2:1011; Heb. 4:30), and a will (1 Cor. How do they relate? In the baptism of Jesus, we see the Father speaking from heaven and the Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove as Jesus comes out of the water (Mark 1:10-11). 2:10), convinces (John 6:44), teaches (Luke 12:12), convicts (John 16:18), commands (Acts 1:2), moves (John 11:33), helps (Rom. 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. Christ took Gods punishment, and wrath meant for us because of our sins (Heb. You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. It is the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. Its probably the most classic Trinity object lesson, but its not my favorite. Principle #3: Order. (eds. As a mom to three kids under 8, an instructional coach, and a former classroom teacher, I know a thing or two about how public schools REALLY work and the challenges we face in the United States. Equipping families with practical approaches to parenting and marriage. 7:28; Ps. Use the links below to jump to a specific section: The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. What's the Origin and History of the Trinity in the Church? Or what are the objective characteristics that all triangles share? Assign each group with one of the Godheads: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), or the Holy Spirit. Lets change that! 1:12). 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. Remember, the nature or essence of an entity is the property or attributes that make it what it is. Are you still not a Christian? Explore answers to life's biggest questions. More posts you may like r/TrueChristian And he should be referred to by personal pronouns and never as it. The Holy Spirits is a person because he: Scripture also proves that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are God. 10:57), The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earthand in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spiritand born of the virgin Mary.He suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again.He ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic* Church,the communion of the saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. We can be adopted by the Father and united with Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit (John 1:1223; Rom. Most Christians are puzzled by the Trinity, and therefore, cant explain it very well. And this illustration helps us understand the Trinity: This illustration shows how the doctrine of the Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Instead, it reveals that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit possess the same divine essence. Use your hobbies and interests to find the best place for you to serve. The Trinity expresses the belief that God is one being made up of three distinct persons who exist in co-equal essence and co-eternal communion as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . 2:5), The Father is not the Spirit (John 14:26; John 15:26), The Son is not the Spirit (Matt. Before moving on tounderstandingthe idea of one Being existing in three Persons, I will point out that theBiblical idea of the Trinity goes all the way back to the first verse in the first chapter in the first book of the Bible. Theologian R.C. He was "begotten, not made," and he was of the same substance or essence ( homoousios) as the Father. If you are a Christian, why not memorize some of this blogs verses? The Trinity consists of one being revealed in three distinct persons. The answer is simple. Trinity not mentioned in the Bible anywhere! In addition to these texts, the others we mentioned above make clear that the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Personhood of the Son and the Father. Now lets go a little deeper and consider the triangles three corners (angles). How can three and one refer to the same God? He exists as a Trinity. .. More simply stated, the essence of any entity is what it is. Of course, anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about (p. 145). In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. All three members of the Trinity have these characteristics. How can God be both one and three? AboutPressCopyrightContact. Tertullian coined the term Trinity during the second century. In describing the Trinity, the New Testament clearly distinguishes three Persons who are all simultaneously active. Because humankind is limited, God will always exceed our knowledge and understanding (Isa. Thus, Jesus prayed to God the Father without praying to Himself. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! This is girl drama, and it can be extremely harmful to girls both mentally and emotionally. *catholic, meaning universal here, and not a reference to the big C Catholic. I might end with sharing a few analogies from nature. 5:2), Miracles (Ex. The word Trinity does not appear even once in the Bible. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity states that God exists as one God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the Trinity. 10:2831), In Johns writings (1 John 4:1314; Rev. 1:7; 2 Tim. Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. Most of them are less-than-helpful. Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God in truth as well as in our hearts. How can one explain the Trinity simply to a new believer? Use Objects As Visual Aids. 1. Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide. May 23, 2012 by: Justin Buzzard. While not a typical conversation starter, this question is one of the most important we can ask in life. Trinity may be a new term for you and can be confusing even for Christians to explain to others. But secondly, Christians need to clarify that God is incomprehensible. Each Person of the Trinity is distinct, 8. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. If we were to translate it . (Againwere trying to grasp something that isnt fully grasp-able.). OksoWhat about this idea of one being who exists in three persons?. There are three Persons with one divine essence! Does the Holy Spirit look like Casper? 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]. He wrote, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.. Partnering with urban churches to meet physical and spiritual needs. The Holy Spirit was moving or hovering over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2). 28:18-20; 2 Cor. While some say . Show them that there are three parts: seeds, flesh, and skin. He is also referred to in third-person singular pronouns (John 14:26), He engages in actions only a person can do: He searches (1 Cor. 40:18; Rom. This is a limitation on God that doesnt acknowledge that God isalwaysthe Father,alwaysthe Son, andalwaysthe Holy Spirit. To this day, this scripture inspires the language we use to baptize people across Christian denominations. Object Lessons on the Trinity for a Child or New Believer, The Difference Between Teaching the Trinity to a Child vs. a Teenager, Books that Explain the Trinity to a Child, Navigating Girl Drama: 20 Ways Schools and Parents Can Help Calm the Storm, Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. He is beyond us. How could we? The best way to teach the Trinity to ANYONE who is confused is with an object lesson. 4:47), In Hebrews (Heb. While we cannot fully understand everything about the Trinity (or anything else), it is possible to answer questions like these and come to a solid grasp of what it means for God to be three in one. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. And all three members of the Trinity were involved. Each of the persons is distinct from the other in relation (Economic Trinity), yet each is identical in essence (Ontological Trinity). Help others in their faith journey through discipleship and mentoring. This is something far removed from our human experience, where every different human "person" is a different being as well. using the shamrock or the three states of H 2 O to explain the . EitherThe person were explaining it to will think that God simply changes from one to the other at different times and under different circumstances (water). That is why any discussion of the Trinity is based on Scripture (Ps. They only describe what makes up Gods singular essence. Why is the Trinity important to Christianity? However, you dont want to stop there with a student who can participate in a discussion. This would make each Person less than fully God and thus not God at all. The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. How is God one? While the three members of the Trinity are distinct, this does not mean that any is inferior to the other. Further, we should allow the fact that God is triune to deepen our worship. Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. In fact, kids who have been in church for many years will probably have already heard one of these illustrations. Genesis 1:1 reads: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." If we look more closely at the word we translate "God," Elohim, we see it is plural. Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. Firstly, we agree that finite humankind is limited. Matt Perman is the director of career navigation at The Kings College NYC, a blogger, and an author. We are dealing with fact. 32:17, 27; Matt. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. 8:3539; Eph. So many things clamor to define you. Having seen that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, that they are each fully God, and that there is nonetheless only one God, we must conclude that all three Persons are the same God. What does essence mean? The Trinity doctrine developed over hundreds of years and was influenced by the teachings of pagan Greek philosophers. Before anything was created he begat his Logos as a person distinct from himself. Anytime you see a geometric figure with these features, it is a triangle. 5:2122; John 13:34), End-time judgment (Matt. Hes the one who walked the Earth blamelessly, performing miracles, and extending mercy and love. 1:8). Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. The concept of the Trinity is that we have God in three forms - a union of three. God the Son. Lets do a quick review of the topics we have covered. Of course, if the triangle illustration were perfect, we would be able to comprehend God fully, but we cant. Yet he also proclaimed, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live (1 Cor. 11:3336). This post is full of Bible facts for kids that will spark the imagination, encourage lots of good questions, and even inspire some Bible reading. Christs resurrection is variously attributed to: Multiple verses distinguish each member of the Trinity. 