The trinity is like water. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Yet, these persons are not separate from one another. 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). in that while water can change into vapour or ice, Jesus cannot change into the Father or the Holy Spirit. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. 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. Its impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. Jesus is fully God. Lord of all, we bow before thee. The Trinity are three distinct persons who exist apart from each other. Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. The Holy Trinity, one of the five Dogmas of the Church, is an extraordinary and unfathomable mystery. This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. Jesus loves us so much that he did not obliterate people who died, with power that set stars in the universe. Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. John introduces us to the Trinity in John 1:1- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. 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. Each one is fully 100% God. The Father Matthew 27:45-46 (usually there is no argument that the Father is not God, since every place Jesus speaks to God, he is addressing the Father. Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). 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 Unseen Father is in Christs mind. 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. Here are 8 Bible Characters Who Should Be More Famous. Truly, it is a Mystery. The unseen Father is in Christs mind. Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. While each person is distinct, they are never separate from one another. 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. 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. Unfortunately, Arianism is still around and can found within the Jehovah's Witnesses teachings. Jesus would have remained in the tomb, or hell, had Jesus sinned. The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 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. I think the analogy of the Sun works well. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. Or what? Time Analogy God is like time. (Which I just found out is in error). He has been a member of the Royal Australian Air Force since 2007, and is now training to be an Air Force Chaplain. Can you think of some Bible verses to back up your explanation? 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.. 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). Just like an egg, none of the parts are co-equal, nor are all of the parts necessary for the egg to exist. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and are distinguished from one another. Similarly, people have used the example of the apple in the same way- skin, flesh, and seeds. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. The Egg Analogy God is like an egg. The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. If youve been involved in ministries for children or young people, questions about the Trinity have most likely come up. One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. God is like H2O in that the Bible may refer to a specific person of the Trinity but that person is still God. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. They are three in one egg. Stars were made on the forth day. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons Let's begin with the second view. The divine persons are really DISTINCT from one another, and not merely different roles of God at different times. The apple seed alone is not an apple. And we know that because Hes been experiencing perfect love within Himself forever. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. RELATED: The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire. How can God be Three in One? God is one. They are three in one egg. 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. His being is somewhat of a mystery to us. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Three persons is false. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. What happens when an egg hatches? 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). Wow! We can say that the first is egg the shell, the second is egg the albumen and the third is egg the yoke. Devils see that Spirit as a tempestuious fire. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. 3 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons. The three distinct notes come together to make one beautiful sound. That is why Moses said. There is what is called the 'triple point' the combination of pressure and temperature at which H2O can exist simultaneously in all three states: solid, liquid and gas. St. Augustine, one of the most important Fathers of the Church, wrote a great deal on the doctrine of the Trinity. ANALOGY OF CHARACTERS. Bach, and has released two previous CDs, one . The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. He cares for his creation and his people. But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. 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). We came up with several practical implications of this doctrine. Explaining the Holy Trinity. 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. Indeed, how can an infinite God be contained in a finite human womb! In reality, I change my role depending on who I am interacting with. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. Though I find the video to be hilarious and often . Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. PART OF A WHOLE. I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. I never thought about it in that way some of these examples Ive never heard of. 1B) This son of Graham and Lois Armstrong is Dave. Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. These images fall short, because these components arent enough to be considered a whole on their own. The problem with this analogy is it denies the unity of the God-head. Jesus is the visual form of God. 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*. Does that make sense? The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. Or, we can quote Daniel Webster; a strong Christian- I do not pretend fully to understand the arithmetic of heaven now. . And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. God the Father spoke from heaven and spoke of His Son, Jesus. Our limited intellects are unable to comprehend its reality, yet, our Scriptures and scholarly Tradition makes it known to us. In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Over the course of church history there have been several heresies that have cropped up that deny one of these three truths. The teaching of the trinity is clearly taught in Scripture and must be preserved as such. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. The above picture is a famous work of art by Andrei Rubilev, the great medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescos. Tritheism denies that there is only one God. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. Basic mathematics tells us that 1x1x1 = 1.. The Trinity is Like an Egg How the analogy goes: The Trinity is like an egg. For example, an equilateral triangle (a triangle with three equal sides) has three sides. If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of tritheism. Should Women Really Keep Silent in Church? Modalism denies the distinction of person in the trinity. The idea of God as three-in-one is indeed a mysterious concept, one that is difficult to understand. 1:8-12; 1 Pet. The egg analogy fails because it denies that each person of the Trinity is of the same eternal essence. The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. A good example would be an electrical cord. The angel answered (Mary), The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High (referring to the Father, italics mine) will overshadow you. Understanding 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. The military would end up destroying themselves. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. Perhaps youve heard the analogy that the Trinity is like H2O (the molecular symbol for water). It is a miraculous invention, the egg. THE TRUTH IS: From the very beginning, the Blessed Trinity Father, Son, and Spirit was there. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. 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. God does not morph from one person to another, nor does God exist as three separate beings. This analogy denies the distinction of the God-head. An essential factor lacking from those concepts is the relational quality of God. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind lived the doctrinal truth about the Trinity. 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. If water is inadequate, there are a wide array of alternative analogies we can turn to in modern theological parlance. 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. 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. These hand embroidered emblems are made with metallic gold-plated thread with silver content, printed on canvas. That is a holding pen for final judgment. John 17). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and, (usually there is no argument that the Father is not God, since every place Jesus speaks to God, he is addressing the Father.). It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. He is one God in three persons, all at the same time. The trinity is a like a Three-Leaf Clover. And whos the Holy Spirit? 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! But its all water. The God of the Bible is one God. This is a worse analogy than the egg because it is more analogous to the heretical doctrine of Modalism/Oneness than for the Trinity. 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. One is a musical chord with three notes. One day, however, the image will be clear. Believing in the above 3 points leads all Christians to acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity. True, we humans are image bearers but nothing in creation serves as an analogy for the Trinity because the Trinity is a doctrine of special (biblical) revelation not nature or reason. Trinity Egg Analogy . 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. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. Hi Im not a theologian and I dont disagree with what you say but when you state that we know the persons of the Trinity have perfectly loved for eternity etc how do we know? Yet the orthodox view is that each person of the Trinity is fully divine. 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. Examples of these different roles would be: The Incarnation: Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. How do we make sense of the Trinity? 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. As a result the water molecule must change forms. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. Now, as youve probably guessed, this analogy also breaks down. 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). For instance at the baptism of Christ, the Father, Son and Spirit are all distinctly present and interacting (Matthew chapter 3 verses 16-17). The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,neither blending their personsnor dividing their essence. You are an egg! The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. Arianism denies the deity of each person in the trinity. 2A) Dave is a father of four children: three boys and a . Water can be frozen and is called ice. Shively, This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. Our God is three in one. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. I know in the past Ive used analogies that werent the best (more on those later.) But thats not how they understood it. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the . We all want to experience the good life. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). There was no relational deficiency that prompted God to create us. FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. Shively 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. It should bring us to realise that we truly are finite creatures standing before a sovereign, transcendent, divine mystery. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. That fire keeps devils away from the saved. What is wrong with what I said? An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? And in our efforts to grasp it, weve come up with a number of analogies. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. A, distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A. is the whole nature or essence of something. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. copyright 2009 by H.D. The Trinity is like an egg. We wont find the word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept is shown in many verses. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. He wondered how it was possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be inseparable, while, in . Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. You are an egg! 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. 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). The Bible teaches three truths: 1 - there is one God. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. They are equally eternal, powerful, sovereign, and worthy of worship. Unfortunately, there is a problem with this view of the Trinity. 3. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. He explains why the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to the gospel even if it seems abstract or confusing, highlights why all analogies and metaphors are of limited value when thinking about the Godhead, and responds to the . He got married there in 1965, and his four . Thankfully he isnt a cage-stage Calvinist about it all. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. Lost will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. 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. On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. The trinity is like this man. is not). 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. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. 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. All Rights Reserved. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. For sure, our everyday experience does not include using our finite minds to understand the infinite! Both are one. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. 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. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. The sun comprises the sun itself, its light and its heat. They say that three separate beings exist 2. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. The concept is literally unthinkable. Further, we can label each of the sides. It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. 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). Take a moment and give it a try. Intercession: The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. Sure enough, one member answered Well Ive heard that the Trinity is like water: water can be liquid, gas (steam), or solid (ice), but its still the same water. Youre right, theyre all good but not perfect because only God IS perfect. We worship one God who exists in three persons. The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . Cool it down, and itll eventually freeze into a solid. 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.
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