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. How To Explain the Trinity to Muslims - Bellator Christi In all transparency, I feel like I did a pretty mediocre job of explaining the Trinity to them in a way they could grasp. So, in this article, we will look at where the term originated. If youre wondering how to explain the Trinity to a child, keep it simple. Further, we clearly should not think of God as consisting of anything other than divinity. Read more. Sigh. Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. 4; 14; Jon. Partnering with urban churches to meet physical and spiritual needs. There will always be some level of mystery to this, but when you talk about the being/nature/essence as God and the persons/expressions as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit I think we get at least a little bit closer to beginning to comprehend something we can never fully comprehend. 19:26). 4:4). Ive already done your research at my local library. 5:2122; John 13:34), End-time judgment (Matt. 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. The Trinity is like an egg or apple. In this blog post, we are going to discuss the Holy Trinity in simple terms. The Holy Trinity is depicted in the Church of Debre Berhan Selassie in Gondar, Ethiopia. He said, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Mark 12:29). Trinity | Definition, Theology, & History | Britannica 1:12). Even wonderful parents have kids who struggle with self esteem, despite excellent parenting and a supportive home environment. And when he speaks, he refers to himself in first personas I (Deut. How to Explain the Trinity to an Unbeliever - YouTube The Trinity is Christianity's most unique, defining, incomprehensible, and awesome mystery. Thats what faith is being content with our own confusion while still knowing that God is bigger than we can comprehend. One of the reasons Jonathan Edwards's vision of God has proved so helpful in my worship and ministry is that he does, and he doesn't, "explain" the Trinity. 23:2324). Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. Why do so many people struggle with the doctrine of the Trinity? 10:57), The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian. The Bible speaks of the Father as God (Phil. Three parts in one, yet all very much an egg. Within a week,, Read More Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? Here we will summarize some of the fruits of their labor. While it is good for us to seek understanding of the Trinity, we cannot fully comprehend God. There we read that " God said, 'Let us make man in our image' . He is three in Person. Lets change that! 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. 1:3), Demonstrated divine sovereignty over nature (Matt. But dont get confused. 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. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. Baker Books, 1995, pp. They are three real persons, not three roles God plays. This is girl drama, and it can be extremely harmful to girls both mentally and emotionally. The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. What is Gods essence? And confusing ones. 3:1417). The prologue of the Gospel of John has the strongest argument for the Trinity. God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to conceive Jesus (God the Son) in the virgin Marys womb (Matt. Jesus is like the flesh, because He became flesh so we could know Him better. Here are three I found to be really helpful. At the risk of sounding too physical, essence can be understood as the stuff that you consist of.. Trinity may be a new term for you and can be confusing even for Christians to explain to others. Unfortunately, it is also a doctrine that is surrounded by disagreement and controversy among believers. Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. How would you explain the Trinity? - The Gathering Community Church Mumbai In describing the Trinity, the New Testament clearly distinguishes three Persons who are all simultaneously active. But secondly, Christians need to clarify that God is incomprehensible. Be cool with leaving the gathering with more questions than answers. Then share them with another Christian or genuine seeker. 2:34; Heb. Its a mystery the Bible teaches. Yet he also proclaimed, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live (1 Cor. How is God three? But as a follower of Christ, your identity can and should be grounded in one thing: who He says you are. 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). God is infinite. The apple one is kind of cool. How to Explain the Trinity to Children | Free Printable - A HEART TO KNOW Lets go back to the Trinity triangle graphic, and you will see: By now you understand that the three Persons of the Trinity equally share Gods essence. That way were providing a simple, common language and framework for everything else were going to say (or any analogies we use). The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. Grace is the promise that you stand forgiven before God if you know Jesus. Neither should we think of the Persons as being defined by attributes added on to the being of God. Actually, March 17 commemorates St. Patrick's death, actually. Can We Explain the Trinity? | Desiring God In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of noncontradiction. Its NOT God. Use the links below to jump to a specific section: The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 89:14; John 17:25; Rom. After all, as I have said many times (to myself as much as others! But Scripture provides ample evidence of the existence of the Trinity. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. 3:17; 17:5; Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 10:15; 12:28; 17:1-26; 1 Tim. God is the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. 5:510; 1 Cor. Below are several of the most popular ones. He is one Being in three Persons (centers of consciousness), not merely three roles. 8:2327), Resuscitates the dead (Matt. On the other hand, we must say that the Persons are real, that they are not just different ways of looking at the one being of GodThe only way it seems possible to do this is to say that the distinction between the persons is not a difference of "being" but a difference of "relationships." Since our personal relationship is with Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit lies within us, what role does God play as Father? As a former youth minister and childrens minister, Ive already done your research! 2:5), The Father is not the Spirit (John 14:26; John 15:26), The Son is not the Spirit (Matt. 8:3539; Eph. 18:20; Matt. In explaining the Trinity to your friend, begin, perhaps, with the work of salvation. passage also demonstrates Jesus' early declaration of the Trinity. Why not consider these truths and place your faith in Jesus (1 John 5:1)? God is spirit (John 4:24). 3:1617). 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. Did your kids give each form of God different personality traits? The Father sent Jesus into the world (John 3:16; Gal. You cant find an earthly match for this concept. 28:20; Col. 3:11), Omnibenevolent (John 13:34; Rom. 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. If you are a Christian, why not memorize some of this blogs verses? 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. Rather than let that frustrate you, let it encourage you. How To Explain St. Patrick's Day To A Child, From Fun To Facts - MSN Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! That leaves us with the modern definition of the word mystery. But it also raises many difficult questions. 2. If there is one passage which most clearly brings all of this together, it is Matthew 28:19: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. First, notice that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinguished as distinct Persons. He is three in a different way than He is one. God is like the skin because He protects us. He is the only God that exists. Obviously we cannot, for Scripture is clear that there is only one God: There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. First of all I want to tell you that the Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He exists as a Trinity. Think about it: Finite Christians serve an eternal and infinite 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.