Geisler, N. L., and R. E MacKenzie, R. E. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: agreements and differences. All will play a role in the events mentioned in Revelation. For example, since the Father sent the Son into the world (John 3:16), He cannot be the same person as the Son. The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Son or the Father. Satan. The Trinity is more than just a vital doctrine. 119; Prov. Matthew 12:28. 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. In explaining the Trinity to your friend, begin, perhaps, with the work of salvation. However, these illustrations arent perfect, and really mature kids or teenagers (or adult new believers) could handle digging a bit deeper! . Neither should we think of the Persons as being defined by attributes added on to the being of God. Further, we should allow the fact that God is triune to deepen our worship. The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. ). Even wonderful parents have kids who struggle with self esteem, despite excellent parenting and a supportive home environment. Instead, they are all identical in attributes. 3:17; 17:5; Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 10:15; 12:28; 17:1-26; 1 Tim. John 1 tells us that the Word is Yeshua - that he was with God and was God from the get go, right there at creation. They only describe what makes up Gods singular essence. After all, the Trinity is difficult to understand. Then share them with another Christian or genuine seeker. 3 in 1: A Picture of God This one is for anyone interested in using the apple object lesson. Well, we can know because God has given us his special revelation: the Bible. Its probably the most classic Trinity object lesson, but its not my favorite. 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 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. And interesting they are listed under a single name. This refers to Gods single essence. 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). 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. In other words, what are the objective attributes or properties that make up all rocks? The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. Did your kids give each form of God different personality traits? Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. 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 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. And these three Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Many of us say it every single Sunday morning. AboutPressCopyrightContact. And he should be referred to by personal pronouns and never as it. The Holy Spirits is a person because he: Scripture also proves that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are God. Its a devotional book. The three members of the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. Ive got you covered with all the basics, no matter your denomination. 1:8). Jesus himself spoke of the one-ness of the Godhead when he quoted the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4. Trinity, in Christian doctrine, the unity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. Assign each group with one of the Godheads: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), or the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. (eds. While it is good for us to seek understanding of the Trinity, we cannot fully comprehend God. But what exactly are essence or nature and personhood? This is something far removed from our human experience, where every different human "person" is a different being as well. God the Father spoke the creative words to bring the universe into being (Gen. 1:1). It is the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. They are all eternal. Tozerputs it well in The Knowledge of the Holy. Third, we have the Holy Spirit, which is also God, living in our hearts and guiding us through life. 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 Thus, we are not speaking with a forked tongue we are not saying that God is one and then denying that He is one by saying that He is three. There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. The Holy Trinity - Explained. God the Father sent God the Holy Spirit to conceive Jesus (God the Son) in the virgin Marys womb (Matt. The Father is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. He wrote, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.. A beautiful mystery. Why? My Starting Point for Trying to Explain the Trinity, The Simplest but Still Clear Explanation for the Trinity, The 3 Most Common Trinity Analogies (and their limitations). 10:2831), In Johns writings (1 John 4:1314; Rev. Trinity not mentioned in the Bible anywhere! Since God is one in a different way than He is three, the Trinity is not a contradiction. The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible . Firstly, we agree that finite humankind is limited. . Or stated simply, the triangles what-ness.. These personal distinctions are modes of existence within the divine being, but are not divisions of the divine being. Second, notice that each Person must be deity because they are all placed on the same level. 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. Its okay for them to have a very limited understanding of God. 2:17). Object Lessons on the Trinity for a Child or New Believer, The Difference Between Teaching the Trinity to a Child vs. a Teenager, Books that Explain the Trinity to a Child, Navigating Girl Drama: 20 Ways Schools and Parents Can Help Calm the Storm, Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? 