how to explain the trinity to a new believer

That isGod is three Persons in onethe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. However, these illustrations arent perfect, and really mature kids or teenagers (or adult new believers) could handle digging a bit deeper! 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. Does it look like Grandpa? 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. Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be distinct from the Father and the Son. These three-in-one are called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity" In the Hindu Puranas there is this passage: 'O ye three Lords! Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not unite people by neglecting t However, the Bible teaches us enough about these mysteries that we can apprehend them. Why? Gods One-ness is his One divine essence, 3. While theconceptof the Trinity is evident in the New Testament (Matt. When you cut an apple in half, you can see that each of these three parts are different (at this point, you can cut the apple open for your kids! Essence and personhood are NOT the same thing. What a challenge! Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. They are different Persons, not three different ways of looking at God. 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. Rather than let that frustrate you, let it encourage you. As long as a shape has those three angles that add up to 180 degrees, it doesnt matter what the angles degrees are. The Trinity is Christianity's most unique, defining, incomprehensible, and awesome mystery. But that doesnt mean the concept isnt clearly taught. Begin and end with your object lesson, and be comfortable with the imperfect teaching. Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God in truth as well as in our hearts. The doctrine is critical, even if not easily comprehended. 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. ONLY the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God. While the three members of the Trinity are distinct, this does not mean that any is inferior to the other. Omnibenevolence (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. *catholic, meaning universal here, and not a reference to the big C Catholic. Second, we have the son of God, Jesus. How can God be both one and three? Both the New Testament and Old Testament testify that there is only one God: Unfortunately, we cannot go through each of these passages in detail. Ask them to draw it on the page. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. Theologians have pointed out that if it were not true, the Bible would be unreliable, Christ would not be divine, and His death on the cross would not atone for our sins, being merely the death of a martyr. So, the Trinity is incomprehensible. This is great fun to see how teenagers draw a picture of God. But continue seeking to understand why the Trinitarian nature of God matters. We are dealing with fact. Lets apply what weve learned to the Trinity based on the graphic. But Christianitys God is unique. God the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word for God isElohim. God addressed in the second person singular (you): 2 Sam. For example they: 5. They only describe what makes up Gods singular essence. The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. Its three things, but all are complete on their own. The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Son or the Father. He is three in Person. Fill this out to make sure you don't miss a thing! Lets start with the geometric figure of the triangle itself. 2:17). While admitting the lack of conformity among believers, we must never consider it a minor issue of doctrine. However, let me highlight some of the most significant passages that confirm monotheism: Are you interested in learning more about the Godhead? "Economic" has to do with the history of salvation, and discusses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the sending and mission of salvation. 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. In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. 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." Essence and person are not the same thing. Gods essence is His being. He is also referred to in third-person singular pronouns (John 14:26), He engages in actions only a person can do: He searches (1 Cor. Even then, he was not alone, because he had his Logos within him. Each person of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) really IS God. Several analogies help us apprehend the Trinity. But that doesn't mean the concept isn't clearly taught. If Jesus is God, why do the Gospels record instances where He prayed to God? The Trinity isn't some complicated distraction from the simple gospelit's actually part of the gospel. 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. The Trinity is like an egg or apple. know that I recognise only one God. Even wonderful parents have kids who struggle with self esteem, despite excellent parenting and a supportive home environment. LESSON 1: THE TRINITY AIM: To teach the children in simple terms the truth of the Godhead. As a result, Jesus death covered or atoned for our sins (2 Cor. Thus, as Wayne Grudem writes, When we speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together we are not speaking of any greater being than when we speak of the Father alone, the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone.[2]. 4. At his death on the cross, sinless Jesus chose to substitute himself in our place (Heb. Through accepting the undeserved gift of salvation (Eph. This analogy ignores the personal distinctions within God and mitigates them to mere roles. 