But Christianitys God is unique. Show them that there are three parts: seeds, flesh, and skin. The Trinity is Christianity's most unique, defining, incomprehensible, and awesome mystery. Allegedly, Saint Patrick used a shamrock as a metaphor to explain the Trinity: three leaves, one shamrock. The first commandment says, You shall have no other gods before me (Ex. Your Identity in Christ: How God Sees You. Trinity may be a new term for you and can be confusing even for Christians to explain to others. I think the major problem involves not distinguishing two different features of God. According to the American Heritage Dictionary the word The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. 9:5; Col. 2:9), The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:34; 2 Cor. OrThe person were explaining it to will think that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. (Ohand I'll send you my free guideThe Simplest Way to Study ANY Bible Passageas a "Thank you" for jumping on board!). Its three things, but all are complete on their own. I am also Keith Ferrin. Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth. But is there any easy way to apprehend these exciting discoveries? He exists as a Trinity. I wont go into all of the verses here (simply type bible verses about the Trinity into Google and youll find plenty). He wrote, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.. Thats the one we think of as the Father. No, the wordTrinitydoes not appear in the Bible. The Trinity is important to Christians because it reminds us that God is all-powerful, walked this Earth as a perfect human who can relate to our pain, and also lives on today in our hearts. The three members of the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. The New Testament lists all three Persons of the Trinity simultaneously, 6. Need help teaching your kids about communion, either at Sunday School or home? He differs from the Father, but was and . God is truth, so the unity that He is effecting between believers is a unity grounded in truth. The Apostle Paul also affirms the doctrine of the Trinity. Subjection and subordination do not mean inequality. Sproul cites as an example Dickens famous line, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Obviously this is a contradiction if Dickens means that it was the best of times in the same way that it was the worst of times. First of all I want to tell you that the Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If belief in the Trinity is so essential to Christianity, it would have been explicitly stated in the Bible and wouldn't have taken over 300 years to officially define it. 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.. How do I explain to a non-believer that belief in the Trinity is After all, if the trinitarian nature of God is not in the Bible, why bother talking about it at all? 1:20-21), In salutations and benedictions (2 Cor. How to Explain the Trinity to Children | Free Printable - A HEART TO KNOW Both the New Testament and Old Testament testify that there is only one God: Unfortunately, we cannot go through each of these passages in detail. We are dealing with fact. But it also raises many difficult questions. 2:18). We define personhood by three key characteristics: Now that you understand the critical distinction, you know that essence is what. And you know personhood is who.. The second point of clarification has to do with personhood. The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Son or the Father. The most popular is probably the one found in the Great Commission: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit . God the Son. Its probably the most classic Trinity object lesson, but its not my favorite. 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. 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. As Christians, we derive our concept of person from the relations in the Trinity. We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Trinity Matters because the Gospel Matters. The triangle illustration is easy to understand, but an imperfect analogy because: Nonetheless, a triangle illustrates how there can be a three-ness and one-ness same time. Trinity | Definition, Theology, & History | Britannica Below is the easiest way that I have ever heard it explained: God the Father is the sun. Errr, not quite. As Benjamin Needler preached: This doctrine should establish us in the truth of the gospel For my part, I would not worship that God that I could comprehend Bless God for the clear discovery of this truth under the gospel! 13:14), the term Trinity does not appear. What we have seen so far provides a good basic understanding of the Trinity. Sun The sun is a physical object, but also gives off light and heat. What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation. 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. We also see this evidenced in how the Son and Father sent the Spirit into the world (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7). After all, children deal best with concrete ideas. How do we come to terms with these different ideas of God? The Bible reveals that God isone, in essence, eternally revealed inthree Persons. What Is The Best Way To Explain The Trinity To A New Believer 8:26), guides (John 16:13), creates (Ps. Remember, the nature or essence of an entity is the property or attributes that make it what it is. Lets apply what weve learned to the Trinity based on the graphic. Does it look like Grandpa? Our fellowship with God should be enhanced by consciously knowing that we are relating to a tri-personal God! Then, ask them to write words on the poster that make up the character of God. Third, Christians believe that the entire New Testament is inspired. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Silica Bible Chapel Being Gods child, we can worship the Father and Jesus through the Spirit (John 4:2324; Phil. 1. Answer. 