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Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. 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. God is NOT like H2O in that He does not need the right pressure and temperature to exist as three persons. Here are eight bible characters that you might not know about, but should. Water can exist in liquid at room temperature. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. At the Cathedral, we recognize that there are responsibilities that come with . As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. Memory, Understanding, and Will. PART OF A WHOLE. Misunderstanding 1: The transforming trinity 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. Is He Jesus side-kick? THE DISTINCTION AND UNITY of the Trinity is not for us to fully understand because it is a supernatural mystery. For instance at the baptism of Christ, the Father, Son and Spirit are all distinctly present and interacting (Matthew chapter 3 verses 16-17). Afterall, we can get rid of a few of its parts - for instance the shell - and still scramble an egg. Stars were made on the forth day. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. 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. Armstrong. We came up with several practical implications of this doctrine. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. The trinity is like water. Few if any have every tried to teach the heresy of Tritheism, but it needs to be mentioned anyway. Truly, it is a Mystery. Many of these analogies have the best of intentions, but God cannot be described in a way we can fully comprehend or rationalize. And whos the Holy Spirit? So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. This may be my favorite verse of them all. 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. The Egg Analogy - This claims to be a good representation of the Trinity because Eggs have three distinct parts: the shell, the yolk, and the whites. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit also exist eternally and concurrently. What is H2O? So under modalism, God acts as the Father in the Old Testament, the son in the Gospels, and the Spirit in Acts and the Epistles. The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . I bet I havent sung or heard this song in years! Surely this is a better understanding of the water analogy! The sun comprises the sun itself, its light and its heat. That is why Moses said. Celebrating Easter Is About so Much More Than One Hour on Sunday. Unfortunately, Arianism is still around and can found within the Jehovah's Witnesses teachings. 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. I never thought about it in that way some of these examples Ive never heard of. So, in God, there are three distinct persons. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. One sits on the throne looking like Sardine and Jasper stone. So whats one good way to explain what the Trinity is? My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. Shively, This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. The apple seed alone is not an apple. But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. Should Women Really Keep Silent in Church? There would be three thrones. Instead, each person is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. Many of us would use analogies to explain the Trinity. How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. The Son is like the light rays that visibly reveal the sun, as Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). There are, however, some that work better than others. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. 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. But they are one God. CafeLogos.orgThe Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity This is a place to find encouragement and hope from God's Word as you move through your busy life. 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. Arianism denies the deity of each person in the trinity. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. Space Analogy God is like space. Since these bad analogies tend to lead to a heresy, we will examine the main three areas of heresy concerning the trinity. So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. God does not just change forms but exists as three persons in unity. He differs from the Father, but was and still is God. . MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. So "son" = "Dave". Paul explains our finite understanding of beliefs like the Trinity as looking into a poor-quality mirror- a distorted image; dim and unclear. The Egg and I - Part Two Vestment Emblems. The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. The military would like to have that power. His being is somewhat of a mystery to us. He got married there in 1965, and his four . in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. Among the most popular analogies for the Trinity, two in particular stand out; and most of the others resemble one of them. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. Yet there is still only one God we serve. Some people think that H2O cannot exist in all three states simultaneously but that is not true. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). Each one is fully 100% God. The problem with this analogy is that it denies the distinction of persons in the God-head. The unseen Father is in Christs mind. In this episode, Fred Sanders discusses what it really means to say that God is a Trinitythree persons in one God. There are some analogies that come close. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. While each person is distinct, they are never separate from one another. Youre right, theyre all good but not perfect because only God IS perfect. And let us once more come to illustrations. One of the more traditional analogies is to the states of water. He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. Learn how your comment data is processed. The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. When we think about influential New Testament leaders, most names are male. 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. Another analogy that Tim remembers, being Irish Catholic, is the analogy of the shamrock with its three parts. However, keep in mind that the one being. Sending of another: The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. History, lifestyle, family, music, theology, scripture, literature, the saints, church history, parenting, politics, prayer, the pope, and more. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. is not). Thought of Tim Its amazing to think that everything will be so clear when we het to Heaven! God is much bigger and much greater than we can understand, and to be honest, I'm ok with that. 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.). Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. I did read about the shamrock analogy! Here are a few common illustrations: The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk. There is one GOD in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), 2. 