how to explain the trinity to a new believer how to explain the trinity to a new believer

But a common question arises: How do the members of the Trinity differ from one another?. A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! We hate SPAM. Question: How do you explain the Trinity? God is like the skin because He protects us. Being Gods child, we can worship the Father and Jesus through the Spirit (John 4:2324; Phil. Why do so many people struggle with the doctrine of the Trinity? From the 1950s to the 2000s, people wanted to see if they could make computers exhibit intelligence indistinguishable from humans. be explained away. He brings all light and life to the world. (Ohand I'll send you my free guideThe Simplest Way to Study ANY Bible Passageas a "Thank you" for jumping on board!). 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. Yet most Christians have difficulty explaining the Trinity clearly and Biblically. 5:21), making it possible for us to have a relationship with God. This formulation can show us why there are not three Gods, and why the Trinity is not a contradiction. There are three Persons with one divine essence! If we can understand more precisely what is meant by essence and person, how these two terms differ, and how they relate, we will then have a more complete understanding of the Trinity. . (Againwere trying to grasp something that isnt fully grasp-able.). If you're looking for the best Christian jobs and careers, check out Cru's ministry job openings for full- and part-time missionaries and professionals. The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Son or the Father. 3. 1:17; Dan. The idea that God is somehow three and one starts onPage 1and never changes. 5:10), Requested prayer in his name (John 14:1314) and to be honored as God (John 5:23), Begetting the human nature of Christ at the incarnation (Luke 1:35), Inspiring Scripture (2 Tim. Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. 2:511). The three-ness and one-ness are two different features. So all three members of the Trinity have unique personhood. 12:11), When the Holy Spirit speaks, he refers to himself in first person (Acts 13:2). 15:3). Ive been thinking about it a lot, doing some research to see how people smarter than I have explained the Trinity, and come to a better understanding of the Trinity andhow to explain the Trinity in simpler terms. And the voice of the Father declared, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God.". This is girl drama, and it can be extremely harmful to girls both mentally and emotionally. You can cut into an apple in front of your group. Wayne Grudem explains: But if each person is fully God and has all of Gods being, then we also should not think that the personal distinctions are any kind of additional attributes added on to the being of God . Then you will learn the distinction between personhood and essence or nature. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide. The Holy Trinity - Explained. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earthand in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spiritand born of the virgin Mary.He suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again.He ascended into heaven,and is seated at the right hand of the Father.He will come again to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic* Church,the communion of the saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. But it is possible to go deeper. We then turn to the most important strategies that have been developed by Christians to resolve this problem. What does essence mean? It is understandable that our finite minds cannot grasp an infinite God. In his bookMere Christianity, C. S. Lewis points out an important distinction. The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. But secondly, Christians need to clarify that God is incomprehensible. For instance: Additionally, all three members of the Trinity participate together in several critical events. 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. Amongst other books, I have read 'The Forgotten Trinity" by James White, but remain unconvinced that acceptance of or belief in the confusing doctrine of the trinity is essential for Salvation. The next time you (or I) are asked to explain the Trinity, you could start with a 1-sentence definition and then unpack that definition. passage also demonstrates Jesus' early declaration of the Trinity. 3:17; 17:5; Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 10:15; 12:28; 17:1-26; 1 Tim. God the Father. This command lists all three persons of the Trinity. At his death on the cross, sinless Jesus chose to substitute himself in our place (Heb. *catholic, meaning universal here, and not a reference to the big C Catholic. The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible . Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity? 3. Well, we can know because God has given us his special revelation: the Bible. Its a mystery the Bible teaches. 10:2831), In Johns writings (1 John 4:1314; Rev. But is there any easy way to apprehend these exciting discoveries? Because of Gods nature, several mysteries exist within our faith. Satan. 3:3; Heb. God is infinite. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. This is one possibility of explaining it. 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. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. Several analogies help us apprehend the Trinity. Rather, each person of the Trinity has all of the attributes of God, and no one Person has any attributes that are not possessed by the others. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. The concept of the Trinity is often referred to during worship, which helps Christians to understand it. Ignore the urge to tie everything up with a nice little bow. For example, it says of Christ that "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). 