The very definition of the heresy known as Modalism/Oneness is that there is one person existing in three different modes or manifestations. So "son" = "Dave". The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and are distinguished from one another. Devils see that Spirit as a tempestuious fire. There is only one egg with three different parts. Some people have suggested using an egg to explain how God can be both one and three. Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. I do not have the time or space to exhaustively demonstrate in scripture these truths, but the Biblical witness teaches these three truths consistently about God. And in our efforts to grasp it, weve come up with a number of analogies. (It is also why the Jews had an issue with Jesus calling Himself God.). It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. CafeLogos.orgThe Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. So under modalism, God acts as the Father in the Old Testament, the son in the Gospels, and the Spirit in Acts and the Epistles. So whats one good way to explain what the Trinity is? Learn how your comment data is processed. The Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. 6And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons., , The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all., There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. Light comes from God. Here are some common analogies that Christians have used about the Trinity: God is kind of like water which can be ice, liquid and steam. Arius was condemned by the council of Nicea in 325 AD. Christians believe, then, that only one God exists but this God exists as a unity of three persons: a Trinity. According to the first, just as water takes three forms (liquid, vapor, and ice), so too God takes the form of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 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. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. I did read about the shamrock analogy! But, when it's heated, it turns into a gas (steam) and, when it's frozen, it turns into a solid (ice). The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. I think the analogy of the Sun works well. He got married there in 1965, and his four . As a result, this analogy can easily lead to tritheism in which there are three different gods which might share some like substance. 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. We can always rebut these claims with another equation: 1 x 1 x 1=1. Here are eight bible characters that you might not know about, but should. Each person is fully God (Phil 2; Acts 5:3-4). His being is somewhat of a mystery to us. The above picture is a famous work of art by Andrei Rubilev, the great medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescos. One day, however, the image will be clear. Vestment Emblems. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. They have a common purpose in making harmonious music, but each note is its own separate entity. What portion is erroneous? Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. . 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. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Some who deny the Trinity claim 1+1+1=3, and therefore claim we worship three Gods. The following verses attest to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Few if any have every tried to teach the heresy of Tritheism, but it needs to be mentioned anyway. As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. But remember, it is much better to let Scripture teach the 3 points above which establish the doctrine of the Trinity than to rely on analogies. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. How do we make sense of the Trinity? And the reason we know that is because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly loved each other for all eternity. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. Before moving on I should note that providing a full theological explanation of Trinitarian doctrine is well beyond the scope of what I can do here. 5And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. This is a worse analogy than the egg because it is more analogous to the heretical doctrine of Modalism/Oneness than for the Trinity. Likewise we cannot have the Father or His Spirit without the Son I am the Way the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by Me- John 14:6. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. But thats not how they understood it. Each one is fully 100% God. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. We recommend you adhere these emblems to your vestments by mounting on the material with fabric glue and then stitching them . However, Christians through the ages believe in the Trinity because the truths it represents are taught in the Bible. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1, *. Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. For those, like myself, who are not from a highly-liturgical denomination, it may come as a surprise that June 11 was Trinity Sunday. 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.). Did I leave out any analogies? 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. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,, , Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 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). The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. That is a holding pen for final judgment. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. Some people think that H2O cannot exist in all three states simultaneously but that is not true. 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). Space Analogy God is like space. The Son is not the Father or the Spirit. But this idea is central to the Christian faith. The Trinity is like an egg. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. Although God is transcendent, sovereign, unapproachable light, He has condescended to reveal something of Himself to His creation. THE DISTINCTION AND UNITY of the Trinity is not for us to fully understand because it is a supernatural mystery. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. It can also be a liquid and called water. The egg analogy fails because it denies that each person of the Trinity is of the same eternal essence. Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. In the same way, there is a God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 butmore like 1 x 1 x 1.You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. If the Sun existed from eternity past then so were the light rays from the Sun. 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. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. God is one. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites, The Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity. The three distinct notes come together to make one beautiful sound. The military would end up destroying themselves. It does not represent 3 persons existing simultaneously. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. In reality, I change my role depending on who I am interacting with. The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. But understanding the Trinity is important. But in the Godhead, each Person is fully and completely God unto Himself (even as they are all one God). Instead, each person is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. This view, also known as "modalism", was rejected by the early church. 3. So when God created us and revealed Himself to us, what He did was to invite us into the perfect goodness He has always known within Himself. It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. The water analogy of the Trinity follows this line of reasoning: water can be a solid (ice/frozen water), liquid, and gas (water vapor), and yet all three forms are still water (H 2 O), and likewise, God manifests Himself in 3 different ways in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. What is the Trinity? Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. 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 Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. None of the 3 are less divine than the others. H2O can only ever be one form at a time. The problem with this analogy is that it denies the distinction of persons in the God-head. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,neither blending their personsnor dividing their essence. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. These hand embroidered emblems are made with metallic gold-plated thread with silver content, printed on canvas. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. 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). According to modalism, God does not actually exist in three persons. The military would like to have that power. The Holy Trinity, one of the five Dogmas of the Church, is an extraordinary and unfathomable mystery. All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. He completed a doctorate in 1990, looking at the question of harmonic rhythm in the organ music of J.S. Now, as youve probably guessed, this analogy also breaks down. She would explode!" They say that three separate beings exist 2. Lord of all, we bow before thee. Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. The Unseen Father would have been put into Satans prison. - well, sort of. Sending of another: The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. Thought of Tim Its amazing to think that everything will be so clear when we het to Heaven! Youre right, theyre all good but not perfect because only God IS perfect. A, distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A. is the whole nature or essence of something. Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). Its a very common explanation within the church to try to explain how God, who clearly exhorts His followers to preserve His supreme oneness (Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4), could also be identified with Jesus (Titus chapter 2 verse 13), and the Holy Spirit (Acts chapter 5 verses 3-4). The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). And for a mere mortal to have dared invent it and be able t. An egg is made up of shell, white and yolk. Paul leaves the Corinthians with this blessing in 2 Corinthians 13:14- May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.. Yet there is still only one God we serve. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). Yet there is only one God. A good follow up verse to help explain is the baptism of Jesus. Wow! 3:15; John 17:1-4, The Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-13. 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. Lastly, below is a helpful graphical chart explaining the doctrine of the Trinity I found from the Christian blog by Tim Challies found at Challies.com.