we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,neither blending their personsnor dividing their essence. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. Unfortunately, there is a problem with this view of the Trinity. A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. This is the Christmas paradox. Light comes from God. Why is it wrong? A Simple Way to Explain the Trinity - Keith Ferrin In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. 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. He also knows how to perfectly love us. 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). Copyright 2023 Christian Today. Our limited intellects are unable to comprehend its reality, yet, our Scriptures and scholarly Tradition makes it known to us. 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. However, keep in mind that the one being who is God is a personal being. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. 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. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. Three persons is false. Its downright hard to understand. Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature. (Lateran Council IV), 4. The military would like to have that power. Yet, as we view the pages of the Bible, we see that God is a personal and relational God. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. - well, sort of. 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. The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. The Holy Trinity, one of the five Dogmas of the Church, is an extraordinary and unfathomable mystery. How Helpful Are Analogies of the Trinity? - Kuyperian Commentary God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. This analogy denies the distinction of the God-head. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. If one of the persons were not there, then we would not have God. That is heaven in a person. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! The Sun was created on the forth day. His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! Therefore, there is one God, who is eternally present in three persons. There was no relational deficiency that prompted God to create us. But Hes God too, right? Jesus is fully God. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. But the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. The Holy Trinity - A Scientific Analogy - The Fra Angelico Institute Love your blogs! They are three in one egg. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25). In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. Over the course of church history there have been several heresies that have cropped up that deny one of these three truths. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. in that while water can change into vapour or ice, Jesus cannot change into the Father or the Holy Spirit. God is like H2O in that the Bible may refer to a specific person of the Trinity but that person is still God. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. Here are a few common illustrations: The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk. He completed a doctorate in 1990, looking at the question of harmonic rhythm in the organ music of J.S. Indeed, how can an infinite God be contained in a finite human womb! My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything, 3 Reasons Why Jesus Humanity Really Matters Her & Hymn, 3 Reasons Why Jesus' Humanity Really Matters, How Jesus Teaches Us To Be Human Her & Hymn. To help you out, here is a comical and silly video that teaches about these bad analogies. If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. 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. Does that make sense? The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Haydn describes himself as a five-point Calvinist, but he recognises that many faithful Christians disagree. Relationship Analogy (Husband/Son/Father) God is like a person with different relationships just as a man can be a Dad, but also someones Son, and also someones Husband. John 17). It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. The Trinity is pretty weird: the Father (or Mother), Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are in some sense distinct from one another, but are all unified in another sense. One day, however, the image will be clear. Augustine of Hippo/On The Trinity - Wikiversity Yet the orthodox view is that each person of the Trinity is fully divine. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. CafeLogos.orgThe Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity Finally, I would suggest that the mere fact that we cannot understand the full depth of the Trinity (even with our myriad of analogies) has implications. The shell, while important, is no longer needed. The problem with this analogy is that it would imply that there is only one Divine Person, who eventually multiplied Himself. Here are eight bible characters that you might not know about, but should. In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. Stars were made on the froth day. What Is A Good Analogy For The Trinity? - Therefore, God Exists Montreal was home to two Trinity churches built in 1865 And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. He was with God in the beginning. 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). This analogy sounds pretty good, but it is fatally flawed in that is describes the Son and Spirit as creations of the Father. God controls that light. This view teaches that three separate beings exist. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. The analogy breaks down because the three cloves are overly distinct and cannot represent the unity of God. It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of modalism. 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.. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the what is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the whos being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father., 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. When we use analogies, we need to indicate these things so as to not lead to heresies, A Catholic and Filipino writer interested in theology, philosophy, liturgy, politics, and law. The trinity is Like a man who is a father, husband, and son. 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. A certain YouTube page created a famous video titled "St. Patrick's Bad Analogies" (which can be found here), in which the historic St. Patrick meets charming villagers who deride him based on the analogies which he uses in the process of explaining the Holy Trinity. Time Analogy God is like time. Lost will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. In one of his sermons, he wrestled with the passage in Scripture recounting Jesus' Baptism. Moreover, the yoke and the whites are no longer as they used to be. He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). For instance, we know that God is perfectly loving. One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and are distinguished from one another. The Holy Spirit prays for us. The Trinity for Kids - Part 2 - Prepared to Answer Modalism denies the distinction of person in the trinity. Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. Holy Trinity: Some Analogies to Help Us Comprehend An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? The Bible reveals that each person of the Trinity has unique roles, relationships, and functions which are distinct from one another. Jesus was standing in the Jordan River, His Father speaks from heaven above, and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him as a dove. 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.. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. Lost will be burned up. 1. Thought of Tim Its amazing to think that everything will be so clear when we het to Heaven! Each of the divine persons is GOD WHOLE AND ENTIRE, and there is one God. 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. Understanding the Trinity - Busy Blessed Women copyright 2009 by H.D. So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. So much of what we know about what God does is wrapped up in who He is. 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. Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. Some people falsely claim the Trinity is a form of . You are an egg! In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. . From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. Our God is three in one. Answer (1 of 25): Cynics assert that the idea of the Holy Trinity is a logical impossibility. Well, the egg analogy, when applied to God, suggests that only one being exists but this being exists in three different parts. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. I can only shake my head when He does these things! The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. Martyn Iles Removed as Managing Director of Australian Christian Lobby by Board, Seven Types of Rest to Restore Your Body, Mind and Spirit, 8 witnesses testified against Hillsong founder Brian Houston in court case, wife Bobbie reveals, Why you feel guilty for not going to church, Samaritan's Purse sends 52-bed field hospital to Turkey. However, in some instances, the use of carefully chosen analogies may be of help for some of our brethren in learning the teachings of the Church. How to Explain the Holy Trinity to a Child: 3 Important Teaching Tips Proof texting is when we cite a bunch of bible verses to support a theological stance. Now, as youve probably guessed, this analogy also breaks down. Is He Jesus side-kick? This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. I bet I havent sung or heard this song in years! So God performs 3 different roles/relationships but 1 God. Im giving God the credit for stirring this memory, and am extremely grateful. Studying the Trinity poses difficulty to us Catholics. This analogy actually falls prey to the same error of modalism. Humans as we are, we cannot fully understand how the three divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God. He began to play the organ as a chorister in England, before continuing his studies in Qubec and France. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. Jesus is the visual form of God. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. So when God created us and revealed Himself to us, what He did was to invite us into the perfect goodness He has always known within Himself. But it cant be that way with God. God is much bigger and much greater than we can understand, and to be honest, I'm ok with that. H2O is a combination of two particles (atoms) of hydrogen and one particle of oxygen and this compound can exist as water (liquid), ice (solid) and vapour (gas). 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).