119; Prov. In Hinduism, the trinity (Trimrti, or The Three Forms) is of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Internship opportunities with Cru's ministries. Reflecting Jesus together for the good of the city. 5:7). But first, lets cover the basics. But all three must be present simultaneously for the geometric figure to be a triangle. We can discern and apprehend what it is. Its obvious that the Trinity is important to Christianity because its the framework for one of our oldest texts that crosses multiple denominations: the Apostles Creed, written in the 5th century. How can we pack more meaning and deeper, Read More Holy Week for Kids: How to Teach Beyond Easter SundayContinue, Not every child is born with tons of self esteem. 6:11; Gal. 104:30), sanctifies (Rom. The wordTrinitymeansthree-in-one. After all, children deal best with concrete ideas. In the early 2000s, people began using a new approach called "deep . Believe it or not, the fact that God is too immense for our finite minds should be comforting, not discouraging! As Christians, we derive our concept of person from the relations in the Trinity. Gods attributes are not parts of his singular divine essence. The divine essence is thus not something that exists above or separate from the three Persons, but the divine essence is the being of the three Persons. God the Holy Spirit is the warmth you feel from the sun. Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God. "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons." Unpacking the Definition The word Trinity means three-in-one. Deity of Jesus: 10 Essentials You Need to Know! Modern theologians have created a distinction between the "economic Trinity" and the "immanent Trinity.". First of all I want to tell you that the Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Use Objects As Visual Aids. 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. Look at what the Bible clearly shows: that there is one God ( Deuteronomy 6:4) that the Father is called God ( Ephesians 4:6 ), that Jesus (the Son) is called God ( Titus 2:13) and existed with God before creation ( John 1:1; 17:4) and the Holy Spirit is attributed . The word "trinity" cannot be found in the Bible, but the truth is that the three of them have been there together all the way along. These are all qualities of personhood. The Trinity is Christianity's most unique, defining, incomprehensible, and awesome mystery. Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the earth by his word. It is the same thing in three different forms. The Trinity is a mystery beyond our comprehension (Isa. Even wonderful parents have kids who struggle with self esteem, despite excellent parenting and a supportive home environment. Then share them with another Christian or genuine seeker. Or stated simply, the triangles what-ness.. 4. Read Books About The Trinity. " Here God is a plural noun, said is in the . Assign each group with one of the Godheads: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), or the Holy Spirit. Learn why He did it and what it means for you. With teenagers, you want to take a different approach, and celebrate the mystery of it all. Essence and personhood are NOT the same thing. Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus. And confusing ones. Not the answer an enquiring young mind was looking for. 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 23-26; Luke 7:11-17; Luke 11:1-45), Sends the Holy Spirit and his gifts (John 16:714), Put his words on a par with Gods (Matt. Among the worlds religions, the Christian faith is unique. 19:714; Ps. Actually, March 17 commemorates St. Patrick's death, actually. This triune God (or Trinity) began to allude to this aspect of His nature right in Genesis 1:26-27. That is why understanding what the Trinity is and is not asserting. If youre wondering how to explain the Trinity to a child, keep it simple. 1. So God is one what but three whos.. Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth. 118:28, God referred to in the third person singular (he, his, him): Gen. 1:5, 10; Ex. Rather than let that frustrate you, let it encourage you. draws the believer into a new . In other words, Christianity is unique among all other worldviews. understand the doctrine of the Trinity. Lets do a quick review of the topics we have covered. In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of noncontradiction. Sometimes the Spirit is treated more like a force than a Person. On the other hand, we must say that the Persons are real, that they are not just different ways of looking at the one being of GodThe only way it seems possible to do this is to say that the distinction between the persons is not a difference of "being" but a difference of "relationships." using the shamrock or the three states of H 2 O to explain the . 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. There is a clue that the Son is distinct from the Father, yet there is fellowship between them. In this blog post, we will discuss how schools and parents can help girls to, Read More Navigating Girl Drama: 20 Ways Schools and Parents Can Help Calm the StormContinue, Ill never forget the moment I watched in amazement as my newly-turned 4 year old sounded out her first few CVC words. That is because it is the only religion that believes in the Trinity. The three members of the Trinity are Persons. Most of them are less-than-helpful. They only describe what makes up Gods singular essence. As theologian and apologist Norman Geisler has explained it, while essence is what you are, person is who you are. The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. OrThe person were explaining it to will think that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). If you are a Christian, why not memorize some of this blogs verses? 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. How do we receive His grace? Just hang on a little longer. The word Trinity is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible; however, countless scriptures mention all three forms of God. Below is the easiest way that I have ever heard it explained: God the Father is the sun.