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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. CafeLogos.orgThe Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity We find it in all four Gospels. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. But theres one problem: the water analogy is not the biblical picture of 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. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:13). We believe that it is a revelation that comes from Christ Himself. For sure, our everyday experience does not include using our finite minds to understand the infinite! The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. Misunderstanding 1: The transforming trinity 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). Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). But thats not how they understood it. Copyright 2023 Christian Today. Ontological means the nature or essence of something. God controls that light. Each Person in the Trinity (or the Godhead) is fully God and fully a Person. 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? Moreover, the yoke and the whites are no longer as they used to be. 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. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. The concept is literally unthinkable. God is like H2Olike water. Therefore, we would rightly say, within the Ontological Trinity, there is no variation or distinction made. On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of modalism. In Arianism, the Son is not eternally equal with the Father, but was the Fathers first and best creation. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. . Unfortunately, most of them actually give us the wrong idea about what the Trinity is. Finally, I would suggest that the mere fact that we cannot understand the full depth of the Trinity (even with our myriad of analogies) has implications. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. Podcast: Common Misconceptions about the Trinity (Fred Sanders) But it cant be that way with God. Should Women Really Keep Silent in Church? It can also be a liquid and called water. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. ), The Son Phil. In an attempt to explain the Trinity, there are some bad examples people use, and some better ones. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. Light comes from God. Light comes from God. This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. God is much bigger and much greater than we can understand, and to be honest, I'm ok with that. 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. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. Each one is fully God. Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. The problem with this analogy is that it teaches that God has three components: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Likewise we cannot have the Father or His Spirit without the Son I am the Way the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by Me- John 14:6. Truly, it is a Mystery. Im giving God the credit for stirring this memory, and am extremely grateful. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not simply names designating modalities of the divine being, for they are really DISTINCT from one another: He is not the Father who is the Son, nor is the Son he who is the Father, nor is the Holy Spirit he who is the Father or the Son. (CCC 254), 3. But while this idea is central to the Christian faith, it is also incredibly mysterious to us. "The Egg and i - A Simple Explanation of The Trinity" - cafe Logos Or what? God does not just change forms but exists as three persons in unity. Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. I can only shake my head when He does these things! We all want to experience the good life. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. In contrast to the Ontological Trinity, there is the Economic Trinity. They are equally eternal, powerful, sovereign, and worthy of worship. So under modalism, God acts as the Father in the Old Testament, the son in the Gospels, and the Spirit in Acts and the Epistles. Some people have suggested using an egg to explain how God can be both one and three. The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. H2O can only ever be one form at a time. If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. The military would end up destroying themselves. My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning. While each person is distinct, they are never separate from one another. As a result, this analogy can easily lead to tritheism in which there are three different gods which might share some like substance. The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. Its impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. The doctrine of the Trinity tells us that there's ONE GOD who is THREE distinct PERSONS existing as a community of self-giving and loving relationships with each other. The divine persons are really DISTINCT from one another, and not merely different roles of God at different times. A, distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A. is the whole nature or essence of something. (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. You know, that bearded guy on the throne who looks something like Zeus, right? How do we make sense of the Trinity? I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. What makes it hard is that all of our analogies and metaphors fall short of capturing what the Trinity actually is. The three parts create a unified whole. Love your blogs! If you only had an apple core, you wouldnt pack it in your lunch. 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. All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. Well the issue is, the water analogy is akin to the heresy of Modalism. When the Bible talks about God, it may be referring to Jesus Christ in a specific instance, the Holy Spirit in another and God the Father in a third occasion. Jesus isn't a demigod or partially god. Youre right, theyre all good but not perfect because only God IS perfect. To become the people we were always created to be. Below is a compilation of the verses that reference all 3 persons of the one God. For instance, we know that God is perfectly loving. Some people think that H2O cannot exist in all three states simultaneously but that is not true. Jesus Person is the image of Gods Person (Hebrews 1:3), and the Invisible Spirit of the Father that is in Him - God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. We recommend you adhere these emblems to your vestments by mounting on the material with fabric glue and then stitching them . But its all water. Lost will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. Proof texting is when we cite a bunch of bible verses to support a theological stance. The Unseen Father would have been put into Satans prison. Wow! 6And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons., , The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all., There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. Before we look at a few bad analogies that many often use to try to illustrate the trinity, we need to first understand the doctrine itself. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! Yet the orthodox view is that each person of the Trinity is fully divine. Why analogies of the Trinity fail Youthworks We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 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. God does not play three roles.. If you're looking to dive deeper into God's word, here are 6 kinds of bible study tools and resources 9 Influential Female Leaders in the New Testament. The trinity is Like a man who is a father, husband, and son. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. When it comes to the Trinity, we tend to forget that an analogy is an "aptness of proportion" or a "resemblance of relations," not an identity of relations. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. How so? Few if any have every tried to teach the heresy of Tritheism, but it needs to be mentioned anyway. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw. 2A) Dave is a father of four children: three boys and a . 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). The Cathedral - The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Quebec, Canada In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Vestment Emblems. The Trinity is Like an Egg How the analogy goes: The Trinity is like an egg. He got married there in 1965, and his four . Father, Son, Holy Sprit : 3 persons, 1 great relationship, Copyright 2023 Fervr | Terms of Service. MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. What does the Bible teach about the Trinity? | GotQuestions.org Analogies of the Trinity. He wondered how it was possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be inseparable, while, in . The Son is like the light rays that visibly reveal the sun, as Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). It became real to me because I have experienced His love, grace, guidance, redemption, conviction of sin, and fellowship that comes from Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Over the course of church history there have been several heresies that have cropped up that deny one of these three truths. 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. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. Memory, Understanding, and Will. 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. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. But Jesus makes it clear in John 10:30- I and the Father are One. The Greek word for one means one thing, not one person. They are united in their essence (spirit, nature) but not identical persons. Is the Trinity like H2O, an egg, or a triangle? - Fervr The Father hears their intercessory prayers. . Therefore it behoves us to know what He has revealed (including the Trinity), and to lovingly worship Him accordingly. Yet it appears to be almost entirely misunderstood within contemporary evangelical circles. All of the above Bad Analogies would perhaps do more harm than good if used in explaining the Trinity. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, constructed between 1800 and 1804, is the first Anglican cathedral to have been built outside the British Isles. There is one GOD in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), 2. This analogy seems to make a lot of sense, but it actually reinforces a fatal misconception about the Trinity called modalism. 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. The Holy Spirit is Christs spirit in us guiding us into all truth. It's impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. Devils cannot grab ahold of them to cast them into Satans prison. Furthermore, this trinity is related to a shamrock, an apple, or an egg. 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. Dont you know Jesus? It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. I believe that the best way to talk about the Trinity is to simply say that God is one God, who eternally exists in three Persons. Our God is three in one. Here are a few of the many verses giving evidence of the Trinity in the Bible: Genesis 1:1&2- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. The Holy Spirit was an active participant in the creative process. But this view, too, wont do. The problem with this analogy is that it also leads to the heresy of MODALISM. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! Music - The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Quebec, Canada Yet others have thought that H20 (water) shows us the Trinity since H20 can be three things: solid (ice), liquid (running water) and vapor (steam). This analogy actually teaches the heresy of tritheism. This is perhaps the most common analogy for the Trinity. Modalism is a heresy because it denies the distinction of God. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. Indeed, how can an infinite God be contained in a finite human womb! Why All Analogies of the Trinity Fall Short - Joshua's Pen 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. There is only one egg with three different parts. My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! 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. show me your glory. The Egg Analogy God is like an egg. I have the good one. 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. The Holy Trinity: Egg Analogy by Sharmaine Pagtakhan - Prezi So God performs 3 different roles/relationships but 1 God. And the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. Holy Trinity: Some Analogies to Help Us Comprehend He has one essenceone substance. Lord of all, we bow before thee. Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. Church Adornments & Worship: Vestment Emblems - Monastery Icons Here are four. in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. Lost will be burned up. He began to play the organ as a chorister in England, before continuing his studies in Qubec and France. It is the Fathers desire to join His Spirit with all of us as well for He has said They shall be My sons and daughters (II Corinthians 6:18). The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. Understanding the Trinity - Busy Blessed Women The Father hears their intercessory prayers. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. God controls that light. The trinity is like water. Let's use an egg to explain the Holy Trinity! This analogy denies the distinction of the God-head. Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! There was no relational deficiency that prompted God to create us. Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. This is a place to find encouragement and hope from God's Word as you move through your busy life. You are an egg! So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)One of my Sunday School students said, "How could Jesus (God) enter Mary's stomach (womb) and be born? In other words, God may manifest Himself as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. How can God be Three in One? Trinity is like a Shamrock (or an Apple or an Egg). They've always led to error and have been rejected by the church. If the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate beings, then its not really clear how someone can say that God is one or that only one God exists. These three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - exist together in complete unity, with no separation, as one divine being. This was first used by Patrick of Ireland (yes there really was a Patrick of Ireland and he was a great guy), around 400 A.D. 2. And the reason we know that is because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly loved each other for all eternity. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. What Is the Trinity | Holy Trinity in the Bible | Explore God But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. This analogy sounds pretty good, but it is fatally flawed in that is describes the Son and Spirit as creations of the Father. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. - well, sort of. But if modalism is true, and the Trinity really is like water, then the story of Jesus (the Son) praying to the Father as recorded in the Bible seems like an awfully strange masquerade. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. The problem with this analogy is that it would imply that there is only one Divine Person, who eventually multiplied Himself. 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 . For since light is always in existence, it is manifest that its brightness also exists, because light is perceived to exist from the fact that it shines, and it is impossible that light should not shine. In other words, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have a unique and unbreakable unity, and their existence together is the being that is God. The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14). One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. TO AVOID HERESIES, LET US LIVE BY WHAT HAS BEEN REVEALED TO US: 1. Just as water changes forms so too is the trinity. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. What Is A Good Analogy For The Trinity? - Therefore, God Exists This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. John 17). Analogies that we present would always be insufficient as none of them would equate to the incomprehensible beauty of God. Arianism clearly denies the deity of the three persons. There are some analogies that come close. In this analogy, God is compared to a man. The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). Further, his dialectic is guided by the particular consideration of what true love is: a trinity of lover, beloved and the love that binds . Martyn Iles Removed as Managing Director of Australian Christian Lobby by Board, Seven Types of Rest to Restore Your Body, Mind and Spirit, 8 witnesses testified against Hillsong founder Brian Houston in court case, wife Bobbie reveals, Why you feel guilty for not going to church, Samaritan's Purse sends 52-bed field hospital to Turkey. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). We can admit it is a mystery and accept that our incomplete knowledge cannot fully comprehend it. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. 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). For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. When they used the word person, they didnt mean it in the same way that we do today. What happens when an egg hatches? Why is it wrong? Afterall, we can get rid of a few of its parts - for instance the shell - and still scramble an egg. I and My Father are One (John 10:30). This is the one I used long ago when trying to explain the Trinity to a group of 1st-5th graders. Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. Before moving on I should note that providing a full theological explanation of Trinitarian doctrine is well beyond the scope of what I can do here. When we tend to make an analogy about the trinity we are forced to diminish one of the three trinitarian truths in order to make the analogy work. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves running, boxing and studying history and theology. The military would like to have that power. Here are some common analogies that Christians have used about the Trinity: God is kind of like water which can be ice, liquid and steam. We wont find the word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept is shown in many verses. Bach, and has released two previous CDs, one . It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. The Trinity are three distinct persons who exist apart from each other. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. That is why Moses said. 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). Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. Thought of Tim Its amazing to think that everything will be so clear when we het to Heaven! How Helpful Are Analogies of the Trinity? - Kuyperian Commentary Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. The following verses attest to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. A single molecule cannot simultaneously exist in three different states. The Trinity Guarding The Gospel The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (the word is not). They say that three separate beings exist, 2. An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. The Holy Trinity Easy as One, Two, Three | by John K Adams Jesus is fully God. How to Explain the Trinity to Children | Free Printable God is kind of like a man who is a father, a son and an uncle God is kind of like a three-leaf clover, or a triangle; one object, but three different, identifiable leaves, or sides* 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 Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. 4 Bad Ways to Explain the Trinity (and 1 Good One) Water can exist in liquid at room temperature. HO may act as water, steam, or ice, but it is still HO. Shively But you cannot be broken when your faith is in Jesus, for the Spirit of the Son that lives in us and gives us the voice through which we cry Abba, Father, (Galatians 4:6,) this Spirit of the Father that dwells within you is there to strengthen, protect and guard your person. Although God is transcendent, sovereign, unapproachable light, He has condescended to reveal something of Himself to His creation. Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. So, part of understanding the Trinity is realizing that God is personal and relational. in that He is not made up of three parts one part () the Father, another part () Jesus Christ and a third part () the Holy Spirit. Stars were made on the forth day. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. 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!