That is because it is the only religion that believes in the Trinity. Famous pastor and authorA.W. The substance of God is God, not a bunch of ingredients that taken together yield deity. While we cannot fully understand everything about the Trinity (or anything else), it is possible to answer questions like these and come to a solid grasp of what it means for God to be three in one. He is three in a different way than He is one. 3. While not a typical conversation starter, this question is one of the most important we can ask in life. For example, it says of Christ that "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). After all, children deal best with concrete ideas. 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. That is where I go back to the starting point I mentioned above. . Why? One helpful Scripture explicitly refers to the essence and personhood of the Trinity. The three-ness and one-ness are two different features. We exist to worship God. God the Son is the rays of sunshine. He brings all light and life to the world. Each person of the Trinity is equally and fully God, distinct from the others, and yet they remain just one God. While no church is perfect, the Trinity is still the model for the churchs unity (John 1:2123). . 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]. Understanding who the Holy Spirit is, the place He holds within the Holy Trinity and the role He plays in individual lives is vital to anyone exploring what it means to become a Christian and anyone trying to follow Jesus. Ignore the urge to tie everything up with a nice little bow. In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. 12:11), When the Holy Spirit speaks, he refers to himself in first person (Acts 13:2). Firstly, because finite humans cant comprehend an infinite God completely, Secondly, because many people confuse Gods one, Three distinct persons are God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Firstly, unfamiliarity between essence or nature and personhood, Secondly, practical analogies that help conceptualize the Trinity, On the one hand, there is Gods singular nature, essence, or substance, And on the other, there is Gods three Persons (Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit), The sum of the three angles must be 180 degrees, The three-ness refers to the three Persons: Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, The one-ness applies to Gods unity or his single divine essence, The Trinity is a plurality of Persons and a unity of essence, God is three whos (Persons) and one what (divine essence), The triangle corresponds to Gods essence, The three corners of the triangle correspond to the three Persons of the Trinity, A triangle is finite, and God is infinite, The corners of a triangle are not persons, Understanding of the difference between Gods one divine essence and three Persons, Old Testament: Ex. Well, we can know because God has given us his special revelation: the Bible. ). If each Person of the Trinity is distinct and yet fully God, then should we conclude that there is more than one God? The doctrine or concept of the Trinity is central to most Christian denominations and faith groups, although not all. God is the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. I recently had some of my kids friends ask meWhat is the Trinity? In fact, would Jesus have us baptize in the name of a mere creature? 3:16; 2 Pet. God is spirit (John 4:24). The Trinity was present in the atonement at the cross. If you are a Christian, why not memorize some of this blogs verses? 3:6. You can describe the Trinity in different ways: The wordspersonsandessencerefer to entirely different features relating to God. He wrote, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.. . The prologue of the Gospel of John has the strongest argument for the Trinity. Now, as Fred Sanders once quipped, this doesn't mean you should begin every witnessing encounter, "God loves you . Below is the easiest way that I have ever heard it explained: God the Father is the sun. In explaining the Trinity to your friend, begin, perhaps, with the work of salvation. Christ through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God.. Third, notice that although the three divine Persons are distinct, we are baptized into their name (singular), not names (plural). Thus, we are not speaking with a forked tongue we are not saying that God is one and then denying that He is one by saying that He is three. They are three real persons, not three roles God plays. Orthodox Christian theology has always affirmed that the one true God is triune in nature. One illustration to beware of is the one which says, I am one person, but I am a student, son, and brother. The three members of the Trinity are Persons. As Hebrews 9:14 declares. 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 . This can only be if they share one essence. In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of noncontradiction. 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). All three members of the Trinity have these characteristics. Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity? The Trinity is like an egg. After all, so much happens in the week leading up to the resurrection of Christ. Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus. Now youre gonna tell me theyre all the same but also different? "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons.. This command lists all three persons of the Trinity. " Here God is a plural noun, said is in the . While theconceptof the Trinity is evident in the New Testament (Matt. OksoWhat about this idea of one being who exists in three persons?. 1:2;). Thus, they relate to each other personally the Father regards Himself as I, while He regards the Son and Holy Spirit as You. Likewise the Son regards Himself as I, but the Father and the Holy Spirit as You.. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. Its okay for them to have a very limited understanding of God. Yes, the Spirit was sent, but this does not imply that the Holy Spirit is less than they are. 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. God is not one person who plays three different roles, as this illustration suggests. Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Secondly I'd like you to read this verse with me from the Bible. The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. 32:17, 27; Matt. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. If we can understand more precisely what is meant by essence and person, how these two terms differ, and how they relate, we will then have a more complete understanding of the Trinity. Get the answers to frequently asked questions on Christian beliefs and practices. Tertullian coined the term Trinity during the second century. Binmin Podcast 8: God & Origins | What Questions Should I Ask About My Faith, Binmin Podcast Ep. Believe it or not, the fact that God is too immense for our finite minds should be comforting, not discouraging! This leads us to investigate more closely a very helpful definition of the Trinity which I mentioned earlier: God is one in essence, but three in Person. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. 3:17; 17:5; Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 10:15; 12:28; 17:1-26; 1 Tim. Just hang on a little longer. Lets do a quick review of the topics we have covered. Even wonderful parents have kids who struggle with self esteem, despite excellent parenting and a supportive home environment. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be one of the central Christian affirmations about God. 19:714; Ps. Weve made a comparison between this object and the Trinity. The Bible is full of Scripture speaking of there being only one God (seeDeuteronomy 6:4for starters), as well as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all being God. I'm an author, speaker, husband, father and ice cream lover. In regards to the Trinity, we use the term Person differently than we generally use it in everyday life. For example, it says of Christ that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). In other words, Christianity is unique among all other worldviews. The Holy Spirit was moving or hovering over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2). The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. 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. For I am God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:21-22; see also 44:6-8; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35; 6:4-5; 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings 8:60). What is a functional order or subordination? It means that a Trinity member submits himself to one or both of the other members. Do Trinity Crafts/Printables. A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! As long as a shape has those three angles that add up to 180 degrees, it doesnt matter what the angles degrees are. Assign each group with one of the Godheads: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), or the Holy Spirit. Read more. A rumor is started, and it spreads like wildfire. The Holy Spirit is God. Ask teenagers hard questions about the Trinity that will make them think, and dont bother trying to come equipped with the perfect answer to everything. 15:28). Explaining the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit will be needed at some point when presenting the God of the Bible to children, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and other non-Christians. 8:26), guides (John 16:13), creates (Ps. 10:57), The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian. . 2:6), The image of God (John 12:45; 2 Cor. 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 Apostle Paul also affirms the doctrine of the Trinity. Only older children will grasp the in one concept of H20. While it is good for us to seek understanding of the Trinity, we cannot fully comprehend God. That is why understanding what the Trinity is and is not asserting. But how does it show us why there is only one God instead of three? 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]. 40:18; Rom. 5:2122; John 13:34), End-time judgment (Matt. Need help teaching your kids about communion, either at Sunday School or home? The Trinity consists of one being revealed in three distinct persons. To understand more fully what God is like is a way of honoring God. And the voice of the Father declared, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt. Hmmm. Show them that there are three parts: seeds, flesh, and skin. 8:26), comprehends (1 Cor. Answer. How is God different? It's so simple, it fits on one page. The Trinity isn't some complicated distraction from the simple gospelit's actually part of the gospel. God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to conceive Jesus (God the Son) in the virgin Marys womb (Matt. The oldest member of the unholy trinity. We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Trinity comes from two word parts: tri, meaning three, and unity, meaning as one. The concept of the Trinity is that we have God in three forms a union of three. 23-26; Luke 7:11-17; Luke 11:1-45), Sends the Holy Spirit and his gifts (John 16:714), Put his words on a par with Gods (Matt. Genesis 1:1says this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.. 8:1417). . 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. My passion is helping you not just read and study the Bible, but truly enjoy it! Rather, the being of each Person is equal to the whole being of God.[1] The divine essence is not something that is divided between the three persons, but is fully in all three persons without being divided into parts., Thus, the Son is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. 1. Faith is recognizing that we dont have all the answers and deciding that its okay to keep believing and growing. But analogies cannot entirely explain the mystery of God. I am also fully Keith Ferrin. 45:5-6, New Testament: Mark 12:29; John 5:44; Eph. That way were providing a simple, common language and framework for everything else were going to say (or any analogies we use). After understanding the difference between essence and personhood, most objections evaporate! The concept of the Trinity is often referred to during worship, which helps Christians to understand it. Heres the problem (and why we shouldntstartwith these analogies):If these analogies are the only way someone thinks of the Trinity, it will lead to one of two errors. But what does it mean that God is gracious? Not the answer an enquiring young mind was looking for. Trinity not mentioned in the Bible anywhere! Within a week,, Read More Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? How to Support Gifted Readers, 27 of the Best Yoto Cards for Kids (sorted by age group), 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game), Holy Week for Kids: How to Teach Beyond Easter Sunday, 15 Powerful Self Esteem Activities for Kids to Do at Home and in School. Deut. "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.". 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. 9:14; Heb. This triune God (or Trinity) began to allude to this aspect of His nature right in Genesis 1:26-27. Below are several of the most popular ones. Lets apply what weve learned to the Trinity based on the graphic. Because humankind is limited, God will always exceed our knowledge and understanding (Isa. Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school. They are not merely modes or manifestations of the same person (as Oneness theology incorrectly asserts) who sometimes acts as Father, sometimes as Son, and sometimes as Spirit. But that doesn't mean the concept isn't clearly taught. 13: Trinity | Putting the Fun In, Faith and Finances: 5 Steps to Get Started. We will never sell your information, for any reason. That's the one we think of as the Father. Thats the one we think of as the Father. The Trinity is Christianity's most unique, defining, incomprehensible, and awesome mystery. So, in this article, we will look at where the term originated. 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. I hate getting spam. For instance, the Father is the first person of the Trinity. His function is superior to that of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Find resources for personal or group Bible study. How could we? The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith. The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. December 19, 2018. Question: How do you explain the Trinity? You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. It is the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. Matthew 12:28. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. But Keith Ferrin is noteveryhuman being..