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It may seem like a daunting question at first, but when we think about it the truth of God's triune nature is meant to be a joy, a comfort, and a wonder to us! Before anything was created he begat his Logos as a person distinct from himself. 3:25; Dan. Of course, anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about (p. 145). Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. 4. A triangle must have three sides three corners (angles), and the sum of the three angles must be 180 degrees. As a former youth minister and childrens minister, Ive already done your research! Omnibenevolence (Jer. Gods attributes are not parts of his singular divine essence. It starts with a whisper. This is a limitation on God that doesnt acknowledge that God isalwaysthe Father,alwaysthe Son, andalwaysthe Holy Spirit. However, you dont want to stop there with a student who can participate in a discussion. This is great fun to see how teenagers draw a picture of God. The Trinity confuses even adults, so when youre tasked (or inspired) to teach the Trinity to a child, teenager, or new believer, it can be overwhelming. Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. It has been said, Try to explain the trinity and lose your mind, try to explain away the trinity and lose your soul. "But if I [Jesus] cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.". After understanding the difference between essence and personhood, most objections evaporate! 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. This command lists all three persons of the Trinity. While Jesus and the Father are both God, they are different Persons. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. The Trinity. That may sound intimidating but dont worry Ill unpack that definition below. The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some attributes include eternal, infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. There are two men in their 20s who came to faith in Christ in recent weeks through the ministry of our church. 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]. 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. . At Jesus baptism, when Christ came up out of the water, the Spirit descended in the appearance of a dove. 5:2122; John 13:34), End-time judgment (Matt. The different roles refer to a functional order or functional subordination.. I wont go into all of the verses here (simply type bible verses about the Trinity into Google and youll find plenty). 15:28). This formulation can show us why there are not three Gods, and why the Trinity is not a contradiction. From the 1950s to the 2000s, people wanted to see if they could make computers exhibit intelligence indistinguishable from humans. All three members of the Trinity have these characteristics. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. ), "If God was small enough for my brain to fully understand, He wouldnt be big enough to save me!, The authors of the Bible understood this. 2:8-9), we can become Gods children. That is why understanding what the Trinity is and is not asserting. 12:11), When the Holy Spirit speaks, he refers to himself in first person (Acts 13:2). 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. Lets apply these concepts to the Trinity. God the Father, Jesus His Son, with the Holy Spirit, they are three in one! The personhood of each member of the Trinity means that each Person has a distinct center of consciousness. Reflecting Jesus together for the good of the city. The second point of clarification has to do with personhood. Why? 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. But they are eternally subordinate in their roles to him (1 Cor. Orthodox Christian theology has always affirmed that the one true God is triune in nature. Remember, the nature or essence of an entity is the property or attributes that make it what it is. Ive got you covered with all the basics, no matter your denomination. Are you still not a Christian? 13:14; 1 Pet.1:2), In the story of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1025), When Jesus promises the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:48), Peters sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:33; Acts 3839), Peter and apostles answer the high priest (Acts 5:3032), During Stephens heavenly vision at his stoning (Acts 7:5556), In Peters sermon to the gentiles in Caesarea (Acts 10:3638; Acts 4448), When Peter reports to the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:1518), When Peter speaks at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:811), During Pauls interaction with Jewish leaders in Rome (Acts 28:2531), Pauls epistles (Rom. Monotheism is foundational to Christianity. Among the worlds religions, the Christian faith is unique. 1:20-21), In salutations and benedictions (2 Cor. The Trinity is like an egg or apple. God is the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. I'm an author, speaker, husband, father and ice cream lover. Whats a Mama to say when the questions start flowing? From our understanding of the Trinity (a social being), we recognize that a person is a relational being, not just someone with a mind, a will, and . Thats why they wrote words like we find inJob 11:7-8, "Can you fathom the depths of God or discover the limits of the Almighty? When you cut an apple in half, you can see that each of these three parts are different (at this point, you can cut the apple open for your kids! Explore answers to life's biggest questions. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. Fortunately, the most popular analogy of the Trinity is the triangle. We hate SPAM. Genesis 1:1 reads: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." If we look more closely at the word we translate "God," Elohim, we see it is plural. Errr, not quite. This is one of the books of the Torah. The oldest member of the unholy trinity. 2:17). The three members of the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. 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.". Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. 104:30), sanctifies (Rom. Because these features make up the singular essence or nature of a triangle. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. 9:5; Col. 2:9), The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:34; 2 Cor. Find freedom from your sins today. Equipping families with practical approaches to parenting and marriage. However, let me highlight some of the most significant passages that confirm monotheism: Are you interested in learning more about the Godhead? Deut. We exist to worship God. Satan. This post is full of Bible facts for kids that will spark the imagination, encourage lots of good questions, and even inspire some Bible reading. The first commandment says, You shall have no other gods before me (Ex. 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 . Others seem to come by it naturally, and its just not fair! 55:8-9). But dont get confused. If someone already has an understanding based on the definition and explanation above, then these analogiesmighthelp them grasp aspects of the Trinity. But Christianity's God is unique. 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. " Here God is a plural noun, said is in the . However, these illustrations arent perfect, and really mature kids or teenagers (or adult new believers) could handle digging a bit deeper! God created man in His image. . That means that, as Christians, we believe in only one God. He realized Scripture alone is the only way we know about the Trinity (1 Cor. Live in another country building relationships and ministries with eternal impact. 5:21), making it possible for us to have a relationship with God. And certainly not if it were a contradiction. Instead, they are all identical in attributes. (Againwere trying to grasp something that isnt fully grasp-able.). OksoWhat about this idea of one being who exists in three persons?. Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity? He is one Being in three Persons (centers of consciousness), not merely three roles. 4; 14; Jon. The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. Genesis 1:1says this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.. To help us do that, here are two reasons why the Trinity matters. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. As you might expect, some people consider these mysteries as contradictions. But in response we can point out both agreement and clarification. A subreddit for the encouragement and discussion of the Biblical Unitarian position which holds He is three in a different way than He is one. Neither should we think of the Persons as being defined by attributes added on to the being of God. 8:3539; Eph. 119; Prov. Gods One-ness is his One divine essence, 3. Thats the one we think of as the Father. God is infinite. More simply stated, the essence of any entity is what it is. It is the revelation of who our Almighty Creator actually isnot just a god, but an infinite Being existing in eternity as three co-equal, infinite Persons, consubstantial yet distinct. Trinity, in Christian doctrine, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. The Holy Spirit was moving or hovering over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2). And during his earthly ministry, Christ subjected himself to the Fathers will. God is not one person who plays three different roles, as this illustration suggests. What we do not mean by Person is an independent individual in the sense that both I and another human are separate, independent individuals who can exist apart from one another. One helpful Scripture explicitly refers to the essence and personhood of the Trinity. No, the wordTrinitydoes not appear in the Bible. This is girl drama, and it can be extremely harmful to girls both mentally and emotionally.