My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. If youve been involved in ministries for children or young people, questions about the Trinity have most likely come up. Revelation 4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. That would not be had God be three persons. Jesus isn't a demigod or partially god. Intercession: The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. 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. My name is AnnMarie and I'm so glad you're here! 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. In scripture we see explicit trinitarian references, especially at Jesus' baptism where the Father speaks, the Spirit descends, and the Son is in the water. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. . For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. The egg analogy fails because it denies that each person of the Trinity is of the same eternal essence. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. Let's use an egg to explain the Holy Trinity! In the Scripture we see "the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Col 1:9). The more I reflect on Easter, the more Ive realized how much its become a consumeristic holidayeven Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. This is the Christmas paradox. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. He differs from the Father, but was and still is God. If the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate beings, then its not really clear how someone can say that God is one or that only one God exists. Since these bad analogies tend to lead to a heresy, we will examine the main three areas of heresy concerning the trinity. He explains why the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to the gospel even if it seems abstract or confusing, highlights why all analogies and metaphors are of limited value when thinking about the Godhead, and responds to the . We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. PART OF A WHOLE. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. How do we make sense of the Trinity? Modalism is a heresy because it denies the distinction of God. In this analogy, God is compared to a man. You are an egg! Jonathon serves as a lay pastor at Gospel Life Church in New Braunfels, TX and currently works as the IT Manager for a non-profit ministry. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. For since light is always in existence, it is manifest that its brightness also exists, because light is perceived to exist from the fact that it shines, and it is impossible that light should not shine. Although God is transcendent, sovereign, unapproachable light, He has condescended to reveal something of Himself to His creation. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. Thus the Father is in Jesus " I and My Father are One" (John 10:30), "The Father is in Me" (John 14:10) God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). The trinity is Like a man who is a father, husband, and son. Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. I go to prepare a place for you. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. Modalism denies the distinction of person in the trinity. Like modalism, the "three beings" view was rejected by the early church. Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. 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. Thanks, Ann! It is still H20, but just different forms. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. But they are one God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength (1 Corinthians 1:25). I'm always interested in ways to encourage you, so feel free to contact me and let me know what areas interest you! Some who deny the Trinity claim 1+1+1=3, and therefore claim we worship three Gods. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. The Bible teaches three truths: 1 - there is one 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. Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? My interview: https://www.readlotswritelot.com/wp/podcast/episode-21-john-k-adams/, More from Catholicism for the Modern World, https://www.readlotswritelot.com/wp/podcast/episode-21-john-k-adams/. Memory, Understanding, and Will. Jesus Person is the image of Gods Person (Hebrews 1:3), and the Invisible Spirit of the Father that is in Him - God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). The Council's definitions concerning the Trinity are really as easy as one, two, three four. It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. Each of the divine persons is GOD WHOLE AND ENTIRE, and there is one God. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, constructed between 1800 and 1804, is the first Anglican cathedral to have been built outside the British Isles. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. Just like an egg, none of the parts are co-equal, nor are all of the parts necessary for the egg to exist. In the second instance, the truth of Gods Trinity reveals a further aspect of Gods love for His people. The Holy Spirit prays for us. 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. 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. Through the brokenness of the Shell, His Son, the Spirit white pours out into our beings through our faith in what was done and believers are joined with the yolk, for it is by One Spirit we have access to God the Father (Ephesians 2:18). When it comes to the Trinity, we tend to forget that an analogy is an "aptness of proportion" or a "resemblance of relations," not an identity of relations. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. The concept is literally unthinkable. This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. But, when it's heated, it turns into a gas (steam) and, when it's frozen, it turns into a solid (ice). Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. He was with God in the beginning. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). . RELATED: Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? Three Gods or one? True, we humans are image bearers but nothing in creation serves as an analogy for the Trinity because the Trinity is a doctrine of special (biblical) revelation not nature or reason. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. God the Father spoke from heaven and spoke of His Son, Jesus. Should Women Really Keep Silent in Church? The Trinity are three distinct persons who exist apart from each other. Both are one. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). 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. Each one is fully 100% God. However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. Or what? Jesus would have remained in the tomb, or hell, had Jesus sinned. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. Try starting your explanation with a simple definition and then ask for further questions: No one can completely know or understand God. So much of what we know about what God does is wrapped up in who He is. There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. You can also catch up with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok In this episode, Fred Sanders discusses what it really means to say that God is a Trinitythree persons in one God. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. But common sense is intuition based on day-to-day experience. What happens when an egg hatches? At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. You know, that bearded guy on the throne who looks something like Zeus, right? Now God can be in you by His Spirit! 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. However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. Haydn Lea is an Ordained Minister, and is currently serving as an Air Force Chaplain in Adelaide. Now that we know the doctrine of the trinity and its corresponding major heresies, now we are ready to look at some bad analogies for the trinity. Water can be frozen and is called ice. But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. Here are some of them: The problem with this is that it leads to the view that God is a Trinity simply because He relates differently to us at different times. Your email address will not be published. Shively, This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. Common, yes. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father., 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Each one is fully 100% God. Can you think of some Bible verses to back up your explanation? The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. Many of us would use analogies to explain the Trinity. Just as water changes forms so too is the trinity. That is why Moses said. Truly, it is a Mystery. Genesis 1:26- Let us make man in our image, in our likeness The plural us and our show more than one person was involved. Love your blogs! The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. Therefore it behoves us to know what He has revealed (including the Trinity), and to lovingly worship Him accordingly. How so? 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. Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. Its downright hard to understand. The Trinity is not real in my life because of superior knowledge or insight. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John14:2, 3). It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. The idea of God as three-in-one is indeed a mysterious concept, one that is difficult to understand. Under Arianism Jesus is less than fully God. 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. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. Stars were made on the forth day. We can admit it is a mystery and accept that our incomplete knowledge cannot fully comprehend it. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. This view, also known as "modalism", was rejected by the early church. God is like H2O in that the Bible may refer to a specific person of the Trinity but that person is still God. Jesus is in the form of the Holy Spirit. 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. Before we look at a few bad analogies that many often use to try to illustrate the trinity, we need to first understand the doctrine itself. Jesus Person is the image of Gods Person (Hebrews 1:3), and the Invisible Spirit of the Father that is in Him - God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Its hard to explain! H2O can only ever be one form at a time. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. Good and Bad Analogies of the Trinity - Answers . When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety.
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