That means that, as Christians, we believe in only one God. After all, if the trinitarian nature of God is not in the Bible, why bother talking about it at all? He is one Being in three Persons (centers of consciousness), not merely three roles. 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 . So many things clamor to define you. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. 2:2729). "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him.". Some attributes include eternal, infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. Use Objects As Visual Aids. This analogy ignores the personal distinctions within God and mitigates them to mere roles. 55:8-9). How do we know whats age-appropriate for them to understand? Gods One-ness is his One divine essence, 3. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. Thats where the confusion comes from. Its probably the most classic Trinity object lesson, but its not my favorite. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. One helpful Scripture explicitly refers to the essence and personhood of the Trinity. 3:1417). A subreddit for the encouragement and discussion of the Biblical Unitarian position which holds You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. This is great fun to see how teenagers draw a picture of God. 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. Ask them to draw it on the page. . If you are a Christian, why not memorize some of this blogs verses? 5:510; 1 Cor. 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. Secondly I'd like you to read this verse with me from the Bible. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. Now, as Fred Sanders once quipped, this doesn't mean you should begin every witnessing encounter, "God loves you . God is spirit (John 4:24). 3 in 1: A Picture of God This one is for anyone interested in using the apple object lesson. A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! It's a great reminder of the three parts of the Holy Trinity! 13:14), the term Trinity does not appear. We should not think of God as like a pie cut into three pieces, each piece representing a Person. Allegedly, Saint Patrick used a shamrock as a metaphor to explain the Trinity: three leaves, one shamrock. The Trinity confuses many people. Trinity not mentioned in the Bible anywhere! The important difference between complexity and incomprehension: If Christianity was something we were making up, of course, we could make it easier. Surely not. For instance: Additionally, all three members of the Trinity participate together in several critical events. Your Identity in Christ: How God Sees You. However, Matthew 28:19 is frequently used in attempts to prove that the Trinity is a biblical teaching. OrThe person were explaining it to will think that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). Neither should we think of the Persons as being defined by attributes added on to the being of God. Here we will summarize some of the fruits of their labor. For example, it says of Christ that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). The best way to teach the Trinity to ANYONE who is confused is with an object lesson. He is one in essence. 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. Read about individuals who have been transformed by faith. The Son is the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. There was never a time when one of the Persons of the Godhead did not exist. They are personal forms of existence other than a difference in being. But they are eternally subordinate in their roles to him (1 Cor. 2:18). Even then, he was not alone, because he had his Logos within him. 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. Nothing is more astonishing, more challenging, and more potentially life-transforming than knowing God.". Then I'll share an activity using the Celtic Trinity Knot to explain the Trinity to children along with the love that exists between each of its Persons and us. The Hebrew word for God isElohim. 118:28, God referred to in the third person singular (he, his, him): Gen. 1:5, 10; Ex. That isGod is three Persons in onethe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. According to the American Heritage Dictionary the word And God seeks people to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). 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. 119; Prov. But first, lets cover the basics. 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. How to Explain the Trinity to an Unbeliever The Village Church - Flower Mound 118K subscribers 36K views 5 years ago The Trinity is confusing even to most Christians, so we want to pull the. See, each member participated in the creation, the incarnation, and redemption. We just covered Gods one divine essence. Since God is one in a different way than He is three, the Trinity is not a contradiction. Let's explore each of these members. So even if the Bible did call the Trinity a mystery it would only be saying it was unknown to the one not illuminated, i.e. 12:711), The Father is not the Son (Matt. There is a clue that the Son is distinct from the Father, yet there is fellowship between them. The divine essence is thus not something that exists above or separate from the three Persons, but the divine essence is the being of the three Persons. As long as a shape has those three angles that add up to 180 degrees, it doesnt matter what the angles degrees are. 2. 1:3), Demonstrated divine sovereignty over nature (Matt. The relationship between essence and Person, then, is as follows. Jesus dying on the Cross is one of the most important parts of His story. Modern theologians have created a distinction between the "economic Trinity" and the "immanent Trinity.". It may seem like a daunting question at first, but when we think about it the truth of God's triune nature is meant to be a joy, a comfort, and a wonder to us! Baker Books, 1995, pp. That means that, as Christians, we believe in only one God. Are you still not a Christian? "But if I [Jesus] cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.". But Jesus did not become less than the Father during his incarnation. However, these illustrations arent perfect, and really mature kids or teenagers (or adult new believers) could handle digging a bit deeper! Below is the easiest way that I have ever heard it explained: God the Father is the sun. Why do so many people struggle with the doctrine of the Trinity? Geisler, N. L., and R. E MacKenzie, R. E. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: agreements and differences. God the Father spoke the creative words to bring the universe into being (Gen. 1:1). In sum, the essence or nature of anything is what it is. I think it is because they lack at least two pieces of information: The main confusion is that many people dont get this distinction. Heres the problem (and why we shouldntstartwith these analogies):If these analogies are the only way someone thinks of the Trinity, it will lead to one of two errors. 104:30), sanctifies (Rom. That is because it is the only religion that believes in the Trinity. Deity of Jesus: 10 Essentials You Need to Know! Live in another country building relationships and ministries with eternal impact. This would make each Person less than fully God and thus not God at all. They are all eternal. 3:25; Dan. You cant find an earthly match for this concept. The Trinity doctrine developed over hundreds of years and was influenced by the teachings of pagan Greek philosophers. Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. It's so simple, it fits on one page. The word "trinity" cannot be found in the Bible, but the truth is that the three of them have been there together all the way along. Actually, March 17 commemorates St. Patrick's death, actually. 2:11), speaks (Mark 13:11), testifies (Acts 20:23), reveals (1 Cor. But that doesnt mean the concept isnt clearly taught. . 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. "Economic" has to do with the history of salvation, and discusses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the sending and mission of salvation. This explains how God can be both one and three. The problem with this is that it reflects a heresy called modalism. 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. Answer. Then study the pronouns used in Scripture point to the Trinity: This one-ness is Gods one divine essence (Heb 1:3). Gods essence is His being. You can help us reach children and their families to know Jesus. For instance, each Person: Scripture often names all three members of the Trinity together. Fortunately, the most popular analogy of the Trinity is the triangle. 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. 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." Of course, if the triangle illustration were perfect, we would be able to comprehend God fully, but we cant. Elohimis the plural form of the word God. (eds. Egg A single egg is made up of the yolk, the whites, and the shell. 25:3146; 2 Cor. The late theologian Herman Bavinck has stated something very helpful at this point: The persons are modes of existence within the being; accordingly, the Persons differ among themselves as the one mode of existence differs from the other, and using a common illustration as the open palm differs from a closed fist.[4], Because each of these forms of existence are relational (and thus are Persons), they are each a distinct center of consciousness, with each center of consciousness regarding Himself as I and the others as You. Nonetheless, these three Persons all consist of the same stuff (that is, the same what, or essence). John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God.". He regenerates us with new spiritual life (John 3:58). 11:3336). In his bookMere Christianity, C. S. Lewis points out an important distinction. 42. 317 subscribers in the BiblicalUnitarian community. As you might expect, some people consider these mysteries as contradictions. But in response we can point out both agreement and clarification. The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. Below are several of the most popular ones. 4:6; James 2:19; Jude 25. Only older children will grasp the in one concept of H20. Among the worlds religions, the Christian faith is unique. But Christianity's God is unique. But its not a mystery that can or should! "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons.. 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. I work hard to produce evidence-based information about school for both teachers and parents, and to produce and share resources that can help at home and in the classroom. What does it take to begin a relationship with God? For instance, the Father is the first person of the Trinity. His function is superior to that of the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father sent Jesus into the world (John 3:16; Gal. If youre wondering how to explain the Trinity to a child, keep it simple. They are equal in power, love, mercy, justice, holiness, knowledge, and all other qualities. What is a functional order or subordination? It means that a Trinity member submits himself to one or both of the other members. Explore answers to life's biggest questions. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the Trinity. Lets do a quick review of the topics we have covered. And these three Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The concept of the Trinity is that we have God in three forms - a union of three. Jesus is like the flesh, because He became flesh so we could know Him better. There will always be some level of mystery to this, but when you talk about the being/nature/essence as God and the persons/expressions as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit I think we get at least a little bit closer to beginning to comprehend something we can never fully comprehend. The word Trinity is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible; however, countless scriptures mention all three forms of God. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. Its a devotional book. In other words, what are the objective attributes or properties that make up all rocks? But each member had a different function. How can God be both one and three? The prologue of the Gospel of John has the strongest argument for the Trinity. A triangle must have three sides three corners (angles), and the sum of the three angles must be 180 degrees. It has been said, Try to explain the trinity and lose your mind, try to explain away the trinity and lose your soul. Principle #3: Order. He was sustaining and manifesting Gods immediate presence in his creation. Tozerputs it well in The Knowledge of the Holy. While I believe that this is a helpful definition, it should be recognized that Grudem himself is offering this as more of an explanation than definition of Person. Firstly, we agree that finite humankind is limited. One 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. I hate getting spam. The Trinity consists of one being revealed in three distinct persons. In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. To this day, this scripture inspires the language we use to baptize people across Christian denominations. .. And that knowledge can feel liberating. There we read that " God said, 'Let us make man in our image' . ). The first commandment says, You shall have no other gods before me (Ex. How to Support Gifted Readers, 27 of the Best Yoto Cards for Kids (sorted by age group), 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game), Holy Week for Kids: How to Teach Beyond Easter Sunday, 15 Powerful Self Esteem Activities for Kids to Do at Home and in School. A triangle must have three different corners in order to be one triangle. 5:21), making it possible for us to have a relationship with God. 5:7). Showing God in action in and through His people. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! Simply put: without three angles, theres no triangle! Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation. What a challenge! After all, as I have said many times (to myself as much as others!

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