After all, each of these illustrate the idea that God is made up of parts, and thats not really true. Because these features make up the singular essence or nature of a triangle. All of this information is a lot to take in at once. God is like the skin because He protects us. While theconceptof the Trinity is evident in the New Testament (Matt. The divine essence is thus not something that exists above or separate from the three Persons, but the divine essence is the being of the three Persons. I hate getting spam. Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school. Lets change that! "But if I [Jesus] cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.". While some say . That definition is a mouthful. I am also Keith Ferrin. Therefore each of the Persons into whose name we are to be baptized must be deity. Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org. We hate SPAM. The best way to teach the Trinity to ANYONE who is confused is with an object lesson. The Apostle Paul also affirms the doctrine of the Trinity. Often it is objected that If Jesus is God, then he must have prayed to himself while he was on earth. But the answer to this objection lies in simply applying what we have already seen. 4; 14; Jon. The concept of the Trinity. You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. As Hebrews 9:14 declares. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. But each member had a different function. Or stated simply, the triangles what-ness.. Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus. 2:8-9), we can become Gods children. Learn how you can know God personally. Is God the same as Jesus? God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. 118:28, God referred to in the third person singular (he, his, him): Gen. 1:5, 10; Ex. We can be adopted by the Father and united with Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit (John 1:1223; Rom. Christianity is a monotheistic religion. Simply put: without three angles, theres no triangle! Since God is one in a different way than He is three, the Trinity is not a contradiction. And the voice of the Father declared, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt. To be even more precise, essence is what you are. Fortunately, the most popular analogy of the Trinity is the triangle. Genesis 1:1says this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. While not a typical conversation starter, this question is one of the most important we can ask in life. Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. Have a great discussion about it! 4:4). Everything in Christian theology and in the believer's life finally comes back to who God is: the divine nature, the persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He wrote, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.. Find resources for personal or group Bible study. 3:25; Dan. Before anything was created he begat his Logos as a person distinct from himself. Faith is recognizing that we dont have all the answers and deciding that its okay to keep believing and growing. Famous pastor and authorA.W. Here we will summarize some of the fruits of their labor. The doctrine or concept of the Trinity is central to most Christian denominations and faith groups, although not all. Nonetheless, while recognizing the distinct roles that each Person has, we should never think of their roles as so separate that the other Persons are not involved. 12:28; Rom. And the triangle can help us distinguish one essence from the three Persons. Example 1: What is the nature or essence of a rock? The Trinity is a mystery beyond our comprehension (Isa. 4. How do they relate? Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. Its three things, but all are complete on their own. With teenagers, you want to take a different approach, and celebrate the mystery of it all. Each member of the Trinity is . But dont get confused. God the Fathers plan of redeeming humankind involved sending his Son into the world (John 3:16), The Son accomplished redemption for us on the cross (Heb. For example: God the Father is a person. This is something far removed from our human experience, where every different human "person" is a different being as well. The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. I am also fully Keith Ferrin. Its a mystery the Bible teaches. These personal distinctions are modes of existence within the divine being, but are not divisions of the divine being. Through accepting the undeserved gift of salvation (Eph. To this day, this scripture inspires the language we use to baptize people across Christian denominations. Having seen that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, that they are each fully God, and that there is nonetheless only one God, we must conclude that all three Persons are the same God. Both the New Testament and Old Testament testify that there is only one God: Unfortunately, we cannot go through each of these passages in detail. Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. How is God one? I wont go into all of the verses here (simply type bible verses about the Trinity into Google and youll find plenty). This doctrine is absolutely essential to New Testament Christianity. How to Teach Kids the Trinity with an Apple Object Lesson Grab an apple and share these five truths with your kids: An apple has three parts: the seeds, the flesh, and the skin. Heres the problem (and why we shouldntstartwith these analogies):If these analogies are the only way someone thinks of the Trinity, it will lead to one of two errors. 15:16), inspires, intercedes (Rom. 23-26; Luke 7:11-17; Luke 11:1-45), Sends the Holy Spirit and his gifts (John 16:714), Put his words on a par with Gods (Matt. The Hebrew word for God isElohim. In eternity past, before the beginning, God was alone. More posts you may like r/TrueChristian Within a week,, Read More Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? The Trinity is Christianity's most unique, defining, incomprehensible, and awesome mystery. Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the earth by his word. After understanding the difference between essence and personhood, most objections evaporate! There are three Persons with one divine essence! Our mind distinguishes each of the three leaves (the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost), but at the same time recognizes they are one shamrock. When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen. ). But what exactly are essence or nature and personhood? There we read that " God said, 'Let us make man in our image' . 