The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. As John 1:18 says, Jesus is "the only begotten God, in the bosom of [God] the Father.". Examples of these different roles would be: The Incarnation: Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. In using analogies, we need to acknowledge the demerits and limitations of the said analogy. The very definition of the heresy known as Modalism/Oneness is that there is one person existing in three different modes or manifestations. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. In the Scripture we see "the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Col 1:9). 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. . Christians believe, then, that only one God exists but this God exists as a unity of three persons: a Trinity. 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.. Modernizations of this analogy include that of an apple (with the peel, the flesh, and the core) or an egg (with its shell, yoke, and white). Hello busy women! Further, we can label each of the sides. ANALOGY OF CHARACTERS. 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. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit. Therefore, we would rightly say, within the Ontological Trinity, there is no variation or distinction made. The trinity is a like a Three-Leaf Clover. Or what? An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? 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. God controls that light. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. There are some analogies that come close. However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. 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. The Trinity is like an egg. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. Memory, Understanding, and Will. Three persons is false. He was with God in the beginning. Understanding 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. Again, this analogy doesnt work because God doesnt morph, change, or become different aspects of Himself. But thats not how they understood it. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, constructed between 1800 and 1804, is the first Anglican cathedral to have been built outside the British Isles. 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. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. Dr. Bruce Ware does an excellent job in his book Big Truths for Young Hearts. Share your thoughts with us in the comments! My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! Unfortunately, there is a problem with this view of the Trinity. Take a moment and give it a try. 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.). One day, however, the image will be clear. The Egg and I - Part Two Well the issue is, the water analogy is akin to the heresy of Modalism. 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? The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk . 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. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? Dont become discouraged if you cant answer the question to your liking. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. It's impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. Yet God lovingly chose to create and eventually redeem us anyway (both thoroughly Trinitarian acts), at great cost to Himself. Below is a compilation of the verses that reference all 3 persons of the one God. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. A good example would be an electrical cord. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In scripture we see explicit trinitarian references, especially at Jesus' baptism where the Father speaks, the Spirit descends, and the Son is in the water. Studying the Trinity poses difficulty to us Catholics. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. Here are 8 Bible Characters Who Should Be More Famous. God is kind of like a man who is a father, a son and an uncle God is kind of like a three-leaf clover, or a triangle; one object, but three different, identifiable leaves, or sides* is not). The Trinity is Like an Egg How the analogy goes: The Trinity is like an egg. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. Thankfully he isnt a cage-stage Calvinist about it all. 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. He wondered how it was possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be inseparable, while, in . This is the error of Arianism (not to be confused with Aryanism, which is also bad). Jesus would have remained in the tomb, or hell, had Jesus sinned. If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. Well, the egg analogy, when applied to God, suggests that only one being exists but this being exists in three different parts. 2:5-6; Col. 1:15-17, 2:9; Heb. Notice the distinction between persons and being. The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. But Hes God too, right? It can also be a liquid and called water. This analogy actually falls prey to the same error of modalism. Love was not given to Jesus. He also knows how to perfectly love us. Jesus then becomes a created being and thus less than fully God. In this analogy, God is compared to a man. I go to prepare a place for you. 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). For example, we know that God didnt create humanity because He bored or lonely. Lost will be burned up. Learn how your comment data is processed. Celebrating Easter Is About so Much More Than One Hour on Sunday. Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. Each part of the egg make up only one portion of the wholethe yolk is not the fullness of the egg. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. The trinity is like this man. He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. You are an egg! This is a place to find encouragement and hope from God's Word as you move through your busy life. The Holy Spirit prays for us. Yet the orthodox view is that each person of the Trinity is fully divine. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. Many of these analogies have the best of intentions, but God cannot be described in a way we can fully comprehend or rationalize. 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. His motto was that "There was a time when the son did not exist". 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. How so? He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. 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. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. ), The Son Phil. One thing that Ive found helpful is using the Trinity to illustrate truths we know about God. Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. 2A) Dave is a father of four children: three boys and a . The problem with this analogy is that it denies the distinction of persons in the God-head. He got married there in 1965, and his four . There was no relational deficiency that prompted God to create us. , 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. I have the good one. When we use analogies, we need to indicate these things so as to not lead to heresies, A Catholic and Filipino writer interested in theology, philosophy, liturgy, politics, and law. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind lived the doctrinal truth about the Trinity. There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. Each separate being is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. But, when it's heated, it turns into a gas (steam) and, when it's frozen, it turns into a solid (ice). 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. A person distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A being is the whole nature or essence of something. 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. If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. However, in some instances, the use of carefully chosen analogies may be of help for some of our brethren in learning the teachings of the Church. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Some people have suggested using an egg to explain how God can be both one and three. Jesus is the visual form of God. How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? 1. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. The early church labeled this view "tritheism". They say that three separate beings exist, 2. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of tritheism. 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. Tritheism denies that there is only one God. However, it breaks down on the level of equality: No one keeps or eats the shell of an egg. This is a worse analogy than the egg because it is more analogous to the heretical doctrine of Modalism/Oneness than for the Trinity. Because God is utterly unique, all comparisons will fail at some point. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. If you looked at a single cloverleaf, you wouldnt call it a shamrock. 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). 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. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. 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. Shively, This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. Each one is fully 100% God. These hand embroidered emblems are made with metallic gold-plated thread with silver content, printed on canvas. I go to prepare a place for you. Surely this is a better understanding of the water analogy! It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. There would be three thrones. . For example, an equilateral triangle (a triangle with three equal sides) has three sides. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). 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. Eggs are one, yet comprise yolk, shell and albumen. So, part of understanding the Trinity is realizing that God is personal and relational. These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. 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. The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. However, keep in mind that the one being. Good and Bad Analogies of the Trinity - Answers . In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. But they are one God. So much of what we know about what God does is wrapped up in who He is. But this view, too, wont do. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. Who is God? Our God is three in one. Here are a few common illustrations: The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk. They have a common purpose in making harmonious music, but each note is its own separate entity. 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. Haydn describes himself as a five-point Calvinist, but he recognises that many faithful Christians disagree. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. And for a mere mortal to have dared invent it and be able t. I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. 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. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! This is perhaps the most common analogy for the Trinity. The Bible teaches three truths: 1 - there is one God. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. 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. He has one essenceone substance. Some people falsely claim the Trinity is a form of . They've always led to error and have been rejected by the church. Humans as we are, we cannot fully understand how the three divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God. The shortfall of this illustration, and others like it, is that God cannot be divided into "parts." God has revealed some mysteries from the Old Testament in the New Testament (the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the coming of the Messiah, salvation by grace through faith, etc.) It is not existing as 3 different parts (persons) at the same time. This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. 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. Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. . What happens when an egg hatches? We find it in all four Gospels. The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. 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). Before I even began writing this post, I had an unusual song stuck in my head Holy God, we praise thy name. La da dee dee dum dum (I couldnt remember the in-between parts). I do not have the time or space to exhaustively demonstrate in scripture these truths, but the Biblical witness teaches these three truths consistently about God. God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. You are an egg! 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). That is heaven in a person. The apple seed alone is not an apple. If you only had an apple core, you wouldnt pack it in your lunch. Each one is fully 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. Your email address will not be published. in that while water can change into vapour or ice, Jesus cannot change into the Father or the Holy Spirit. So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. Or have you ever tried to teach kids about the Trinity? And in our efforts to grasp it, weve come up with a number of analogies. Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. Common, yes. We came up with several practical implications of this doctrine. He has the world and our individual lives within His supremely capable hands. 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. They that dont have the Holy Spirit in them will talk like the Adversary. One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the . One is a musical chord with three notes. This is because the H20 is changing forms in representing each person. 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. None of the 3 are less divine than the others. Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. It may not appear to agree with common sense. 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*. The trinity is like water. (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. Love your blogs! That fire keeps devils away from the saved. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. 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). Modalism teaches that one God just changes forms or modes over the course of scripture. If you're looking to dive deeper into God's word, here are 6 kinds of bible study tools and resources 9 Influential Female Leaders in the New Testament. Misunderstanding 1: The transforming trinity I bet I havent sung or heard this song in years! in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one.
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