Object Lessons on the Trinity for a Child or New Believer, The Difference Between Teaching the Trinity to a Child vs. a Teenager, Books that Explain the Trinity to a Child, Navigating Girl Drama: 20 Ways Schools and Parents Can Help Calm the Storm, Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school. In regards to the Trinity, we use the term Person differently than we generally use it in everyday life. Need help teaching your kids about communion, either at Sunday School or home? 119; Prov. Girls become divided, friendships are ruined, and reputations are tarnished. I might end with sharing a few analogies from nature. Being Gods child, we can worship the Father and Jesus through the Spirit (John 4:2324; Phil. This is something far removed from our human experience, where every different human "person" is a different being as well. At Jesus baptism, when Christ came up out of the water, the Spirit descended in the appearance of a dove. "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons.. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. Ive got you covered with all the basics, no matter your denomination. For example: God the Father is a person. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. Is God the same as Jesus? Can We Explain the Trinity? | Desiring God The different roles refer to a functional order or functional subordination.. Thats what faith is being content with our own confusion while still knowing that God is bigger than we can comprehend. At this stage, your head may be swimming with all this new information about God! Gods essence is His being. 3:17; 17:5; Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 10:15; 12:28; 17:1-26; 1 Tim. Their prime usefulness it to show the mystery is not contradictory. 8:6), Jesus is called God (John 1:1-5; John 20:28; Rom. This leads us to investigate more closely a very helpful definition of the Trinity which I mentioned earlier: God is one in essence, but three in Person. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Andrew M. Bailey Check out my tips for teaching your kids about bedtime prayer. 9:5; Col. 2:9), The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:34; 2 Cor. While there are some illustrations which are helpful, we should recognize that no illustration is perfect. Some attributes include eternal, infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. While theconceptof the Trinity is evident in the New Testament (Matt. However, the Bible teaches us enough about these mysteries that we can apprehend them. We hate SPAM. When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen. How do they relate? What is the essence of a triangle? When he has gone further in his "explanation" of the Trinity than many have gone, he admits, "I am far from asserting this as any . Its okay for them to have a very limited understanding of God. How To Explain the Trinity to Muslims - Bellator Christi EXPLAIN THE TRINITY - How To Explain The Holy Trinity Simply There are three Persons with one divine essence! 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. It's so simple, it fits on one page. Deut. Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. . 18:20; Matt. Essence and person are not the same thing. It is fundamental to our worldview. The Trinity - God and authority in Christianity - BBC Bitesize 4:6; James 2:19; Jude 25. 3:1417). 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. 32:17, 27; Matt. 1. also 1:18). Kids understand the three different forms clearly, as separate objects. Nicene Creed: An Outline of the Trinity Doctrine You cant find an earthly match for this concept. Find resources for personal or group Bible study. How to Know and Understand the Holy Spirit | Cru - Cru.org God told Moses in the Torah to tell God's people these words: M. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." ( Deuteronomy 6:4) C. Yes, that's right. For example the: Finite humankind cannot wholly comprehend these mysteries. How to Explain the Trinity in 4 Steps - The Catechism Guy 4:47), In Hebrews (Heb. Heres how the triangle analogy can help: Consider a triangle with me. Yet Jesus would not have referenced the Trinity unless it was important. 32:39), Has personal traits, such as the ability to communicate (John 14:31), He has intellect (John 2:25), emotions (John 11:35), and a will (John 6:38), Has intellect (John 14:26; 1 Cor. Simply put: without three angles, theres no triangle! (Heavy sigh.) Subjection and subordination do not mean inequality. Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. The word "scripture " graphe Or what are the objective characteristics that all triangles share? Yes, the Spirit was sent, but this does not imply that the Holy Spirit is less than they are. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! Awareness of the distinct role that each Person of the Trinity has in our salvation can especially serve to give us greater comfort and appreciation for God in our prayers, as well as helping us to be specific in directing our prayers. Then share them with another Christian or genuine seeker. In this blog post, we are going to discuss the Holy Trinity in simple terms. The Trinity is first of all important because God is important. This verse accurately states the doctrine of the Trinity that God is One God in three Persons. 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. The answer is simple. What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation. 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. There will always be some level of mystery to this, but when you talk about the being/nature/essence as God and the persons/expressions as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit I think we get at least a little bit closer to beginning to comprehend something we can never fully comprehend. No, the wordTrinitydoes not appear in the Bible. But it is possible to go deeper. Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God. How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus. Ive already done your research at my local library. Showing God in action in and through His people. But its not a mystery that can or should! Lets start with the geometric figure of the triangle itself. The late theologian Herman Bavinck has stated something very helpful at this point: The persons are modes of existence within the being; accordingly, the Persons differ among themselves as the one mode of existence differs from the other, and using a common illustration as the open palm differs from a closed fist.[4], Because each of these forms of existence are relational (and thus are Persons), they are each a distinct center of consciousness, with each center of consciousness regarding Himself as I and the others as You. Nonetheless, these three Persons all consist of the same stuff (that is, the same what, or essence). Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. 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]. And the Trinity is an essential doctrine to our understanding of God. 55 years on I've yet to hear or read an explanation of the Trinity that makes sense. Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. In describing the Trinity, the New Testament clearly distinguishes three Persons who are all simultaneously active. For instance, the Father is the first person of the Trinity. His function is superior to that of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Then I'll share an activity using the Celtic Trinity Knot to explain the Trinity to children along with the love that exists between each of its Persons and us. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be one of the central Christian affirmations about God. (eds. 104:30), sanctifies (Rom. And that he is manifest as three Persons.. The Father sent Jesus into the world (John 3:16; Gal. God the Holy Spirit is the warmth you feel from the sun. . 42. Its okay to admit you dont know everything. What Is the Economic and Immanent Trinity? - Zondervan Academic 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. These are all qualities of personhood. The Hebrew word for God isElohim. While we cannot fully understand everything about the Trinity (or anything else), it is possible to answer questions like these and come to a solid grasp of what it means for God to be three in one. If it were the other way around and we understood God completely, how would he be the sovereign God? This is one of the books of the Torah. The oldest member of the unholy trinity. In sum, the essence or nature of anything is what it is. Below is the easiest way that I have ever heard it explained: God the Father is the sun. Omnibenevolence (Jer. In the early 2000s, people began using a new approach called "deep . The seeds are like the Holy Spirit, because He helps us grow. 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! What Should Christians Know about the Trinity? But how can finite humans know anything about Gods infinite essence? First, we have God. A Christian would still be expected to understand it. Trying to fully understand God is like a 2-year-old trying to fully understand the complexities of relationships, marriage, and parenting! While this is in my mind the simplest, clearest explanation, I understand that even this breaks down when we go further and say I am a human and I am Keith Ferrin. 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. 2:10), knows (1 Cor. At his death on the cross, sinless Jesus chose to substitute himself in our place (Heb. The early church absolutely believed and taught the belief in a God who was three-in-one. 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. And Scripture provides many descriptors, orattributes,of Gods singular essence or nature. That is why any discussion of the Trinity is based on Scripture (Ps. God is like the skin because He protects us. Gods attributes are not parts of his singular divine essence. Of course, anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about (p. 145). Monotheism is foundational to Christianity. 1:12). It is the same thing in three different forms. It is crucial for properly understanding what God is like, how He relates to us, and how we should relate to Him. All three members of the Trinity have these characteristics. Most of them are less-than-helpful. This analogy ignores the personal distinctions within God and mitigates them to mere roles. Why? If you go to YouTube and search on explain the Trinity youll findlotsof videos. The verb for created isbara. This triune God (or Trinity) began to allude to this aspect of His nature right in Genesis 1:26-27. Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. We need you. 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. Unfortunately, it is also a doctrine that is surrounded by disagreement and controversy among believers. Now lets go a little deeper and consider the triangles three corners (angles). The second point of clarification has to do with personhood. 5:2122; John 13:34), End-time judgment (Matt. Its NOT God. We believe God is one in essence. 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. 4:4; Col. 1:15), Eternal (John 1:1-3; 17:5; Col. 1:16-17; Jude 25), Omnipresent (Matt. " Here God is a plural noun, said is in the . know that I recognise only one God. Help others in their faith journey through discipleship and mentoring. 31:3; John 3:16; 1 John 4:8), Righteous (Ps. Matt Perman is the director of career navigation at The Kings College NYC, a blogger, and an author. 8:3539; Eph. Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. However, let me highlight some of the most significant passages that confirm monotheism: Are you interested in learning more about the Godhead? A subreddit for the encouragement and discussion of the Biblical Unitarian position which holds Binmin Podcast 8: God & Origins | What Questions Should I Ask About My Faith, Binmin Podcast Ep. "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. "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him.". Scriptural evidence supports every element proving the Trinity. If someone already has an understanding based on the definition and explanation above, then these analogiesmighthelp them grasp aspects of the Trinity. The Trinity and Christian Unity - Ligonier Ministries Then you will learn the distinction between personhood and essence or nature. Confusing them leads to misunderstanding. He is three in Person. Satan. The three members of the Trinity are Persons. 4 Visual Ways To Explain The Trinity To A Child. The wordTrinitymeansthree-in-one. God is one in a certain way (essence) and three in a different way (person). Fun fact: The 325 Nicene Creed does not state Trinity. It's a great reminder of the three parts of the Holy Trinity! The idea that God is somehow three and one starts onPage 1and never changes. For example they: 5. While I believe that this is a helpful definition, it should be recognized that Grudem himself is offering this as more of an explanation than definition of Person. 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. Lets do a quick review of the topics we have covered. So many things clamor to define you. He realized Scripture alone is the only way we know about the Trinity (1 Cor. Trinity: Loving relationship defines God's very being Our kids are currently 2, 4, and 7, and its equally loved by all of them, so the Yoto age range is really wide! This one is kinda fun for older kids who understand a bit of science. They had to wait another 50 year for the 381 update. And he should be referred to by personal pronouns and never as it. The Holy Spirits is a person because he: Scripture also proves that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are God. Another serious error people have made is to think that the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit.