If you say, "Jesus Christ" then you MAY BE incorrect. TO AVOID HERESIES, LET US LIVE BY WHAT HAS BEEN REVEALED TO US: 1. Wow! Jesus isn't a demigod or partially god. In part one, we looked at what the Bible has to say about the Trinity. 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. Dont you know Jesus? Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. copyright 2009 by H.D. RELATED: The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire. Some people falsely claim the Trinity is a form of . He cares for his creation and his people. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. Some people have suggested using an egg to explain how God can be both one and three. The problem with this analogy is that it teaches that God has three components: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. . 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. 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. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. 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. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. His motto was that "There was a time when the son did not exist". Each separate being is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. Depth isnt the same thing as height and height isnt the same thing as width, yet all three together are what comprise space. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. Is He Jesus side-kick? When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. 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? The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. A good example would be an electrical cord. Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. For example, I would say, "God is like an egg." We believe that it is a revelation that comes from Christ Himself. But thats not how they understood it. There is one GOD in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), 2. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. I'm always interested in ways to encourage you, so feel free to contact me and let me know what areas interest you! 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. A person distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A being is the whole nature or essence of something. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. 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. To put it simply, "The problem with using analogies to explain the Holy Trinity is that you always end up confessing some ancient heresy." . But in the Godhead, each Person is fully and completely God unto Himself (even as they are all one God). Stars were made on the froth day. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. Notice the distinction between persons and being. He explains why the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to the gospel even if it seems abstract or confusing, highlights why all analogies and metaphors are of limited value when thinking about the Godhead, and responds to the . One thing that Ive found helpful is using the Trinity to illustrate truths we know about God. So whats one good way to explain what the Trinity is? The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. What are some popular illustrations of the Holy Trinity? For sure, our everyday experience does not include using our finite minds to understand the infinite! The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit. God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:13). Its impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. I go to prepare a place for you. But having lots 6 Bible Study Tools To Help You Dive Deeper. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Yet there is only one God. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. While an egg has a yolk, a white and a shell to make up the whole, each part is only ever . Although he is one he has different roles to different people. The early church labeled this view "tritheism". There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. That fire keeps devils away from the saved. Which ones have you heard? Memory, Understanding, and Will. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the . For example, triangles are not the kinds of things that are personal. This analogy is still not perfect because each of the aspect cannot stand as egg like each of the persons in the trinity can stand as God. Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. 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. Before I even began writing this post, I had an unusual song stuck in my head Holy God, we praise thy name. We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. To help you out, here is a comical and silly video that teaches about these bad analogies. The mystery is in the "how" this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Therefore it behoves us to know what He has revealed (including the Trinity), and to lovingly worship Him accordingly. Water can exist in liquid at room temperature. "The Egg and i - A Simple Explanation of The Trinity" - cafe Logos The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. H2O can only ever be one form at a time. What is the Trinity? 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. This is one of the reasons we say that "God is LOVE". Sadly, theres something "rotten" about this egg analogy. And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. There is only one egg with three different parts. 1. An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. 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. In an attempt to explain the Trinity, there are some bad examples people use, and some better ones. 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. So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. Often these analogies explicitly teach heresy. Why Analogies And Illustrations Of The Trinity Fail Yet, as we view the pages of the Bible, we see that God is a personal and relational God. However, keep in mind that the one being who is God is a personal being. I bet I havent sung or heard this song in years! Its all one person, simply functioning in three different roles. 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. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). Trinity Egg Analogy . In the same way, water is all the same molecular structure, expressing itself in three different modes. 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. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. 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. The teaching of the trinity is clearly taught in Scripture and must be preserved as such. Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. Modalism teaches that the trinity is not three distinct persons, but just different modes that God reveals himself to human beings. Haydn Lea is an Associate Pastor in Queensland, and is currently studying his Master of Arts (Theology). . If youve been involved in ministries for children or young people, questions about the Trinity have most likely come up. and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. The best analogy for the Trinity (hold your stones) - The Project on Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. Shively The Egg and I - Part Two 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. 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. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy 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). For example, we know that God didnt create humanity because He bored or lonely. The Holy Trinity: Egg Analogy by Sharmaine Pagtakhan - Prezi The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. That is why Moses said. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. Stars were made on the forth day. Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? RELATED: What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts? In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. 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. In order to accomplish this union with God and man, He allowed His Shell to be broken with the weight of our sins to cleanse our souls so His holiness can approach, for God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). 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 Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. A good follow up verse to help explain is the baptism of Jesus. However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. Your email address will not be published. