He can even be all three at the same time. This is just as bad as the Water analogy and leads to the same error. He has the world and our individual lives within His supremely capable hands. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. Your email address will not be published. Before moving on I should note that providing a full theological explanation of Trinitarian doctrine is well beyond the scope of what I can do here. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). Because God is utterly unique, all comparisons will fail at some point. Augustine's typical dialectic is to move from the exterior realities of creation to the interior reality of the human soul where he hoped to encounter God in the image of God, damaged as it is by the fall. In other words, God may manifest Himself as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. 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. The military would end up destroying themselves. Thanks, Ann! It should bring us to realise that we truly are finite creatures standing before a sovereign, transcendent, divine mystery. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. But its all water. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. The egg example, while not perfect or complete by any means, will still give us a basic understanding of the primary principle of Biblical Trinitarianism. You are an egg! God does not morph from one person to another, nor does God exist as three separate beings. Understanding 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. The Spirit white is connected to Jesus Person I will come to you (John 14:18) and the Fathers Person, We will come to him and make our abode with him (John 14:23). Lastly, below is a helpful graphical chart explaining the doctrine of the Trinity I found from the Christian blog by Tim Challies found at Challies.com. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. What portion of the analogy holds true with Church Teaching? But based on what you know that Jesus is born so that He can save people from their wrongdoings, will you trust Him to forgive you. The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk . 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. I believe that the best way to talk about the Trinity is to simply say that God is one God, who eternally exists in three Persons. 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. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. Modalism is a heresy because it denies the distinction of God. Afterall, we can get rid of a few of its parts - for instance the shell - and still scramble an egg. 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. The Latin word for trinity (trinitas) combines two words- unitas (unity) and trias (three). 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! This is a general rule when we study this Mystery using our human weakness since it is absolutely impossible for our human minds to comprehend the Divine. The God of the Bible is one God. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. These images fall short, because these components arent enough to be considered a whole on their own. For example, an equilateral triangle (a triangle with three equal sides) has three sides. Thought of Tim Its amazing to think that everything will be so clear when we het to Heaven! Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. 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. in that while water can change into vapour or ice, Jesus cannot change into the Father or the Holy 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). Scripture however, doesnt depict God this way. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. Starting with the three biblical affirmations, ask your kids to show you how these examples support or deny what the bible teaches about the Trinity. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. Modalism teaches that the trinity is not three distinct persons, but just different modes that God reveals himself to human beings. Yet it appears to be almost entirely misunderstood within contemporary evangelical circles. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. The analogy explains that in the same way that one shamrock can have three leaves on it, the Trinity has three Persons that constitute one God. Few if any have every tried to teach the heresy of Tritheism, but it needs to be mentioned anyway. It is still H20, but just different forms. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1 what and 3 whos*. Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. 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. In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. - well, sort of. But the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. Bach, and has released two previous CDs, one . Our God is three in one. The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. 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. Analogies of the Trinity. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. I do not have the time or space to exhaustively demonstrate in scripture these truths, but the Biblical witness teaches these three truths consistently about God. Jesus Person is the image of Gods Person (Hebrews 1:3), and the Invisible Spirit of the Father that is in Him - God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). If you say, "water" then you are incorrect. Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature. (Lateran Council IV), 4. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. 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. copyright 2009 by H.D. Similarly, in our aquatic analogy, water can appear in three different modes, depending on the environment, but the three are not co-existing. Shively Trinity is like a Shamrock (or an Apple or an Egg). Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. HO may act as water, steam, or ice, but it is still HO. Before we look at a few bad analogies that many often use to try to illustrate the trinity, we need to first understand the doctrine itself. A good example would be an electrical cord. Yet there is still only one God we serve. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. Among the most popular analogies for the Trinity, two in particular stand out; and most of the others resemble one of them. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. Haydn describes himself as a five-point Calvinist, but he recognises that many faithful Christians disagree. We find it in all four Gospels. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. His motto was that "There was a time when the son did not exist". THE DISTINCTION AND UNITY of the Trinity is not for us to fully understand because it is a supernatural mystery. 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). This was first used by Patrick of Ireland (yes there really was a Patrick of Ireland and he was a great guy), around 400 A.D. 2. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. To return to my Life Group anecdote, after our discussion I asked why does it even matter?. The problem with this analogy is that no one molecule of H2O can actually exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. We all want to experience the good life. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. What happens when an egg hatches? 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. For instance at the baptism of Christ, the Father, Son and Spirit are all distinctly present and interacting (Matthew chapter 3 verses 16-17). Each PERSON is distinct from one another. Each one is fully 100% God. Analogies for the Trinity exist to explain the unexplainable. What is the Trinity? As a result the water molecule must change forms. Light comes from God. The teaching of the trinity is clearly taught in Scripture and must be preserved as such. Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. Surely this is a better understanding of the water analogy! He wondered how it was possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be inseparable, while, in . Arianism clearly denies the deity of the three persons. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. They that dont have the Holy Spirit in them will talk like the Adversary. Therefore the eternal brightness shines forth before Him, and co-exists with Him, in that, existing without a beginning, and always begotten, He always shines before Him; and He is that Wisdom which says, I was that wherein He delighted, and I was daily His delight before His face at all times.. Cool it down, and itll eventually freeze into a solid. The early church labeled this view "tritheism". Though I find the video to be hilarious and often . Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. But having lots 6 Bible Study Tools To Help You Dive Deeper. However, it breaks down on the level of equality: No one keeps or eats the shell of an egg. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. Jesus is in the form of the Holy Spirit. 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. It can also be a liquid and called water. However, keep in mind that the one being. When we speak of someone as being a "person", we often mean an individual who is separate from other people, or we simply mean a human being. Because Gods Person is unapproachable, the Spirit White acts as insulation, for we know that it is through the Holy Spirit that God can communicate, speak through and interact with mankind. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. 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. God does not play three roles.. show me your glory. A person distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A being is the whole nature or essence of something. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. Here are a few of the many verses giving evidence of the Trinity in the Bible: Genesis 1:1&2- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. The Holy Spirit was an active participant in the creative process. The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. The three-leaf clover analogy is OK. However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. The Son "proceeds" from the Father, and the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son.". 7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christs gift., , according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure., , But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; 21keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.. Here are 8 Bible Characters Who Should Be More Famous. They are three in one egg. 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. At the Cathedral, we recognize that there are responsibilities that come with . Hello busy women! Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. Therefore, there is one God, who is eternally present in three persons. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of modalism. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. If you say, "Jesus Christ" then you MAY BE incorrect. 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. The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. No analogy is perfect, but we want to be careful of using wrong ones that may confuse people. The apple seed alone is not an apple. Below is a compilation of the verses that reference all 3 persons of the one God. Stars were made on the froth day. Many of these analogies have the best of intentions, but God cannot be described in a way we can fully comprehend or rationalize. I can only shake my head when He does these things! So, in God, there are three distinct persons. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? Arius was condemned by the council of Nicea in 325 AD. 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. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. The mystery is in the "how" this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. Proof texting is when we cite a bunch of bible verses to support a theological stance. Answer (1 of 25): Cynics assert that the idea of the Holy Trinity is a logical impossibility. Jesus Person is joined to the Father by the Fathers Holy Spirit, because Gods Spirit is also Jesus Spirit - "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. 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? We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. Although he is one he has different roles to different people. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. 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. I and My Father are One (John 10:30). Its downright hard to understand. Love was not given to Jesus. In reality, I change my role depending on who I am interacting with. God is one. Notice the distinction between persons and being. So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. In some ways, it resembles the tritheism view (Misunderstanding 2). The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. Paul leaves the Corinthians with this blessing in 2 Corinthians 13:14- May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. The Egg Analogy - This claims to be a good representation of the Trinity because Eggs have three distinct parts: the shell, the yolk, and the whites. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25). The mystery is in the how this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. Wow! If then the sun were eternal, the day would never end; but now, for such is not really the state of the case, the day begins with the beginning of the sun, and ends with its ending. This is perhaps the most common analogy for the Trinity. She would explode!" As a result, this analogy can easily lead to tritheism in which there are three different gods which might share some like substance. The egg has a shell, the whites and a yoke. The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. You know, that bearded guy on the throne who looks something like Zeus, right? The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. This is because the H20 is changing forms in representing each person. The Holy Spirit prays for us. Your email address will not be published. Three Gods or one? Three persons is false. God is kind of like a man who is a father, a son and an uncle God is kind of like a three-leaf clover, or a triangle; one object, but three different, identifiable leaves, or sides* 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. Jesus isn't a demigod or partially god. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. In Biblical Trinitarianism we can never have one without the other because they are one Spirit; each is the totality of the other which means we cannot have the Holy Spirit without the Father and the Son, We will come (into the believer through the Holy Spirit, John 14:23), and we cannot have the Son without The Father whose Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20). How so? God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Vestment Emblems. Well, the egg analogy, when applied to God, suggests that only one being exists but this being exists in three different parts. Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? 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). Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. I have the good one. The trinity is like this man. History, lifestyle, family, music, theology, scripture, literature, the saints, church history, parenting, politics, prayer, the pope, and more. However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. 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. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. These hand embroidered emblems are made with metallic gold-plated thread with silver content, printed on canvas. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. 2 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each God. Love your blogs! The egg analogy fails because it denies that each person of the Trinity is of the same eternal essence. They are three in one egg. God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. But thats not how they understood it. All of the above Bad Analogies would perhaps do more harm than good if used in explaining the Trinity. Required fields are marked *. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. It is not existing as 3 different parts (persons) at the same time. These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. RELATED: What Did Jesus Really Look Like? The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Or what? The trinity is Like a man who is a father, husband, and son. ), The Son Phil. RELATED: Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? Misunderstanding 1: The transforming trinity Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. But, when it's heated, it turns into a gas (steam) and, when it's frozen, it turns into a solid (ice). Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). You are an egg! 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. To put it simply, "The problem with using analogies to explain the Holy Trinity is that you always end up confessing some ancient heresy." . This description that all persons are fully God is called the Ontological Trinity. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 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). The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. When the Bible talks about God, it may be referring to Jesus Christ in a specific instance, the Holy Spirit in another and God the Father in a third occasion. There is one GOD in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), 2. That is heaven in a person. It is the Fathers desire to join His Spirit with all of us as well for He has said They shall be My sons and daughters (II Corinthians 6:18). This analogy sounds pretty good, but it is fatally flawed in that is describes the Son and Spirit as creations of the Father. is not). Armstrong. 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. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. In the same way, at one moment God is the Father, but at different times God morphs or transforms into the Son or Holy Spirit. Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. 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. You can also catch up with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok 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. All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. The egg example, while not perfect or complete by any means, will still give us a basic understanding of the primary principle of Biblical Trinitarianism. La da dee dee dum dum (I couldnt remember the in-between parts). The Trinity is distinct in their roles and individuality, but united in their attributes of love, mercy, holiness, knowledge, etc. The analogy breaks down because the three cloves are overly distinct and cannot represent the unity of God. God is like H2Olike water. Similarly, people have used the example of the apple in the same way- skin, flesh, and seeds.