5And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. The Trinity are three distinct persons who exist apart from each other. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet the orthodox view is that each person of the Trinity is fully divine. Haydn describes himself as a five-point Calvinist, but he recognises that many faithful Christians disagree. The problem with this analogy is that it would imply that there is only one Divine Person, who eventually multiplied Himself. Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! Now, as youve probably guessed, this analogy also breaks down. Your email address will not be published. In the same way, at one moment God is the Father, but at different times God morphs or transforms into the Son or Holy Spirit. The problem with this analogy is that it also leads to the heresy of MODALISM. Jesus is the visual form of God. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. 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.. A person distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A being is the whole nature or essence of something. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. What happens when an egg hatches? Let's use an egg to explain the Holy Trinity! 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. 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. Shively Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. We believe in only one true God in all existence, in all places, at all times. All of the above Bad Analogies would perhaps do more harm than good if used in explaining the Trinity. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. They are three in one egg. The Trinity is distinct in their roles and individuality, but united in their attributes of love, mercy, holiness, knowledge, etc. These attributes are: omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipresence (exists in all places). 1:8-12; 1 Pet. we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,neither blending their personsnor dividing their essence. Jesus then becomes a created being and thus less than fully God. 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 Unseen Father is in Christs mind. in that He is not made up of three parts one part () the Father, another part () Jesus Christ and a third part () the Holy Spirit. Explaining the Holy Trinity. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. Our limited intellects are unable to comprehend its reality, yet, our Scriptures and scholarly Tradition makes it known to us. 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). Although he is one man who is simultaneously a husband, a father, and a student, he would consider it Modalism to suggest that this is a good Trinitarian analogy. Water at room temperature is liquid. in that while water can change into vapour or ice, Jesus cannot change into the Father or the Holy Spirit. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. 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. 1 Corinthians 8:6: Yet for us there is but one God.. To put it simply, "The problem with using analogies to explain the Holy Trinity is that you always end up confessing some ancient heresy." . 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. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. La da dee dee dum dum (I couldnt remember the in-between parts). 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. 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. They say that three separate beings exist, 2. These two analogies are the "water" analogy and the "egg" analogy. 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. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. 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 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*. Both are one. That is why Moses said. What portion is erroneous? 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 TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the three are all equally one God. The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. And in our efforts to grasp it, weve come up with a number of analogies. 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. 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. Here are 8 Bible Characters Who Should Be More Famous. 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. Genisis 1:17, KJV. The Son was begotten by the Father IN ETERNITY, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. A good example would be an electrical cord. Father, Son, Holy Sprit : 3 persons, 1 great relationship, Copyright 2023 Fervr | Terms of Service. They are three in one egg. God controls that light. But theres one problem: the water analogy is not the biblical picture of God. 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. 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. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. The Trinity is like an egg. The meme above discourages the use of analogies in explaining the Trinity. Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. 3 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons. It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. God does not play three roles.. Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. That is a holding pen for final judgment. Similarly, in our aquatic analogy, water can appear in three different modes, depending on the environment, but the three are not co-existing. Modalism teaches that the trinity is not three distinct persons, but just different modes that God reveals himself to human beings. 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). 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. Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. 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. God is much bigger than what we can understand yet He is close enough to us so that we can know some things about Him, though not completely and not everything. If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. 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. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. Further, we can label each of the sides. 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. She would explode!" From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. 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. Ontological means the nature or essence of something. Basic mathematics tells us that 1x1x1 = 1.. Depth isnt the same thing as height and height isnt the same thing as width, yet all three together are what comprise space. I go to prepare a place for you. God is Great, I always try to figure out how to explain it to my Sunday school kids and they get confused which i get, how would you explain it to them? When we speak of someone as being a "person", we often mean an individual who is separate from other people, or we simply mean a human being. This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. I and My Father are One (John 10:30). 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. RELATED: Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead?