Every kid in Sunday school thinks he knows all about God. Therefore, we would rightly say, within the Ontological Trinity, there is no variation or distinction made. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. This is not an exhaustive list: For further reading on the Trinity, I would recommend James Whites The Forgotten Trinity, Wayne Grudems Systematic Theology and online articles by CARM.org. He cares for his creation and his people. Space Analogy God is like space. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. He has been a member of the Royal Australian Air Force since 2007, and is now training to be an Air Force Chaplain. But it cant be that way with God. 6And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons., , The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all., There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) The unseen Father is in Christs mind. 1B) This son of Graham and Lois Armstrong is Dave. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. Under Arianism Jesus is less than fully God. Matthew 3:16-17- As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. The early church labeled this view "tritheism". However, keep in mind that the one being. The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. When they used the word person, they didnt mean it in the same way that we do today. He got married there in 1965, and his four . 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/. It can also be a liquid and called water. But having lots 6 Bible Study Tools To Help You Dive Deeper. But theres one problem: the water analogy is not the biblical picture of God. The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. Music - The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Quebec, Canada Intercession: The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. What is H2O? 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. However, many of our faithful, and even priests, attempted to simplify the Mystery of the Trinity and made it easier to understand by using MODELS AND ANALOGIES, giving birth to modern-day heresies/fallacies about the Trinity. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. In some ways, it resembles the tritheism view (Misunderstanding 2). Its impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. For example, triangles are not the kinds of things that are personal. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1, *. The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. God controls that light. 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). They all exist as fully God, with none of them lacking in any attribute or aspect that defines God. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. 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. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. Thankfully he isnt a cage-stage Calvinist about it all. The God of the Bible is one God. Here are 8 Bible Characters Who Should Be More Famous. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. How can God be Three in One? Modalism denies the distinction of person in the trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit also exist eternally and concurrently. Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. So, part of understanding the Trinity is realizing that God is personal and relational. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. 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. 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). A Note on Trinitarian Analogies | Place for Truth - Alliance of But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. Modalism is a heresy because it denies the distinction of God. One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. Does that make sense? The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. I and My Father are One (John 10:30). If the Sun existed from eternity past then so were the light rays from the Sun. We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. copyright 2009 by H.D. This is the one I used long ago when trying to explain the Trinity to a group of 1st-5th graders. Just as water changes forms so too is the trinity. If you only had an apple core, you wouldnt pack it in your lunch. Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! Water at room temperature is liquid. In part one, we looked at what the Bible has to say about the Trinity. God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. That is why Moses said. Just like an egg, none of the parts are co-equal, nor are all of the parts necessary for the egg to exist. Jesus then becomes a created being and thus less than fully God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25). For example, we know that God didnt create humanity because He bored or lonely. The apple seed alone is not an apple. The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. Im giving God the credit for stirring this memory, and am extremely grateful. It is not existing as 3 different parts (persons) at the same time. 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. But its all the same person, operating in three roles or functions. The three parts create a unified whole. The meme above discourages the use of analogies in explaining the Trinity. Why analogies of the Trinity fail Youthworks Although he is one he has different roles to different people. Dont become discouraged if you cant answer the question to your liking. In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. Three Gods or one? One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw. The divine persons are really DISTINCT from one another, and not merely different roles of God at different times. Its all one person, simply functioning in three different roles. Cool it down, and itll eventually freeze into a solid. No analogy is perfect, but we want to be careful of using wrong ones that may confuse people. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. [4] The goal of an analogy is to draw out similarities between it and its referent in illuminating ways, not to define the referent itself. One of the more traditional analogies is to the states of water. These hand embroidered emblems are made with metallic gold-plated thread with silver content, printed on canvas. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. 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.). The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). H2O is a combination of two particles (atoms) of hydrogen and one particle of oxygen and this compound can exist as water (liquid), ice (solid) and vapour (gas). 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. In the second instance, the truth of Gods Trinity reveals a further aspect of Gods love for His people. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. Some have used examples such as water, watermelons and eggs; the principle behind those illustrations is that even though each thing is one, it is also three. Take a moment and give it a try. Or what? RELATED: The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. 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. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. 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. The past is not the present and the present is not the future, yet all three together is what we call time. Yet, as we view the pages of the Bible, we see that God is a personal and relational God. Hello busy women! God is like an egg in that He is 3-in-1 God the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. The Trinity is like waterand other bad analogies But, when it's heated, it turns into a gas (steam) and, when it's frozen, it turns into a solid (ice). 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). These two analogies are the "water" analogy and the "egg" analogy. Others compare God to an egg, which is part shell, part white, part yolk. The Trinity is not real in my life because of superior knowledge or insight. Celebrating Easter Is About so Much More Than One Hour on Sunday. Here are four. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. Relationship Analogy (Husband/Son/Father) God is like a person with different relationships just as a man can be a Dad, but also someones Son, and also someones Husband. We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. Studying the Trinity poses difficulty to us Catholics. An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. There are some analogies that come close. Blessings! Modalism teaches that one God just changes forms or modes over the course of scripture. 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. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:13). The word God in this sense is defined as a single being, having all divine attributes. Jesus loves us so much that he did not obliterate people who died, with power that set stars in the universe. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. 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 doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. 