1:17; Dan. Further, we clearly should not think of God as consisting of anything other than divinity. This is something far removed from our human experience, where every different human "person" is a different being as well. 15:19), God is called Father (John 17:1; John 3; 20:17; 1 Cor. How To Explain St. Patrick's Day To A Child, From Fun To Facts - MSN And during his earthly ministry, Christ subjected himself to the Fathers will. God the Father. Tertullian coined the term Trinity during the second century. 8:26), comprehends (1 Cor. 8:1417). I recently had some of my kids friends ask meWhat is the Trinity? But that doesnt mean the concept isnt clearly taught. Disclaimer: I believe Trinity. Christianity is a monotheistic religion. In eternity past, before the beginning, God was alone. So, rather than starting there, heres where were headed: To think we will everfullyunderstand the Trinity is to make the mistake of thinking God is fully understandable. Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. Jesus dying on the Cross is one of the most important parts of His story. This is one possibility of explaining it. Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. Or what are the objective characteristics that all triangles share? 3:16; 2 Pet. Do Trinity Crafts/Printables. But Christianity's God is unique. These definitions express three crucial truths: (1) The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, (2) each Person is fully God, (3) there is only one God. Best Age To Teach The Trinity To A Child. Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity? 11:3336). Essence means the same thing as being. Thus, since God is only one essence, He is only one being, not three. Here are three I found to be really helpful. Ive got you covered with all the basics, no matter your denomination. A triangle must have three sides three corners (angles), and the sum of the three angles must be 180 degrees. It's easy to turn doctrinal discussions into strictly intellectual affairs, but as Dr. Fred Sanders teaches in The Triune God course, we need to do so "in a way that enlists the reader's strict and holy attention for what is essentially a spiritual exercise." They are higher than the heavenswhat can you do?, "For as heaven is higher than earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.. You will and can grasp these principles. 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). Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the earth by his word. Finally I would end with Deuteronomy 29:29 which helps us to realize that we cannot fully comprehend God. In explaining the Trinity to your friend, begin, perhaps, with the work of salvation. Ignore the urge to tie everything up with a nice little bow. 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. Having seen that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, that they are each fully God, and that there is nonetheless only one God, we must conclude that all three Persons are the same God. How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus. How can one explain the Trinity simply to a new believer? After understanding the difference between essence and personhood, most objections evaporate! In this blog post, we are going to discuss the Holy Trinity in simple terms. The Father is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. While the three members of the Trinity are distinct, this does not mean that any is inferior to the other. That leaves us with the modern definition of the word mystery. Below are several of the most popular ones. Gods essence is His being. The word Trinity is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible; however, countless scriptures mention all three forms of God. For example: One of the most common mistakes people make is to think of the Holy Spirit as some force ala Star Wars. But the Holy Spirit is most assuredly a person. "It has been said that there have been four centuries when the church's understanding of the person of Christ has been most under attack. More simply stated, the essence of any entity is what it is. So many things clamor to define you. Its okay for them to have a very limited understanding of God. Nonetheless, while recognizing the distinct roles that each Person has, we should never think of their roles as so separate that the other Persons are not involved. Tozerputs it well in The Knowledge of the Holy. The doctrine is critical, even if not easily comprehended. And interesting they are listed under a single name. This refers to Gods single essence. And the triangle can help us distinguish one essence from the three Persons. "Economic" has to do with the history of salvation, and discusses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the sending and mission of salvation. " Here God is a plural noun, said is in the . 4 Visual Ways To Explain The Trinity To A Child. Rather, everything that one Person is involved in, the other two are also involved in, one way or another. A triangle must have three different corners in order to be one triangle. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Andrew M. Bailey 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. There are many illustrations which have been offered to help us understand the Trinity. Engage Children in learning The Holy Trinity through Reading, Writing, Playing, Creating, Singing!Included in this resource:Bible Lesson Book-Teacher Edition: Read Aloud!Full sized, colorful large print . The Holy Trinity is 'the Center of Everything.'