3:6. The trouble with this one is that its a bit less visual. While no church is perfect, the Trinity is still the model for the churchs unity (John 1:2123). The word "scripture " graphe (Heavy sigh.) Sometimes the Personhood of the Father and Son is appreciated, but the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is neglected. In this blog post, we are going to discuss the Holy Trinity in simple terms. When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen. The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bible reveals that God isone, in essence, eternally revealed inthree Persons. Second, we have the son of God, Jesus. The Hebrew word for God isElohim. A beautiful mystery. We hate SPAM. 55:8-9). We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. Obviously we cannot, for Scripture is clear that there is only one God: There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. The Father and the Son are God almighty, omnipotent God. After all, so much happens in the week leading up to the resurrection of Christ. 2:17). Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. He is one Being in three Persons (centers of consciousness), not merely three roles. 3:17), Omnipresence (Ps. We exist to worship God. 1:2;). However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. They have eternally (John 17:5, 24) sought to glorify each other (Phil. If you are teaching young children, these object lessons are both the perfect starting and stopping point. The Father is God. However, within the nature of this one God are three persons, or three centers of consciousness - the Father, the Son, and the . 13:14), the term Trinity does not appear. There is a clue that the Son is distinct from the Father, yet there is fellowship between them. Its three things, but all are complete on their own. The Holy Spirit isnt like an egg yolk, because the egg yolk is only part of an egg, whereas the Holy Spirit isnt part of God it IS God. Find freedom from your sins today. The prologue of the Gospel of John has the strongest argument for the Trinity. Sun The sun is a physical object, but also gives off light and heat. Get the answers to frequently asked questions on Christian beliefs and practices. In all transparency, I feel like I did a pretty mediocre job of explaining the Trinity to them in a way they could grasp. The concept of the Trinity is often referred to during worship, which helps Christians to understand it. This triune God (or Trinity) began to allude to this aspect of His nature right in Genesis 1:26-27. But analogies cannot entirely explain the mystery of God. 6:11; Gal. These questions arealwaysasked by someone who is exploring faith in Jesus. The only way humans can know about these mysteries is because the Bible teaches them. You cant find an earthly match for this concept. They are higher than the heavenswhat can you do?, "For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.. That is because it is the only religion that believes in the Trinity. God created man in His image. Jesus himself spoke of the one-ness of the Godhead when he quoted the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4. For example, it says of Christ that "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). Would you like to give your time to work with Cru? Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org. And God created humankind to share that love (John 17:2126; Acts 17:25). 31:3; John 3:16; 1 John 4:8), Righteous (Ps. " Here God is a plural noun, said is in the . Instead, they are all identical in attributes. Its okay for them to have a very limited understanding of God. A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! See if they can think of anything better, and be ready to discuss where different ideas might not quite work. But he avoids contradiction with this statement because he means that in one sense it was the best of times, but in another sense it was the worst of times. Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and Jerome mention it. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God.". 2:6), The image of God (John 12:45; 2 Cor. You can help us reach children and their families to know Jesus. 317 subscribers in the BiblicalUnitarian community. 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. Even then, he was not alone, because he had his Logos within him. Thats why they wrote words like we find inJob 11:7-8, "Can you fathom the depths of God or discover the limits of the Almighty? Thats what faith is being content with our own confusion while still knowing that God is bigger than we can comprehend. We then turn to the most important strategies that have been developed by Christians to resolve this problem. Think about it: Finite Christians serve an eternal and infinite God. The three members of the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. Learn how you can know God personally. Girls become divided, friendships are ruined, and reputations are tarnished. As I said earlier, it means the same thing as being. Lets start with the geometric figure of the triangle itself. 2. This is one of the books of the Torah. Why not consider these truths and place your faith in Jesus (1 John 5:1)? I am also Keith Ferrin. Answer. But they are eternally subordinate in their roles to him (1 Cor. Read more. Showing God in action in and through His people. It is fundamental to our worldview. The next time you (or I) are asked to explain the Trinity, you could start with a 1-sentence definition and then unpack that definition. ), "If God was small enough for my brain to fully understand, He wouldnt be big enough to save me!, The authors of the Bible understood this. What is Gods essence? My passion is helping you not just read and study the Bible, but truly enjoy it! But he is not inferior in Gods divine essence. From the 1950s to the 2000s, people wanted to see if they could make computers exhibit intelligence indistinguishable from humans. . Lets move on to Scriptural evidence for the Trinity. And when he speaks, he refers to himself in first personas I (Deut. Only older children will grasp the in one concept of H20. The wordTrinitymeansthree-in-one. We can discern and apprehend what it is. Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. All three Persons of the Trinity are God. 2. They are different Persons, not three different ways of looking at God. 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.". The ancient church fathers at first simply acknowledged the Trinity without feeling the need to explain a theology of that understanding. We need you. 20:23; Deut. Jesus carried out these creative decrees (John 1:3; Col. 1:16). Because ethnicity is part of the good of creation, we seek to honor and celebrate the ethnic identity of those with whom we serve as well as those we seek to reach. Let's explore each of these members. The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. The apple one is kind of cool. What a challenge! 4:4). Rather than let that frustrate you, let it encourage you. 23:2324). Below is the easiest way that I have ever heard it explained: God the Father is the sun. And the Trinity is an essential doctrine to our understanding of God. The three-ness and one-ness are two different features. 2:511). So God is one what but three whos.. Lets apply these concepts to the Trinity. And that knowledge can feel liberating. God the Father spoke from heaven and spoke of His Son, Jesus. ). Believe it or not, the fact that God is too immense for our finite minds should be comforting, not discouraging! The Trinity Matters because the Gospel Matters. What we do mean by Person is something that regards himself as I and others as You. So the Father, for example, is a different Person from the Son because He regards the Son as a You, even though He regards Himself as I. Thus, in regards to the Trinity, we can say that Person means a distinct subject which regards Himself as an I and the other two as a You. These distinct subjects are not a division within the being of God, but a form of personal existence other than a difference in being.[3]. 15:28). ONLY the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God. Whether an object is a rock or a triangle, we can classify it based on its objective characteristics. 9:18; Matt. The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. 11:3336). Fortunately, the most popular analogy of the Trinity is the triangle. First of all I want to tell you that the Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Do Trinity Crafts/Printables. If it were the other way around and we understood God completely, how would he be the sovereign God? I am fully human. The Holy Trinity is 'the Center of Everything.'. Best Age To Teach The Trinity To A Child. But it also raises many difficult questions. A simpler way to talk about the Trinity is through "God grammar.". Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be distinct from the Father and the Son. Therefore, there is one God with one divine nature and three divine Persons. This leads us to investigate more closely a very helpful definition of the Trinity which I mentioned earlier: God is one in essence, but three in Person. Not the answer an enquiring young mind was looking for. While it is good for us to seek understanding of the Trinity, we cannot fully comprehend God. As youll see explained more deeply in one of the videos below, you can think of it this way: I am a human being. The Trinity is first of all important because God is important. 104:30), sanctifies (Rom. God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to conceive Jesus (God the Son) in the virgin Marys womb (Matt. He is three in Person. Thats the one we think of as the Father. However, these illustrations arent perfect, and really mature kids or teenagers (or adult new believers) could handle digging a bit deeper! Faith is recognizing that we dont have all the answers and deciding that its okay to keep believing and growing. He regenerates us with new spiritual life (John 3:58). 3:1417). Here is an object with three parts: a hard shell, the egg white, and the yolk. And that he is manifest as three Persons.. The concept of the Trinity. Its NOT God. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. The technical term in case youre interested for this wrong way of thinking about God is calledmodalism. But it is not. The Trinity. In other words, Christianity is unique among all other worldviews. Nothing is more astonishing, more challenging, and more potentially life-transforming than knowing God.". As Benjamin Needler preached: This doctrine should establish us in the truth of the gospel For my part, I would not worship that God that I could comprehend Bless God for the clear discovery of this truth under the gospel! In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons.