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. Conclusion: Scripture supports the Trinity. Through accepting the undeserved gift of salvation (Eph. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! Further, we clearly should not think of God as consisting of anything other than divinity. In the baptism of Jesus, we see the Father speaking from heaven and the Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove as Jesus comes out of the water (Mark 1:10-11). Ask the teenager this question: Where does this fall short? Lets move on to Scriptural evidence for the Trinity. What we do mean by Person is something that regards himself as I and others as You. So the Father, for example, is a different Person from the Son because He regards the Son as a You, even though He regards Himself as I. Thus, in regards to the Trinity, we can say that Person means a distinct subject which regards Himself as an I and the other two as a You. These distinct subjects are not a division within the being of God, but a form of personal existence other than a difference in being.[3]. Then study the pronouns used in Scripture point to the Trinity: This one-ness is Gods one divine essence (Heb 1:3). To contemplate the Trinity is to lift up your heart and to "set your mind on the things above" (Col. 3:2). (Heavy sigh.) As Christians, we derive our concept of person from the relations in the Trinity. Contrary to this, the passages we have seen imply that God always was and always will be three Persons. 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. 2:18). 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. 15:28). This verse accurately states the doctrine of the Trinity that God is One God in three Persons. I'm an author, speaker, husband, father and ice cream lover. To be even more precise, essence is what you are. However, let me highlight some of the most significant passages that confirm monotheism: Are you interested in learning more about the Godhead? Nonetheless, while recognizing the distinct roles that each Person has, we should never think of their roles as so separate that the other Persons are not involved. Further, we should allow the fact that God is triune to deepen our worship. 2. Instead, they are all identical in attributes. God the Father, Jesus His Son, with the Holy Spirit, they are three in one! Must you become a better person so that God will accept you? We begin with a brief discussion of the doctrine in historical context, explaining more fully the nature of the problem it raises. This is one of the books of the Torah. 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. Orthodox Christian theology has always affirmed that the one true God is triune in nature. He regenerates us with new spiritual life (John 3:58). You can help us reach children and their families to know Jesus. In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. Christ through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God.. 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. Leading from values so others will walk passionately with God to grow and bear fruit. The three-ness and one-ness are two different features. In all transparency, I feel like I did a pretty mediocre job of explaining the Trinity to them in a way they could grasp. The Trinity is like an egg or apple. He sanctifies us (1 Pet. As a result, Jesus death covered or atoned for our sins (2 Cor. 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." There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. Or what are the objective characteristics that all triangles share? Essenceis the objective set of attributes necessary to the thing being described. Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. These questions arealwaysasked by someone who is exploring faith in Jesus. You will and can grasp these principles. First, we have God. Yet he also proclaimed, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live (1 Cor. 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. Jesus (the Son) is God. The relationship between essence and Person, then, is as follows. As I said earlier, it means the same thing as being. You can describe the Trinity in different ways: The wordspersonsandessencerefer to entirely different features relating to God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not unite people by neglecting t The Definition Of The Trinity. How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus. Theologians have pointed out that if it were not true, the Bible would be unreliable, Christ would not be divine, and His death on the cross would not atone for our sins, being merely the death of a martyr. The concept of the Trinity is that we have God in three forms - a union of three. Rather than let that frustrate you, let it encourage you. Lets apply what weve learned to the Trinity based on the graphic. Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth. The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. 4:47), In Hebrews (Heb. Since our personal relationship is with Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit lies within us, what role does God play as Father? 8:1417). There is a clue that the Son is distinct from the Father, yet there is fellowship between them. 2:17). (Againwere trying to grasp something that isnt fully grasp-able.). 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! And confusing ones. Ive already done your research at my local library. This one is kinda fun for older kids who understand a bit of science. 2. As you might expect, some people consider these mysteries as contradictions. But in response we can point out both agreement and clarification. The Trinity confuses many people. Only older children will grasp the in one concept of H20. 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. Faith is recognizing that we dont have all the answers and deciding that its okay to keep believing and growing. After all, as I have said many times (to myself as much as others! 2. The easiest way to explain the Trinity is with an object lesson, and thats true no matter how old someone might be. Most people, including many Christians, struggle trying to apprehend the Trinity. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. "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. 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. What's the Origin and History of the Trinity in the Church? But all three must be present simultaneously for the geometric figure to be a triangle. 32:17, 27; Matt. The Father sent Jesus into the world (John 3:16; Gal. Your Identity in Christ: How God Sees You. 9:5; Col. 2:9), The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:34; 2 Cor. 