It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. The Bible reveals that each person of the Trinity has unique roles, relationships, and functions which are distinct from one another. I can only shake my head when He does these things! A good follow up verse to help explain is the baptism of Jesus. Should Women Really Keep Silent in Church? Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. (It is also why the Jews had an issue with Jesus calling Himself God.). Among the most popular analogies for the Trinity, two in particular stand out; and most of the others resemble one of them. Others compare God to an egg, which is part shell, part white, part yolk. The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. To return to my Life Group anecdote, after our discussion I asked why does it even matter?. Each separate being is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. The three distinct notes come together to make one beautiful sound. Take a moment and give it a try. An essential factor lacking from those concepts is the relational quality of God. They are unified in one divine being. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and are distinguished from one another. Many of these analogies have the best of intentions, but God cannot be described in a way we can fully comprehend or rationalize. That fire keeps devils away from the saved. The idea of God as three-in-one is indeed a mysterious concept, one that is difficult to understand. Or water can be evaporated and called steam. Yet there is only one God. So when God created us and revealed Himself to us, what He did was to invite us into the perfect goodness He has always known within Himself. He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. Each one is fully 100% God. This error denies something central to God that makes Him God. Well the issue is, the water analogy is akin to the heresy of Modalism. Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? , 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you., For further reading on the Trinity, I would recommend James Whites, Lastly, below is a helpful graphical chart explaining the doctrine of the Trinity I found from the Christian blog by Tim Challies. Although he is one he has different roles to different people. The egg analogy fails because it denies that each person of the Trinity is of the same eternal essence. But this idea is central to the Christian faith. These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. Learn how your comment data is processed. The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. . ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. In the same way, there is a God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Its a very common explanation within the church to try to explain how God, who clearly exhorts His followers to preserve His supreme oneness (Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4), could also be identified with Jesus (Titus chapter 2 verse 13), and the Holy Spirit (Acts chapter 5 verses 3-4). In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. The Holy Trinity: Egg Analogy The Holy Trinity is GOD in three divine persons GOD the FATHER GOD the HOLY SPIRIT GOD the SON But together they makeup and are still ONE GOD Like how an egg is made up of three things but is still ONE EGG. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. There would be three thrones. 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. For sure, our everyday experience does not include using our finite minds to understand the infinite! The egg (or apple) fails in that the shell, white, and yolk are parts of the egg, not the egg in themselves, just as the skin, flesh, and seeds of the apple are parts of it, not the apple itself. Sending of another: The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. I have the good one. 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. How can God be Three in One? However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. Jesus would have remained in the tomb, or hell, had Jesus sinned. PART OF A WHOLE. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. But in the Godhead, each Person is fully and completely God unto Himself (even as they are all one God). Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. In one of his sermons, he wrestled with the passage in Scripture recounting Jesus' Baptism. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. This is just as bad as the Water analogy and leads to the same error. It can also be a liquid and called water. and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. Is He Jesus side-kick? Water can be frozen and is called ice. This analogy sounds pretty good, but it is fatally flawed in that is describes the Son and Spirit as creations of the Father. Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). 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). He has one essenceone substance. Truly, it is a Mystery. Sadly, theres something "rotten" about this egg analogy. Time Analogy God is like time. This is a worse analogy than the egg because it is more analogous to the heretical doctrine of Modalism/Oneness than for the Trinity. This would make Jesus something less than fully God. This is the one I used long ago when trying to explain the Trinity to a group of 1st-5th graders. Like modalism, the "three beings" view was rejected by the early church. The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. is not). God controls that light. 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. We find it in all four Gospels. God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. There is only one egg with three different parts. He has the world and our individual lives within His supremely capable hands. - well, sort of. And when the time comes when death is allowed to crack your shell in its final hour and your believing soul is released; the Spirit of God that holds you will carry you in His arms to your heavenly home because In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. We all want to experience the good life. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. In reality, I change my role depending on who I am interacting with. We wont find the word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept is shown in many verses. But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. Each part of the egg make up only one portion of the wholethe yolk is not the fullness of the egg. And the reason we know that is because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly loved each other for all eternity. I and My Father are One (John 10:30). Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. 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. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the . The visual form of God seperated from Jesus on the cross. Now that we know the doctrine of the trinity and its corresponding major heresies, now we are ready to look at some bad analogies for the trinity. This is one of the reasons we say that "God is LOVE". As a result the water molecule must change forms. 3. They say that three separate beings exist 2. Jesus is in the form of the Holy Spirit. In the Scripture we see "the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Col 1:9). And the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. See the depths of Catholicism for yourself! For instance, we know that God is perfectly loving. Your email address will not be published. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. Studying the Trinity poses difficulty to us Catholics. 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. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. Which ones have you heard? Bach, and has released two previous CDs, one . H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. However, in some instances, the use of carefully chosen analogies may be of help for some of our brethren in learning the teachings of the Church. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. We Christians believe it on faith. Some have taken on the task of explaining how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist as one. Rather, He created us in order to bless us. Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. I'm always interested in ways to encourage you, so feel free to contact me and let me know what areas interest you! He cares for his creation and his people. 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. Starting with the three biblical affirmations, ask your kids to show you how these examples support or deny what the bible teaches about the Trinity. 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? But it cant be that way with God. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the three are all equally one God. Yet it appears to be almost entirely misunderstood within contemporary evangelical circles. 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. Each one is fully God. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. An egg is made up of shell, white and yolk. Here are some of them: The problem with this is that it leads to the view that God is a Trinity simply because He relates differently to us at different times. Armstrong. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! Our God is three in one. The Egg Analogy - This claims to be a good representation of the Trinity because Eggs have three distinct parts: the shell, the yolk, and the whites. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. There are, however, some that work better than others. Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. The Sun was created on the forth day. 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. I write to see memory and language wrestle with reality. An analogy illustrates that in a similar way, one shamrock can have three leaves on it, and the trinity has three persons that comprise one God. God is like an egg in that He is 3-in-1 God the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. The mystery is in the how this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. Below is a compilation of the verses that reference all 3 persons of the one God. That is heaven in a person. However, keep in mind that the one being. The Latin word for trinity (trinitas) combines two words- unitas (unity) and trias (three). The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. 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. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. God Himself explains why some things are still a mystery: For as heaven is higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Our human minds can never understand all of who God is and how He thinks and acts. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. God is one. Dont become discouraged if you cant answer the question to your liking. This analogy seems to make a lot of sense, but it actually reinforces a fatal misconception about the Trinity called modalism. 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). 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. As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. The Spirit white is connected to Jesus Person I will come to you (John 14:18) and the Fathers Person, We will come to him and make our abode with him (John 14:23). They are three in one egg. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. 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. The Egg Analogy God is like an egg. The word God in this sense is defined as a single being, having all divine attributes. Space Analogy God is like space. Since these bad analogies tend to lead to a heresy, we will examine the main three areas of heresy concerning the trinity. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). 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. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He is one God in three persons, all at the same time. Here are four. Water at room temperature is liquid. He has not yet revealed some mysteries (what did Jesus do in His childhood, when will He return, what does the word Selah mean in the Old Testament- and so many more.). Your email address will not be published. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. But theres one problem: the water analogy is not the biblical picture of God. HO may act as water, steam, or ice, but it is still HO. How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? Im giving God the credit for stirring this memory, and am extremely grateful. That is why Moses said. Some who deny the Trinity claim 1+1+1=3, and therefore claim we worship three Gods. But they are one God. But its all the same person, operating in three roles or functions. The more I reflect on Easter, the more Ive realized how much its become a consumeristic holidayeven Did Jesus really rise from the dead? As a result, this analogy can easily lead to tritheism in which there are three different gods which might share some like substance. Now were going to look at how some people often misunderstand the Trinity. There would be three thrones. Blessings! Each one is fully 100% God. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg.