The Unseen Father would have been put into Satans prison. 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. 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! Examples of these different roles would be: The Incarnation: Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. He completed a doctorate in 1990, looking at the question of harmonic rhythm in the organ music of J.S. 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). When we separate them and view them as individual deities, that is the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual gods as one. I and My Father are One (John 10:30). 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. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. His ways are not my ways! Love was not given to Jesus. Unfortunately, most of them actually give us the wrong idea about what the Trinity is. Some have taken on the task of explaining how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist as one. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. God is like H2O in that the Bible may refer to a specific person of the Trinity but that person is still God. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. God is like an egg in that He is 3-in-1 God the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. Dont grieve the Holy Spirit out of you. There would be three thrones. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. 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 is a worse analogy than the egg because it is more analogous to the heretical doctrine of Modalism/Oneness than for the Trinity. It is still important that we have some understanding of the concept, however. And the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son. Thus the Father is in Jesus " I and My Father are One" (John 10:30), "The Father is in Me" (John 14:10) God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). Did I leave out any analogies? Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? When we separate them and view them as individual deities, that is the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual gods as one. 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. Bach, and has released two previous CDs, one . (Which I just found out is in error). Memory, Understanding, and Will. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. But Hes God too, right? 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. - well, sort of. All Rights Reserved. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. We believe in only one true God in all existence, in all places, at all times. Here are a few common illustrations: The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk. The more I reflect on Easter, the more Ive realized how much its become a consumeristic holidayeven Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Its hard to explain! The Trinity is distinct in their roles and individuality, but united in their attributes of love, mercy, holiness, knowledge, etc. In Biblical Trinitarianism we can never have one without the other because they are one Spirit; each is the totality of the other which means we cannot have the Holy Spirit without the Father and the Son, We will come (into the believer through the Holy Spirit, John 14:23), and we cannot have the Son without The Father whose Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20). The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. Perhaps youve heard the analogy that the Trinity is like H2O (the molecular symbol for water). What we can understand and accept is that God exists eternally as one divine nature, substance, or essence, comprising three co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial personsthe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are equally eternal, powerful, sovereign, and worthy of worship. The Egg and I - Part Two Basic mathematics tells us that 1x1x1 = 1.. Can you think of some Bible verses to back up your explanation? Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. But understanding the Trinity is important. The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything, 3 Reasons Why Jesus Humanity Really Matters Her & Hymn, 3 Reasons Why Jesus' Humanity Really Matters, How Jesus Teaches Us To Be Human Her & Hymn. The military would end up destroying themselves. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons Let's begin with the second view. Because God is utterly unique, all comparisons will fail at some point. The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). Surely this is a better understanding of the water analogy! 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). There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Water at room temperature is liquid. Intercession: The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. This is the error of Arianism (not to be confused with Aryanism, which is also bad). 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. But this idea is central to the Christian faith. We can say that the first is egg the shell, the second is egg the albumen and the third is egg the yoke. The angel answered (Mary), The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High (referring to the Father, italics mine) will overshadow you. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. To put it simply, "The problem with using analogies to explain the Holy Trinity is that you always end up confessing some ancient heresy." . Or what? 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. 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. The analogy explains that in the same way that one shamrock can have three leaves on it, the Trinity has three Persons that constitute one God. They are unified in one divine being. The Son "proceeds" from the Father, and the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son.". But remember, it is much better to let Scripture teach the 3 points above which establish the doctrine of the Trinity than to rely on analogies. Thought of Tim Its amazing to think that everything will be so clear when we het to Heaven! So "son" = "Dave". The three distinct notes come together to make one beautiful sound. ), The Son Phil. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. The unseen Father is in Christs mind. In one of his sermons, he wrestled with the passage in Scripture recounting Jesus' Baptism. Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. 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). Or have you ever tried to teach kids about the Trinity? MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. Common, yes. Jesus Person is joined to the Father by the Fathers Holy Spirit, because Gods Spirit is also Jesus Spirit - "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But its all water. Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. He was with God in the beginning. I think the analogy of the Sun works well. He cares for his creation and his people. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. The sun comprises the sun itself, its light and its heat. Each one is fully God. 1 Corinthians 8:6: Yet for us there is but one God.. He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. Haydn describes himself as a five-point Calvinist, but he recognises that many faithful Christians disagree. And the reason we know that is because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly loved each other for all eternity. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. When we think about influential New Testament leaders, most names are male. These attributes are: omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipresence (exists in all places). 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. RELATED: What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts? Therefore, we would rightly say, within the Ontological Trinity, there is no variation or distinction made. The beautiful depth of Gods eternal Triune nature is a sublime reality which should bring an end to our attempts to cognitively master Him. What portion of the analogy holds true with Church Teaching? Jesus isn't a demigod or partially god. The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. Now, as youve probably guessed, this analogy also breaks down. 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. 1B) This son of Graham and Lois Armstrong is Dave. In this episode, Fred Sanders discusses what it really means to say that God is a Trinitythree persons in one God. So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. RELATED: The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire. One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. Similarly, people have used the example of the apple in the same way- skin, flesh, and seeds. Lost will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. 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. Let's use an egg to explain the Holy Trinity! Eggs are one, yet comprise yolk, shell and albumen. The three parts create a unified whole. If youve been involved in ministries for children or young people, questions about the Trinity have most likely come up. 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). It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. A single molecule cannot simultaneously exist in three different states. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. For example, I would say, "God is like an egg." 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. Pingback: 3 Reasons Why Jesus Humanity Really Matters Her & Hymn, Pingback: 3 Reasons Why Jesus' Humanity Really Matters, Pingback: How Jesus Teaches Us To Be Human Her & Hymn. The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. Water can be frozen and is called ice. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. If then the sun were eternal, the day would never end; but now, for such is not really the state of the case, the day begins with the beginning of the sun, and ends with its ending. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. Here are four. We came up with several practical implications of this doctrine. THE TRUTH IS: From the very beginning, the Blessed Trinity Father, Son, and Spirit was there. We all want to experience the good life. 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. 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. Sure enough, one member answered Well Ive heard that the Trinity is like water: water can be liquid, gas (steam), or solid (ice), but its still the same water. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. The apple seed alone is not an apple. Theyve transformed. Well the issue is, the water analogy is akin to the heresy of Modalism. A certain YouTube page created a famous video titled "St. Patrick's Bad Analogies" (which can be found here), in which the historic St. Patrick meets charming villagers who deride him based on the analogies which he uses in the process of explaining the Holy Trinity. My interview: https://www.readlotswritelot.com/wp/podcast/episode-21-john-k-adams/, More from Catholicism for the Modern World, https://www.readlotswritelot.com/wp/podcast/episode-21-john-k-adams/. The problem here is it describes each part of the Trinity as 1/3 parts of the overall egg. Father, Son, and Spirit are each fully God (their own egg)- not fractions of one. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. John introduces us to the Trinity in John 1:1- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. Your email address will not be published. The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and 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. On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. So much of what we know about what God does is wrapped up in who He is. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. Each one is fully 100% God. They have a common purpose in making harmonious music, but each note is its own separate entity. 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). Answer (1 of 25): Cynics assert that the idea of the Holy Trinity is a logical impossibility. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. 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 very definition of the heresy known as Modalism/Oneness is that there is one person existing in three different modes or manifestations. His being is somewhat of a mystery to us. These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. The trinity is Like a man who is a father, husband, and son. Each one is fully God. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. If you only had an apple core, you wouldnt pack it in your lunch. I do not have the time or space to exhaustively demonstrate in scripture these truths, but the Biblical witness teaches these three truths consistently about God. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:13). This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. They that dont have the Holy Spirit in them will talk like the Adversary. God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. Modalism denies the distinction of person in the trinity. We recommend you adhere these emblems to your vestments by mounting on the material with fabric glue and then stitching them . But it cant be that way with God. He differs from the Father, but was and still is God. He began to play the organ as a chorister in England, before continuing his studies in Qubec and France. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites, The Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity. God does not morph from one person to another, nor does God exist as three separate beings. Thankfully he isnt a cage-stage Calvinist about it all. 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. In Biblical Trinitarianism we can never have one without the other because they are one Spirit; each is the totality of the other which means we cannot have the Holy Spirit without the Father and the Son, We will come (into the believer through the Holy Spirit, John 14:23), and we cannot have the Son without The Father whose Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20). Jesus is in the form of the Holy Spirit. Modernizations of this analogy include that of an apple (with the peel, the flesh, and the core) or an egg (with its shell, yoke, and white). Shively An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? 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. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. If you looked at a single cloverleaf, you wouldnt call it a shamrock. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. Celebrating Easter Is About so Much More Than One Hour on Sunday. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). 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. But the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. I and My Father are One (John 10:30). For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. 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. An egg is made up of shell, white and yolk. He also knows how to perfectly love us. Over the course of church history there have been several heresies that have cropped up that deny one of these three truths. The Egg Analogy God is like an egg. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. 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. Jesus is fully God. That fire keeps devils away from the saved. This analogy explains that the Father is like the sun. We worship one God who exists in three persons. The analogy breaks down because the three cloves are overly distinct and cannot represent the unity of God. In some ways, it resembles the tritheism view (Misunderstanding 2). In this analogy, God is compared to a man. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. Which ones have you heard? Love your blogs! For sure, our everyday experience does not include using our finite minds to understand the infinite! Though I find the video to be hilarious and often . copyright 2009 by H.D. Your email address will not be published. La da dee dee dum dum (I couldnt remember the in-between parts). The water analogy of the Trinity follows this line of reasoning: water can be a solid (ice/frozen water), liquid, and gas (water vapor), and yet all three forms are still water (H 2 O), and likewise, God manifests Himself in 3 different ways in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. His motto was that "There was a time when the son did not exist". You are an egg! The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk . That is heaven in a person. Before I even began writing this post, I had an unusual song stuck in my head Holy God, we praise thy name. 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. While each person is distinct, they are never separate from one another. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. That is a holding pen for final judgment. There are, however, some that work better than others. I go to prepare a place for you. Proof texting is when we cite a bunch of bible verses to support a theological stance. 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. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Ontological means the nature or essence of something. None of the 3 are less divine than the others. The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. God does not just change forms but exists as three persons in unity. Here are 8 Bible Characters Who Should Be More Famous. 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. 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. The concept is literally unthinkable. Studying the Trinity poses difficulty to us Catholics. The Holy Spirit is Christs spirit in us guiding us into all truth. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). The early church labeled this view "tritheism". Good and Bad Analogies of the Trinity - Answers . 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). 1:8-12; 1 Pet. He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. The problem with this analogy is it denies the unity of the God-head. But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. 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. But while this idea is central to the Christian faith, it is also incredibly mysterious to us. It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. In trying to describe what they saw in the pages of the Bible, the early church decided to use the word person to describe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. One sits on the throne looking like Sardine and Jasper stone. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Often these analogies explicitly teach heresy. One is a musical chord with three notes. Jesus Person is joined to the Father by the Fathers Holy Spirit, because Gods Spirit is also Jesus Spirit - "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. 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. According to the first, just as water takes three forms (liquid, vapor, and ice), so too God takes the form of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We wont find the word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept is shown in many verses. The military would like to have that power. Each separate being is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. Dr. Bruce Ware does an excellent job in his book Big Truths for Young Hearts. John 17). Unfortunately, Arianism is still around and can found within the Jehovah's Witnesses teachings. This analogy actually falls prey to the same error of modalism. Both are one. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. What happens when an egg hatches? There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. The Sun was created on the forth day. Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. However, keep in mind that the one being who is God is a personal being. In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. 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. God has revealed some mysteries from the Old Testament in the New Testament (the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the coming of the Messiah, salvation by grace through faith, etc.) Explaining the Holy Trinity. Analogies for the Trinity exist to explain the unexplainable. Although he is one man who is simultaneously a husband, a father, and a student, he would consider it Modalism to suggest that this is a good Trinitarian analogy. That is why Moses said. The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. How do we make sense of the Trinity? There are some analogies that come close. This view, also known as "modalism", was rejected by the early church. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. Wow! Copyright 2023 Christian Today. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. Jesus was standing in the Jordan River, His Father speaks from heaven above, and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him as a dove. 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. The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1 what and 3 whos*. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. We can think of it this way: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. The meme above discourages the use of analogies in explaining the Trinity. Further, his dialectic is guided by the particular consideration of what true love is: a trinity of lover, beloved and the love that binds . The mystery is in the "how" this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the . This analogy sounds pretty good, but it is fatally flawed in that is describes the Son and Spirit as creations of the Father. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). The mystery is in the how this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts.

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