45:5-6, New Testament: Mark 12:29; John 5:44; Eph. A subreddit for the encouragement and discussion of the Biblical Unitarian position which holds The second point of clarification has to do with personhood. Another serious error people have made is to think that the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit. Heres how the triangle analogy can help: Consider a triangle with me. December 19, 2018. But Scripture provides ample evidence of the existence of the Trinity. Looking for a great childrens Bible? But I hope you have learned that the Trinity is not contradictory. Now we will turn our attention to showing the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are persons.. Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and Jerome mention it. Learn the basics of what Christians believe. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. But all three must be present simultaneously for the geometric figure to be a triangle. If each Person of the Trinity is distinct and yet fully God, then should we conclude that there is more than one God? Dont despair. Steam, water, and ice are all H20. Amen. The Trinity is like an egg or apple. It is the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. After Christ rose from the grave, he appeared to the disciples and gave them a job to do: preach the Word to everyone. Several analogies help us apprehend the Trinity. 15:19), God is called Father (John 17:1; John 3; 20:17; 1 Cor. Its NOT God. That is where I go back to the starting point I mentioned above. To further our understanding of the distinction of persons within the one God it is best to move on to the next trinitarian principle. We are dealing with fact. Matt Perman is the director of career navigation at The Kings College NYC, a blogger, and an author. .. 4:6; James 2:19; Jude 25. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. This should make it clear why it is so important to understand that all three Persons are the same essence. Tozerputs it well in The Knowledge of the Holy. Most Christians are puzzled by the Trinity, and therefore, cant explain it very well. Orthodox Christian theology has always affirmed that the one true God is triune in nature. Not the answer an enquiring young mind was looking for. But he avoids contradiction with this statement because he means that in one sense it was the best of times, but in another sense it was the worst of times. The answer is they are gray and hard. What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. For example, since the Father sent the Son into the world (John 3:16), He cannot be the same person as the Son. That is why understanding what the Trinity is and is not asserting. The Trinity doctrine developed over hundreds of years and was influenced by the teachings of pagan Greek philosophers. Develop your leadership skills and learn how to launch a ministry wherever you are. Genesis 1:1 reads: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." If we look more closely at the word we translate "God," Elohim, we see it is plural. When Jesus answered the question, What is the greatest commandment? he prefaced the answer by quoting the. 1:2;). When you cut an apple in half, you can see that each of these three parts are different (at this point, you can cut the apple open for your kids! This is very important: God is one and three at the same time, but not in the same way. Awareness of the distinct role that each Person of the Trinity has in our salvation can especially serve to give us greater comfort and appreciation for God in our prayers, as well as helping us to be specific in directing our prayers. We just covered Gods one divine essence. Further, we clearly should not think of God as consisting of anything other than divinity. The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. There will always be some level of mystery to this, but when you talk about the being/nature/essence as God and the persons/expressions as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit I think we get at least a little bit closer to beginning to comprehend something we can never fully comprehend. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. God told Moses in the Torah to tell God's people these words: M. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." ( Deuteronomy 6:4) C. Yes, that's right. How can three and one refer to the same God? It's so simple, it fits on one page. God the Holy Spirit. Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth. Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide. However, these illustrations arent perfect, and really mature kids or teenagers (or adult new believers) could handle digging a bit deeper! For if we deny this, we have denied Gods unity and affirmed that there is more than one being of God (i.e., that there is more than one God). Must you become a better person so that God will accept you? Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God. While no church is perfect, the Trinity is still the model for the churchs unity (John 1:2123). 1. What is the Trinity? 7:28; Ps. 1:7; 2 Tim. ETS members all confess the Father, the Son, and the Spirit to be "one in essence, equal in power and glory.". And this teaching gives us a glimpse into the incomprehensible greatness of God. Thats where the confusion comes from. For instance: Additionally, all three members of the Trinity participate together in several critical events. But the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts 8:16). God is not one person who plays three different roles, as this illustration suggests. In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of noncontradiction. If you are teaching young children, these object lessons are both the perfect starting and stopping point. They only describe what makes up Gods singular essence. The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. Many of us say it every single Sunday morning. But he is not inferior in Gods divine essence. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. Look at what the Bible clearly shows: that there is one God ( Deuteronomy 6:4) that the Father is called God ( Ephesians 4:6 ), that Jesus (the Son) is called God ( Titus 2:13) and existed with God before creation ( John 1:1; 17:4) and the Holy Spirit is attributed . He exists as a Trinity. Jesus himself spoke of the one-ness of the Godhead when he quoted the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4. To confess that the Father, Son, and Spirit are equal in power of course means that one does not rule over the other in any way. 20:3; cf. Or what are the objective characteristics that all triangles share? Three parts in one, yet all very much an egg. There are two men in their 20s who came to faith in Christ in recent weeks through the ministry of our church. 9:18; Matt. Lets do a quick review of the topics we have covered. They are three real persons, not three roles God plays. Does it look like Grandpa? We cannot entirelycomprehendan infinite God and these mysteries (Rom. The important difference between complexity and incomprehension: If Christianity was something we were making up, of course, we could make it easier. In regards to the Trinity, we use the term Person differently than we generally use it in everyday life. How do we receive His grace? Now lets dig into these imperfect yet better than nothing representations of the Trinity for kids. ONLY the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God. It is the same thing in three different forms. No, the wordTrinitydoes not appear in the Bible. They include: Now you have a basic understanding of the Trinity. 12:32; 28:19; Luke 3:22), There is one God and three Gods (a contradiction), God is one person and three persons (a contradiction), God has one nature and three natures (a contradiction), There is a functional order within the Trinity, Bowman, R Jr. The Biblical Basis of the Doctrine of the Trinity. Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/bowman_robert/trinity/trinity.cfm#trin_1 Accessed: 1/20/2022. He is three in Person. Its okay to admit you dont know everything. A beautiful mystery. The Bible reveals that God isone, in essence, eternally revealed inthree Persons. Principle #3: Order. That may sound intimidating but dont worry Ill unpack that definition below. It is fundamental to our worldview. the one who is not a Christian. Because of Gods nature, several mysteries exist within our faith. These questions arealwaysasked by someone who is exploring faith in Jesus. Each of the persons is distinct from the other in relation (Economic Trinity), yet each is identical in essence (Ontological Trinity). 1. John 1 tells us that the Word is Yeshua - that he was with God and was God from the get go, right there at creation. Elohimis the plural form of the word God. Among the worlds religions, the Christian faith is unique. Trinity may be a new term for you and can be confusing even for Christians to explain to others. On the other hand, we must say that the Persons are real, that they are not just different ways of looking at the one being of GodThe only way it seems possible to do this is to say that the distinction between the persons is not a difference of "being" but a difference of "relationships." Omnibenevolence (Jer. However, within the nature of this one God are three persons, or three centers of consciousness - the Father, the Son, and the . To help us do that, here are two reasons why the Trinity matters. Three separate beings, all rolled into one entity. Is the Trinity a contradiction? Ask the teenager this question: Where does this fall short? The Trinity is the perfect loving community of three Persons. You can't explain the Trinity to anyone who reasons because: 1) The Bible does not support it. Those centuries were t It is the revelation of who our Almighty Creator actually isnot just a god, but an infinite Being existing in eternity as three co-equal, infinite Persons, consubstantial yet distinct. Girls become divided, friendships are ruined, and reputations are tarnished. Rather, everything that one Person is involved in, the other two are also involved in, one way or another. Most of them are less-than-helpful. There are many illustrations which have been offered to help us understand the Trinity. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. " Here God is a plural noun, said is in the . 2:10), knows (1 Cor. In other words, what are the objective attributes or properties that make up all rocks? If someone already has an understanding based on the definition and explanation above, then these analogiesmighthelp them grasp aspects of the Trinity. 13:14; 1 Pet.1:2), In the story of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1025), When Jesus promises the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:48), Peters sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:33; Acts 3839), Peter and apostles answer the high priest (Acts 5:3032), During Stephens heavenly vision at his stoning (Acts 7:5556), In Peters sermon to the gentiles in Caesarea (Acts 10:3638; Acts 4448), When Peter reports to the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:1518), When Peter speaks at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:811), During Pauls interaction with Jewish leaders in Rome (Acts 28:2531), Pauls epistles (Rom. Some attributes include eternal, infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. know that I recognise only one God. Scriptural evidence supports every element proving the Trinity. And when he speaks, he refers to himself in first personas I (Deut. Theologians have pointed out that if it were not true, the Bible would be unreliable, Christ would not be divine, and His death on the cross would not atone for our sins, being merely the death of a martyr. Does the Trinity mean that God is divided into three parts? How to Support Gifted Readers, 27 of the Best Yoto Cards for Kids (sorted by age group), 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game), Holy Week for Kids: How to Teach Beyond Easter Sunday, 15 Powerful Self Esteem Activities for Kids to Do at Home and in School. As a former youth minister and childrens minister, Ive already done your research! Ironically, not much is known about his death; even the year when he passed away is up for debate. This is just an egg, or an apple, or H2O. They are personal forms of existence other than a difference in being. Rather, each person of the Trinity has all of the attributes of God, and no one Person has any attributes that are not possessed by the others. That's the one we think of as the Father. He is the only God that exists. And these three Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 317 subscribers in the BiblicalUnitarian community. For example, it says of Christ that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). Of course we are speaking by analogy here, for we cannot understand this in a physical way about God. 19:714; Ps. These definitions express three crucial truths: (1) The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, (2) each Person is fully God, (3) there is only one God. We begin with a brief discussion of the doctrine in historical context, explaining more fully the nature of the problem it raises. The Trinity is important to Christians because it reminds us that God is all-powerful, walked this Earth as a perfect human who can relate to our pain, and also lives on today in our hearts. 8:6a). What a challenge! What we do mean by Person is something that regards himself as I and others as You. So the Father, for example, is a different Person from the Son because He regards the Son as a You, even though He regards Himself as I. Thus, in regards to the Trinity, we can say that Person means a distinct subject which regards Himself as an I and the other two as a You. These distinct subjects are not a division within the being of God, but a form of personal existence other than a difference in being.[3]. Disclaimer: I believe Trinity. The Holy Trinity - Explained. 2:18). AboutPressCopyrightContact. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not unite people by neglecting t And that knowledge can feel liberating. This triune God (or Trinity) began to allude to this aspect of His nature right in Genesis 1:26-27. God is infinite. Anytime you see a geometric figure with these features, it is a triangle. John introduces us to the Trinity in John 1:1- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God.". Showing God in action in and through His people. At the risk of sounding too physical, essence can be understood as the stuff that you consist of.. You cant find an earthly match for this concept. For example they: 5. Below is the easiest way that I have ever heard it explained: God the Father is the sun. Its probably the most classic Trinity object lesson, but its not my favorite. But how can finite humans know anything about Gods infinite essence? . 18:20; Matt. Now, as Fred Sanders once quipped, this doesn't mean you should begin every witnessing encounter, "God loves you . They are not merely modes or manifestations of the same person (as Oneness theology incorrectly asserts) who sometimes acts as Father, sometimes as Son, and sometimes as Spirit. Sometimes the Spirit is treated more like a force than a Person. The Son is the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. To start, let me define what I mean when I say persons. Personhood is having intellect, emotions, and a will. It was God who took the initiative to save humankind. Other statements may at first seem contradictory but are really not. Answer: Jesus came to lead us into relationship with the Father and that required the sacrifice of his own life because of our rebellion. This is one of the books of the Torah. Monotheism. Youngblood, R. F., et al. These three persons make up the one true God. After all, plenty of, Read More 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game)Continue, Whereas most of us are pretty comfortable with our family traditions for celebrating Easter, Holy Week for kids is WAY more intimidating. The next time you (or I) are asked to explain the Trinity, you could start with a 1-sentence definition and then unpack that definition. Paul unequivocally taught Jesus is God (Col. 2:9). In the baptism of Jesus, we see the Father speaking from heaven and the Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove as Jesus comes out of the water (Mark 1:10-11). The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. However, Matthew 28:19 is frequently used in attempts to prove that the Trinity is a biblical teaching. 1:2), and empowers us for service (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. Each corner is distinct (i.e., different) from the others. But first, lets cover the basics. But what does it mean that God is gracious? The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The fact that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons means, in other words, that the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. Question: How do you explain the Trinity? The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith. 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. Gods attributes are not parts of his singular divine essence. The Son and Holy Spirit are equal in deity to the Father. As youll see explained more deeply in one of the videos below, you can think of it this way: I am a human being. Of course, anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about (p. 145). Jesus carried out these creative decrees (John 1:3; Col. 1:16). Third, notice that although the three divine Persons are distinct, we are baptized into their name (singular), not names (plural). Thus, Jesus prayed to God the Father without praying to Himself. Reflecting Jesus together for the good of the city. OrThe person were explaining it to will think that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). He was sustaining and manifesting Gods immediate presence in his creation. 15:28). While there are some illustrations which are helpful, we should recognize that no illustration is perfect. A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! God the Father, Jesus His Son, with the Holy Spirit, they are three in one! There was never a time when one of the Persons of the Godhead did not exist. Answer. He was "begotten, not made," and he was of the same substance or essence ( homoousios) as the Father. In Hinduism, the trinity (Trimrti, or The Three Forms) is of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The apple one is kind of cool. See if they can think of anything better, and be ready to discuss where different ideas might not quite work. But Keith Ferrin is noteveryhuman being.. But is there any easy way to apprehend these exciting discoveries? 9:5; Col. 2:9), The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:34; 2 Cor.
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