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. The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. One of the problems is that most of us myself included are tempted to move too quickly to analogies that only help explainaspectsof the Trinity. 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. Many of us say it every single Sunday morning. 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. Now youre gonna tell me theyre all the same but also different? In regards to the Trinity, we use the term Person differently than we generally use it in everyday life. He exists as a Trinity. The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. How is God one? Genesis 1:1 reads: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." If we look more closely at the word we translate "God," Elohim, we see it is plural. Lets apply these concepts to the Trinity. In his bookMere Christianity, C. S. Lewis points out an important distinction. Find resources for personal or group Bible study. We hate SPAM. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! " Here God is a plural noun, said is in the . Have some fun taking various quizzes and assessments to learn about yourself and others. Read about individuals who have been transformed by faith. Below is the easiest way that I have ever heard it explained: God the Father is the sun. But I hope you have learned that the Trinity is not contradictory. What's the Origin and History of the Trinity in the Church? 89:14; John 17:25; Rom. Each corner is distinct (i.e., different) from the others. 4. So, in this article, we will look at where the term originated. The Holy Spirit is God. 2:2729). 3:19; Eph. For example: One of the most common mistakes people make is to think of the Holy Spirit as some force ala Star Wars. But the Holy Spirit is most assuredly a person. Allegedly, Saint Patrick used a shamrock as a metaphor to explain the Trinity: three leaves, one shamrock. 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. That may sound intimidating but dont worry Ill unpack that definition below. 2:11), and performs miracles (Matt. 104:30), sanctifies (Rom. How to EXPLAIN The Trinity to a New Believer - Introduction to the Godhead In this video I will introduce the godhead or the trinity in one of the easiest te. What is a functional order or subordination? It means that a Trinity member submits himself to one or both of the other members. It may seem like a daunting question at first, but when we think about it the truth of God's triune nature is meant to be a joy, a comfort, and a wonder to us! But its not a mystery that can or should! At the risk of sounding too physical, essence can be understood as the stuff that you consist of.. 20:23; Deut. How do we know whats age-appropriate for them to understand? This would make each Person less than fully God and thus not God at all. A triangle must have three sides three corners (angles), and the sum of the three angles must be 180 degrees. If youre wondering how to explain the Trinity to a child, keep it simple. The early church absolutely believed and taught the belief in a God who was three-in-one. But they are eternally subordinate in their roles to him (1 Cor. For example, it says of Christ that "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). Read Books About The Trinity. We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Three parts in one, yet all very much an egg. God the Father spoke the creative words to bring the universe into being (Gen. 1:1). Rather, everything that one Person is involved in, the other two are also involved in, one way or another. While it is good for us to seek understanding of the Trinity, we cannot fully comprehend God. For example, it says of Christ that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). Modern theologians have created a distinction between the "economic Trinity" and the "immanent Trinity.". He said, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Mark 12:29). Each of the persons is distinct from the other in relation (Economic Trinity), yet each is identical in essence (Ontological Trinity). Ignore the urge to tie everything up with a nice little bow. 2:511). Fun fact: The 325 Nicene Creed does not state Trinity. Specifically, distinguishing between Gods one essence and his three Persons. 25:3146; 2 Cor. The Definition Of The Trinity. Do you need to devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? He sanctifies us (1 Pet. Or stated simply, the triangles what-ness.. 2:11), speaks (Mark 13:11), testifies (Acts 20:23), reveals (1 Cor. This doctrine is absolutely essential to New Testament Christianity. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. Fortunately, the most popular analogy of the Trinity is the triangle. 5:2122; John 13:34), End-time judgment (Matt. 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. Girls become divided, friendships are ruined, and reputations are tarnished. 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. 4:4). 1:2), Jesus as God (Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4). Errr, not quite. In explaining the Trinity to your friend, begin, perhaps, with the work of salvation. If you go to YouTube and search on explain the Trinity youll findlotsof videos. 55:8-9). Genesis 1:1says this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.. How is God different? 