15:19), God is called Father (John 17:1; John 3; 20:17; 1 Cor. What does it take to begin a relationship with God? How do we know whats age-appropriate for them to understand? Hmmm. Essence and personhood are NOT the same thing. God the Son is the rays of sunshine. The Son is the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. 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. In fact, would Jesus have us baptize in the name of a mere creature? Not the answer an enquiring young mind was looking for. 32:17, 27; Matt. I wont go into all of the verses here (simply type bible verses about the Trinity into Google and youll find plenty). In this case, "immanent" means "the action remaining within an agent.". the one who is not a Christian. 8:2327), Resuscitates the dead (Matt. For instance, each Person: Scripture often names all three members of the Trinity together. Engage Children in learning The Holy Trinity through Reading, Writing, Playing, Creating, Singing!Included in this resource:Bible Lesson Book-Teacher Edition: Read Aloud!Full sized, colorful large print . The Trinity consists of one being revealed in three distinct persons. At the risk of sounding too physical, essence can be understood as the stuff that you consist of.. And the voice of the Father declared, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matt. I think it is because they lack at least two pieces of information: The main confusion is that many people dont get this distinction. Subjection and subordination do not mean inequality. So God is one what but three whos.. Because humankind is limited, God will always exceed our knowledge and understanding (Isa. If it were the other way around and we understood God completely, how would he be the sovereign God? Our fellowship with God should be enhanced by consciously knowing that we are relating to a tri-personal God! If we were to translate it . 2. Tertullian coined the term Trinity during the second century. It has been said, Try to explain the trinity and lose your mind, try to explain away the trinity and lose your soul. This explains how God can be both one and three. The problem with this is that it reflects a heresy called modalism. We are dealing with fact. It's a great reminder of the three parts of the Holy Trinity! 31:3; John 3:16; 1 John 4:8), Righteous (Ps. Other statements may at first seem contradictory but are really not. He was "begotten, not made," and he was of the same substance or essence ( homoousios) as the Father. Perhaps for the first time, you have read that the Trinity is a mystery and not acontradiction. Here are the best childrens Bibles, sorted by age. Simply put: without three angles, theres no triangle! Get the answers to frequently asked questions on Christian beliefs and practices. Its a mystery the Bible teaches. 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.". 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. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. One God? So, in this article, we will look at where the term originated. Our kids are currently 2, 4, and 7, and its equally loved by all of them, so the Yoto age range is really wide! After all, plenty of, Read More 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game)Continue, Whereas most of us are pretty comfortable with our family traditions for celebrating Easter, Holy Week for kids is WAY more intimidating. 19:26). See if they can think of anything better, and be ready to discuss where different ideas might not quite work. If youre wondering how to explain the Trinity to a child, keep it simple. We all have a story. This is absolutely true. But each member had a different function. 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). 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? For instance, the Father is the first person of the Trinity. His function is superior to that of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Use Objects As Visual Aids. Egg A single egg is made up of the yolk, the whites, and the shell. Jesus dying on the Cross is one of the most important parts of His story. .. But analogies cannot entirely explain the mystery of God. This doctrine is absolutely essential to New Testament Christianity. 28:20; Col. 3:11), Omnibenevolent (John 13:34; Rom. For I am God, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:21-22; see also 44:6-8; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35; 6:4-5; 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings 8:60). This is great fun to see how teenagers draw a picture of God. The important difference between complexity and incomprehension: If Christianity was something we were making up, of course, we could make it easier. 2. It is crucial for properly understanding what God is like, how He relates to us, and how we should relate to Him. 2:511). A rumor is started, and it spreads like wildfire. It's so simple, it fits on one page. The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. *catholic, meaning universal here, and not a reference to the big C Catholic. (Heavy sigh.) In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. "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. Further, we clearly should not think of God as consisting of anything other than divinity. Partnering with urban churches to meet physical and spiritual needs. Looking for a great childrens Bible? And this illustration helps us understand the Trinity: This illustration shows how the doctrine of the Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Instead, it reveals that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit possess the same divine essence. passage also demonstrates Jesus' early declaration of the Trinity. OksoWhat about this idea of one being who exists in three persons?. Theologian R.C. This is one of the books of the Torah. 