In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). 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. This analogy explains that the Father is like the sun. There is only one egg with three different parts. What does that really mean? My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. HO may act as water, steam, or ice, but it is still HO. His ways are not my ways! 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. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Scripture however, doesnt depict God this way. 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. Stars were made on the froth day. When we tend to make an analogy about the trinity we are forced to diminish one of the three trinitarian truths in order to make the analogy work. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. We all want to experience the good life. The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. Although he is one he has different roles to different people. In Arianism, the Son is not eternally equal with the Father, but was the Fathers first and best creation. Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature. (Lateran Council IV), 4. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. The problem with this analogy is that it would imply that there is only one Divine Person, who eventually multiplied Himself. When the Bible talks about God, it may be referring to Jesus Christ in a specific instance, the Holy Spirit in another and God the Father in a third occasion. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1, *. If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. Before moving on I should note that providing a full theological explanation of Trinitarian doctrine is well beyond the scope of what I can do here. 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? That is heaven in a person. When they used the word person, they didnt mean it in the same way that we do today. 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. Memory, Understanding, and Will. 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. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the . An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. In some ways, it resembles the tritheism view (Misunderstanding 2). They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons Let's begin with the second view. Therefore, there is one God, who is eternally present in three persons. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. Another analogy that Tim remembers, being Irish Catholic, is the analogy of the shamrock with its three parts. God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). If we separate them we still may have God the Egg yolk, God the Holy Spirit Egg white and God the Son, the Egg shell/image, three individual parts of an Egg, but they cannot be a Trinity, or tri-unity unless they are unified and are seen as one Egg, so to speak. Tritheism denies that there is only one God. Well, the egg analogy, when applied to God, suggests that only one being exists but this being exists in three different parts. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. The Latin word for trinity (trinitas) combines two words- unitas (unity) and trias (three). 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). His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. A Note on Trinitarian Analogies | Place for Truth - Alliance of 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. . If water is inadequate, there are a wide array of alternative analogies we can turn to in modern theological parlance. It is not existing as 3 different parts (persons) at the same time. The trinity is a like a Three-Leaf Clover. Christians believe, then, that only one God exists but this God exists as a unity of three persons: a Trinity. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. 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. 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. Similarly, in our aquatic analogy, water can appear in three different modes, depending on the environment, but the three are not co-existing. Truly, it is a Mystery. RELATED: What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts? 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). If one of the persons were not there, then we would not have God. Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. Lost will be burned up. There are many mysteries to our faith. Therefore it behoves us to know what He has revealed (including the Trinity), and to lovingly worship Him accordingly. One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. God does not just change forms but exists as three persons in unity. Each one is fully God. This analogy actually falls prey to the same error of modalism. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of modalism. Matthew 3:16-17- As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. 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. 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. They've always led to error and have been rejected by the church. Each Person in the Trinity (or the Godhead) is fully God and fully a Person. The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. The concept is literally unthinkable. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Which ones have you heard? 2. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. They all exist as fully God, with none of them lacking in any attribute or aspect that defines God. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Dont grieve the Holy Spirit out of you. One of the more traditional analogies is to the states of water. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Andrew M. Bailey A single molecule cannot simultaneously exist in three different states. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. 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. For since light is always in existence, it is manifest that its brightness also exists, because light is perceived to exist from the fact that it shines, and it is impossible that light should not shine. Every kid in Sunday school thinks he knows all about God. So, the egg analogy doesnt work after all. The Egg Analogy God is like an egg. TO AVOID HERESIES, LET US LIVE BY WHAT HAS BEEN REVEALED TO US: 1. The Holy Trinity, one of the five Dogmas of the Church, is an extraordinary and unfathomable mystery. The Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. 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. For example, we know that God didnt create humanity because He bored or lonely. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). The Holy Spirit prays for us. 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. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! Why is it wrong? Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. 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. And whos the Holy Spirit? Thankfully he isnt a cage-stage Calvinist about it all. But this view, too, wont do. God controls that light. Good and Bad Analogies of the Trinity - Answers . What is H2O? 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 more I reflect on Easter, the more Ive realized how much its become a consumeristic holidayeven Did Jesus really rise from the dead? The visual form of God seperated from Jesus on the cross. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. 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. Believing in the above 3 points leads all Christians to acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. Why Analogies And Illustrations Of The Trinity Fail Space Analogy God is like space. But Hes God too, right? Blessings! The problem with this analogy is it denies the unity of the God-head. Analogies often fall short. He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. How so? The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. In this analogy, God is compared to a man. The military would like to have that power. This would make Jesus something less than fully God. The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. His being is somewhat of a mystery to us. 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. I can only shake my head when He does these things! The egg example, while not perfect or complete by any means, will still give us a basic understanding of the primary principle of Biblical Trinitarianism. Holy Trinity, the downtown Greek Orthodox church that was partially destroyed by fire 11 years ago, was a special place for 57-year-old Georgiou. Yet others have thought that H20 (water) shows us the Trinity since H20 can be three things: solid (ice), liquid (running water) and vapor (steam). It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. 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 is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. God is like an egg - VTAide Jesus loves us so much that he did not obliterate people who died, with power that set stars in the universe. The problem with this analogy is that it also leads to the heresy of MODALISM. Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. 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.). The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. Lastly, below is a helpful graphical chart explaining the doctrine of the Trinity I found from the Christian blog by Tim Challies found at Challies.com. Thought of Tim Its amazing to think that everything will be so clear when we het to Heaven! There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. The egg has a shell, the whites and a yoke. What is the Trinity? 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. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw. Podcast: Common Misconceptions about the Trinity (Fred Sanders) Dont become discouraged if you cant answer the question to your liking. God Himself explains why some things are still a mystery: For as heaven is higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Our human minds can never understand all of who God is and how He thinks and acts. This was first used by Patrick of Ireland (yes there really was a Patrick of Ireland and he was a great guy), around 400 A.D. 2. 3:15; John 17:1-4, The Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-13. There would be three thrones. John 17). The very definition of the heresy known as Modalism/Oneness is that there is one person existing in three different modes or manifestations. A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. What is wrong with what I said? 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. 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. 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. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. 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. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. For instance at the baptism of Christ, the Father, Son and Spirit are all distinctly present and interacting (Matthew chapter 3 verses 16-17). The word God in this sense is defined as a single being, having all divine attributes. We can think of it this way: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Each PERSON is distinct from one another. THE DISTINCTION AND UNITY of the Trinity is not for us to fully understand because it is a supernatural mystery. It is still important that we have some understanding of the concept, however. The military would end up destroying themselves. 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. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. That is a holding pen for final judgment. 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. The Bible reveals that each person of the Trinity has unique roles, relationships, and functions which are distinct from one another. 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). The Sun was created on the forth day. We recommend you adhere these emblems to your vestments by mounting on the material with fabric glue and then stitching them . You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. In an attempt to explain the Trinity, there are some bad examples people use, and some better ones. RELATED: Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? The wonders and ways of God may not be apparent or fully known at present, but we can still marvel at His supremacy and worship Him in wonder- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! The past is not the present and the present is not the future, yet all three together is what we call time. Love your blogs! The trinity is like water. Sadly, theres something "rotten" about this egg analogy. 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. We believe in only one true God in all existence, in all places, at all times. Its downright hard to understand. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. Revelation 4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. That would not be had God be three persons. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. Or have you ever tried to teach kids about the Trinity? Armstrong. Notice the distinction between persons and being. in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. You are an egg! 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. Three persons is false. Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. - well, sort of. 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.). But understanding the Trinity is important. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. Some who deny the Trinity claim 1+1+1=3, and therefore claim we worship three Gods. Jesus would have remained in the tomb, or hell, had Jesus sinned. Have you wondered what is God like? This is the error of Arianism (not to be confused with Aryanism, which is also bad). The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. Yet there is only one God. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. Furthermore, this trinity is related to a shamrock, an apple, or an egg. An egg is made up of shell, white and yolk. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Person is the image of Gods Person (Hebrews 1:3), and the Invisible Spirit of the Father that is in Him - God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). His motto was that "There was a time when the son did not exist". In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. But this idea is central to the Christian faith. The sun comprises the sun itself, its light and its heat. If you say, "Jesus Christ" then you MAY BE incorrect. The Unseen Father would have been put into Satans prison. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites, The Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity. But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. Yet there is still only one God we serve. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. Because God is utterly unique, all comparisons will fail at some point. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! This view teaches that three separate beings exist. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. 5And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. We believe that it is a revelation that comes from Christ Himself. He is one God in three persons, all at the same time. He also knows how to perfectly love us. 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). The Trinity for Kids - Part 2 - Prepared to Answer The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. 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*. Below is a compilation of the verses that reference all 3 persons of the one God. Try starting your explanation with a simple definition and then ask for further questions: No one can completely know or understand God. But its all the same person, operating in three roles or functions. The egg example, while not perfect or complete by any means, will still give us a basic understanding of the primary principle of Biblical Trinitarianism. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father., 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Time Analogy God is like time. 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. Just as water changes forms so too is the trinity. Yet, these persons are not separate from one another. What is the Trinity? Living Theologically I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. As John 1:18 says, Jesus is "the only begotten God, in the bosom of [God] the Father.". 2A) Dave is a father of four children: three boys and a . 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. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. The mystery is in the "how" this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. 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). All three persons exist at the same moment in history. We can admit it is a mystery and accept that our incomplete knowledge cannot fully comprehend it. . That fire keeps devils away from the saved. Common, yes. Water Analogy God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. Discover the richness of the old yet living 2,000-year-old religion which built the West. St. Augustine's Analogy for Understanding the Trinity (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. Montreal was home to two Trinity churches built in 1865 However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. So, part of understanding the Trinity is realizing that God is personal and relational. Basic mathematics tells us that 1x1x1 = 1.. 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. In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Seven Simple Facts About the Trinity - biblequery.org The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. God controls that light. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. This is just as bad as the Water analogy and leads to the same error. The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. 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). The egg (or apple) fails in that the shell, white, and yolk are parts of the egg, not the egg in themselves, just as the skin, flesh, and seeds of the apple are parts of it, not the apple itself. How Helpful Are Analogies of the Trinity? - Kuyperian Commentary 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 idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. 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). Or water can be evaporated and called steam. The trinity is Like a man who is a father, husband, and son.
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