The problem here is it describes each part of the Trinity as 1/3 parts of the overall egg. Father, Son, and Spirit are each fully God (their own egg)- not fractions of one. In order to accomplish this union with God and man, He allowed His Shell to be broken with the weight of our sins to cleanse our souls so His holiness can approach, for God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and are distinguished from one another. As John 1:18 says, Jesus is "the only begotten God, in the bosom of [God] the Father.". The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. There would be three thrones. The egg example, while not perfect or complete by any means, will still give us a basic understanding of the primary principle of Biblical Trinitarianism. The shell, while important, is no longer needed. The analogy breaks down because the three cloves are overly distinct and cannot represent the unity of God. If you say, "water" then you are incorrect. For sure, our everyday experience does not include using our finite minds to understand the infinite! Each Person in the Trinity (or the Godhead) is fully God and fully a Person. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. What portion is erroneous? Thought of Tim Its amazing to think that everything will be so clear when we het to Heaven! On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. Each PERSON is distinct from one another. 1B) This son of Graham and Lois Armstrong is Dave. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. The three-leaf clover analogy is OK. What does that really mean? All Rights Reserved. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! 3:15; John 17:1-4, The Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-13. 3 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons. Matthew 3:16-17- As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25). 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. Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. 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). Each separate being is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. While it captures the idea that God is one, it doesnt do such a good job of showing how God is three and one at the same time. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. St. Augustine's Analogy for Understanding the Trinity What does the Bible teach about the Trinity? | GotQuestions.org For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. 4 Bad Ways to Explain the Trinity (and 1 Good One) God is like an egg - VTAide This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. Discover the richness of the old yet living 2,000-year-old religion which built the West. The unseen Father is in Christs mind. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. Another analogy that Tim remembers, being Irish Catholic, is the analogy of the shamrock with its three parts. Copyright 2023 Christian Today. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. He also knows how to perfectly love us. If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. And whos the Holy Spirit? Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. In order to accomplish this union with God and man, He allowed His Shell to be broken with the weight of our sins to cleanse our souls so His holiness can approach, for God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). I go to prepare a place for you. The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). 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. One is a musical chord with three notes. He completed a doctorate in 1990, looking at the question of harmonic rhythm in the organ music of J.S. As a result the water molecule must change forms. The problem with this analogy is that it would imply that there is only one Divine Person, who eventually multiplied Himself. Jesus then becomes a created being and thus less than fully God. Furthermore, this trinity is related to a shamrock, an apple, or an egg. The Cathedral - The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Quebec, Canada Again, this analogy doesnt work because God doesnt morph, change, or become different aspects of Himself. Haydn Lea is an Associate Pastor in Queensland, and is currently studying his Master of Arts (Theology). Perhaps youve heard the analogy that the Trinity is like H2O (the molecular symbol for water). All of the above Bad Analogies would perhaps do more harm than good if used in explaining the Trinity. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. One thing that Ive found helpful is using the Trinity to illustrate truths we know about God. Indeed, how can an infinite God be contained in a finite human womb! I go to prepare a place for you. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. This may be my favorite verse of them all. It is not existing as 3 different parts (persons) at the same time. Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. These two analogies are the "water" analogy and the "egg" analogy. The Trinity is not real in my life because of superior knowledge or insight. In this analogy, God is compared to a man. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. This is because the H20 is changing forms in representing each person. The Trinity for Kids - Part 2 - Prepared to Answer 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 idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. 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. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the, is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the, being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. This analogy actually falls prey to the same error of modalism. in that He is not made up of three parts one part () the Father, another part () Jesus Christ and a third part () the Holy Spirit. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. If water is inadequate, there are a wide array of alternative analogies we can turn to in modern theological parlance. This is the Christmas paradox. This is the one I used long ago when trying to explain the Trinity to a group of 1st-5th graders. The apple seed alone is not an apple. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not simply names designating modalities of the divine being, for they are really DISTINCT from one another: He is not the Father who is the Son, nor is the Son he who is the Father, nor is the Holy Spirit he who is the Father or the Son. (CCC 254), 3. The Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. Dr. Bruce Ware does an excellent job in his book Big Truths for Young Hearts. 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. Well the issue is, the water analogy is akin to the heresy of Modalism. Often these analogies explicitly teach heresy. Youre right, theyre all good but not perfect because only God IS perfect. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! What Is the Trinity | Holy Trinity in the Bible | Explore God As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. He wondered how it was possible that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit could be inseparable, while, in . I can only shake my head when He does these things! 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). Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. That is a holding pen for final judgment. This is the error of Arianism (not to be confused with Aryanism, which is also bad). Each one is fully God. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. Instead, each person is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! He began to play the organ as a chorister in England, before continuing his studies in Qubec and France. If then the sun were eternal, the day would never end; but now, for such is not really the state of the case, the day begins with the beginning of the sun, and ends with its ending. 3. However, in some instances, the use of carefully chosen analogies may be of help for some of our brethren in learning the teachings of the Church. We all want to experience the good life. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. If one of the persons were not there, then we would not have God. In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Wow! In the first place, if we truly claim to love God, then surely we should endeavour to know Him. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the what is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the whos being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). This is just as bad as the Water analogy and leads to the same error. In Arianism, the Son is not eternally equal with the Father, but was the Fathers first and best creation. No analogy is perfect, but we want to be careful of using wrong ones that may confuse people. Each of the divine persons is GOD WHOLE AND ENTIRE, and there is one God. A good example would be an electrical cord. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. The problem with this analogy is that no one molecule of H2O can actually exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time. in that while water can change into vapour or ice, Jesus cannot change into the Father or the Holy Spirit. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. God is much bigger than what we can understand yet He is close enough to us so that we can know some things about Him, though not completely and not everything. All three persons exist at the same moment in history. 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. There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. The military would end up destroying themselves. And for a mere mortal to have dared invent it and be able t. Lost will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. Why is it wrong? Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. . Or water can be evaporated and called steam. Paul explains our finite understanding of beliefs like the Trinity as looking into a poor-quality mirror- a distorted image; dim and unclear. What is H2O? So much of what we know about what God does is wrapped up in who He is. So if all of these explanations are heretical, what is a good analogy? You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. According to modalism, God does not actually exist in three persons. Among the most popular analogies for the Trinity, two in particular stand out; and most of the others resemble one of them. HO may act as water, steam, or ice, but it is still HO. RELATED: What Did Jesus Really Look Like? Ontological means the nature or essence of something. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14). Further, his dialectic is guided by the particular consideration of what true love is: a trinity of lover, beloved and the love that binds . The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. 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. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. The Holy Trinity: Egg Analogy The Holy Trinity is GOD in three divine persons GOD the FATHER GOD the HOLY SPIRIT GOD the SON But together they makeup and are still ONE GOD Like how an egg is made up of three things but is still ONE EGG. The Spirit white is connected to Jesus Person I will come to you (John 14:18) and the Fathers Person, We will come to him and make our abode with him (John 14:23). The problem with this analogy is that it denies the distinction of persons in the God-head. Each one is fully God. From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. Or what? God is one. What is wrong with what I said? But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. Love was not given to Jesus. One cannot remove the Holy Spirit and still have the God as taught in the Bible. An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. The Trinity Guarding The Gospel I and My Father are One (John 10:30). However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. He has one essenceone substance. She would explode!" 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. Your email address will not be published. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. The Son is like the light rays that visibly reveal the sun, as Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. 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. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. Or, we can quote Daniel Webster; a strong Christian- I do not pretend fully to understand the arithmetic of heaven now. . ANALOGY OF CHARACTERS. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). Humans as we are, we cannot fully understand how the three divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God. There are three different cloves that represent the three different persons of the trinity. If you say, "Jesus Christ" then you MAY BE incorrect. The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind lived the doctrinal truth about the Trinity. 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.) This is one of the reasons we say that "God is LOVE". The Trinity is like waterand other bad analogies Does that make sense? In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I believe that the best way to talk about the Trinity is to simply say that God is one God, who eternally exists in three Persons. Its all one person, simply functioning in three different roles. Some have taken on the task of explaining how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist as one. But Hes God too, right? But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning. Now, as youve probably guessed, this analogy also breaks down. 1. The three distinct notes come together to make one beautiful sound. Bach, and has released two previous CDs, one . The Son "proceeds" from the Father, and the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son.". He has been a member of the Royal Australian Air Force since 2007, and is now training to be an Air Force Chaplain. This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. We might call one side A, another side B, and the other C. So, there is a distinction between each of the sides, yet, all three are the same. The Holy Trinity, one of the five Dogmas of the Church, is an extraordinary and unfathomable mystery. God controls that light. God controls that light. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. 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 word God in this sense is defined as a single being, having all divine attributes. 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. 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. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Seven Simple Facts About the Trinity - biblequery.org Try starting your explanation with a simple definition and then ask for further questions: No one can completely know or understand God. This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. Here are eight bible characters that you might not know about, but should. Podcast: Common Misconceptions about the Trinity (Fred Sanders)