trinity is like an egg. The divine persons are really DISTINCT from one another, and not merely different roles of God at different times. She would explode!" 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. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. Again, this analogy doesnt work because God doesnt morph, change, or become different aspects of Himself. The trinity is like this man. . He is one God in three persons, all at the same time. I never thought about it in that way some of these examples Ive never heard of. This analogy seems to make a lot of sense, but it actually reinforces a fatal misconception about the Trinity called modalism. Blessings! Three persons is false. Here are four. Jesus is in the form of the Holy Spirit. Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. A man might be a father to his children, a husband to his wife, and son to his parents. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. 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. 1:8-12; 1 Pet. The egg analogy fails because it denies that each person of the Trinity is of the same eternal essence. Studying the Trinity poses difficulty to us Catholics. As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. In an attempt to explain the Trinity, there are some bad examples people use, and some better ones. However, keep in mind that the one being who is God is a personal being. My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. History, lifestyle, family, music, theology, scripture, literature, the saints, church history, parenting, politics, prayer, the pope, and more. You know, that bearded guy on the throne who looks something like Zeus, right? For example, we know that God didnt create humanity because He bored or lonely. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. (Which I just found out is in error). 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. . Depth isnt the same thing as height and height isnt the same thing as width, yet all three together are what comprise space. 2. Others compare God to an egg, which is part shell, part white, part yolk. Light comes from God. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully 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). I write to see memory and language wrestle with reality. He was with God in the beginning. Eggs are one, yet comprise yolk, shell and albumen. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. At the Cathedral, we recognize that there are responsibilities that come with . God is NOT like H2O in that He does not need the right pressure and temperature to exist as three persons. Instead, each person is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. He got married there in 1965, and his four . When we think about influential New Testament leaders, most names are male. In contrast to the Ontological Trinity, there is the Economic Trinity. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. This error denies something central to God that makes Him God. 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. The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. They are unified in one divine being. The very definition of the heresy known as Modalism/Oneness is that there is one person existing in three different modes or manifestations. I go to prepare a place for you. As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. The Son was begotten by the Father IN ETERNITY, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. In the Scripture we see "the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Col 1:9). 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). Another analogy that Tim remembers, being Irish Catholic, is the analogy of the shamrock with its three parts. True, we humans are image bearers but nothing in creation serves as an analogy for the Trinity because the Trinity is a doctrine of special (biblical) revelation not nature or reason. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. Both are one. But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. However, keep in mind that the one being. 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. Ontological means the nature or essence of something. Scripture however, doesnt depict God this way. Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. 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. 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. These three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - exist together in complete unity, with no separation, as one divine being. 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. Yet, as we view the pages of the Bible, we see that God is a personal and relational God. There is one GOD in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), 2. Jesus was standing in the Jordan River, His Father speaks from heaven above, and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him as a dove. Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. To return to my Life Group anecdote, after our discussion I asked why does it even matter?. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. I and My Father are One (John 10:30). He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. We can say that the first is egg the shell, the second is egg the albumen and the third is egg the yoke. One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. Church Adornments & Worship: Vestment Emblems - Monastery Icons What is H2O? 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.. In this episode, Fred Sanders discusses what it really means to say that God is a Trinitythree persons in one God. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. I know in the past Ive used analogies that werent the best (more on those later.) 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). 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? Each PERSON is distinct from one another. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. Haydn Lea is an Associate Pastor in Queensland, and is currently studying his Master of Arts (Theology). There would be three thrones. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. One of the more traditional analogies is to the states of water. ), The Son Phil. God controls that light. It is still important that we have some understanding of the concept, however. 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. There is only one egg with three different parts. A single molecule cannot simultaneously exist in three different states. Yet it appears to be almost entirely misunderstood within contemporary evangelical circles. Celebrating Easter Is About so Much More Than One Hour on Sunday. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. The Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. Montreal was home to two Trinity churches built in 1865 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. Analogies often fall short. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. There is what is called the 'triple point' the combination of pressure and temperature at which H2O can exist simultaneously in all three states: solid, liquid and gas. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. 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). This analogy actually teaches the heresy of tritheism. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. When they used the word person, they didnt mean it in the same way that we do today. 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. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:13). He cares for his creation and his people. (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. 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). Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. Space Analogy God is like space. 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. Trinity Analogies that End Up as Heresies - Medium 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.). Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. 1. Just like an egg, none of the parts are co-equal, nor are all of the parts necessary for the egg to exist. I think the analogy of the Sun works well. What does the Bible teach about the Trinity? | GotQuestions.org Thankfully he isnt a cage-stage Calvinist about it all. But having lots 6 Bible Study Tools To Help You Dive Deeper. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. 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). Each one is fully God. 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. 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. "The Egg and i - A Simple Explanation of The Trinity" - cafe Logos These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. - well, sort of. , 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. His ways are not my ways! Somewhere in the recesses of my mind lived the doctrinal truth about the Trinity. The three distinct notes come together to make one beautiful sound. When you encounter a person or group who denies the Trinity, it is merely a matter of walking through these 3 points, to see where they diverge from Biblical teaching. Some people falsely claim the Trinity is a form of . In the same way, there is a God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. How to Explain the Trinity to Children | Free Printable RELATED: What Did Jesus Really Look Like? God does not morph from one person to another, nor does God exist as three separate beings. 1 Corinthians 8:6: Yet for us there is but one God.. Although God is transcendent, sovereign, unapproachable light, He has condescended to reveal something of Himself to His creation. 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. An essential factor lacking from those concepts is the relational quality of God. Wow! Rather, He created us in order to bless us. Its hard to explain! And for a mere mortal to have dared invent it and be able t. What is the Trinity? Living Theologically Its downright hard to understand. Afterall, we can get rid of a few of its parts - for instance the shell - and still scramble an egg. The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk . If you say, "Jesus Christ" then you MAY BE incorrect. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning.