10:57), The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian. A Christian would still be expected to understand it. 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. Heres how the triangle analogy can help: Consider a triangle with me. 31:3; John 3:16; 1 John 4:8), Righteous (Ps. Learn why He did it and what it means for you. Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. Firstly, we agree that finite humankind is limited. You can describe the Trinity in different ways: The wordspersonsandessencerefer to entirely different features relating to God. That is why understanding what the Trinity is and is not asserting. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith. 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. Its okay to admit you dont know everything. Or stated simply, the triangles what-ness.. Tozerputs it well in The Knowledge of the Holy. Monotheism. Youngblood, R. F., et al. 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. They are personal forms of existence other than a difference in being. 1:12). Many non-Christians and new Christians often struggle with the idea of the Holy Trinity, where we break up God into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. Deity of Jesus: 10 Essentials You Need to Know! "Economic" has to do with the history of salvation, and discusses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the sending and mission of salvation. 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]. The first commandment says, You shall have no other gods before me (Ex. 1. Even then, he was not alone, because he had his Logos within him. Ignore the urge to tie everything up with a nice little bow. During this period, it was attempted solely by using algorithmswhich are basically rules or sets of rules you tell a computer to follow. But the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts 8:16). And confusing ones. The doctrine or concept of the Trinity is central to most Christian denominations and faith groups, although not all. From our understanding of the Trinity (a social being), we recognize that a person is a relational being, not just someone with a mind, a will, and . 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. 3 in 1: A Picture of God This one is for anyone interested in using the apple object lesson. Learn how you can know God personally. But that doesn't mean the concept isn't clearly taught. Instead, they are all identical in attributes. Lets change that! The three-ness and one-ness are two different features. Christ through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God.. Egg A single egg is made up of the yolk, the whites, and the shell. 139:711; Jer. 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. The second point of clarification has to do with personhood. 2:6), The image of God (John 12:45; 2 Cor. How do we come to terms with these different ideas of God? After Christ rose from the grave, he appeared to the disciples and gave them a job to do: preach the Word to everyone. The answer is simple. Here are the best childrens Bibles, sorted by age. But Scripture provides ample evidence of the existence of the Trinity. And God seeks people to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). God is infinite. I am also fully Keith Ferrin. That's the one we think of as the Father. A triangle must have three sides three corners (angles), and the sum of the three angles must be 180 degrees. We then turn to the most important strategies that have been developed by Christians to resolve this problem. 13:14), the term Trinity does not appear. But dont get confused. Yes, the Spirit was sent, but this does not imply that the Holy Spirit is less than they are. It's easy to turn doctrinal discussions into strictly intellectual affairs, but as Dr. Fred Sanders teaches in The Triune God course, we need to do so "in a way that enlists the reader's strict and holy attention for what is essentially a spiritual exercise." John 1 tells us that the Word is Yeshua - that he was with God and was God from the get go, right there at creation. Learn about Cru's global leadership team. The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. At this stage, your head may be swimming with all this new information about God! Perfect for the Bible newbie or the long-time Bible reader. Sometimes the Spirit is treated more like a force than a Person. The Bible reveals that God isone, in essence, eternally revealed inthree Persons. We should not think of God as like a pie cut into three pieces, each piece representing a Person. One God? To this day, this scripture inspires the language we use to baptize people across Christian denominations. In other words, Christianity is unique among all other worldviews. These are all qualities of personhood. To start, let me define what I mean when I say persons. Personhood is having intellect, emotions, and a will. The The truth is always new, fresh, and exciting to the believer in Christ. What a challenge! 19:714; Ps. Simply put: without three angles, theres no triangle! The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. Ive been thinking about it a lot, doing some research to see how people smarter than I have explained the Trinity, and come to a better understanding of the Trinity andhow to explain the Trinity in simpler terms. First of all I want to tell you that the Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, the Trinity is incomprehensible. Hmmm. Essence and person are not the same thing. 20:23; Deut. I wont go into all of the verses here (simply type bible verses about the Trinity into Google and youll find plenty). Perhaps for the first time, you have read that the Trinity is a mystery and not acontradiction. Gods One-ness is his One divine essence, 3. Believe it or not, the fact that God is too immense for our finite minds should be comforting, not discouraging! There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. 6:45; 32:39; 1 Kings 8:60; 2 Kings 5:15; Isa. Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth. But continue seeking to understand why the Trinitarian nature of God matters. The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. It is understandable that our finite minds cannot grasp an infinite God. For if we deny this, we have denied Gods unity and affirmed that there is more than one being of God (i.e., that there is more than one God). The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. . be explained away. Does the Holy Spirit look like Casper? After all, theyre good questions. 4. What does essence mean? Dont despair. We also see this evidenced in how the Son and Father sent the Spirit into the world (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7). What we have seen so far provides a good basic understanding of the Trinity. 7:28; Ps. We begin with a brief discussion of the doctrine in historical context, explaining more fully the nature of the problem it raises. 118:28, God referred to in the third person singular (he, his, him): Gen. 1:5, 10; Ex. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he bids farewell to them: "May the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the For example, if I say that the moon is made entirely of cheese but then also say that the moon is not made entirely of cheese, I have contradicted myself. The only way humans can know about these mysteries is because the Bible teaches them. No, the wordTrinitydoes not appear in the Bible. But it is possible to go deeper. For instance, the Father is the first person of the Trinity. His function is superior to that of the Son and the Holy Spirit. This triune God (or Trinity) began to allude to this aspect of His nature right in Genesis 1:26-27. A triangle must have three different corners in order to be one triangle. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. As I said earlier, it means the same thing as being. The Trinity confuses even adults, so when youre tasked (or inspired) to teach the Trinity to a child, teenager, or new believer, it can be overwhelming. Learn the basics of what Christians believe. 55 years on I've yet to hear or read an explanation of the Trinity that makes sense. He was sustaining and manifesting Gods immediate presence in his creation. God the Son is the rays of sunshine. 4. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God.". 2:10), convinces (John 6:44), teaches (Luke 12:12), convicts (John 16:18), commands (Acts 1:2), moves (John 11:33), helps (Rom. 2. But it is not. But Keith Ferrin is noteveryhuman being.. To confess that the Father, Son, and Spirit are equal in power of course means that one does not rule over the other in any way. This is absolutely true. 2:11), speaks (Mark 13:11), testifies (Acts 20:23), reveals (1 Cor. 2:11), and performs miracles (Matt. And that he is manifest as three Persons.. 13: Trinity | Putting the Fun In, Faith and Finances: 5 Steps to Get Started. 9:18; Matt. 2:17). Often it is objected that If Jesus is God, then he must have prayed to himself while he was on earth. But the answer to this objection lies in simply applying what we have already seen. He brings all light and life to the world. Just like anything else, some kids have to work hard for what comes easily to, Read More 15 Powerful Self Esteem Activities for Kids to Do at Home and in SchoolContinue. 6:2122), Resuscitation of the dead (1 Kings 17:1724; 2 Kings 4:1837), The resurrection of Jesus (Acts 4:10; Acts 10:40), Sustains the universe (Col. 1:17; Heb. It is the revelation of who our Almighty Creator actually isnot just a god, but an infinite Being existing in eternity as three co-equal, infinite Persons, consubstantial yet distinct. 5:510; 1 Cor. After all, plenty of, Read More 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game)Continue, Whereas most of us are pretty comfortable with our family traditions for celebrating Easter, Holy Week for kids is WAY more intimidating. When he has gone further in his "explanation" of the Trinity than many have gone, he admits, "I am far from asserting this as any . In sum, the essence or nature of anything is what it is. 5:21), making it possible for us to have a relationship with God. Its not unusual for teenagers to give Jesus a bunch of loving characteristics and then put words like justice and vengeance on God the Fathers poster. So God is one what but three whos.. 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. While the three members of the Trinity are distinct, this does not mean that any is inferior to the other. 3:25; Dan. ETS members all confess the Father, the Son, and the Spirit to be "one in essence, equal in power and glory.". But Christianity's God is unique. But is there any easy way to apprehend these exciting discoveries? After all, each of these illustrate the idea that God is made up of parts, and thats not really true. Lets move on to Scriptural evidence for the Trinity. Trying to fully understand God is like a 2-year-old trying to fully understand the complexities of relationships, marriage, and parenting! Why? Within a week,, Read More Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? Actually, March 17 commemorates St. Patrick's death, actually. Other references to the Trinity in the New Testament include Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 12:4-5, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:2, and more. What's the Origin and History of the Trinity in the Church? Matt Perman is the director of career navigation at The Kings College NYC, a blogger, and an author. I'm an author, speaker, husband, father and ice cream lover. Kids understand the three different forms clearly, as separate objects. . 