. Discipleship involves a lot, but one of the most important things you can do with a new believer is read the Bible with them-teaching them how to read, understand, respond to, and apply God's Word. Why, if they are ALL God? 89:14; John 17:25; Rom. 1. Amen. Ask them to draw it on the page. These are all qualities of personhood. Learn why He did it and what it means for you. And this illustration helps us understand the Trinity: This illustration shows how the doctrine of the Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Instead, it reveals that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit possess the same divine essence. Many non-Christians and new Christians often struggle with the idea of the Holy Trinity, where we break up God into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is one of the books of the Torah. Each member of the Trinity is . How To Explain the Trinity to Muslims - crossexamined.org 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. God the Fathers plan of redeeming humankind involved sending his Son into the world (John 3:16), The Son accomplished redemption for us on the cross (Heb. However, Matthew 28:19 is frequently used in attempts to prove that the Trinity is a biblical teaching. And confusing ones. He exists as a Trinity. A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! . Matt Perman is the director of career navigation at The Kings College NYC, a blogger, and an author. 9:14; Heb. From the 1950s to the 2000s, people wanted to see if they could make computers exhibit intelligence indistinguishable from humans. So even if the Bible did call the Trinity a mystery it would only be saying it was unknown to the one not illuminated, i.e. 2:8-9), we can become Gods children. He is the only God that exists. Within Gods one, undivided being is an unfolding into three personal distinctions. 3:25; Dan. Why? To this day, this scripture inspires the language we use to baptize people across Christian denominations. 1:3), Demonstrated divine sovereignty over nature (Matt. The Fathers plan for our redemption shows his great love for humankind. Understanding the Doctrine of the Trinity (+ Free Printable) 3:3; Heb. 5:2), Miracles (Ex. We need you. How is God three? What Is the Economic and Immanent Trinity? - Zondervan Academic Of course, if the triangle illustration were perfect, we would be able to comprehend God fully, but we cant. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. Our mind distinguishes each of the three leaves (the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost), but at the same time recognizes they are one shamrock. (Againwere trying to grasp something that isnt fully grasp-able.). Read more. The concept of the Trinity is often referred to during worship, which helps Christians to understand it. To help us do that, here are two reasons why the Trinity matters. God is infinite. What Is the Doctrine of the Trinity? - Blue Letter Bible But first, lets cover the basics. In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of noncontradiction. 25:3146; 2 Cor. The wordtrinitymeans tri-unity or three-in-oneness.. We hate SPAM. But how can finite humans know anything about Gods infinite essence? Leading from values so others will walk passionately with God to grow and bear fruit. At his death on the cross, sinless Jesus chose to substitute himself in our place (Heb. Our Triune God - Grace To You 19:714; Ps. How could we? What Should Christians Know about the Trinity? The trouble with this one is that its a bit less visual. 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. How do we know whats age-appropriate for them to understand? But that doesn't mean the concept isn't clearly taught. 11 Things to Know about the Doctrine of the Trinity - Zondervan Academic The Trinity and Christian Unity - Ligonier Ministries Clearly, he appreciated a plurality within the Godhead. What is the origin of the doctrine of the Trinity? How to Talk Right(ly) About the Trinity - pursueGOD.org 1:2), Jesus as God (Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4). Can You Explain the Trinity to Me? - Billy Graham Evangelistic Association Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. That means that, as Christians, we believe in only one God. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. 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. One helpful Scripture explicitly refers to the essence and personhood of the Trinity. As a former youth minister and childrens minister, Ive already done your research! You cant find an earthly match for this concept. Check out my tips for teaching your kids about bedtime prayer. And we can delight in praying to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit (John 14:1314; Eph. The Trinity Is Unique Among Monotheistic Religions Christianity is a "monotheistic" religion. EitherThe person were explaining it to will think that God simply changes from one to the other at different times and under different circumstances (water). Then you will learn the distinction between personhood and essence or nature. Since our personal relationship is with Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit lies within us, what role does God play as Father? Learn the basics of what Christians believe. 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. Christ took Gods punishment, and wrath meant for us because of our sins (Heb. Have some fun taking various quizzes and assessments to learn about yourself and others. 104:30), sanctifies (Rom. 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. The fact that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not an impersonal force (like gravity), is also shown by the fact that He speaks (Hebrews 3:7), reasons (Acts 15:28), thinks and understands (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), wills (1 Corinthians 12:11), feels (Ephesians 4:30), and gives personal fellowship (2 Corinthians 13:14). Other references to the Trinity in the New Testament include Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 12:4-5, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:2, and more. In his bookMere Christianity, C. S. Lewis points out an important distinction. Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God in truth as well as in our hearts. The Trinity doctrine developed over hundreds of years and was influenced by the teachings of pagan Greek philosophers. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be one of the central Christian affirmations about God. The Holy Trinity - Explained. Carrying this concept over to the Trinity, it is not a contradiction for God to be both three and one because He is not three and one in the same way.