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. I work hard to produce evidence-based information about school for both teachers and parents, and to produce and share resources that can help at home and in the classroom. When he has gone further in his "explanation" of the Trinity than many have gone, he admits, "I am far from asserting this as any . Let's explore each of these members. This is just an egg, or an apple, or H2O. It starts with a whisper. A triangle must have three different corners in order to be one triangle. 13:14), the term Trinity does not appear. As theologian and apologist Norman Geisler has explained it, while essence is what you are, person is who you are. That is because it is the only religion that believes in the Trinity. Genesis 1:1says this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.. What does essence mean? They had to wait another 50 year for the 381 update. Famous pastor and authorA.W. Therefore each of the Persons into whose name we are to be baptized must be deity. Now youre gonna tell me theyre all the same but also different? The substance of God is God, not a bunch of ingredients that taken together yield deity. "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons.. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the Trinity. It may seem that the Catholic Church and all the Protestant denominations dont have much in common, but they do have this creed to share. It may seem like a daunting question at first, but when we think about it the truth of God's triune nature is meant to be a joy, a comfort, and a wonder to us! . But the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts 8:16). However, let me highlight some of the most significant passages that confirm monotheism: Are you interested in learning more about the Godhead? 2:10), knows (1 Cor. This is one possibility of explaining it. One helpful Scripture explicitly refers to the essence and personhood of the Trinity. God is like the skin because He protects us. This verse accurately states the doctrine of the Trinity that God is One God in three Persons. He is one in essence. My passion is helping you not just read and study the Bible, but truly enjoy it! Before anything was created he begat his Logos as a person distinct from himself. The Holy Spirit is God. The easiest way to explain the Trinity is with an object lesson, and thats true no matter how old someone might be. 6:2122), Resuscitation of the dead (1 Kings 17:1724; 2 Kings 4:1837), The resurrection of Jesus (Acts 4:10; Acts 10:40), Sustains the universe (Col. 1:17; Heb. Three separate beings, all rolled into one entity. 2:2729). If Jesus is God, why do the Gospels record instances where He prayed to God? A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity? The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. I'm an author, speaker, husband, father and ice cream lover. The New Testament lists all three Persons of the Trinity simultaneously, 6. Each person of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) really IS God. Lets start with the geometric figure of the triangle itself. 55 years on I've yet to hear or read an explanation of the Trinity that makes sense. How could we? And the triangle can help us distinguish one essence from the three Persons. The best way to teach the Trinity to ANYONE who is confused is with an object lesson. The Holy Trinity is 'the Center of Everything.'. 4:30), and a will (1 Cor. But what does it mean that God is gracious? Are you still not a Christian? It is one of the two ordinances of the Christian Church. Two biblical teachings confirm the doctrine of the Trinity: How is that possible? Do Trinity Crafts/Printables. But is there any easy way to apprehend these exciting discoveries? How can one explain the Trinity simply to a new believer? There are two men in their 20s who came to faith in Christ in recent weeks through the ministry of our church. We will never sell your information, for any reason. The answer is simple. These three persons make up the one true God. Grace is the promise that you stand forgiven before God if you know Jesus. This analogy ignores the personal distinctions within God and mitigates them to mere roles. 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. 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 . What a challenge! The Bible teaches the Trinity beginning with the days of creation. 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]. 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. For example the: Finite humankind cannot wholly comprehend these mysteries. Christs resurrection is variously attributed to: Multiple verses distinguish each member of the Trinity. After all, theyre good questions. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. First, we have God. Because ethnicity is part of the good of creation, we seek to honor and celebrate the ethnic identity of those with whom we serve as well as those we seek to reach. However, you dont want to stop there with a student who can participate in a discussion. He brings all light and life to the world. It is the revelation of who our Almighty Creator actually isnot just a god, but an infinite Being existing in eternity as three co-equal, infinite Persons, consubstantial yet distinct. The Trinity is first of all important because God is important. More simply stated, the essence of any entity is what it is. 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. 3:6. Lets apply these concepts to the Trinity. Heres how the triangle analogy can help: Consider a triangle with me. 2:18). While this is in my mind the simplest, clearest explanation, I understand that even this breaks down when we go further and say I am a human and I am Keith Ferrin. God the Holy Spirit. Each of the persons is distinct from the other in relation (Economic Trinity), yet each is identical in essence (Ontological Trinity).