6:11; Gal. A subreddit for the encouragement and discussion of the Biblical Unitarian position which holds Amongst other books, I have read 'The Forgotten Trinity" by James White, but remain unconvinced that acceptance of or belief in the confusing doctrine of the trinity is essential for Salvation. The word "scripture " graphe Before anything was created he begat his Logos as a person distinct from himself. Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. He sent Jesus to save us and then completed our salvation through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Eph. (Ohand I'll send you my free guideThe Simplest Way to Study ANY Bible Passageas a "Thank you" for jumping on board!). The personhood of each member of the Trinity means that each Person has a distinct center of consciousness. But all three must be present simultaneously for the geometric figure to be a triangle. Wayne Grudem explains: But if each person is fully God and has all of Gods being, then we also should not think that the personal distinctions are any kind of additional attributes added on to the being of God . You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. Divide your group into three teams and give each group a sheet of butcher paper or poster. 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 . 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. God the Holy Spirit is the warmth you feel from the sun. And Scripture provides many descriptors, orattributes,of Gods singular essence or nature. This is great fun to see how teenagers draw a picture of God. The most popular is probably the one found in the Great Commission: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit . "But if I [Jesus] cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.". know that I recognise only one God. The trouble with this one is that its a bit less visual. The prologue of the Gospel of John has the strongest argument for the Trinity. The different roles refer to a functional order or functional subordination.. 1:20-21), In salutations and benedictions (2 Cor. 4; 14; Jon. These verses make it impossible to deny their individuality and deity. The Trinity Matters because the Gospel Matters. Its a devotional book. This command lists all three persons of the Trinity. Satan. Are these just three different ways of looking at God, or simply ways of referring to three different roles that God plays? Just hang on a little longer. So a closer look at the fact that God is one in essence but three in person has helped to show why the Trinity is not a contradiction. You cant find an earthly match for this concept. And the Trinity is an essential doctrine to our understanding of God. These three persons make up the one true God. He is three in Person. 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. . Its probably the most classic Trinity object lesson, but its not my favorite. You arent alone! 3:17; 17:5; Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 10:15; 12:28; 17:1-26; 1 Tim. The word "trinity" is a term used to denote the Christian doctrine that God exists as a unity of three distinct, simultaneous persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Must you become a better person so that God will accept you? The Trinity was present in the atonement at the cross. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. Or what are the objective characteristics that all triangles share? It's so simple, it fits on one page. As Christians, we derive our concept of person from the relations in the Trinity. 28:20; Col. 3:11), Omnibenevolent (John 13:34; Rom. 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. How can one explain the Trinity simply to a new believer? "It has been said that there have been four centuries when the church's understanding of the person of Christ has been most under attack. Steam, water, and ice are all H20. OrThe person were explaining it to will think that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). 4:30), and a will (1 Cor. Jesus is the one whose life we try to copy. .. We just covered Gods one divine essence. Well, we can know because God has given us his special revelation: the Bible. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not unite people by neglecting t We can never completely understand the Trinities one essence and three Persons. He was "begotten, not made," and he was of the same substance or essence ( homoousios) as the Father. Rather, the being of each Person is equal to the whole being of God.[1] The divine essence is not something that is divided between the three persons, but is fully in all three persons without being divided into parts., Thus, the Son is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. 1:318; 1 Pet. 2) It makes no sense 3) The doctrine is rooted in ancient pagan Babylon 4) Jesus himself said he is God's SON; not God himself as the Trinity teaches 12:28; Rom. And interesting they are listed under a single name. This refers to Gods single essence. 8:6a). See if they can think of anything better, and be ready to discuss where different ideas might not quite work. We cannot entirelycomprehendan infinite God and these mysteries (Rom. With input from her father, fart followed within a day or two, and I was horrified, but also excited that she mysteriously managed an r-controlled vowel without any explicit instruction. Since God is one in a different way than He is three, the Trinity is not a contradiction. The Trinity is like an egg or apple. There would only be a contradiction if we said that God is three in the same way that He is one. It is fundamental to our worldview. 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. Volunteer abroad this year on a short term global missions trip offered by one of the best, most-reliable Christian missions organizations in the world. For example, since the Father sent the Son into the world (John 3:16), He cannot be the same person as the Son. 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. Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. In fact, it is precisely the continuing dialogue between the Father and the Son (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; John 5:19; 11:41-42; 17:1ff ) which furnishes the best evidence that they are distinct Persons with distinct centers of consciousness. What is the Trinity? That way were providing a simple, common language and framework for everything else were going to say (or any analogies we use). And God created humankind to share that love (John 17:2126; Acts 17:25). 9:14; Heb. However, you dont want to stop there with a student who can participate in a discussion. The Bible is full of Scripture speaking of there being only one God (seeDeuteronomy 6:4for starters), as well as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all being God. 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? We can be adopted by the Father and united with Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit (John 1:1223; Rom. For instance, the Trinity does not mean that: Instead, we need to clearly distinguish two categories (Persons and essence). We are referring to two different features of God: (1) his singular essenceor natureand (2) three Persons. Essence and personhood are NOT the same thing. 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. In explaining the Trinity to your friend, begin, perhaps, with the work of salvation. It is very simple: All three Persons are one God because, as we saw above, they are all the same essence. Showing God in action in and through His people. God addressed in the second person singular (you): 2 Sam. And during his earthly ministry, Christ subjected himself to the Fathers will. Each Person of the Trinity is distinct, 8. The Son and Holy Spirit are equal in deity to the Father. 3:1417). 4:47), In Hebrews (Heb. 2:10), knows (1 Cor. 8:2327), Resuscitates the dead (Matt. 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. In this blog post, we will discuss how schools and parents can help girls to, Read More Navigating Girl Drama: 20 Ways Schools and Parents Can Help Calm the StormContinue, Ill never forget the moment I watched in amazement as my newly-turned 4 year old sounded out her first few CVC words. 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. Its three things, but all are complete on their own. He is three in a different way than He is one. Three separate beings, all rolled into one entity. 45:5-6, New Testament: Mark 12:29; John 5:44; Eph. . God told Moses in the Torah to tell God's people these words: M. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." ( Deuteronomy 6:4) C. Yes, that's right. Have a great discussion about it! Of course we are speaking by analogy here, for we cannot understand this in a physical way about God. 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? 4 Visual Ways To Explain The Trinity To A Child. As you might expect, some people consider these mysteries as contradictions. But in response we can point out both agreement and clarification. Internship opportunities with Cru's ministries. Ive already done your research at my local library. God the Father. But how can finite humans know anything about Gods infinite essence? They only describe what makes up Gods singular essence. In Hinduism, the trinity (Trimrti, or The Three Forms) is of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. Genesis 1:1says this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.. It is the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. And these three Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now lets dig into these imperfect yet better than nothing representations of the Trinity for kids. The verb for created isbara. While admitting the lack of conformity among believers, we must never consider it a minor issue of doctrine. Show them that there are three parts: seeds, flesh, and skin. 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. 10:2831), In Johns writings (1 John 4:1314; Rev. God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to conceive Jesus (God the Son) in the virgin Marys womb (Matt. We exist to worship God. I think the major problem involves not distinguishing two different features of God. 2. Likewise, after the Son returned to the Father (John 16:10), the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world (John 14:26; Acts 2:33). While there are some illustrations which are helpful, we should recognize that no illustration is perfect. But that doesnt mean the concept isnt clearly taught. If each Person of the Trinity is distinct and yet fully God, then should we conclude that there is more than one God? What we do not mean by Person is an independent individual in the sense that both I and another human are separate, independent individuals who can exist apart from one another. When Jesus answered the question, What is the greatest commandment? he prefaced the answer by quoting the. The Son is the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. If we were to translate it . But they are eternally subordinate in their roles to him (1 Cor. Hes the one who walked the Earth blamelessly, performing miracles, and extending mercy and love. Monotheism is foundational to Christianity. But a common question arises: How do the members of the Trinity differ from one another?. Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. All will play a role in the events mentioned in Revelation. Jesus carried out these creative decrees (John 1:3; Col. 1:16). Through accepting the undeserved gift of salvation (Eph.