So, rather than starting there, heres where were headed: To think we will everfullyunderstand the Trinity is to make the mistake of thinking God is fully understandable. We believe God is one in essence. This would make each Person less than fully God and thus not God at all. 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! As a former youth minister and childrens minister, Ive already done your research! ETS members all confess the Father, the Son, and the Spirit to be "one in essence, equal in power and glory.". Of course, if the triangle illustration were perfect, we would be able to comprehend God fully, but we cant. No, the word Trinity does not appear in the Bible. Sproul cites as an example Dickens famous line, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Obviously this is a contradiction if Dickens means that it was the best of times in the same way that it was the worst of times. Most people, including many Christians, struggle trying to apprehend the Trinity. How to EXPLAIN The Trinity to a New Believer - Introduction to the Godhead In this video I will introduce the godhead or the trinity in one of the easiest te. How is God three? (So I won't send you any.) Below are several of the most popular ones. This law states that A cannot be both A (what it is) and non-A (what it is not) at the same time and in the same relationship. 8:6a). Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God in truth as well as in our hearts. If Jesus is God, why do the Gospels record instances where He prayed to God? 25:3146; 2 Cor. The Trinity. Those centuries were t 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. I think it is because they lack at least two pieces of information: The main confusion is that many people dont get this distinction. Firstly, because finite humans cant comprehend an infinite God completely, Secondly, because many people confuse Gods one, Three distinct persons are God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Firstly, unfamiliarity between essence or nature and personhood, Secondly, practical analogies that help conceptualize the Trinity, On the one hand, there is Gods singular nature, essence, or substance, And on the other, there is Gods three Persons (Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit), The sum of the three angles must be 180 degrees, The three-ness refers to the three Persons: Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, The one-ness applies to Gods unity or his single divine essence, The Trinity is a plurality of Persons and a unity of essence, God is three whos (Persons) and one what (divine essence), The triangle corresponds to Gods essence, The three corners of the triangle correspond to the three Persons of the Trinity, A triangle is finite, and God is infinite, The corners of a triangle are not persons, Understanding of the difference between Gods one divine essence and three Persons, Old Testament: Ex. But dont get confused. The Trinity Is Unique Among Monotheistic Religions Christianity is a "monotheistic" religion. The doctrine of the Trinity is the belief that there is one God who has revealed Himself in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 20:3; cf. We will never sell your information, for any reason. 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. If youd like to get away from simple object lessons and move your child toward a deeper understanding of Gods nature, check out The Attributes of God for Kids. The concept of the Trinity. So a closer look at the fact that God is one in essence but three in person has helped to show why the Trinity is not a contradiction. In explaining the Trinity to your friend, begin, perhaps, with the work of salvation. Trinity may be a new term for you and can be confusing even for Christians to explain to others. Then you will learn the distinction between personhood and essence or nature. Thus, we are not speaking with a forked tongue we are not saying that God is one and then denying that He is one by saying that He is three. 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 . For example the: Finite humankind cannot wholly comprehend these mysteries. The Apostle Paul also affirms the doctrine of the Trinity. The word "scripture " graphe You arent alone! So all three members of the Trinity have unique personhood. But the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts 8:16). Have some fun taking various quizzes and assessments to learn about yourself and others. What we do not mean by Person is an independent individual in the sense that both I and another human are separate, independent individuals who can exist apart from one another. You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. 2:17). Contrary to this, the passages we have seen imply that God always was and always will be three Persons. When he has gone further in his "explanation" of the Trinity than many have gone, he admits, "I am far from asserting this as any . Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God. The early church absolutely believed and taught the belief in a God who was three-in-one. Within a week,, Read More Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? The doctrine of the Trinity, simply stated, is as follows: The Bible teaches that there is one eternal God who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Why do so many people struggle with the doctrine of the Trinity? A Christian would still be expected to understand it. As youll see explained more deeply in one of the videos below, you can think of it this way: I am a human being. At Jesus baptism, when Christ came up out of the water, the Spirit descended in the appearance of a dove. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. Specifically, distinguishing between Gods one essence and his three Persons. In this case, "immanent" means "the action remaining within an agent.". Theologian R.C. If God is three Persons, does this mean that each Person is one-third of God? 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. This should make it clear why it is so important to understand that all three Persons are the same essence. Thus, they relate to each other personally the Father regards Himself as I, while He regards the Son and Holy Spirit as You. Likewise the Son regards Himself as I, but the Father and the Holy Spirit as You.. 12:28; Rom. But analogies cannot entirely explain the mystery of God. In the early 2000s, people began using a new approach called "deep . Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus. Thats what faith is being content with our own confusion while still knowing that God is bigger than we can comprehend. And in John 16:13-15 we see that although there is a close unity between them all, the Holy Spirit is also distinct from the Father and the Son. And these three Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Lets start with the geometric figure of the triangle itself. Yet he also proclaimed, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live (1 Cor. Tozerputs it well in The Knowledge of the Holy. 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. But secondly, Christians need to clarify that God is incomprehensible. Other references to the Trinity in the New Testament include Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 12:4-5, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:2, and more. The Trinity was present in the atonement at the cross. Thus, as Wayne Grudem writes, When we speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together we are not speaking of any greater being than when we speak of the Father alone, the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone.[2]. 3:17), Omnipresence (Ps. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. Find resources for personal or group Bible study. Within Gods one, undivided being is an unfolding into three personal distinctions. 1. How do they relate? 40:18; Rom. To help us do that, here are two reasons why the Trinity matters. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. To further our understanding of the distinction of persons within the one God it is best to move on to the next trinitarian principle. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he bids farewell to them: "May the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the 4. It was God who took the initiative to save humankind. Have a great discussion about it! And interesting they are listed under a single name. This refers to Gods single essence. The Son is the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. As I said earlier, it means the same thing as being. We are dealing with fact. Learn about Cru's global leadership team. 3:25; Dan. Whats a Mama to say when the questions start flowing? But it also raises many difficult questions. The seeds are like the Holy Spirit, because He helps us grow. Why, if they are ALL God? That is why any discussion of the Trinity is based on Scripture (Ps. Most Christians are puzzled by the Trinity, and therefore, cant explain it very well. 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. Not the answer an enquiring young mind was looking for. Use your hobbies and interests to find the best place for you to serve. "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons." Unpacking the Definition The word Trinity means three-in-one. Our kids are currently 2, 4, and 7, and its equally loved by all of them, so the Yoto age range is really wide! " Here God is a plural noun, said is in the . The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. God is one in a certain way (essence) and three in a different way (person). 32:17, 27; Matt. But it is not. In sum, the essence or nature of anything is what it is. The Father sent Jesus into the world (John 3:16; Gal. The three members of the Trinity are Persons. 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. 2. My passion is helping you not just read and study the Bible, but truly enjoy it! 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."