18:20; Matt. One helpful Scripture explicitly refers to the essence and personhood of the Trinity. Three separate beings, all rolled into one entity. Just hang on a little longer. God is truth, so the unity that He is effecting between believers is a unity grounded in truth. God the Fathers plan of redeeming humankind involved sending his Son into the world (John 3:16), The Son accomplished redemption for us on the cross (Heb. Why, if they are ALL God? There would only be a contradiction if we said that God is three in the same way that He is one. To start, let me define what I mean when I say persons. Personhood is having intellect, emotions, and a will. He differs from the Father, but was and . A beautiful mystery. In fact, kids who have been in church for many years will probably have already heard one of these illustrations. (Ohand I'll send you my free guideThe Simplest Way to Study ANY Bible Passageas a "Thank you" for jumping on board!). 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. God is one in a certain way (essence) and three in a different way (person). 317 subscribers in the BiblicalUnitarian community. How could we? Scriptural evidence supports every element proving the Trinity. If someone already has an understanding based on the definition and explanation above, then these analogiesmighthelp them grasp aspects of the Trinity. 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 Some attributes include eternal, infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. 15:3). Do Trinity Crafts/Printables. How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus. 9:14; Heb. The New Testament lists all three Persons of the Trinity simultaneously, 6. Its obvious that the Trinity is important to Christianity because its the framework for one of our oldest texts that crosses multiple denominations: the Apostles Creed, written in the 5th century. He is three in a different way than He is one. But it is possible to go deeper. Trinity not mentioned in the Bible anywhere! And confusing ones. Disclaimer: I believe Trinity. However,barais the singular conjugation of the verb. I am fully human. Thus, Jesus prayed to God the Father without praying to Himself. I am also Keith Ferrin. Because these features make up the singular essence or nature of a triangle. 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. 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. Each Person of the Trinity is distinct, 8. 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. Learn how you can know God personally. Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. Go ahead and start with one of the object lessons above. We are referring to two different features of God: (1) his singular essenceor natureand (2) three Persons. And the voice of the Father declared, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt. See if they can think of anything better, and be ready to discuss where different ideas might not quite work. But analogies cannot entirely explain the mystery of God. They are higher than the heavenswhat can you do?, "For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.. Because of Gods nature, several mysteries exist within our faith. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Before anything was created he begat his Logos as a person distinct from himself. And likewise with the Holy Spirit. 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. It included Jesus miraculous conception in the virgin Mary (John 3:16)an act that we call the incarnation.. He was "begotten, not made," and he was of the same substance or essence ( homoousios) as the Father. also 1:18). Why not consider these truths and place your faith in Jesus (1 John 5:1)? The late theologian Herman Bavinck has stated something very helpful at this point: The persons are modes of existence within the being; accordingly, the Persons differ among themselves as the one mode of existence differs from the other, and using a common illustration as the open palm differs from a closed fist.[4], Because each of these forms of existence are relational (and thus are Persons), they are each a distinct center of consciousness, with each center of consciousness regarding Himself as I and the others as You. Nonetheless, these three Persons all consist of the same stuff (that is, the same what, or essence). The triangle illustration is easy to understand, but an imperfect analogy because: Nonetheless, a triangle illustrates how there can be a three-ness and one-ness same time. The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible . Yet Jesus would not have referenced the Trinity unless it was important. . No, the word Trinity does not appear in the Bible. In the baptism of Jesus, we see the Father speaking from heaven and the Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove as Jesus comes out of the water (Mark 1:10-11). In fact, would Jesus have us baptize in the name of a mere creature? Egg A single egg is made up of the yolk, the whites, and the shell. Only older children will grasp the in one concept of H20. Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity? Or what are the objective characteristics that all triangles share? I work hard to produce evidence-based information about school for both teachers and parents, and to produce and share resources that can help at home and in the classroom. Amen. The substance of God is God, not a bunch of ingredients that taken together yield deity. 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? Of course we are speaking by analogy here, for we cannot understand this in a physical way about God. God the Father, Jesus His Son, with the Holy Spirit, they are three in one! We just covered Gods one divine essence. Unfortunately, it is also a doctrine that is surrounded by disagreement and controversy among believers. The answer hinges on the differences in their unique roles. 