8:3539; Eph. Here we will summarize some of the fruits of their labor. The three members of the Trinity are Persons. 4. But it is possible to go deeper. The Holy Trinity is depicted in the Church of Debre Berhan Selassie in Gondar, Ethiopia. The answer hinges on the differences in their unique roles. The Trinity Matters because the Gospel Matters. The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible . Hmmm. 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. 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. But what does it mean that God is gracious? the one who is not a Christian. This would make each Person less than fully God and thus not God at all. 5 Scriptural Points to Help You Understand the Trinity The Trinity Explained in 8 Steps - Binmin It's a great reminder of the three parts of the Holy Trinity! 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. 3:1417). In Hinduism, the trinity (Trimrti, or The Three Forms) is of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. ). Jesus dying on the Cross is one of the most important parts of His story. God the Son is the rays of sunshine. After all, plenty of, Read More 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game)Continue, Whereas most of us are pretty comfortable with our family traditions for celebrating Easter, Holy Week for kids is WAY more intimidating. . They are personal forms of existence other than a difference in being. 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. Others seem to come by it naturally, and its just not fair! . The word "scripture " graphe The relationship between essence and Person, then, is as follows. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. 20:3; cf. As Christians, we derive our concept of person from the relations in the Trinity. What does it take to begin a relationship with God? 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 . 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. A Simple Way to Explain the Trinity - Keith Ferrin Through accepting the undeserved gift of salvation (Eph. Or what are the objective characteristics that all triangles share? A triangle must have three different corners in order to be one triangle. The first commandment says, You shall have no other gods before me (Ex. Paul unequivocally taught Jesus is God (Col. 2:9). Now youre gonna tell me theyre all the same but also different? To be even more precise, essence is what you are. 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. It starts with a whisper. If someone already has an understanding based on the definition and explanation above, then these analogiesmighthelp them grasp aspects of the Trinity. How to explain the trinity to a new believer pdf Essenceis the objective set of attributes necessary to the thing being described. This triune God (or Trinity) began to allude to this aspect of His nature right in Genesis 1:26-27. But that doesn't mean the concept isn't clearly taught. But what exactly are essence or nature and personhood? Gods essence is His being. 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. Then you will learn the distinction between personhood and essence or nature. Tertullian coined the term Trinity during the second century. Then study the pronouns used in Scripture point to the Trinity: This one-ness is Gods one divine essence (Heb 1:3). To confess that the Father, Son, and Spirit are equal in power of course means that one does not rule over the other in any way. But it is not. We believe God is one in essence. 1:7; 2 Tim. The Trinity is the perfect loving community of three Persons. We need you. For instance, each Person: Scripture often names all three members of the Trinity together. The answer is they are gray and hard. Fortunately, the most popular analogy of the Trinity is the triangle. 2. God the Father. Lets apply what weve learned to the Trinity based on the graphic. How could we? All will play a role in the events mentioned in Revelation. In other words, what are the objective attributes or properties that make up all rocks? Discipleship involves a lot, but one of the most important things you can do with a new believer is read the Bible with them-teaching them how to read, understand, respond to, and apply God's Word. So God is one what but three whos.. 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 You Explain the Trinity? - A Thimble-full of Theology for Daily You can describe the Trinity in different ways: The wordspersonsandessencerefer to entirely different features relating to God. 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. 19:26). Just like anything else, some kids have to work hard for what comes easily to, Read More 15 Powerful Self Esteem Activities for Kids to Do at Home and in SchoolContinue. Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. It included Jesus miraculous conception in the virgin Mary (John 3:16)an act that we call the incarnation.. Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide. But Scripture provides ample evidence of the existence of the Trinity. Thus, Jesus prayed to God the Father without praying to Himself. The Bible speaks of the Father as God (Phil. At this stage, your head may be swimming with all this new information about God! 2:8-9), we can become Gods children. 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. 15:28). 2:6), The image of God (John 12:45; 2 Cor. Matthew 12:28. What we have seen so far provides a good basic understanding of the Trinity. This one is kinda fun for older kids who understand a bit of science. The Best Way to Explain the Trinity to Kids - The Purposeful Mom In explaining the Trinity to your friend, begin, perhaps, with the work of salvation. Essence and person are not the same thing. We can be adopted by the Father and united with Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit (John 1:1223; Rom. How do I explain to a non-believer that belief in the Trinity is Gods attributes are not parts of his singular divine essence. In describing the Trinity, the New Testament clearly distinguishes three Persons who are all simultaneously active. We are referring to two different features of God: (1) his singular essenceor natureand (2) three Persons. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and Jerome mention it. 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." It was God who took the initiative to save humankind. Does it look like Grandpa? So many things clamor to define you. God the Father, Jesus His Son, with the Holy Spirit, they are three in one! Likewise, after the Son returned to the Father (John 16:10), the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world (John 14:26; Acts 2:33). . Modern theologians have created a distinction between the "economic Trinity" and the "immanent Trinity.". God created man in His image. Here are three I found to be really helpful. The Trinity - God and authority in Christianity - BBC Bitesize Most people, including many Christians, struggle trying to apprehend the Trinity. 8:6a). 3. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. Orthodox Christian theology has always affirmed that the one true God is triune in nature. The most popular is probably the one found in the Great Commission: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit . As Hebrews 9:14 declares. Third, notice that although the three divine Persons are distinct, we are baptized into their name (singular), not names (plural). "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. ), "If God was small enough for my brain to fully understand, He wouldnt be big enough to save me!, The authors of the Bible understood this. 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. Everything in Christian theology and in the believer's life finally comes back to who God is: the divine nature, the persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 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. Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. Those centuries were t AboutPressCopyrightContact. How is God one? Yet Jesus would not have referenced the Trinity unless it was important. 6:45; 32:39; 1 Kings 8:60; 2 Kings 5:15; Isa. 4 Visual Ways To Explain The Trinity To A Child. 