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. But its all water. These images fall short, because these components arent enough to be considered a whole on their own. The 3 Most Common "Trinity Analogies" (and their limitations) The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. In other words, God may manifest Himself as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. Basic mathematics tells us that 1x1x1 = 1.. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. He wondered how it was possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be inseparable, while, in . We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. Thanks, Ann! Have you wondered what is God like? Discover the richness of the old yet living 2,000-year-old religion which built the West. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,, , Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. Now that we know the doctrine of the trinity and its corresponding major heresies, now we are ready to look at some bad analogies for the trinity. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. He differs from the Father, but was and still is God. 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. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. Your email address will not be published. And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. There was no relational deficiency that prompted God to create us. This analogy is still not perfect because each of the aspect cannot stand as egg like each of the persons in the trinity can stand as God. God is like an egg - VTAide God does not morph from one person to another, nor does God exist as three separate beings. There's a simple reason they don't work: The Trinity, as such, isn't like anything in creation. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. Why All Analogies of the Trinity Fall Short - Joshua's Pen 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. All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. I bet I havent sung or heard this song in years! Each one is fully God. Montreal was home to two Trinity churches built in 1865 This is the Christmas paradox. The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . Proof texting is when we cite a bunch of bible verses to support a theological stance. ANALOGY OF CHARACTERS. . But they are one God. You are 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). If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. Depth isnt the same thing as height and height isnt the same thing as width, yet all three together are what comprise space. All Rights Reserved. For those, like myself, who are not from a highly-liturgical denomination, it may come as a surprise that June 11 was Trinity Sunday. Similarly, in our aquatic analogy, water can appear in three different modes, depending on the environment, but the three are not co-existing. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. Explaining the Trinity | Catholic Answers You are an egg! What is wrong with what I said? in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. Copyright 2023 Christian Today. See the depths of Catholicism for yourself! The above picture is a famous work of art by Andrei Rubilev, the great medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescos. So God performs 3 different roles/relationships but 1 God. What happens when an egg hatches? Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Common, yes. copyright 2009 by H.D. Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. So, in God, there are three distinct persons. The more I reflect on Easter, the more Ive realized how much its become a consumeristic holidayeven Did Jesus really rise from the dead? He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. If one of the persons were not there, then we would not have God. St. Augustine's Analogy for Understanding the Trinity What is the best analogy of the Holy Trinity? - Quora Dont you know Jesus? These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. Unfortunately, there is a problem with this view of the Trinity. Arianism denies the deity of each person in the trinity. Perhaps youve heard the analogy that the Trinity is like H2O (the molecular symbol for water). It is a miraculous invention, the egg. Light comes from 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. 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.) Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. Well, the egg analogy, when applied to God, suggests that only one being exists but this being exists in three different parts. Jesus is the visual form of God. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. The Latin word for trinity (trinitas) combines two words- unitas (unity) and trias (three). Similarly, light and heat are simply creations of the sun, yet it is the heresy of Arianism to claim that the Son or Spirit are mere creations of the Father. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. 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. 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. Yet it appears to be almost entirely misunderstood within contemporary evangelical circles. He is one God in three persons, all at the same time. What makes it hard is that all of our analogies and metaphors fall short of capturing what the Trinity actually is. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of tritheism. Therefore the eternal brightness shines forth before Him, and co-exists with Him, in that, existing without a beginning, and always begotten, He always shines before Him; and He is that Wisdom which says, I was that wherein He delighted, and I was daily His delight before His face at all times.. Jesus is fully God. 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. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. And for a mere mortal to have dared invent it and be able t. There would be three thrones. The trinity is a like a Three-Leaf Clover. What Is A Good Analogy For The Trinity? - Therefore, God Exists God does not play three roles.. and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). Good and Bad Analogies of the Trinity - Answers . Haydn Lea is an Associate Pastor in Queensland, and is currently studying his Master of Arts (Theology). Before I even began writing this post, I had an unusual song stuck in my head Holy God, we praise thy name. Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. The mystery is in the how this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. And then theres Jesus, Gods son. The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. Arianism clearly denies the deity of the three persons. 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). But understanding the Trinity is important. Well the issue is, the water analogy is akin to the heresy of Modalism. Each one is fully 100% God. Martyn Iles Removed as Managing Director of Australian Christian Lobby by Board, Seven Types of Rest to Restore Your Body, Mind and Spirit, 8 witnesses testified against Hillsong founder Brian Houston in court case, wife Bobbie reveals, Why you feel guilty for not going to church, Samaritan's Purse sends 52-bed field hospital to Turkey. 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. 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. As John 1:18 says, Jesus is "the only begotten God, in the bosom of [God] the Father.". Stars were made on the forth day. Haydn describes himself as a five-point Calvinist, but he recognises that many faithful Christians disagree. Many of these analogies have the best of intentions, but God cannot be described in a way we can fully comprehend or rationalize. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. Some have used examples such as water, watermelons and eggs; the principle behind those illustrations is that even though each thing is one, it is also three. Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. This is the error of Arianism (not to be confused with Aryanism, which is also bad). We have the creeds for just that reason. In this episode, Fred Sanders discusses what it really means to say that God is a Trinitythree persons in one God. Moreover, the yoke and the whites are no longer as they used to be. 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. 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). 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. 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. The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Andrew M. Bailey Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. Youre right, theyre all good but not perfect because only God IS perfect. 1:8-12; 1 Pet. The teaching of the trinity is clearly taught in Scripture and must be preserved as such. An essential factor lacking from those concepts is the relational quality of God. - well, sort of. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. 1. 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. While each person is distinct, they are never separate from one another. The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. Arius was condemned by the council of Nicea in 325 AD. MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. God is like H2O in that the Bible may refer to a specific person of the Trinity but that person is still God.
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