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God is like H2Olike water. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and 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 TRUTH IS: From the very beginning, the Blessed Trinity Father, Son, and Spirit was there. In contrast to the Ontological Trinity, there is the Economic Trinity. The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything, 3 Reasons Why Jesus Humanity Really Matters Her & Hymn, 3 Reasons Why Jesus' Humanity Really Matters, How Jesus Teaches Us To Be Human Her & Hymn. He differs from the Father, but was and still is God. Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. Each one is fully God. 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. For example, we know that God didnt create humanity because He bored or lonely. Seven Simple Facts About the Trinity - biblequery.org We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. We can admit it is a mystery and accept that our incomplete knowledge cannot fully comprehend it. Why is it wrong? Few if any have every tried to teach the heresy of Tritheism, but it needs to be mentioned anyway. If you only had an apple core, you wouldnt pack it in your lunch. So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. And the reason we know that is because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly loved each other for all eternity. 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. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. This analogy seems to make a lot of sense, but it actually reinforces a fatal misconception about the Trinity called modalism. Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. Holy Trinity: Some Analogies to Help Us Comprehend As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. But based on what you know that Jesus is born so that He can save people from their wrongdoings, will you trust Him to forgive you. Lost will be burned up. God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. 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. If the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate beings, then its not really clear how someone can say that God is one or that only one God exists. What are some popular illustrations of the Holy Trinity? It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. But Hes God too, right? This is a general rule when we study this Mystery using our human weakness since it is absolutely impossible for our human minds to comprehend the Divine. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. This is perhaps the most common analogy for the Trinity. Jesus is the Holy Spirit. That fire keeps devils away from the saved. Some have taken on the task of explaining how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist as one. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. He wondered how it was possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be inseparable, while, in . 2:5-6; Col. 1:15-17, 2:9; Heb. These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. The shortfall of this illustration, and others like it, is that God cannot be divided into "parts." That is why Moses said. In the same way, water is all the same molecular structure, expressing itself in three different modes. In some ways, it resembles the tritheism view (Misunderstanding 2). They that dont have the Holy Spirit in them will talk like the Adversary. Thanks, Ann! Unfortunately, there is a problem with this view of the Trinity. Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. 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. Lord of all, we bow before thee. 7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christs gift., , according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure., , But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.. His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! 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. Devils see that Spirit as a tempestuious fire. Jesus is the visual form of God. in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. 4 Bad Ways to Explain the Trinity (and 1 Good One) What portion is erroneous? Music - The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Quebec, Canada Others compare God to an egg, which is part shell, part white, part yolk. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. He got married there in 1965, and his four . In one of his sermons, he wrestled with the passage in Scripture recounting Jesus' Baptism. The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. Often these analogies explicitly teach heresy. Surely this is a better understanding of the water analogy! Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. I never thought about it in that way some of these examples Ive never heard of. 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. 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? If you say, "water" then you are incorrect. Trinity is like a Shamrock (or an Apple or an Egg). Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. These two analogies are the "water" analogy and the "egg" analogy. Many of us would use analogies to explain the Trinity. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. What we can understand and accept is that God exists eternally as one divine nature, substance, or essence, comprising three co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial personsthe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is not an exhaustive list: For further reading on the Trinity, I would recommend James Whites The Forgotten Trinity, Wayne Grudems Systematic Theology and online articles by CARM.org. Vestment Emblems. Shively ANALOGY OF CHARACTERS. 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. The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. I write to see memory and language wrestle with reality. Who is God? On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. 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. Each person is fully God (Phil 2; Acts 5:3-4). The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. They all exist as fully God, with none of them lacking in any attribute or aspect that defines God. Shively, This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. We believe that it is a revelation that comes from Christ Himself. That is a holding pen for final judgment. Have you wondered what is God like? The Father hears their intercessory prayers. We all want to experience the good life. This is the Christmas paradox. This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. Let's use an egg to explain the Holy Trinity! Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. God is much bigger and much greater than we can understand, and to be honest, I'm ok with that. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. An egg is made up of shell, white and yolk. 1B) This son of Graham and Lois Armstrong is Dave. One day, however, the image will be clear. But having lots 6 Bible Study Tools To Help You Dive Deeper. I have the good one. However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. Explaining the Trinity | Catholic Answers The three parts create a unified whole. The Trinity are three distinct persons who exist apart from each other. Yet there is still only one God we serve. If God has existed for all eternity in a perfectly loving Triune relationship, then it shows He is completely self-sufficient and requires no further relationship in order to complete or satisfy Himself. To become the people we were always created to be. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. Jesus isn't a demigod or partially god. The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk . Blessings! Copyright 2023 Christian Today. This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. The sun comprises the sun itself, its light and its heat. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. The Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. 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. These images fall short, because these components arent enough to be considered a whole on their own. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) Theyve transformed. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. 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 do we make sense of the Trinity? The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. You are an egg! The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. Afterall, we can get rid of a few of its parts - for instance the shell - and still scramble an egg. The more I reflect on Easter, the more Ive realized how much its become a consumeristic holidayeven Did Jesus really rise from the dead? [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. It's impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. Jesus loves us so much that he did not obliterate people who died, with power that set stars in the universe. But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. For example, an equilateral triangle (a triangle with three equal sides) has three sides. For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. 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. 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.). One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. The problem with this analogy is that it would imply that there is only one Divine Person, who eventually multiplied Himself. It is not existing as 3 different parts (persons) at the same time. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the, is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the, being Father, Son, and 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. 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. Love was not given to Jesus. We can say that the first is egg the shell, the second is egg the albumen and the third is egg the yoke. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. There are three different cloves that represent the three different persons of the trinity. His ways are not my ways! Like modalism, the "three beings" view was rejected by the early church. So if all of these explanations are heretical, what is a good analogy? So, in God, there are three distinct persons. John 17). Dont grieve the Holy Spirit out of you. Although God is transcendent, sovereign, unapproachable light, He has condescended to reveal something of Himself to His creation. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. But remember, it is much better to let Scripture teach the 3 points above which establish the doctrine of the Trinity than to rely on analogies. One is a musical chord with three notes. The Cathedral - The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Quebec, Canada 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. 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. Eggs are one, yet comprise yolk, shell and albumen. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25). A, distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A. is the whole nature or essence of something. But this idea is central to the Christian faith. Each one is fully 100% God. Because Gods Person is unapproachable, the Spirit White acts as insulation, for we know that it is through the Holy Spirit that God can communicate, speak through and interact with mankind. H2O can only ever be one form at a time. These three Persons are all equally God and all equally Persons. Try starting your explanation with a simple definition and then ask for further questions: No one can completely know or understand God. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Modalism is a heresy because it denies the distinction of God. In Arianism, the Son is not eternally equal with the Father, but was the Fathers first and best creation. 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). Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. The military would end up destroying themselves. Did I leave out any analogies? The beautiful depth of Gods eternal Triune nature is a sublime reality which should bring an end to our attempts to cognitively master Him. A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. Unfortunately, most of them actually give us the wrong idea about what the Trinity is. The mystery is in the how this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. There are some analogies that come close. 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. I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. I go to prepare a place for you. And the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. Why analogies of the Trinity fail Youthworks It is still important that we have some understanding of the concept, however. But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. The visual form of God seperated from Jesus on the cross. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Its hard to explain! 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. 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. A Note on Trinitarian Analogies | Place for Truth - Alliance of 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? In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The divine persons are really DISTINCT from one another, and not merely different roles of God at different times. The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. 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. Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. Now, as youve probably guessed, this analogy also breaks down. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. 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.