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. Ibid, p. 255. understand the doctrine of the Trinity. 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. For example: One of the most common mistakes people make is to think of the Holy Spirit as some force ala Star Wars. But the Holy Spirit is most assuredly a person. All three Persons of the Trinity are God. Jesus is like the flesh, because He became flesh so we could know Him better. A bright teen asked me to explain the Trinity. Here's what I said. 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. And all three members of the Trinity were involved. This analogy ignores the personal distinctions within God and mitigates them to mere roles. God is the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. 3:1617). 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. PDF A Brief Explanation of the Trinity - TheologicalStudies.org.uk Understanding who the Holy Spirit is, the place He holds within the Holy Trinity and the role He plays in individual lives is vital to anyone exploring what it means to become a Christian and anyone trying to follow Jesus. How is God different? One helpful Scripture explicitly refers to the essence and personhood of the Trinity. 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. You arent alone! As you might expect, some people consider these mysteries as contradictions. But in response we can point out both agreement and clarification. 13:14), the term Trinity does not appear. 5:2), Miracles (Ex. They are different Persons, not three different ways of looking at God. Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity? Two biblical teachings confirm the doctrine of the Trinity: How is that possible? And certainly not if it were a contradiction. 2:11), and performs miracles (Matt. The three members of the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. Find freedom from your sins today. Perhaps for the first time, you have read that the Trinity is a mystery and not acontradiction. I recently had some of my kids friends ask meWhat is the Trinity? But how does it show us why there is only one God instead of three? The general pattern of prayer in the Bible is to pray to the Father through the Son and in the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). And then you will read eight critical truths about the nature of the Trinity. Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org. 15:3). 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! Disclaimer: I believe Trinity. The idea that God is somehow three and one starts onPage 1and never changes. After all, if the trinitarian nature of God is not in the Bible, why bother talking about it at all? For if we deny this, we have denied Gods unity and affirmed that there is more than one being of God (i.e., that there is more than one God). 1. 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). Famous pastor and authorA.W. The prologue of the Gospel of John has the strongest argument for the Trinity. In other words, Christianity is unique among all other worldviews. draws the believer into a new . How Not to Be Scared of AI Further, we clearly should not think of God as consisting of anything other than divinity. Kids understand the three different forms clearly, as separate objects. But how can finite humans know anything about Gods infinite essence? They are equal in power, love, mercy, justice, holiness, knowledge, and all other qualities. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Essence means the same thing as being. Thus, since God is only one essence, He is only one being, not three. The Holy Trinity - Explained. What Should Christians Know about the Trinity? Most of them are less-than-helpful. What is the origin of the doctrine of the Trinity? This explains how God can be both one and three. The problem with this is that it reflects a heresy called modalism. They had to wait another 50 year for the 381 update. The easiest way to explain the Trinity is with an object lesson, and thats true no matter how old someone might be. That is why any discussion of the Trinity is based on Scripture (Ps. How to Explain the Trinity to Children | Free Printable - A HEART TO KNOW According to the American Heritage Dictionary the word 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. He is the only God that exists. Second, we have the son of God, Jesus. C.S. Lewis and Mere Christianity: The Trinity (The Three-Personal God 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. While it is good for us to seek understanding of the Trinity, we cannot fully comprehend God. using the shamrock or the three states of H 2 O to explain the . That is why understanding what the Trinity is and is not asserting. 2:2729). The Holy Spirit isnt like an egg yolk, because the egg yolk is only part of an egg, whereas the Holy Spirit isnt part of God it IS God. This command lists all three persons of the Trinity. Satan. 2:11), emotions (Eph. 4:4). 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. Most Christians are puzzled by the Trinity, and therefore, cant explain it very well. 1:8). Why do so many people struggle with the doctrine of the Trinity? Yet he also proclaimed, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live (1 Cor. You can help us reach children and their families to know Jesus. And these three Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While there are some illustrations which are helpful, we should recognize that no illustration is perfect. Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. ONLY the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are God. 2:10), knows (1 Cor. And likewise with the Holy Spirit. Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. The Holy Trinity Prek Teaching Resources | TPT As I said earlier, it means the same thing as being. But that doesnt mean the concept isnt clearly taught. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. Ironically, not much is known about his death; even the year when he passed away is up for debate. There would only be a contradiction if we said that God is three in the same way that He is one. Lets change that! Unfortunately, there are many illustrations which are not simply imperfect, but in error. Here are the best childrens Bibles, sorted by age. It is crucial for properly understanding what God is like, how He relates to us, and how we should relate to Him. This doctrine is absolutely essential to New Testament Christianity. A Christian would still be expected to understand it. To this day, this scripture inspires the language we use to baptize people across Christian denominations. Subjection and subordination do not mean inequality. A simpler way to talk about the Trinity is through "God grammar.". But Jesus did not become less than the Father during his incarnation. 1:12). Lets start with the geometric figure of the triangle itself. 2:18). How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus. And God seeks people to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Use the links below to jump to a specific section: The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Principle #3: Order. But the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts 8:16). 3:17; 17:5; Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 10:15; 12:28; 17:1-26; 1 Tim. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. That is ok when it comes to rocks and triangles. 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. Discipleship 101: How to Disciple a New Believer - Crossway 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. For example: God the Father is a person. The Trinity consists of one being revealed in three distinct persons. Ive got you covered with all the basics, no matter your denomination. In John 1:1 it is affirmed that Jesus is God and, at the same time, that He was with God- thereby indicating that Jesus is a distinct Person from God the Father (cf. But its not a mystery that can or should! This is just an egg, or an apple, or H2O. 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. 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. 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. But Christianity's God is unique. 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.