how to explain the trinity to a new believer

.. 3:17; 17:5; Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 10:15; 12:28; 17:1-26; 1 Tim. He is also referred to in third-person singular pronouns (John 14:26), He engages in actions only a person can do: He searches (1 Cor. Kids understand the three different forms clearly, as separate objects. After all, the Trinity is difficult to understand. Each person of the Trinity is equally and fully God, distinct from the others, and yet they remain just one God. So many things clamor to define you. To start, let me define what I mean when I say persons. Personhood is having intellect, emotions, and a will. However, within the nature of this one God are three persons, or three centers of consciousness - the Father, the Son, and the . Whats a Mama to say when the questions start flowing? I recently had some of my kids friends ask meWhat is the Trinity? 4:6; James 2:19; Jude 25. But they are eternally subordinate in their roles to him (1 Cor. You will and can grasp these principles. There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. 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. Firstly, we agree that finite humankind is limited. In fact, kids who have been in church for many years will probably have already heard one of these illustrations. They only describe what makes up Gods singular essence. 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). Fill this out to make sure you don't miss a thing! 19:26). 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). 9:14; Heb. God the Son is the rays of sunshine. Through accepting the undeserved gift of salvation (Eph. Heres how the triangle analogy can help: Consider a triangle with me. Equipping families with practical approaches to parenting and marriage. The Trinity was present in the atonement at the cross. Specifically, distinguishing between Gods one essence and his three Persons. It's a great reminder of the three parts of the Holy Trinity! 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. And interesting they are listed under a single name. This refers to Gods single essence. Its obvious that the Trinity is important to Christianity because its the framework for one of our oldest texts that crosses multiple denominations: the Apostles Creed, written in the 5th century. Jesus carried out these creative decrees (John 1:3; Col. 1:16). Hmmm. God the Father, Jesus His Son, with the Holy Spirit, they are three in one! "Economic" has to do with the history of salvation, and discusses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the sending and mission of salvation. How do we know whats age-appropriate for them to understand? May 23, 2012 by: Justin Buzzard. OrThe person were explaining it to will think that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). I think the major problem involves not distinguishing two different features of God. And when he speaks, he refers to himself in first personas I (Deut. . God addressed in the second person singular (you): 2 Sam. Third, notice that although the three divine Persons are distinct, we are baptized into their name (singular), not names (plural). God is spirit (John 4:24). 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. Get the answers to frequently asked questions on Christian beliefs and practices. Answer. The apple one is kind of cool. the one who is not a Christian. They include: Now you have a basic understanding of the Trinity. But all three must be present simultaneously for the geometric figure to be a triangle. The best way to teach the Trinity to ANYONE who is confused is with an object lesson. God the Son. Lets apply these concepts to the Trinity. 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. Each corner is distinct (i.e., different) from the others. The Trinity isn't some complicated distraction from the simple gospelit's actually part of the gospel. Unsubscribe at any time. The answer is they are gray and hard. 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. 45:5-6, New Testament: Mark 12:29; John 5:44; Eph. Essence and personhood are NOT the same thing. 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. That is why any discussion of the Trinity is based on Scripture (Ps. In this blog post, we are going to discuss the Holy Trinity in simple terms. Dont despair. We can be adopted by the Father and united with Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit (John 1:1223; Rom. 3:17), Omnipresence (Ps. 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 doctrine is critical, even if not easily comprehended. How could we? 6:45; 32:39; 1 Kings 8:60; 2 Kings 5:15; Isa. The three-ness and one-ness are two different features. For example, it says of Christ that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school. John introduces us to the Trinity in John 1:1- "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God.". 1:7; 2 Tim. While Jesus and the Father are both God, they are different Persons. 7:28; Ps. 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! Of course, if the triangle illustration were perfect, we would be able to comprehend God fully, but we cant. "It has been said that there have been four centuries when the church's understanding of the person of Christ has been most under attack. How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus. The personhood of each member of the Trinity means that each Person has a distinct center of consciousness. I hate getting spam. 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. Egg A single egg is made up of the yolk, the whites, and the shell. Satan existed with the angels at the beginning of creation as one of the cherubim. At the risk of sounding too physical, essence can be understood as the stuff that you consist of.. Here we will summarize some of the fruits of their labor. For example, it says of Christ that "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). 8:6), Jesus is called God (John 1:1-5; John 20:28; Rom. What we believe about the gospel and our call to serve every nation. Do you need to devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? 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. Faith is recognizing that we dont have all the answers and deciding that its okay to keep believing and growing. After all, theyre good questions. 2:511). The Trinity consists of one being revealed in three distinct persons. That isGod is three Persons in onethe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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. 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]. It's easy to turn doctrinal discussions into strictly intellectual affairs, but as Dr. Fred Sanders teaches in The Triune God course, we need to do so "in a way that enlists the reader's strict and holy attention for what is essentially a spiritual exercise." Now we will turn our attention to showing the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are persons.. Think about it: Finite Christians serve an eternal and infinite God. The Trinity is important to Christians because it reminds us that God is all-powerful, walked this Earth as a perfect human who can relate to our pain, and also lives on today in our hearts. For instance: Additionally, all three members of the Trinity participate together in several critical events. The Fathers plan for our redemption shows his great love for humankind. Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth. 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. The Trinity. However, Matthew 28:19 is frequently used in attempts to prove that the Trinity is a biblical teaching. The second point of clarification has to do with personhood. 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. It's so simple, it fits on one page. I might end with sharing a few analogies from nature. A beautiful mystery. Before moving on tounderstandingthe idea of one Being existing in three Persons, I will point out that theBiblical idea of the Trinity goes all the way back to the first verse in the first chapter in the first book of the Bible. Perhaps for the first time, you have read that the Trinity is a mystery and not acontradiction. 13: Trinity | Putting the Fun In, Faith and Finances: 5 Steps to Get Started. 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. The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. One illustration to beware of is the one which says, I am one person, but I am a student, son, and brother. Perfect for the Bible newbie or the long-time Bible reader. And that knowledge can feel liberating. After Christ rose from the grave, he appeared to the disciples and gave them a job to do: preach the Word to everyone. 1:18; Luke 1:2635). 2:34; Heb. Trinity, in Christian doctrine, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. 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. Trying to fully understand God is like a 2-year-old trying to fully understand the complexities of relationships, marriage, and parenting! Second, we have the son of God, Jesus. As a mom to three kids under 8, an instructional coach, and a former classroom teacher, I know a thing or two about how public schools REALLY work and the challenges we face in the United States. Our mind distinguishes each of the three leaves (the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost), but at the same time recognizes they are one shamrock. In sum, the essence or nature of anything is what it is. If it were the other way around and we understood God completely, how would he be the sovereign God? When Jesus answered the question, What is the greatest commandment? he prefaced the answer by quoting the. Some attributes include eternal, infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus. How do we receive His grace? Why is the Trinity important to Christianity? . 1:2), Jesus as God (Titus 2:13), and the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3-4). Conclusion: Scripture teaches the Trinity. 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).