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.. 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. "But if I [Jesus] cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.". Internship opportunities with Cru's ministries. 15:16), inspires, intercedes (Rom. 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 . 2:11), speaks (Mark 13:11), testifies (Acts 20:23), reveals (1 Cor. If you are a Christian, why not memorize some of this blogs verses? Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. 28:20; Col. 3:11), Omnibenevolent (John 13:34; Rom. Within a week,, Read More Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? How to Support Gifted Readers, 27 of the Best Yoto Cards for Kids (sorted by age group), 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game), Holy Week for Kids: How to Teach Beyond Easter Sunday, 15 Powerful Self Esteem Activities for Kids to Do at Home and in School. When Jesus answered the question, What is the greatest commandment? he prefaced the answer by quoting the. Baker Books, 1995, pp. How can three and one refer to the same God? While the three members of the Trinity are distinct, this does not mean that any is inferior to the other. After all, if the trinitarian nature of God is not in the Bible, why bother talking about it at all? And in John 16:13-15 we see that although there is a close unity between them all, the Holy Spirit is also distinct from the Father and the Son. First of all I want to tell you that the Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For example, if I say that the moon is made entirely of cheese but then also say that the moon is not made entirely of cheese, I have contradicted myself. Question: How do you explain the Trinity? In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. God is spirit (John 4:24). During this period, it was attempted solely by using algorithmswhich are basically rules or sets of rules you tell a computer to follow. The Trinity was present in the atonement at the cross. So, the Trinity is incomprehensible. And the Trinity is an essential doctrine to our understanding of God. How to Explain the Trinity to an Unbeliever The Village Church - Flower Mound 118K subscribers 36K views 5 years ago The Trinity is confusing even to most Christians, so we want to pull the. Lets go back to the Trinity triangle graphic, and you will see: By now you understand that the three Persons of the Trinity equally share Gods essence. Whether an object is a rock or a triangle, we can classify it based on its objective characteristics. (So I won't send you any.) What does it take to begin a relationship with God? For I am God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:21-22; see also 44:6-8; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35; 6:4-5; 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings 8:60). Binmin Podcast 8: God & Origins | What Questions Should I Ask About My Faith, Binmin Podcast Ep. That isGod is three Persons in onethe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide. 42. The first commandment says, You shall have no other gods before me (Ex. In this blog post, we are going to discuss the Holy Trinity in simple terms. 5:2122; John 13:34), End-time judgment (Matt. Christ took Gods punishment, and wrath meant for us because of our sins (Heb. And likewise with the Holy Spirit. Learn why He did it and what it means for you. 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. Famous pastor and authorA.W. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. 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. 55 years on I've yet to hear or read an explanation of the Trinity that makes sense. And the triangle can help us distinguish one essence from the three Persons. LESSON 1: THE TRINITY AIM: To teach the children in simple terms the truth of the Godhead. 1:17; Dan. Fortunately, the most popular analogy of the Trinity is the triangle. God created man in His image. This command lists all three persons of the Trinity. Even then, he was not alone, because he had his Logos within him. This is something far removed from our human experience, where every different human "person" is a different being as well. Just as ONE egg has THREE different parts - the shell, the white, the yoke - ONE God has THREE different . Theologian R.C. The wordTrinitymeansthree-in-one. These are all qualities of personhood. 1. God is the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. 11:3336). 2:8-9), we can become Gods children. God the Son. understand the doctrine of the Trinity. This is a limitation on God that doesnt acknowledge that God isalwaysthe Father,alwaysthe Son, andalwaysthe Holy Spirit. He wrote, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.. This is one possibility of explaining it. We should not think of God as like a pie cut into three pieces, each piece representing a Person. "It has been said that there have been four centuries when the church's understanding of the person of Christ has been most under attack. 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. Among the three persons of the Trinity, there is a proper order: The Father is the First Person of the Most Holy Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be one of the central Christian affirmations about God. You can cut into an apple in front of your group. Ironically, not much is known about his death; even the year when he passed away is up for debate. Essence means the same thing as being. Thus, since God is only one essence, He is only one being, not three. 4. He is one in essence. Two biblical teachings confirm the doctrine of the Trinity: How is that possible? 3:1617). Satan existed with the angels at the beginning of creation as one of the cherubim. Find freedom from your sins today. Here is an object with three parts: a hard shell, the egg white, and the yolk. For instance, each Person: Scripture often names all three members of the Trinity together. Check out my tips for teaching your kids about bedtime prayer. As long as a shape has those three angles that add up to 180 degrees, it doesnt matter what the angles degrees are. 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. They have eternally (John 17:5, 24) sought to glorify each other (Phil. It's a great reminder of the three parts of the Holy Trinity! Second, we have the son of God, Jesus. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. The Trinity Matters because the Gospel Matters. Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school. How is God different? Deity of Jesus: 10 Essentials You Need to Know! The oldest member of the unholy trinity. However, within the nature of this one God are three persons, or three centers of consciousness - the Father, the Son, and the . That means that, as Christians, we believe in only one God. To start, let me define what I mean when I say persons. Personhood is having intellect, emotions, and a will. But Christianity's God is unique. Jesus is like the flesh, because He became flesh so we could know Him better. Just hang on a little longer. Be cool with leaving the gathering with more questions than answers. There we read that " God said, 'Let us make man in our image' . 139:711; Jer. 2:34; Heb. Because humankind is limited, God will always exceed our knowledge and understanding (Isa. Begin and end with your object lesson, and be comfortable with the imperfect teaching. He realized Scripture alone is the only way we know about the Trinity (1 Cor. In his bookMere Christianity, C. S. Lewis points out an important distinction. 6:2122), Resuscitation of the dead (1 Kings 17:1724; 2 Kings 4:1837), The resurrection of Jesus (Acts 4:10; Acts 10:40), Sustains the universe (Col. 1:17; Heb. In eternity past, before the beginning, God was alone. Essence and personhood are NOT the same thing. Help others in their faith journey through discipleship and mentoring. Equipping families with practical approaches to parenting and marriage. The trouble with this one is that its a bit less visual. This would make each Person less than fully God and thus not God at all. What is the essence of a triangle? More simply stated, the essence of any entity is what it is. Other statements may at first seem contradictory but are really not. He is the only God that exists. 1:2), and empowers us for service (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. Gods attributes are not parts of his singular divine essence. 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.". If you go to YouTube and search on explain the Trinity youll findlotsof videos. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. In regards to the Trinity, we use the term Person differently than we generally use it in everyday life. 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. 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. 3 in 1: A Picture of God This one is for anyone interested in using the apple object lesson. 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. 1:20-21), In salutations and benedictions (2 Cor. But Scripture provides ample evidence of the existence of the Trinity. All three members of the Trinity have these characteristics. 5:7). Tozerputs it well in The Knowledge of the Holy. Our kids are currently 2, 4, and 7, and its equally loved by all of them, so the Yoto age range is really wide! We all have a story. 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. 5:510; 1 Cor. 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. 8:2327), Resuscitates the dead (Matt. The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible . This formulation can show us why there are not three Gods, and why the Trinity is not a contradiction. We just covered Gods one divine essence. Before anything was created he begat his Logos as a person distinct from himself. 5:2), Miracles (Ex. The fact that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not an impersonal force (like gravity), is also shown by the fact that He speaks (Hebrews 3:7), reasons (Acts 15:28), thinks and understands (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), wills (1 Corinthians 12:11), feels (Ephesians 4:30), and gives personal fellowship (2 Corinthians 13:14). Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the Trinity. 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. 4:30), and a will (1 Cor. How can one explain the Trinity simply to a new believer? 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. 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? 3. Deut. But that doesn't mean the concept isn't clearly taught. I might end with sharing a few analogies from nature. Learn how you can know God personally. A beautiful mystery. The Fathers plan for our redemption shows his great love for humankind. 8:6a). A Christian would still be expected to understand it. 31:3; John 3:16; 1 John 4:8), Righteous (Ps. Now we will turn our attention to showing the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are persons.. However, you dont want to stop there with a student who can participate in a discussion. And God created humankind to share that love (John 17:2126; Acts 17:25). And during his earthly ministry, Christ subjected himself to the Fathers will. 9:18; Matt. 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. And certainly not if it were a contradiction. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God.". Explore answers to life's biggest questions. It is the same thing in three different forms. Because these features make up the singular essence or nature of a triangle. We then turn to the most important strategies that have been developed by Christians to resolve this problem. The apple one is kind of cool. . Lets do a quick review of the topics we have covered. Thus, we are not speaking with a forked tongue we are not saying that God is one and then denying that He is one by saying that He is three. It's easy to turn doctrinal discussions into strictly intellectual affairs, but as Dr. Fred Sanders teaches in The Triune God course, we need to do so "in a way that enlists the reader's strict and holy attention for what is essentially a spiritual exercise." Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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. While it is good for us to seek understanding of the Trinity, we cannot fully comprehend God. We are dealing with fact. Weve made a comparison between this object and the Trinity. But each member had a different function. There was never a time when one of the Persons of the Godhead did not exist. One God? Jesus is the one whose life we try to copy. But he is not inferior in Gods divine essence. 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. 3:16; 2 Pet. They had to wait another 50 year for the 381 update. If youd like to get away from simple object lessons and move your child toward a deeper understanding of Gods nature, check out The Attributes of God for Kids. Lets change that! He was "begotten, not made," and he was of the same substance or essence ( homoousios) as the Father. He differs from the Father, but was and . The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Son or the Father. 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.
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