The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. 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. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The problem with this analogy is that it teaches that God has three components: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are three in one egg. Its a very common explanation within the church to try to explain how God, who clearly exhorts His followers to preserve His supreme oneness (Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4), could also be identified with Jesus (Titus chapter 2 verse 13), and the Holy Spirit (Acts chapter 5 verses 3-4). The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. A good example would be an electrical cord. 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. We all want to experience the good life. 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.) Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. A good follow up verse to help explain is the baptism of Jesus. He can even be all three at the same time. One is a musical chord with three notes. In part one, we looked at what the Bible has to say about the Trinity. 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. Notice the distinction between persons and being. 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. 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. Before I even began writing this post, I had an unusual song stuck in my head Holy God, we praise thy name. We recommend you adhere these emblems to your vestments by mounting on the material with fabric glue and then stitching them . This description that all persons are fully God is called the Ontological Trinity. Yet there is only 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. My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning. There was no relational deficiency that prompted God to create us. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. 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. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and 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 is a place to find encouragement and hope from God's Word as you move through your busy life. When you encounter a person or group who denies the Trinity, it is merely a matter of walking through these 3 points, to see where they diverge from Biblical teaching. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. Vestment Emblems. Studying the Trinity poses difficulty to us Catholics. But thats not how they understood it. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. A man might be a father to his children, a husband to his wife, and son to his parents. . We can say that the first is egg the shell, the second is egg the albumen and the third is egg the yoke. 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. The problem with this analogy is that it also leads to the heresy of MODALISM. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. Part 2. Now were going to look at how some people often misunderstand the Trinity. These attributes are: omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipresence (exists in all places). The trinity is a like a Three-Leaf Clover. This is the one I used long ago when trying to explain the Trinity to a group of 1st-5th graders. My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! Similarly, people have used the example of the apple in the same way- skin, flesh, and seeds. Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. 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). The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. 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. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). Scripture however, doesnt depict God this way. The Holy Spirit prays for us. Again, this analogy doesnt work because God doesnt morph, change, or become different aspects of Himself. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. What does that really mean? These images fall short, because these components arent enough to be considered a whole on their own. Believing in the above 3 points leads all Christians to acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. I can only shake my head when He does these things! Relationship Analogy (Husband/Son/Father) God is like a person with different relationships just as a man can be a Dad, but also someones Son, and also someones Husband. Here are a few of the many verses giving evidence of the Trinity in the Bible: Genesis 1:1&2- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. The Holy Spirit was an active participant in the creative process. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. Analogies for the Trinity exist to explain the unexplainable. I know in the past Ive used analogies that werent the best (more on those later.) All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. In the same way, there is a God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1, *. Eggs are one, yet comprise yolk, shell and albumen. 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. I go to prepare a place for you. Jesus loves us so much that he did not obliterate people who died, with power that set stars in the universe. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. 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. 3:15; John 17:1-4, The Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-13. 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). Armstrong. He got married there in 1965, and his four . This view teaches that three separate beings exist. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. Yet there is still only one God we serve. Wow! They have a common purpose in making harmonious music, but each note is its own separate entity. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). Paul explains our finite understanding of beliefs like the Trinity as looking into a poor-quality mirror- a distorted image; dim and unclear. But this idea is central to the Christian faith. In other words, God may manifest Himself as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. 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.). Memory, Understanding, and Will. As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14). The Holy Spirit is Christs spirit in us guiding us into all truth. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. show me your glory. We came up with several practical implications of this doctrine. God is like H2O in that the Bible may refer to a specific person of the Trinity but that person is still God. Both are one. Analogies often fall short. Jesus isn't a demigod or partially god. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. Similarly, light and heat are simply creations of the sun, yet it is the heresy of Arianism to claim that the Son or Spirit are mere creations of the Father. But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. Have you wondered what is God like? Water can be frozen and is called ice. Although he is one he has different roles to different people. See the depths of Catholicism for yourself! God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. 3. We can admit it is a mystery and accept that our incomplete knowledge cannot fully comprehend it. . Modalism teaches that one God just changes forms or modes over the course of scripture. Each Person in the Trinity (or the Godhead) is fully God and fully a Person. The God of the Bible is one God. This analogy sounds pretty good, but it is fatally flawed in that is describes the Son and Spirit as creations of the Father. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, constructed between 1800 and 1804, is the first Anglican cathedral to have been built outside the British Isles. To put it simply, "The problem with using analogies to explain the Holy Trinity is that you always end up confessing some ancient heresy." . If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. [4] The goal of an analogy is to draw out similarities between it and its referent in illuminating ways, not to define the referent itself. A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. That is why Moses said. FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. The meme above discourages the use of analogies in explaining the Trinity. If you looked at a single cloverleaf, you wouldnt call it a shamrock. A good example would be an electrical cord. I think the analogy of the Sun works well. 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 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. Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. To help you out, here is a comical and silly video that teaches about these bad analogies. Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. The above picture is a famous work of art by Andrei Rubilev, the great medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescos. The problem with this analogy is it denies the unity of the God-head. 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. The analogy breaks down because the three cloves are overly distinct and cannot represent the unity of God. 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). Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. The mystery is in the how this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. Jesus was standing in the Jordan River, His Father speaks from heaven above, and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him as a dove. 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. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit. Examples of these different roles would be: The Incarnation: Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. Misunderstanding 1: The transforming trinity The angel answered (Mary), The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High (referring to the Father, italics mine) will overshadow you. Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature. (Lateran Council IV), 4. RELATED: The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. But the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. The Trinity is like an egg. - well, sort of. You know, that bearded guy on the throne who looks something like Zeus, right? 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. I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. To become the people we were always created to be. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. That is heaven in a person. Because God is utterly unique, all comparisons will fail at some point. Intercession: The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. John 17). 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. Therefore, there is one God, who is eternally present in three persons. What happens when an egg hatches? We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. Others compare God to an egg, which is part shell, part white, part yolk. Devils cannot grab ahold of them to cast them into Satans prison. In reality, I change my role depending on who I am interacting with. None of the 3 are less divine than the others. Revelation 4:3And 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. Can you think of some Bible verses to back up your explanation? Instead, each person is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25). I never thought about it in that way some of these examples Ive never heard of. He was with God in the beginning. It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. Good and Bad Analogies of the Trinity - Answers . 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). We wont find the word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept is shown in many verses. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. Water can exist in liquid at room temperature. The 3 Most Common "Trinity Analogies" (and their limitations) The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. This is perhaps the most common analogy for the Trinity. The unseen Father is in Christs mind. Yet, as we view the pages of the Bible, we see that God is a personal and relational God. 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 Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. is not). If you say, "Jesus Christ" then you MAY BE incorrect. 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. 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. Or water can be evaporated and called steam. All of the above Bad Analogies would perhaps do more harm than good if used in explaining the Trinity. 7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christs gift., , according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure., , But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.. In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. He has been a member of the Royal Australian Air Force since 2007, and is now training to be an Air Force Chaplain. This analogy actually falls prey to the same error of modalism. When it comes to the Trinity, we tend to forget that an analogy is an "aptness of proportion" or a "resemblance of relations," not an identity of relations. It can also be a liquid and called water. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. 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. It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. Some have taken on the task of explaining how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist as one. This is because the H20 is changing forms in representing each person. 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. The apple seed alone is not an apple. show me your glory. Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. Our limited intellects are unable to comprehend its reality, yet, our Scriptures and scholarly Tradition makes it known to us. Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. What is the Trinity? While an egg has a yolk, a white and a shell to make up the whole, each part is only ever . The concept is literally unthinkable. The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. 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. Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Well, the egg analogy, when applied to God, suggests that only one being exists but this being exists in three different parts. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. He completed a doctorate in 1990, looking at the question of harmonic rhythm in the organ music of J.S. Understanding 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. 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. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. He has one essenceone substance. 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. Each one is fully 100% God. Dont become discouraged if you cant answer the question to your liking. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. They that dont have the Holy Spirit in them will talk like the Adversary. When we think about influential New Testament leaders, most names are male. There are many mysteries to our faith. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? Trinity Egg Analogy . (Which I just found out is in error). Each person is fully God (Phil 2; Acts 5:3-4). The Bible reveals that each person of the Trinity has unique roles, relationships, and functions which are distinct from one another. Stars were made on the forth day. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! 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. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. If you say, "water" then you are incorrect. A, distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A. is the whole nature or essence of something. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. 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. The divine persons are really DISTINCT from one another, and not merely different roles of God at different times. 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. The military would end up destroying themselves. Hello busy women! copyright 2009 by H.D. Its hard to explain! Arianism denies the deity of each person in the trinity. In the Scripture we see "the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Col 1:9). How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.

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