More simply stated, the essence of any entity is what it is. Best Age To Teach The Trinity To A Child. The Holy Trinity is 'the Center of Everything.'. They are personal forms of existence other than a difference in being. Essenceis the objective set of attributes necessary to the thing being described. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he bids farewell to them: "May the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. Now, as Fred Sanders once quipped, this doesn't mean you should begin every witnessing encounter, "God loves 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. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. 2:10), knows (1 Cor. But he avoids contradiction with this statement because he means that in one sense it was the best of times, but in another sense it was the worst of times. Just hang on a little longer. 1:7; 2 Tim. Get the answers to frequently asked questions on Christian beliefs and practices. 4:4; Col. 1:15), Eternal (John 1:1-3; 17:5; Col. 1:16-17; Jude 25), Omnipresent (Matt. "But if I [Jesus] cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.". Hes the one who walked the Earth blamelessly, performing miracles, and extending mercy and love. Gods One-ness is his One divine essence, 3. At his death on the cross, sinless Jesus chose to substitute himself in our place (Heb. Is God the same as Jesus? See if you can let kids arrive at the notion that God isnt really made up of parts. I might end with sharing a few analogies from nature. At this stage, your head may be swimming with all this new information about God! But analogies cannot entirely explain the mystery of God. It included Jesus miraculous conception in the virgin Mary (John 3:16)an act that we call the incarnation.. 3 in 1: A Picture of God This one is for anyone interested in using the apple object lesson. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. ), "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. Those centuries were t While some say . For example the: Finite humankind cannot wholly comprehend these mysteries. Ask them to draw it on the page. In brief, how we view God will profoundly impact our everyday lives. God the Father. 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 . 317 subscribers in the BiblicalUnitarian community. Among the three persons of the Trinity, there is a proper order: The Father is the First Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Dont despair. 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. Its okay for them to have a very limited understanding of God. 5:2122; John 13:34), End-time judgment (Matt. These definitions express three crucial truths: (1) The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, (2) each Person is fully God, (3) there is only one God. Matthew 12:28. This explains how God can be both one and three. The problem with this is that it reflects a heresy called modalism. We Reflect God's Personhood and Relations. The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible . While admitting the lack of conformity among believers, we must never consider it a minor issue of doctrine. 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. 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. This is absolutely true. He brings all light and life to the world. The Trinity Is Unique Among Monotheistic Religions Christianity is a "monotheistic" religion. In his bookMere Christianity, C. S. Lewis points out an important distinction. Girls become divided, friendships are ruined, and reputations are tarnished. Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org. Other statements may at first seem contradictory but are really not. Think about it: Finite Christians serve an eternal and infinite God. These three persons make up the one true God. So, the Trinity is incomprehensible. 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. Elohimis the plural form of the word God. He regenerates us with new spiritual life (John 3:58). 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. He differs from the Father, but was and . The Father sent Jesus into the world (John 3:16; Gal. How can one explain the Trinity simply to a new believer? Second, we have the son of God, Jesus. The Bible speaks of the Father as God (Phil. What a challenge! You can describe the Trinity in different ways: The wordspersonsandessencerefer to entirely different features relating to God. Ive already done your research at my local library. For example, it says of Christ that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). 4:6; James 2:19; Jude 25. He is three in Person. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. Their prime usefulness it to show the mystery is not contradictory. Trinity may be a new term for you and can be confusing even for Christians to explain to others. Why, if they are ALL God? After all, the Trinity is difficult to understand. Through accepting the undeserved gift of salvation (Eph. Among the worlds religions, the Christian faith is unique. 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. Just as ONE egg has THREE different parts - the shell, the white, the yoke - ONE God has THREE different . God the Son. We begin with a brief discussion of the doctrine in historical context, explaining more fully the nature of the problem it raises. 40:18; Rom. Binmin Podcast 8: God & Origins | What Questions Should I Ask About My Faith, Binmin Podcast Ep. If God is three Persons, does this mean that each Person is one-third of God? 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. Why is the Trinity important to Christianity? Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. Weve made a comparison between this object and the Trinity. draws the believer into a new . Actually, March 17 commemorates St. Patrick's death, actually. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. He is three in a different way than He is one. Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. First of all I want to tell you that the Trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Why? 2:10), convinces (John 6:44), teaches (Luke 12:12), convicts (John 16:18), commands (Acts 1:2), moves (John 11:33), helps (Rom. 1:2), Jesus as God (Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4). Answer. The Trinity confuses many people. 