The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. .. He is beyond us. First, we have God. For instance he: Jesus has all the features that ensure he, too, is a person. How to Explain the Trinity to an Unbeliever - YouTube You can help us reach children and their families to know Jesus. 92:8) and third person (he, his, him) singular pronouns (1 Kings 18:39). Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. "Economic" has to do with the history of salvation, and discusses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the sending and mission of salvation. In fact, would Jesus have us baptize in the name of a mere creature? And these three Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each member of the Trinity is . But first, lets cover the basics. 12:32; 28:19; Luke 3:22), There is one God and three Gods (a contradiction), God is one person and three persons (a contradiction), God has one nature and three natures (a contradiction), There is a functional order within the Trinity, Bowman, R Jr. The Biblical Basis of the Doctrine of the Trinity. Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/bowman_robert/trinity/trinity.cfm#trin_1 Accessed: 1/20/2022. Is referred to in the second person (you; Ps. The second point of clarification has to do with personhood. It is the same thing in three different forms. Learn why He did it and what it means for you. This is very important: God is one and three at the same time, but not in the same way. He is three in a different way than He is one. Matthew 3:16. Gods attributes are not parts of his singular divine essence. be explained away. 1:17; Dan. 104:30), sanctifies (Rom. Among the three persons of the Trinity, there is a proper order: The Father is the First Person of the Most Holy Trinity. The seeds are like the Holy Spirit, because He helps us grow. 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]. It is one of the two ordinances of the Christian Church. That is where I go back to the starting point I mentioned above. We can be adopted by the Father and united with Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit (John 1:1223; Rom. 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? A simpler way to talk about the Trinity is through "God grammar.". Did your kids give each form of God different personality traits? 10:57), The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian. There would only be a contradiction if we said that God is three in the same way that He is one. The three-ness and one-ness are two different features. This command lists all three persons of the Trinity. Most people, including many Christians, struggle trying to apprehend the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity is the belief that there is one God who has revealed Himself in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith. So, in this article, we will look at where the term originated. Here are the best childrens Bibles, sorted by age. Even wonderful parents have kids who struggle with self esteem, despite excellent parenting and a supportive home environment. That definition is a mouthful. 3:3; Heb. The trouble with this one is that its a bit less visual. There are many illustrations which have been offered to help us understand the Trinity. Baker Books, 1995, pp. 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. Is God the same as Jesus? 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). These questions arealwaysasked by someone who is exploring faith in Jesus. The Holy Spirit was moving or hovering over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2). He is one Being in three Persons (centers of consciousness), not merely three roles. How is God three? And then you will read eight critical truths about the nature of the Trinity. The idea that God is somehow three and one starts onPage 1and never changes. How To Explain St. Patrick's Day To A Child, From Fun To Facts - MSN There are two men in their 20s who came to faith in Christ in recent weeks through the ministry of our church. Well, we can know because God has given us his special revelation: the Bible. Rather, everything that one Person is involved in, the other two are also involved in, one way or another. Secondly I'd like you to read this verse with me from the Bible. Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. He was "begotten, not made," and he was of the same substance or essence ( homoousios) as the Father. Perfect for the Bible newbie or the long-time Bible reader. In regards to the Trinity, we use the term Person differently than we generally use it in everyday life. God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to conceive Jesus (God the Son) in the virgin Marys womb (Matt. The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible . Its okay for them to have a very limited understanding of God. No, the word Trinity does not appear in the Bible. 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. 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 . 20 Bible verses that mention all Trinity members - OverviewBible Orthodox Christian theology has always affirmed that the one true God is triune in nature. Yet he also proclaimed, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live (1 Cor. Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. 9:5; Col. 2:9), The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:34; 2 Cor. Many of us say it every single Sunday morning. If it were the other way around and we understood God completely, how would he be the sovereign God? Now lets dig into these imperfect yet better than nothing representations of the Trinity for kids. 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. Satan existed with the angels at the beginning of creation as one of the cherubim. And that knowledge can feel liberating. Each corner is distinct (i.e., different) from the others. That is why any discussion of the Trinity is based on Scripture (Ps. He regenerates us with new spiritual life (John 3:58). Its not unusual for teenagers to give Jesus a bunch of loving characteristics and then put words like justice and vengeance on God the Fathers poster. 11 Things to Know about the Doctrine of the Trinity - Zondervan Academic What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation. All of this information is a lot to take in at once. It was God who took the initiative to save humankind. 1:2), Jesus as God (Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4). Explore answers to life's biggest questions. If you are a Christian, why not memorize some of this blogs verses? You may be wondering how to wrap your mind around all this brand-new information! 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. This doctrine is absolutely essential to New Testament Christianity. 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. Gods essence is His being. In Hinduism, the trinity (Trimrti, or The Three Forms) is of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. 4:30), and a will (1 Cor. Sigh. The relationship between essence and Person, then, is as follows. Jesus is the one whose life we try to copy. Here are three I found to be really helpful. These personal distinctions are modes of existence within the divine being, but are not divisions of the divine being. If we can understand more precisely what is meant by essence and person, how these two terms differ, and how they relate, we will then have a more complete understanding of the Trinity. Ignore the urge to tie everything up with a nice little bow. Whats a Mama to say when the questions start flowing? Thats where the confusion comes from. The New Testament lists all three Persons of the Trinity simultaneously, 6. Nicene Creed: An Outline of the Trinity Doctrine The Apostle Paul also affirms the doctrine of the Trinity. Show them that there are three parts: seeds, flesh, and skin. And interesting they are listed under a single name. This refers to Gods single essence. 1:8). 2. After all, the Trinity is difficult to understand. That is why understanding what the Trinity is and is not asserting. How could we? Essence and person are not the same thing. Jesus (the Son) is God. 4; 14; Jon. Third, Christians believe that the entire New Testament is inspired. In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. . Lets apply what weve learned to the Trinity based on the graphic. 45:5-6, New Testament: Mark 12:29; John 5:44; Eph. And God created humankind to share that love (John 17:2126; Acts 17:25). Then study the pronouns used in Scripture point to the Trinity: This one-ness is Gods one divine essence (Heb 1:3). 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). Somehow Gods being is so much greater than ours that within his one undivided being there can be an unfolding into interpersonal relationships, so that there can be three distinct persons.[5]. Our Triune God - Grace To You The prologue of the Gospel of John has the strongest argument for the Trinity. He exists as a Trinity. As youll see explained more deeply in one of the videos below, you can think of it this way: I am a human being. They are not merely modes or manifestations of the same person (as Oneness theology incorrectly asserts) who sometimes acts as Father, sometimes as Son, and sometimes as Spirit. Sometimes the Personhood of the Father and Son is appreciated, but the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is neglected. With teenagers, you want to take a different approach, and celebrate the mystery of it all. 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! For instance: Additionally, all three members of the Trinity participate together in several critical events. We then turn to the most important strategies that have been developed by Christians to resolve this problem. Looking for a great childrens Bible? 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 brief, how we view God will profoundly impact our everyday lives. The Trinity expresses the belief that God is one being made up of three distinct persons who exist in co-equal essence and co-eternal communion as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . At this stage, your head may be swimming with all this new information about God! Nothing is more astonishing, more challenging, and more potentially life-transforming than knowing God.". In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of noncontradiction. The three members of the Trinity are Persons. Christ took Gods punishment, and wrath meant for us because of our sins (Heb. Unfortunately, it is also a doctrine that is surrounded by disagreement and controversy among believers. But Jesus did not become less than the Father during his incarnation. The Trinity - God and authority in Christianity - BBC Bitesize 8:26), comprehends (1 Cor. The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. Then, ask them to write words on the poster that make up the character of God. God created man in His image. As I said earlier, it means the same thing as being. 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. 2:2729). 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 . God is one in a certain way (essence) and three in a different way (person). The Trinity Explained in 8 Steps - Binmin 23-26; Luke 7:11-17; Luke 11:1-45), Sends the Holy Spirit and his gifts (John 16:714), Put his words on a par with Gods (Matt. Theologian R.C. The fact that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons means, in other words, that the Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. But it is not. The Son and Holy Spirit are equal in deity to the Father. The ancient church fathers at first simply acknowledged the Trinity without feeling the need to explain a theology of that understanding. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. 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! The word Trinity does not appear even once in the Bible. This one is kinda fun for older kids who understand a bit of science. After all, theyre good questions. And confusing ones. OksoWhat about this idea of one being who exists in three persons?. 12:28; Rom. We hate SPAM. The Trinity is the perfect loving community of three Persons. C.S. Lewis and Mere Christianity: The Trinity (The Three-Personal God Discipleship 101: How to Disciple a New Believer - Crossway 89:14; John 17:25; Rom. A triangle must have three different corners in order to be one triangle. See if you can let kids arrive at the notion that God isnt really made up of parts. 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. 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). Yoto has lots of great stuff for, Read More 27 of the Best Yoto Cards for Kids (sorted by age group)Continue, If youre a Sunday School teacher or a mom hoping to instill a love of Bible learning in your children, Ive got some goodies for you! The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. . The answer is simple. Dont despair. These three-in-one are called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity" In the Hindu Puranas there is this passage: 'O ye three Lords! Live in another country building relationships and ministries with eternal impact. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God.". Why do so many people struggle with the doctrine of the Trinity? And likewise with the Holy Spirit. What is the essence of a triangle? The Nicene and Reformed Doctrine of the Trinity - CBE There is a clue that the Son is distinct from the Father, yet there is fellowship between them. Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity?
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