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit also exist eternally and concurrently. But this idea is central to the Christian faith. Try starting your explanation with a simple definition and then ask for further questions: No one can completely know or understand God. Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. Explaining the Trinity | Catholic Answers This may be my favorite verse of them all. Pingback: 3 Reasons Why Jesus Humanity Really Matters Her & Hymn, Pingback: 3 Reasons Why Jesus' Humanity Really Matters, Pingback: How Jesus Teaches Us To Be Human Her & Hymn. He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. Let's use an egg to explain the Holy Trinity! FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. Why analogies of the Trinity fail Youthworks Jonathon serves as a lay pastor at Gospel Life Church in New Braunfels, TX and currently works as the IT Manager for a non-profit ministry. Modalism teaches that one God just changes forms or modes over the course of scripture. I write to see memory and language wrestle with reality. An egg is made up of shell, white and yolk. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. The Unseen Father would have been put into Satans prison. One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. Like modalism, the "three beings" view was rejected by the early church. How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? God controls that light. . This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. Haydn Lea is an Ordained Minister, and is currently serving as an Air Force Chaplain in Adelaide. 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. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. They've always led to error and have been rejected by the church. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves running, boxing and studying history and theology. If the Sun existed from eternity past then so were the light rays from the Sun. He was with God in the beginning. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,, , Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning. Eggs are one, yet comprise yolk, shell and albumen. In some ways, it resembles the tritheism view (Misunderstanding 2). We Christians believe it on faith. God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. Learn how your comment data is processed. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. Love was not given to Jesus. For example, an equilateral triangle (a triangle with three equal sides) has three sides. If you say, "water" then you are incorrect. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. Is the Trinity like H2O, an egg, or a triangle? - Fervr They say that three separate beings exist, 2. How can we ever explain our Most High, exalted, powerful, uncontainable, and most glorious God? He got married there in 1965, and his four . He has the world and our individual lives within His supremely capable hands. in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. So, in God, there are three distinct persons. In order to accomplish this union with God and man, He allowed His Shell to be broken with the weight of our sins to cleanse our souls so His holiness can approach, for God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). How do we make sense of the Trinity? Others compare God to an egg, which is part shell, part white, part yolk. An essential factor lacking from those concepts is the relational quality of God. They are three in one egg. 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). We wont find the word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept is shown in many verses. Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. 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. Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. This is the error of Arianism (not to be confused with Aryanism, which is also bad). Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. And whos the Holy Spirit? So God performs 3 different roles/relationships but 1 God. He completed a doctorate in 1990, looking at the question of harmonic rhythm in the organ music of J.S. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. The Son was begotten by the Father IN ETERNITY, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. Trinity is like a Shamrock (or an Apple or an Egg). The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. 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. Now that we know the doctrine of the trinity and its corresponding major heresies, now we are ready to look at some bad analogies for the trinity. We find it in all four Gospels. But the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. 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. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. It is still H20, but just different forms. The more I reflect on Easter, the more Ive realized how much its become a consumeristic holidayeven Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Take a moment and give it a try. Among the most popular analogies for the Trinity, two in particular stand out; and most of the others resemble one of them. As a result the water molecule must change forms. Dont grieve the Holy Spirit out of you. Tritheism denies that there is only one God. 4 Bad Ways to Explain the Trinity (and 1 Good One) In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. Its downright hard to understand. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. Theyve transformed. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. Part 2. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) Yet God lovingly chose to create and eventually redeem us anyway (both thoroughly Trinitarian acts), at great cost to Himself. And the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. This is the one I used long ago when trying to explain the Trinity to a group of 1st-5th graders. Love your blogs! The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (the word is not). Furthermore, this trinity is related to a shamrock, an apple, or an egg. 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. What is the best analogy of the Holy Trinity? - Quora One is a musical chord with three notes. This is not an exhaustive list: For further reading on the Trinity, I would recommend James Whites The Forgotten Trinity, Wayne Grudems Systematic Theology and online articles by CARM.org. 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. These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. God Is Like An Egg - vtaide.com The Trinity is like waterand other bad analogies Deuteronomy 6:4- Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. This verse is also the beginning of the Jewish Shema prayer; their confession of faith. It does not represent 3 persons existing simultaneously. The Bible reveals that each person of the Trinity has unique roles, relationships, and functions which are distinct from one another. 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. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. You know, that bearded guy on the throne who looks something like Zeus, right? Studying the Trinity poses difficulty to us Catholics. Hello busy women! We all want to experience the good life. - well, sort of. An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? Now God can be in you by His Spirit! Seven Simple Facts About the Trinity - biblequery.org Each one is fully God. Instead, each person is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. 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. 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. The problem with this analogy is that no one molecule of H2O can actually exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time. In Arianism, the Son is not eternally equal with the Father, but was the Fathers first and best creation. In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25). There are many mysteries to our faith. This is just as bad as the Water analogy and leads to the same error. Explaining the Holy Trinity. He also knows how to perfectly love us. These attributes are: omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipresence (exists in all places). 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).
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