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The meme above discourages the use of analogies in explaining the Trinity. The Sun was created on the forth day. Vestment Emblems. 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! Many of us would use analogies to explain the Trinity. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. This description that all persons are fully God is called the Ontological Trinity. Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. Im giving God the credit for stirring this memory, and am extremely grateful. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. But remember, it is much better to let Scripture teach the 3 points above which establish the doctrine of the Trinity than to rely on analogies. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. Moreover, the yoke and the whites are no longer as they used to be. Common, yes. show me your glory. That is heaven in a person. Although he is one he has different roles to different people. Why All Analogies of the Trinity Fall Short - Joshua's Pen It is a miraculous invention, the egg. 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. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). THE TRUTH IS: From the very beginning, the Blessed Trinity Father, Son, and Spirit was there. He can even be all three at the same time. Dont grieve the Holy Spirit out of you. 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). So, part of understanding the Trinity is realizing that God is personal and relational. 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. Who is God? Augustine of Hippo/On The Trinity - Wikiversity And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John14:2, 3). The water analogy of the Trinity follows this line of reasoning: water can be a solid (ice/frozen water), liquid, and gas (water vapor), and yet all three forms are still water (H 2 O), and likewise, God manifests Himself in 3 different ways in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. 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. we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,neither blending their personsnor dividing their essence. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. The Trinity Guarding The Gospel So, the egg analogy doesnt work after all. This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Andrew M. Bailey If you looked at a single cloverleaf, you wouldnt call it a shamrock. Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. Furthermore, this trinity is related to a shamrock, an apple, or an egg. St. Augustine's Analogy for Understanding the Trinity The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. 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. What are some popular illustrations of the Holy Trinity? Truly, it is a Mystery. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. 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. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. Each Person in the Trinity (or the Godhead) is fully God and fully a Person. 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 Son is not the Father or the Spirit. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. Lost will be burned up. Thought of Tim Its amazing to think that everything will be so clear when we het to Heaven! PART OF A WHOLE. The shell, while important, is no longer needed. Each one is fully God. 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). However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. Should Women Really Keep Silent in Church? My interview: https://www.readlotswritelot.com/wp/podcast/episode-21-john-k-adams/, More from Catholicism for the Modern World, https://www.readlotswritelot.com/wp/podcast/episode-21-john-k-adams/. God is like an egg in that He is 3-in-1 God the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. . None of the 3 are less divine than the others. The Father Matthew 27:45-46 (usually there is no argument that the Father is not God, since every place Jesus speaks to God, he is addressing the Father. In Arianism, the Son is not eternally equal with the Father, but was the Fathers first and best creation. 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). So "son" = "Dave". Understanding 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. Eggs are one, yet comprise yolk, shell and albumen. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. 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. RELATED: What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts? How to Explain the Trinity to Children | Free Printable But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. 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. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. Or water can be evaporated and called steam. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. You are an 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). Father, Son, Holy Sprit : 3 persons, 1 great relationship, Copyright 2023 Fervr | Terms of Service. My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. 2. Since these bad analogies tend to lead to a heresy, we will examine the main three areas of heresy concerning the trinity. They are three in one egg. Unfortunately, Arianism is still around and can found within the Jehovah's Witnesses teachings. 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 TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. Jesus loves us so much that he did not obliterate people who died, with power that set stars in the universe. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Discover the richness of the old yet living 2,000-year-old religion which built the West. But this view, too, wont do. [Solved] Erickson discusses "God's Three-in-Oneness." What are the The egg white represents Gods Spirit. The Holy Spirit prays for us. Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. His ways are not my ways! The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. Three Gods or one? But theres one problem: the water analogy is not the biblical picture of God. Ontological means the nature or essence of something. They are unified in one divine being. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. Yet there is only one God. How can God be Three in One? How can we ever explain our Most High, exalted, powerful, uncontainable, and most glorious God? It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. This error denies something central to God that makes Him God. Now were going to look at how some people often misunderstand the Trinity. The military would like to have that power. We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. Others compare God to an egg, which is part shell, part white, part yolk. And the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. Or what? The Holy Trinity, one of the five Dogmas of the Church, is an extraordinary and unfathomable mystery. . Modalism denies the distinction of person in the trinity. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It is still H20, but just different forms. 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. In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. Or have you ever tried to teach kids about the Trinity? 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. Every kid in Sunday school thinks he knows all about God. God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. Jesus is the visual form of God. 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. God is one. 1:8-12; 1 Pet. 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). 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. The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. 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. The Latin word for trinity (trinitas) combines two words- unitas (unity) and trias (three). Jesus is the Holy Spirit. The problem with this analogy is that no one molecule of H2O can actually exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time. What is the Trinity? The above picture is a famous work of art by Andrei Rubilev, the great medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescos. I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. While each person is distinct, they are never separate from one another. Therefore it behoves us to know what He has revealed (including the Trinity), and to lovingly worship Him accordingly. Yet it appears to be almost entirely misunderstood within contemporary evangelical circles. I can only shake my head when He does these things! When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. Water Analogy God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. What is the Trinity? Living Theologically Podcast: Common Misconceptions about the Trinity (Fred Sanders) I'm always interested in ways to encourage you, so feel free to contact me and let me know what areas interest you! It does not represent 3 persons existing simultaneously. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1, *. And whos the Holy Spirit? This view, also known as "modalism", was rejected by the early church. 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. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. 2:5-6; Col. 1:15-17, 2:9; Heb. Youre right, theyre all good but not perfect because only God IS perfect. Our God is three in one. Answer (1 of 25): Cynics assert that the idea of the Holy Trinity is a logical impossibility. 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. 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. Genisis 1:17, KJV. 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. 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. The concept is literally unthinkable. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. 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). 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. 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). We worship one God who exists in three persons. Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. For example, I would say, "God is like an egg." What Is A Good Analogy For The Trinity? - Therefore, God Exists The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. One is a musical chord with three notes. Before I even began writing this post, I had an unusual song stuck in my head Holy God, we praise thy name. Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? Haydn Lea is an Ordained Minister, and is currently serving as an Air Force Chaplain in Adelaide. 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. Understanding the Trinity - Busy Blessed Women Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. 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. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). These three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - exist together in complete unity, with no separation, as one divine being. The analogy breaks down because the three cloves are overly distinct and cannot represent the unity of God. These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. 3:15; John 17:1-4, The Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-13. Wow! copyright 2009 by H.D. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. 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. Yet, as we view the pages of the Bible, we see that God is a personal and relational God. The trinity is like this man. There are, however, some that work better than others. Here are 8 Bible Characters Who Should Be More Famous. 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. 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.