Its impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. Good and Bad Analogies of the Trinity - Answers . 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. Our limited intellects are unable to comprehend its reality, yet, our Scriptures and scholarly Tradition makes it known to us. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 butmore like 1 x 1 x 1.You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. Before I even began writing this post, I had an unusual song stuck in my head Holy God, we praise thy name. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. God the Father spoke from heaven and spoke of His Son, Jesus. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw. The meme above discourages the use of analogies in explaining the Trinity. Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the, is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the, being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. Each person is fully God (Phil 2; Acts 5:3-4). Let's use an egg to explain the Holy Trinity! The egg white represents Gods Spirit. 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. What does that really mean? Understanding 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. 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). The trinity is a like a Three-Leaf Clover. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. He got married there in 1965, and his four . God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. So much of what we know about what God does is wrapped up in who He is. Each one is fully God. The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . Jesus is fully God. God controls that light. This is just as bad as the Water analogy and leads to the same error. The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. Did I leave out any analogies? Church Adornments & Worship: Vestment Emblems - Monastery Icons Devils see that Spirit as a tempestuious fire. And we know that because Hes been experiencing perfect love within Himself forever. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This error denies something central to God that makes Him God. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. Genisis 1:17, KJV. Love was not given to Jesus. 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* If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. Sadly, theres something "rotten" about this egg analogy. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1, *. But the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Each one is fully God. Despite its potential obscurity, Trinity Sunday is a great occasion for me to revisit an old article on the Trinity. Part 2. Jonathon serves as a lay pastor at Gospel Life Church in New Braunfels, TX and currently works as the IT Manager for a non-profit ministry. For example, I would say, "God is like an egg." Furthermore, this trinity is related to a shamrock, an apple, or an egg. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. 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. But theres one problem: the water analogy is not the biblical picture of God. Memory, Understanding, and Will. Yet God lovingly chose to create and eventually redeem us anyway (both thoroughly Trinitarian acts), at great cost to Himself. Many of us would use analogies to explain the Trinity. He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. All of the above Bad Analogies would perhaps do more harm than good if used in explaining the Trinity. My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. Common, yes. These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. The Bible teaches three truths: 1 - there is one God. Its all one person, simply functioning in three different roles. It is not existing as 3 different parts (persons) at the same time. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. John 17). Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. 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. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. Light comes from God. This would make Jesus something less than fully God. Arius was condemned by the council of Nicea in 325 AD. What makes it hard is that all of our analogies and metaphors fall short of capturing what the Trinity actually is. Indeed, how can an infinite God be contained in a finite human womb! For instance at the baptism of Christ, the Father, Son and Spirit are all distinctly present and interacting (Matthew chapter 3 verses 16-17). The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. What are some popular illustrations of the Holy Trinity? What Is A Good Analogy For The Trinity? - Therefore, God Exists How to Explain the Holy Trinity to a Child: 3 Important Teaching Tips In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. PART OF A WHOLE. The Egg Analogy - This claims to be a good representation of the Trinity because Eggs have three distinct parts: the shell, the yolk, and the whites. This is one of the reasons we say that "God is LOVE". But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. I'm always interested in ways to encourage you, so feel free to contact me and let me know what areas interest you! The Sun was created on the forth day. Water can exist in liquid at room temperature. It is still important that we have some understanding of the concept, however. Ontological means the nature or essence of something. Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature. (Lateran Council IV), 4. MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and, (usually there is no argument that the Father is not God, since every place Jesus speaks to God, he is addressing the Father.). Here are some of them: The problem with this is that it leads to the view that God is a Trinity simply because He relates differently to us at different times. Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. The past is not the present and the present is not the future, yet all three together is what we call time. Father, Son, Holy Sprit : 3 persons, 1 great relationship, Copyright 2023 Fervr | Terms of Service. If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. Sending of another: The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. 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. If we separate them we still may have God the Egg yolk, God the Holy Spirit Egg white and God the Son, the Egg shell/image, three individual parts of an Egg, but they cannot be a Trinity, or tri-unity unless they are unified and are seen as one Egg, so to speak. A good example would be an electrical cord. 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. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. Hello busy women! Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. show me your glory. 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). Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. The unseen Father is in Christs mind. The mystery is in the how this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. Revelation 4:3And 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. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. 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). God Is Like An Egg - vtaide.com The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! Water at room temperature is liquid. 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. Deuteronomy 6:4- Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. This verse is also the beginning of the Jewish Shema prayer; their confession of faith. The Trinity is pretty weird: the Father (or Mother), Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are in some sense distinct from one another, but are all unified in another sense. The Trinity is Like an Egg How the analogy goes: The Trinity is like an egg. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. 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. 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. However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. There are, however, some that work better than others. It may not appear to agree with common sense. In the same way, at one moment God is the Father, but at different times God morphs or transforms into the Son or Holy Spirit. Which ones have you heard? 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). 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. This is perhaps the most common analogy for the Trinity. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. The Trinity are three distinct persons who exist apart from each other. Each separate being is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. 1. He has one essenceone substance. 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. 3. Thanks, Ann! There are many mysteries to our faith.
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