We need you. The prologue of the Gospel of John has the strongest argument for the Trinity. Third, Christians believe that the entire New Testament is inspired. Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus. How do we come to terms with these different ideas of God? And in John 16:13-15 we see that although there is a close unity between them all, the Holy Spirit is also distinct from the Father and the Son. Thus, as Wayne Grudem writes, When we speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together we are not speaking of any greater being than when we speak of the Father alone, the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone.[2]. Firstly, we agree that finite humankind is limited. 19:26). He wrote, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.. Just hang on a little longer. But how can finite humans know anything about Gods infinite essence? In this blog post, we are going to discuss the Holy Trinity in simple terms. The answer hinges on the differences in their unique roles. 4:4; Col. 1:15), Eternal (John 1:1-3; 17:5; Col. 1:16-17; Jude 25), Omnipresent (Matt. It is the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. Do Trinity Crafts/Printables. 32:17, 27; Matt. And he should be referred to by personal pronouns and never as it. The Holy Spirits is a person because he: Scripture also proves that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are God. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Use your hobbies and interests to find the best place for you to serve. This should make it clear why it is so important to understand that all three Persons are the same essence. Each member of the Trinity is . How to Teach Kids the Trinity with an Apple Object Lesson Grab an apple and share these five truths with your kids: An apple has three parts: the seeds, the flesh, and the skin. Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school. After all, plenty of, Read More 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game)Continue, Whereas most of us are pretty comfortable with our family traditions for celebrating Easter, Holy Week for kids is WAY more intimidating. The Bible is full of Scripture speaking of there being only one God (seeDeuteronomy 6:4for starters), as well as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all being God. Its a mystery the Bible teaches. Subjection and subordination do not mean inequality. While some say . Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. 2) It makes no sense 3) The doctrine is rooted in ancient pagan Babylon 4) Jesus himself said he is God's SON; not God himself as the Trinity teaches So, the Trinity is incomprehensible. And the voice of the Father declared, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt. Heres how the triangle analogy can help: Consider a triangle with me. Monotheism. Youngblood, R. F., et al. First, we have God. Sun The sun is a physical object, but also gives off light and heat. Somehow Gods being is so much greater than ours that within his one undivided being there can be an unfolding into interpersonal relationships, so that there can be three distinct persons.[5]. God is one in a certain way (essence) and three in a different way (person). It is the same thing in three different forms. . 28:20; Col. 3:11), Omnibenevolent (John 13:34; Rom. In fact, it is precisely the continuing dialogue between the Father and the Son (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; John 5:19; 11:41-42; 17:1ff ) which furnishes the best evidence that they are distinct Persons with distinct centers of consciousness. In describing the Trinity, the New Testament clearly distinguishes three Persons who are all simultaneously active. While theconceptof the Trinity is evident in the New Testament (Matt. Why, if they are ALL God? While we cannot fully understand everything about the Trinity (or anything else), it is possible to answer questions like these and come to a solid grasp of what it means for God to be three in one. This doctrine is absolutely essential to New Testament Christianity. The best way to teach the Trinity to ANYONE who is confused is with an object lesson. No, the word Trinity does not appear in the Bible. Allegedly, Saint Patrick used a shamrock as a metaphor to explain the Trinity: three leaves, one shamrock. 3 in 1: A Picture of God This one is for anyone interested in using the apple object lesson. Believe it or not, the fact that God is too immense for our finite minds should be comforting, not discouraging! God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. This is one possibility of explaining it. However, these illustrations arent perfect, and really mature kids or teenagers (or adult new believers) could handle digging a bit deeper! How can God be both one and three? Three separate beings, all rolled into one entity. Answer: Jesus came to lead us into relationship with the Father and that required the sacrifice of his own life because of our rebellion. So God is one what but three whos.. The only way humans can know about these mysteries is because the Bible teaches them. 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.. That is because it is the only religion that believes in the Trinity. 