For instance he: Jesus has all the features that ensure he, too, is a person. Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and Jerome mention it. God the Fathers plan of redeeming humankind involved sending his Son into the world (John 3:16), The Son accomplished redemption for us on the cross (Heb. Go ahead and start with one of the object lessons above. For example they: 5. The Trinity is important to Christians because it reminds us that God is all-powerful, walked this Earth as a perfect human who can relate to our pain, and also lives on today in our hearts. Both the New Testament and Old Testament testify that there is only one God: Unfortunately, we cannot go through each of these passages in detail. In other words, what are the objective attributes or properties that make up all rocks? Another serious error people have made is to think that the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit. "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons.. Every time the wordElohim(plural) is used throughout the Old Testament referring to the one, true God, it is used with a singular conjugation of the verb. The doctrine or concept of the Trinity is central to most Christian denominations and faith groups, although not all. Gods essence is His being. 2:34; Heb. We need you. I hate getting spam. God the Son is the rays of sunshine. God is not one person who plays three different roles, as this illustration suggests. *catholic, meaning universal here, and not a reference to the big C Catholic. Learn about Cru's global leadership team. But how does it show us why there is only one God instead of three? All will play a role in the events mentioned in Revelation. Check out my tips for teaching your kids about bedtime prayer. Each person of the Trinity is equally and fully God, distinct from the others, and yet they remain just one God. Sproul cites as an example Dickens famous line, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Obviously this is a contradiction if Dickens means that it was the best of times in the same way that it was the worst of times. But he is not inferior in Gods divine essence. Volunteer abroad this year on a short term global missions trip offered by one of the best, most-reliable Christian missions organizations in the world. You can help us reach children and their families to know Jesus. Genesis 1:1says this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.. More posts you may like r/TrueChristian How do we come to terms with these different ideas of God? God is truth, so the unity that He is effecting between believers is a unity grounded in truth. And certainly not if it were a contradiction. You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. God the Father spoke the creative words to bring the universe into being (Gen. 1:1). Its a devotional book. 3. Does the Holy Spirit look like Casper? With teenagers, you want to take a different approach, and celebrate the mystery of it all. But that doesnt mean the concept isnt clearly taught. That is why understanding what the Trinity is and is not asserting. Ironically, not much is known about his death; even the year when he passed away is up for debate. The prologue of the Gospel of John has the strongest argument for the Trinity. Here are three I found to be really helpful. 317 subscribers in the BiblicalUnitarian community. 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. At Jesus baptism, when Christ came up out of the water, the Spirit descended in the appearance of a dove. 4 Visual Ways To Explain The Trinity To A Child. I work hard to produce evidence-based information about school for both teachers and parents, and to produce and share resources that can help at home and in the classroom. Monotheism is foundational to Christianity. The early church absolutely believed and taught the belief in a God who was three-in-one. There is a clue that the Son is distinct from the Father, yet there is fellowship between them. Assign each group with one of the Godheads: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), or the Holy Spirit. He sent Jesus to save us and then completed our salvation through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Eph. Since God is one in a different way than He is three, the Trinity is not a contradiction. 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. I think the major problem involves not distinguishing two different features of God. The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. the one who is not a Christian. ). As a former youth minister and childrens minister, Ive already done your research! And when he speaks, he refers to himself in first personas I (Deut. Rather, everything that one Person is involved in, the other two are also involved in, one way or another. Example 1: What is the nature or essence of a rock? 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. Actually, March 17 commemorates St. Patrick's death, actually. For example, it says of Christ that "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). The Son is the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. The Holy Trinity is depicted in the Church of Debre Berhan Selassie in Gondar, Ethiopia. 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. All three Persons of the Trinity are God. Just as ONE egg has THREE different parts - the shell, the white, the yoke - ONE God has THREE different . My Starting Point for Trying to Explain the Trinity, The Simplest but Still Clear Explanation for the Trinity, The 3 Most Common Trinity Analogies (and their limitations). But first, lets cover the basics. The word Trinity is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible; however, countless scriptures mention all three forms of God. 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? 7:28; Ps. The Trinity was present in the atonement at the cross. Why not consider these truths and place your faith in Jesus (1 John 5:1)? Then study the pronouns used in Scripture point to the Trinity: This one-ness is Gods one divine essence (Heb 1:3). 5:21), making it possible for us to have a relationship with God. We hate SPAM. Thus, Jesus prayed to God the Father without praying to Himself. Christianity is a monotheistic religion. 8:1417). And confusing ones. It has been said, Try to explain the trinity and lose your mind, try to explain away the trinity and lose your soul. And this teaching gives us a glimpse into the incomprehensible greatness of God. Baker Books, 1995, pp. The doctrine of the Trinity, simply stated, is as follows: The Bible teaches that there is one eternal God who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Jesus carried out these creative decrees (John 1:3; Col. 1:16). This is one of the books of the Torah. The word "trinity" is a term used to denote the Christian doctrine that God exists as a unity of three distinct, simultaneous persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. The The truth is always new, fresh, and exciting to the believer in Christ. Only older children will grasp the in one concept of H20. The doctrine is critical, even if not easily comprehended. This verse accurately states the doctrine of the Trinity that God is One God in three Persons. 5:2), Miracles (Ex. The word "scripture " graphe Often it is objected that If Jesus is God, then he must have prayed to himself while he was on earth. But the answer to this objection lies in simply applying what we have already seen. But its not a mystery that can or should! 