holy trinity egg analogy

Here are four. According to modalism, God does not actually exist in three persons. Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. Try starting your explanation with a simple definition and then ask for further questions: No one can completely know or understand God. 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. 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). Though I find the video to be hilarious and often . In scripture we see explicit trinitarian references, especially at Jesus' baptism where the Father speaks, the Spirit descends, and the Son is in the water. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. The Trinity Guarding The Gospel How can we ever explain our Most High, exalted, powerful, uncontainable, and most glorious God? One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). When it comes to the Trinity, we tend to forget that an analogy is an "aptness of proportion" or a "resemblance of relations," not an identity of relations. Love your blogs! I never thought about it in that way some of these examples Ive never heard of. One is a musical chord with three notes. 1B) This son of Graham and Lois Armstrong is Dave. The water analogy of the Trinity follows this line of reasoning: water can be a solid (ice/frozen water), liquid, and gas (water vapor), and yet all three forms are still water (H 2 O), and likewise, God manifests Himself in 3 different ways in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is a worse analogy than the egg because it is more analogous to the heretical doctrine of Modalism/Oneness than for the Trinity. But the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. Theyve transformed. 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! In using analogies, we need to acknowledge the demerits and limitations of the said analogy. The three-leaf clover analogy is OK. He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. No analogy is perfect, but we want to be careful of using wrong ones that may confuse people. But having lots 6 Bible Study Tools To Help You Dive Deeper. Moreover, the yoke and the whites are no longer as they used to be. The very definition of the heresy known as Modalism/Oneness is that there is one person existing in three different modes or manifestations. Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. 5And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. Answer (1 of 25): Cynics assert that the idea of the Holy Trinity is a logical impossibility. If one of the persons were not there, then we would not have God. I know in the past Ive used analogies that werent the best (more on those later.) But, when it's heated, it turns into a gas (steam) and, when it's frozen, it turns into a solid (ice). He has the world and our individual lives within His supremely capable hands. Thanks, Ann! If you're looking to dive deeper into God's word, here are 6 kinds of bible study tools and resources 9 Influential Female Leaders in the New Testament. in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. Or, we can quote Daniel Webster; a strong Christian- I do not pretend fully to understand the arithmetic of heaven now. . 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. The egg analogy fails because it denies that each person of the Trinity is of the same eternal essence. That fire keeps devils away from the saved. 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. He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:13). To become the people we were always created to be. According to the first, just as water takes three forms (liquid, vapor, and ice), so too God takes the form of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How Helpful Are Analogies of the Trinity? - Kuyperian Commentary In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. Now were going to look at how some people often misunderstand the Trinity. From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. One sits on the throne looking like Sardine and Jasper stone. In the second instance, the truth of Gods Trinity reveals a further aspect of Gods love for His people. There are some analogies that come close. The problem here is it describes each part of the Trinity as 1/3 parts of the overall egg. Father, Son, and Spirit are each fully God (their own egg)- not fractions of one. The military would like to have that power. Youre right, theyre all good but not perfect because only God IS perfect. In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. God controls that light. 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. It does not represent 3 persons existing simultaneously. Can you think of some Bible verses to back up your explanation? For instance, we know that God is perfectly loving. La da dee dee dum dum (I couldnt remember the in-between parts). In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. Light comes from God. Eggs are one, yet comprise yolk, shell and albumen. We find it in all four Gospels. He can even be all three at the same time. It can also be a liquid and called water. The more I reflect on Easter, the more Ive realized how much its become a consumeristic holidayeven Did Jesus really rise from the dead? I have the good one. We can say that the first is egg the shell, the second is egg the albumen and the third is egg the yoke. 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). 4 Bad Analogies for the Trinity Justin Deeter 2. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk . Here are 8 Bible Characters Who Should Be More Famous. There is one GOD in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), 2. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. Therefore, there is one God, who is eternally present in three persons. copyright 2009 by H.D. THE DISTINCTION AND UNITY of the Trinity is not for us to fully understand because it is a supernatural mystery. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. However, keep in mind that the one being who is God is a personal being. Our words should dissipate and be replaced instead with an awestruck adoration and wonder, as we realise the only appropriate response is to fall to our knees and humbly worship the one truly perfect, unified divine essence, comprising three diverse, co-equal and co-eternal divine persons. 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. Trinity Egg Analogy . And let us once more come to illustrations. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. When we separate them and view them as individual deities, that is the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual gods as one. MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. 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. 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). A good example would be an electrical cord. A man might be a father to his children, a husband to his wife, and son to his parents. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the, is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the, being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Haydn describes himself as a five-point Calvinist, but he recognises that many faithful Christians disagree. There are many mysteries to our faith. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves running, boxing and studying history and theology. A person distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A being is the whole nature or essence of something. In this analogy, God is compared to a man. Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. In trying to describe what they saw in the pages of the Bible, the early church decided to use the word person to describe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. Who is God? The Egg and I - Part Two For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. We might call one side A, another side B, and the other C. So, there is a distinction between each of the sides, yet, all three are the same. Lost will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. One of the more traditional analogies is to the states of water. 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. 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). 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. The Trinity is distinct in their roles and individuality, but united in their attributes of love, mercy, holiness, knowledge, etc. We believe in only one true God in all existence, in all places, at all times. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. The Unseen Father would have been put into Satans prison. God has revealed some mysteries from the Old Testament in the New Testament (the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the coming of the Messiah, salvation by grace through faith, etc.) The egg has a shell, the whites and a yoke. Intercession: The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. 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 book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. The problem with this analogy is that it teaches that God has three components: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Thus the Father is in Jesus " I and My Father are One" (John 10:30), "The Father is in Me" (John 14:10) God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. Water at room temperature is liquid. 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. The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. Often these analogies explicitly teach heresy. As a result the water molecule must change forms. What portion of the analogy holds true with Church Teaching? As John 1:18 says, Jesus is "the only begotten God, in the bosom of [God] the Father.". If you say, "water" then you are incorrect. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. Revelation 4:3And 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. There are, however, some that work better than others. 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. He is one God in three persons, all at the same time. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. Furthermore, this trinity is related to a shamrock, an apple, or an egg. The three distinct notes come together to make one beautiful sound. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). Dr. Bruce Ware does an excellent job in his book Big Truths for Young Hearts. 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. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. Understanding 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. Matthew 3:16-17- As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Vestment Emblems. God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. Celebrating Easter Is About so Much More Than One Hour on Sunday. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. 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. God is Great, I always try to figure out how to explain it to my Sunday school kids and they get confused which i get, how would you explain it to them? The Holy Spirit prays for us. Our limited intellects are unable to comprehend its reality, yet, our Scriptures and scholarly Tradition makes it known to us. Is He Jesus side-kick? Yet there is only one God. If we separate them we still may have God the Egg yolk, God the Holy Spirit Egg white and God the Son, the Egg shell/image, three individual parts of an Egg, but they cannot be a Trinity, or tri-unity unless they are unified and are seen as one Egg, so to speak. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. Unfortunately, most of them actually give us the wrong idea about what the Trinity is. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. Water can exist in liquid at room temperature. Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. Modernizations of this analogy include that of an apple (with the peel, the flesh, and the core) or an egg (with its shell, yoke, and white). What are some popular illustrations of the Holy Trinity? But they are one God. Memory, Understanding, and Will. We can think of it this way: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. 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). Here are eight bible characters that you might not know about, but should. Some people falsely claim the Trinity is a form of . Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. Jesus is the Holy Spirit. How so? But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. But thats not how they understood it. 3. They are equally eternal, powerful, sovereign, and worthy of worship. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. The Holy Spirit prays for us. But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. A good example would be an electrical cord. Both are one. The Egg Analogy God is like an egg. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. 3:15; John 17:1-4, The Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-13. We wont find the word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept is shown in many verses. Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. The mystery is in the how this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. The trinity is like this man. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? This is not an exhaustive list: For further reading on the Trinity, I would recommend James Whites The Forgotten Trinity, Wayne Grudems Systematic Theology and online articles by CARM.org. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. For sure, our everyday experience does not include using our finite minds to understand the infinite! A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. Yet others have thought that H20 (water) shows us the Trinity since H20 can be three things: solid (ice), liquid (running water) and vapor (steam).