2:10), convinces (John 6:44), teaches (Luke 12:12), convicts (John 16:18), commands (Acts 1:2), moves (John 11:33), helps (Rom. That isGod is three Persons in onethe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Each corner is distinct (i.e., different) from the others. Here are the best childrens Bibles, sorted by age. 42. Fill this out to make sure you don't miss a thing! Example 1: What is the nature or essence of a rock? "Economic" has to do with the history of salvation, and discusses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the sending and mission of salvation. At the risk of sounding too physical, essence can be understood as the stuff that you consist of.. 2. Its a clear and concise explanation that works great for kids. From the 1950s to the 2000s, people wanted to see if they could make computers exhibit intelligence indistinguishable from humans. 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. In brief, how we view God will profoundly impact our everyday lives. The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. Read Books About The Trinity. While it is good for us to seek understanding of the Trinity, we cannot fully comprehend God. The answer is they are gray and hard. ). He is three in a different way than He is one. 1:2), Jesus as God (Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4). Find resources for personal or group Bible study. Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth. And that knowledge can feel liberating. 2:11), emotions (Eph. In other words, what are the objective attributes or properties that make up all rocks? 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. Their prime usefulness it to show the mystery is not contradictory. The Son and Holy Spirit are equal in deity to the Father. The Fathers plan for our redemption shows his great love for humankind. To start, let me define what I mean when I say persons. Personhood is having intellect, emotions, and a will. The concept of the Trinity. Before anything was created he begat his Logos as a person distinct from himself. 3:3; Heb. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! The Apostle Paul also affirms the doctrine of the Trinity. However, Matthew 28:19 is frequently used in attempts to prove that the Trinity is a biblical teaching. Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God. Monotheism is foundational to Christianity. The Father is God. The technical term in case youre interested for this wrong way of thinking about God is calledmodalism. 4:4). 4. For I am God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:21-22; see also 44:6-8; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35; 6:4-5; 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings 8:60). The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible . We are referring to two different features of God: (1) his singular essenceor natureand (2) three Persons. See if you can let kids arrive at the notion that God isnt really made up of parts. Christs resurrection is variously attributed to: Multiple verses distinguish each member of the Trinity. Orthodox Christian theology has always affirmed that the one true God is triune in nature. But what does it mean that God is gracious? 89:14; John 17:25; Rom. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and Jerome mention it. Matthew 3:16. 3. Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God in truth as well as in our hearts. For instance, each Person: Scripture often names all three members of the Trinity together. This would make each Person less than fully God and thus not God at all. The three Persons are distinct, yet only constitute one name. Or what are the objective characteristics that all triangles share? The Bible speaks of the Father as God (Phil. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. 2:5), The Father is not the Spirit (John 14:26; John 15:26), The Son is not the Spirit (Matt. Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. 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. 3:1617). This is a limitation on God that doesnt acknowledge that God isalwaysthe Father,alwaysthe Son, andalwaysthe Holy Spirit. Awareness of the distinct role that each Person of the Trinity has in our salvation can especially serve to give us greater comfort and appreciation for God in our prayers, as well as helping us to be specific in directing our prayers. 1:18; Luke 1:2635). That leaves us with the modern definition of the word mystery. They have eternally (John 17:5, 24) sought to glorify each other (Phil. What does it take to begin a relationship with God? In addition to these texts, the others we mentioned above make clear that the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Personhood of the Son and the Father. God is truth, so the unity that He is effecting between believers is a unity grounded in truth. Assign each group with one of the Godheads: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), or the Holy Spirit. Many of us say it every single Sunday morning. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the Trinity. Understanding who the Holy Spirit is, the place He holds within the Holy Trinity and the role He plays in individual lives is vital to anyone exploring what it means to become a Christian and anyone trying to follow Jesus. Rather, everything that one Person is involved in, the other two are also involved in, one way or another. I think the major problem involves not distinguishing two different features of God. Rather than let that frustrate you, let it encourage you. Surely not. The ancient church fathers at first simply acknowledged the Trinity without feeling the need to explain a theology of that understanding. While the three members of the Trinity are distinct, this does not mean that any is inferior to the other. That definition is a mouthful. The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. However, you dont want to stop there with a student who can participate in a discussion.
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