4; 14; Jon. If you are a Christian, why not memorize some of this blogs verses? The relationship between essence and Person, then, is as follows. One God? But it is not. You can't explain the Trinity to anyone who reasons because: 1) The Bible does not support it. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. This verse accurately states the doctrine of the Trinity that God is One God in three Persons. 5:7). Since God is one in a different way than He is three, the Trinity is not a contradiction. 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. After all, as I have said many times (to myself as much as others! The Trinity Matters because the Gospel Matters. 8:3539; Eph. We cannot entirelycomprehendan infinite God and these mysteries (Rom. 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). Example 1: What is the nature or essence of a rock? The doctrine of the Trinity, simply stated, is as follows: The Bible teaches that there is one eternal God who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. . Below are several of the most popular ones. Weve made a comparison between this object and the Trinity. When Jesus answered the question, What is the greatest commandment? he prefaced the answer by quoting the. We should not think of God as like a pie cut into three pieces, each piece representing a Person. That definition is a mouthful. 1. But Jesus did not become less than the Father during his incarnation. The best way to teach the Trinity to ANYONE who is confused is with an object lesson. Let's explore each of these members. The three members of the Trinity are Persons. We can discern and apprehend what it is. The Son and Holy Spirit are equal in deity to the Father. 1:17; Dan. . Their prime usefulness it to show the mystery is not contradictory. The Father is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. He was sustaining and manifesting Gods immediate presence in his creation. Sometimes the Spirit is treated more like a force than a Person. Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. 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 . The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. This is just an egg, or an apple, or H2O. But a common question arises: How do the members of the Trinity differ from one another?. Conclusion: Scripture teaches the Trinity. Principle #3: Order. You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. But what does it mean that God is gracious? Tertullian coined the term Trinity during the second century. The Bible reveals that God isone, in essence, eternally revealed inthree Persons. While this is in my mind the simplest, clearest explanation, I understand that even this breaks down when we go further and say I am a human and I am Keith Ferrin. Rather, each person of the Trinity has all of the attributes of God, and no one Person has any attributes that are not possessed by the others. After all, children deal best with concrete ideas. 1:20-21), In salutations and benedictions (2 Cor. 1. 12:11), When the Holy Spirit speaks, he refers to himself in first person (Acts 13:2). Among the worlds religions, the Christian faith is unique. .. Get the answers to frequently asked questions on Christian beliefs and practices. The important difference between complexity and incomprehension: If Christianity was something we were making up, of course, we could make it easier. And God seeks people to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). The three-ness and one-ness are two different features. Jesus himself spoke of the one-ness of the Godhead when he quoted the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4. If you are teaching young children, these object lessons are both the perfect starting and stopping point. Most Christians are puzzled by the Trinity, and therefore, cant explain it very well. Baker Books, 1995, pp. The concept of the Trinity. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. We begin with a brief discussion of the doctrine in historical context, explaining more fully the nature of the problem it raises. If it were the other way around and we understood God completely, how would he be the sovereign God? 7:28; Ps. The Apostle Paul also affirms the doctrine of the Trinity. We then turn to the most important strategies that have been developed by Christians to resolve this problem. Then study the pronouns used in Scripture point to the Trinity: This one-ness is Gods one divine essence (Heb 1:3). Look at what the Bible clearly shows: that there is one God ( Deuteronomy 6:4) that the Father is called God ( Ephesians 4:6 ), that Jesus (the Son) is called God ( Titus 2:13) and existed with God before creation ( John 1:1; 17:4) and the Holy Spirit is attributed . The word Trinity is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible; however, countless scriptures mention all three forms of God. These three persons are of the same substance, equal in power and glory. Jesus (the Son) is God. 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. 13: Trinity | Putting the Fun In, Faith and Finances: 5 Steps to Get Started. Partnering with urban churches to meet physical and spiritual needs. Among the three persons of the Trinity, there is a proper order: The Father is the First Person of the Most Holy Trinity. The Bible teaches the Trinity beginning with the days of creation. The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. This can only be if they share one essence. How do we come to terms with these different ideas of God? The Trinity was present in the atonement at the cross. 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).

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