45:5-6, New Testament: Mark 12:29; John 5:44; Eph. Satan existed with the angels at the beginning of creation as one of the cherubim. Deut. 1:3), Demonstrated divine sovereignty over nature (Matt. 9:14; Heb. God created man in His image. To contemplate the Trinity is to lift up your heart and to "set your mind on the things above" (Col. 3:2). Of course, anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about (p. 145). Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. A simpler way to talk about the Trinity is through "God grammar.". While not a typical conversation starter, this question is one of the most important we can ask in life. In eternity past, before the beginning, God was alone. Our kids are currently 2, 4, and 7, and its equally loved by all of them, so the Yoto age range is really wide! After all, if the trinitarian nature of God is not in the Bible, why bother talking about it at all? 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. While no church is perfect, the Trinity is still the model for the churchs unity (John 1:2123). The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. This formulation can show us why there are not three Gods, and why the Trinity is not a contradiction. A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! Elohimis the plural form of the word God. 6:45; 32:39; 1 Kings 8:60; 2 Kings 5:15; Isa. They are all eternal. Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. And interesting they are listed under a single name. This refers to Gods single essence. Surely not. Firstly, because finite humans cant comprehend an infinite God completely, Secondly, because many people confuse Gods one, Three distinct persons are God: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Firstly, unfamiliarity between essence or nature and personhood, Secondly, practical analogies that help conceptualize the Trinity, On the one hand, there is Gods singular nature, essence, or substance, And on the other, there is Gods three Persons (Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit), The sum of the three angles must be 180 degrees, The three-ness refers to the three Persons: Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, The one-ness applies to Gods unity or his single divine essence, The Trinity is a plurality of Persons and a unity of essence, God is three whos (Persons) and one what (divine essence), The triangle corresponds to Gods essence, The three corners of the triangle correspond to the three Persons of the Trinity, A triangle is finite, and God is infinite, The corners of a triangle are not persons, Understanding of the difference between Gods one divine essence and three Persons, Old Testament: Ex. He realized Scripture alone is the only way we know about the Trinity (1 Cor. In the early 2000s, people began using a new approach called "deep . Here are the best childrens Bibles, sorted by age. The three members of the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. Whether an object is a rock or a triangle, we can classify it based on its objective characteristics. 5:2122; John 13:34), End-time judgment (Matt. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Fun fact: The 325 Nicene Creed does not state Trinity. 4. 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. passage also demonstrates Jesus' early declaration of the Trinity. It starts with a whisper. One God? Conclusion: Scripture supports the Trinity. 4; 14; Jon. Allegedly, Saint Patrick used a shamrock as a metaphor to explain the Trinity: three leaves, one shamrock. Most of them are less-than-helpful. 1:2), Jesus as God (Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4). If you are teaching young children, these object lessons are both the perfect starting and stopping point. 42. know that I recognise only one God. 5:7). Neither should we think of the Persons as being defined by attributes added on to the being of God. Having seen that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, that they are each fully God, and that there is nonetheless only one God, we must conclude that all three Persons are the same God. You can cut into an apple in front of your group. Carrying this concept over to the Trinity, it is not a contradiction for God to be both three and one because He is not three and one in the same way. Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. It may seem that the Catholic Church and all the Protestant denominations dont have much in common, but they do have this creed to share. Confusing them leads to misunderstanding. The technical term in case youre interested for this wrong way of thinking about God is calledmodalism. Rather than let that frustrate you, let it encourage you. Third, Christians believe that the entire New Testament is inspired. 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.. Your Identity in Christ: How God Sees You. These questions arealwaysasked by someone who is exploring faith in Jesus. And the voice of the Father declared, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt. Each person of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) really IS God. Most Christians are puzzled by the Trinity, and therefore, cant explain it very well. Its three things, but all are complete on their own. Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity? They are three real persons, not three roles God plays. The relationship between essence and Person, then, is as follows. There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. 3:19; Eph. 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 . We believe God is one in essence. Heres how the triangle analogy can help: Consider a triangle with me. John 1 tells us that the Word is Yeshua - that he was with God and was God from the get go, right there at creation. Amen. You may be wondering how to wrap your mind around all this brand-new information! As Benjamin Needler preached: This doctrine should establish us in the truth of the gospel For my part, I would not worship that God that I could comprehend Bless God for the clear discovery of this truth under the gospel! 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 . Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the Trinity. The Holy Trinity - Explained. The oldest member of the unholy trinity. It was God who took the initiative to save humankind. The easiest way to explain the Trinity is with an object lesson, and thats true no matter how old someone might be. Explaining the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit will be needed at some point when presenting the God of the Bible to children, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and other non-Christians. He said, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Mark 12:29). Its okay for them to have a very limited understanding of God. We then turn to the most important strategies that have been developed by Christians to resolve this problem. Best Age To Teach The Trinity To A Child. 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. Trinity may be a new term for you and can be confusing even for Christians to explain to others. This is girl drama, and it can be extremely harmful to girls both mentally and emotionally. Many other verses concurrently list the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. This doctrine is absolutely essential to New Testament Christianity. Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. He is also referred to in third-person singular pronouns (John 14:26), He engages in actions only a person can do: He searches (1 Cor. OrThe person were explaining it to will think that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). Essence and personhood are NOT the same thing. (Heavy sigh.) At this stage, your head may be swimming with all this new information about God! This is great fun to see how teenagers draw a picture of God.