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. Simply put: without three angles, theres no triangle! There are three Persons with one divine essence! And the Trinity is an essential doctrine to our understanding of God. He is beyond us. Most Christians are puzzled by the Trinity, and therefore, cant explain it very well. The different roles refer to a functional order or functional subordination.. He sanctifies us (1 Pet. Matthew 3:16. Lets do a quick review of the topics we have covered. 6:11; Gal. Famous pastor and authorA.W. To this day, this scripture inspires the language we use to baptize people across Christian denominations. Thats where the confusion comes from. Well, we can know because God has given us his special revelation: the Bible. Others seem to come by it naturally, and its just not fair! And certainly not if it were a contradiction. Awareness of the distinct role that each Person of the Trinity has in our salvation can especially serve to give us greater comfort and appreciation for God in our prayers, as well as helping us to be specific in directing our prayers. Remember, the nature or essence of an entity is the property or attributes that make it what it is. Unfortunately, it is also a doctrine that is surrounded by disagreement and controversy among believers. Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. And the voice of the Father declared, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt. 25:3146; 2 Cor. The doctrine or concept of the Trinity is central to most Christian denominations and faith groups, although not all. The substance of God is God, not a bunch of ingredients that taken together yield deity. That is where I go back to the starting point I mentioned above. A beautiful mystery. Or stated simply, the triangles what-ness.. After all, theyre good questions. EitherThe person were explaining it to will think that God simply changes from one to the other at different times and under different circumstances (water). 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. In Hinduism, the trinity (Trimrti, or The Three Forms) is of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. 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). We hate SPAM. 1:8). In other words, Christianity is unique among all other worldviews. 12:11), When the Holy Spirit speaks, he refers to himself in first person (Acts 13:2). It is fundamental to our worldview. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. No, the wordTrinitydoes not appear in the Bible. In describing the Trinity, the New Testament clearly distinguishes three Persons who are all simultaneously active. A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! Why do so many people struggle with the doctrine of the Trinity? Amen. You will and can grasp these principles. Many other verses concurrently list the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. One of the reasons Jonathan Edwards's vision of God has proved so helpful in my worship and ministry is that he does, and he doesn't, "explain" the Trinity. Its NOT God. It is the same thing in three different forms. The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. Help others in their faith journey through discipleship and mentoring. know that I recognise only one God. The three members of the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. Lets change that! The only way humans can know about these mysteries is because the Bible teaches them. 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.. I am also fully Keith Ferrin. 1. They are three real persons, not three roles God plays. You can help us reach children and their families to know Jesus. There would only be a contradiction if we said that God is three in the same way that He is one. View our top Cru resources in more than 20 languages. How do they relate? 13:14; 1 Pet.1:2), In the story of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1025), When Jesus promises the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:48), Peters sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:33; Acts 3839), Peter and apostles answer the high priest (Acts 5:3032), During Stephens heavenly vision at his stoning (Acts 7:5556), In Peters sermon to the gentiles in Caesarea (Acts 10:3638; Acts 4448), When Peter reports to the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:1518), When Peter speaks at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:811), During Pauls interaction with Jewish leaders in Rome (Acts 28:2531), Pauls epistles (Rom. But it is possible to go deeper. For instance, the Trinity does not mean that: Instead, we need to clearly distinguish two categories (Persons and essence). Learn how you can know God personally. 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. Most of them are less-than-helpful. If youre wondering how to explain the Trinity to a child, keep it simple. And during his earthly ministry, Christ subjected himself to the Fathers will. The The truth is always new, fresh, and exciting to the believer in Christ. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Not the answer an enquiring young mind was looking for. 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. When Jesus answered the question, What is the greatest commandment? he prefaced the answer by quoting the. 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. And the triangle can help us distinguish one essence from the three Persons. How do we come to terms with these different ideas of God? Three parts in one, yet all very much an egg. 6:45; 32:39; 1 Kings 8:60; 2 Kings 5:15; Isa. This analogy ignores the personal distinctions within God and mitigates them to mere roles. The doctrine of the Trinity states that God exists as one God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. 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? Because these features make up the singular essence or nature of a triangle. Allegedly, Saint Patrick used a shamrock as a metaphor to explain the Trinity: three leaves, one shamrock. But as a follower of Christ, your identity can and should be grounded in one thing: who He says you are. To further our understanding of the distinction of persons within the one God it is best to move on to the next trinitarian principle. 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). Of course we are speaking by analogy here, for we cannot understand this in a physical way about God. Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and Jerome mention it. Unfortunately, there are many illustrations which are not simply imperfect, but in error. The concept of the Trinity is often referred to during worship, which helps Christians to understand it. 4. 9:5; Col. 2:9), The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:34; 2 Cor. Third, Christians believe that the entire New Testament is inspired. 8:3539; Eph. 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. The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. 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. 15:19), God is called Father (John 17:1; John 3; 20:17; 1 Cor. It is one of the two ordinances of the Christian Church. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. While there are some illustrations which are helpful, we should recognize that no illustration is perfect. A rumor is started, and it spreads like wildfire. 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. What is Gods essence? 3:19; Eph. But what exactly are essence or nature and personhood? 2:11), and performs miracles (Matt. Egg A single egg is made up of the yolk, the whites, and the shell. Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. Only older children will grasp the in one concept of H20. The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. 55 years on I've yet to hear or read an explanation of the Trinity that makes sense. 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. Does the Trinity mean that God is divided into three parts? For instance he: Jesus has all the features that ensure he, too, is a person. 13:14), the term Trinity does not appear. It is understandable that our finite minds cannot grasp an infinite God. "Economic" has to do with the history of salvation, and discusses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the sending and mission of salvation. But is there any easy way to apprehend these exciting discoveries? He exists as a Trinity. He said, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Mark 12:29). 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. In addition to these texts, the others we mentioned above make clear that the Personhood of the Holy Spirit is distinct from the Personhood of the Son and the Father. What is the essence of a triangle? 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. Therefore, there is one God with one divine nature and three divine Persons. Then you will learn the distinction between personhood and essence or nature. Read about individuals who have been transformed by faith. 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. While Jesus and the Father are both God, they are different Persons. At the risk of sounding too physical, essence can be understood as the stuff that you consist of.. All three members of the Trinity have these characteristics. With input from her father, fart followed within a day or two, and I was horrified, but also excited that she mysteriously managed an r-controlled vowel without any explicit instruction. The Definition Of The Trinity. This doctrine is absolutely essential to New Testament Christianity. "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. But first, lets cover the basics. The word Trinity is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible; however, countless scriptures mention all three forms of God. How do we know whats age-appropriate for them to understand? I recently had some of my kids friends ask meWhat is the Trinity? God the Son is the rays of sunshine. AboutPressCopyrightContact. But it also raises many difficult questions. If it were the other way around and we understood God completely, how would he be the sovereign God? Does it look like Grandpa? 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. And confusing ones. Now youre gonna tell me theyre all the same but also different? Learn the basics of what Christians believe. Theologian R.C. Check out my tips for teaching your kids about bedtime prayer. If someone already has an understanding based on the definition and explanation above, then these analogiesmighthelp them grasp aspects of the Trinity. The Fathers plan for our redemption shows his great love for humankind. Errr, not quite. We all have a story. 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 concept of the Trinity. The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. It is very simple: All three Persons are one God because, as we saw above, they are all the same essence. Essence means the same thing as being. Thus, since God is only one essence, He is only one being, not three. Orthodox Christian theology has always affirmed that the one true God is triune in nature. Jesus himself spoke of the one-ness of the Godhead when he quoted the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4. 19:26). In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of noncontradiction. They are equal in power, love, mercy, justice, holiness, knowledge, and all other qualities. If you are a Christian, why not memorize some of this blogs verses? He realized Scripture alone is the only way we know about the Trinity (1 Cor. Even then, he was not alone, because he had his Logos within him. Lets start with the geometric figure of the triangle itself. 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. But how does it show us why there is only one God instead of three? But continue seeking to understand why the Trinitarian nature of God matters. . Specifically, distinguishing between Gods one essence and his three Persons. The answer is simple. To help us do that, here are two reasons why the Trinity matters. All will play a role in the events mentioned in Revelation. That means that, as Christians, we believe in only one God. God told Moses in the Torah to tell God's people these words: M. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." ( Deuteronomy 6:4) C. Yes, that's right.