Question: How do you explain the Trinity? understand the doctrine of the Trinity. Sometimes the Personhood of the Father and Son is appreciated, but the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is neglected. "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 Is the Trinity? (Free Downloads) - Ligonier.org Learn why He did it and what it means for you. He sent Jesus to save us and then completed our salvation through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Eph. In eternity past, before the beginning, God was alone. How To Explain St. Patrick's Day To A Child, From Fun To Facts - MSN How To Explain the Trinity to Muslims - crossexamined.org The concept of the Trinity is often referred to during worship, which helps Christians to understand it. 40:18; Rom. Read about individuals who have been transformed by faith. They had to wait another 50 year for the 381 update. Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. Within Gods one, undivided being is an unfolding into three personal distinctions. The Holy Spirit was moving or hovering over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2). Thats what faith is being content with our own confusion while still knowing that God is bigger than we can comprehend. 12:32; 28:19; Luke 3:22), There is one God and three Gods (a contradiction), God is one person and three persons (a contradiction), God has one nature and three natures (a contradiction), There is a functional order within the Trinity, Bowman, R Jr. The Biblical Basis of the Doctrine of the Trinity. Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/bowman_robert/trinity/trinity.cfm#trin_1 Accessed: 1/20/2022. Lets apply these concepts to the Trinity. Does the Trinity mean that God is divided into three parts? 12:28; Rom. 1:7; 2 Tim. At his death on the cross, sinless Jesus chose to substitute himself in our place (Heb. The important difference between complexity and incomprehension: If Christianity was something we were making up, of course, we could make it easier. Grace is the promise that you stand forgiven before God if you know Jesus. What's the Origin and History of the Trinity in the Church? *catholic, meaning universal here, and not a reference to the big C Catholic. The Holy Trinity is 'the Center of Everything.'. Did your kids give each form of God different personality traits? 4:4). The Holy Trinity is depicted in the Church of Debre Berhan Selassie in Gondar, Ethiopia. God the Son. (Heavy sigh.) This law states that A cannot be both A (what it is) and non-A (what it is not) at the same time and in the same relationship. Every time the wordElohim(plural) is used throughout the Old Testament referring to the one, true God, it is used with a singular conjugation of the verb. Thats the one we think of as the Father. 9:14; Heb. "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.". Your Identity in Christ: How God Sees You. If you're looking for the best Christian jobs and careers, check out Cru's ministry job openings for full- and part-time missionaries and professionals. The Father is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. 19:714; Ps. draws the believer into a new . But continue seeking to understand why the Trinitarian nature of God matters. 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. Somehow Gods being is so much greater than ours that within his one undivided being there can be an unfolding into interpersonal relationships, so that there can be three distinct persons.[5]. The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith. Does the Holy Spirit look like Casper? 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. While it is good for us to seek understanding of the Trinity, we cannot fully comprehend God. 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. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. 89:14; John 17:25; Rom. While theconceptof the Trinity is evident in the New Testament (Matt. It is the same thing in three different forms. There is a clue that the Son is distinct from the Father, yet there is fellowship between them. 32:39), Has personal traits, such as the ability to communicate (John 14:31), He has intellect (John 2:25), emotions (John 11:35), and a will (John 6:38), Has intellect (John 14:26; 1 Cor. How to Explain the Trinity to Muslims - Biblical Missiology 8:6), Jesus is called God (John 1:1-5; John 20:28; Rom. And interesting they are listed under a single name. This refers to Gods single essence. Even wonderful parents have kids who struggle with self esteem, despite excellent parenting and a supportive home environment. Ibid, p. 255. 15:3). Many other verses concurrently list the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Understanding the Trinity - Busy Blessed Women The Trinity Explained in 8 Steps - Binmin How do we come to terms with these different ideas of God? Understanding the Trinity: How Can God Be Three Persons in One? - Cru.org 4:6; James 2:19; Jude 25. 12:11), When the Holy Spirit speaks, he refers to himself in first person (Acts 13:2). For example, it says of Christ that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). 3 in 1: A Picture of God This one is for anyone interested in using the apple object lesson. This is very important: God is one and three at the same time, but not in the same way. 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. OksoWhat about this idea of one being who exists in three persons?. Weve made a comparison between this object and the Trinity. And likewise with the Holy Spirit. The Trinity | Answers in Genesis Leading from values so others will walk passionately with God to grow and bear fruit. 2:17). In fact, would Jesus have us baptize in the name of a mere creature? In fact, kids who have been in church for many years will probably have already heard one of these illustrations. I wont go into all of the verses here (simply type bible verses about the Trinity into Google and youll find plenty). There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. He is one Being in three Persons (centers of consciousness), not merely three roles. The Father and the Son are God almighty, omnipotent God. Nonetheless, while recognizing the distinct roles that each Person has, we should never think of their roles as so separate that the other Persons are not involved. In his bookMere Christianity, C. S. Lewis points out an important distinction. It is the Matthew 28:19 baptismal formula: Jesus said, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in thenameof the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (emphasis mine). 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. 2. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. I might end with sharing a few analogies from nature. Why not consider these truths and place your faith in Jesus (1 John 5:1)? This would make each Person less than fully God and thus not God at all. Sproul cites as an example Dickens famous line, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Obviously this is a contradiction if Dickens means that it was the best of times in the same way that it was the worst of times. 5 Scriptural Points to Help You Understand the Trinity 4:47), In Hebrews (Heb. Trying to fully understand God is like a 2-year-old trying to fully understand the complexities of relationships, marriage, and parenting! The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. Omnibenevolence (Jer. 13:14), the term Trinity does not appear. The Trinity is the perfect loving community of three Persons. Teaching the Trinity to Students Youth Pastor Theologian They are personal forms of existence other than a difference in being. The three-ness and one-ness are two different features. The Father sent Jesus into the world (John 3:16; Gal. Go ahead and start with one of the object lessons above. How would you explain the Trinity? - The Gathering Community Church Mumbai This is a limitation on God that doesnt acknowledge that God isalwaysthe Father,alwaysthe Son, andalwaysthe Holy Spirit. How can one explain the Trinity simply to a new believer? The Trinity consists of one being revealed in three distinct persons. The doctrine of the Trinity is the belief that there is one God who has revealed Himself in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Explore answers to life's biggest questions. But it is not. But he avoids contradiction with this statement because he means that in one sense it was the best of times, but in another sense it was the worst of times. Matt Perman is the director of career navigation at The Kings College NYC, a blogger, and an author. While the three members of the Trinity are distinct, this does not mean that any is inferior to the other. Be cool with leaving the gathering with more questions than answers. 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. 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]. You can help us reach children and their families to know Jesus. However, you dont want to stop there with a student who can participate in a discussion. After all, as I have said many times (to myself as much as others! Only older children will grasp the in one concept of H20. The concept of the Trinity is that we have God in three forms - a union of three. 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.