1. My passion is helping you not just read and study the Bible, but truly enjoy it! It is the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. Matthew 3:16. Many other verses concurrently list the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. These are all qualities of personhood. That means that, as Christians, we believe in only one God. It has been said, Try to explain the trinity and lose your mind, try to explain away the trinity and lose your soul. Firstly, we agree that finite humankind is limited. While admitting the lack of conformity among believers, we must never consider it a minor issue of doctrine. Of course, if the triangle illustration were perfect, we would be able to comprehend God fully, but we cant. The Trinity consists of one being revealed in three distinct persons. The idea that God is somehow three and one starts onPage 1and never changes. Anytime you see a geometric figure with these features, it is a triangle. He wrote, What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.. To be even more precise, essence is what you are. 8:6a). However, let me highlight some of the most significant passages that confirm monotheism: Are you interested in learning more about the Godhead? These three-in-one are called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity" In the Hindu Puranas there is this passage: 'O ye three Lords! 2:6), The image of God (John 12:45; 2 Cor. As a former youth minister and childrens minister, Ive already done your research! God the Son is the rays of sunshine. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. I'm an author, speaker, husband, father and ice cream lover. Be cool with leaving the gathering with more questions than answers. 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. We should not think of God as like a pie cut into three pieces, each piece representing a Person. Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God in truth as well as in our hearts. And God seeks people to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). But its not a mystery that can or should! This is one possibility of explaining it. Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. 20:3; cf. Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. Lets apply what weve learned to the Trinity based on the graphic. God the Father spoke the creative words to bring the universe into being (Gen. 1:1). Thats where the confusion comes from. Explaining the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit will be needed at some point when presenting the God of the Bible to children, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and other non-Christians. 1:2), and empowers us for service (Acts 1:8; 1 Cor. Have some fun taking various quizzes and assessments to learn about yourself and others. Confusing them leads to misunderstanding. The Son is the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. This should make it clear why it is so important to understand that all three Persons are the same essence. 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? But all three must be present simultaneously for the geometric figure to be a triangle. Monotheism is foundational to Christianity. Read Books About The Trinity. In fact, would Jesus have us baptize in the name of a mere creature? We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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. The three members of the Trinity are Persons. 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 . And God created humankind to share that love (John 17:2126; Acts 17:25). But Christianity's God is unique. According to the American Heritage Dictionary the word Is referred to in the second person (you; Ps. 4; 14; Jon. Second, we have the son of God, Jesus. We believe God is one in essence. Christianity is a monotheistic religion. Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the earth by his word. The The truth is always new, fresh, and exciting to the believer in Christ. The late theologian Herman Bavinck has stated something very helpful at this point: The persons are modes of existence within the being; accordingly, the Persons differ among themselves as the one mode of existence differs from the other, and using a common illustration as the open palm differs from a closed fist.[4], Because each of these forms of existence are relational (and thus are Persons), they are each a distinct center of consciousness, with each center of consciousness regarding Himself as I and the others as You. Nonetheless, these three Persons all consist of the same stuff (that is, the same what, or essence). All of this information is a lot to take in at once. Disclaimer: I believe Trinity. 18:20; Matt. If it were the other way around and we understood God completely, how would he be the sovereign God? 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. Learn the basics of what Christians believe. 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. 9:5; Col. 2:9), The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:34; 2 Cor. He was "begotten, not made," and he was of the same substance or essence ( homoousios) as the Father. Here are three I found to be really helpful. 9:14; Heb. 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! Learn how you can know God personally. At the risk of sounding too physical, essence can be understood as the stuff that you consist of.. The technical term in case youre interested for this wrong way of thinking about God is calledmodalism. Lets go back to the Trinity triangle graphic, and you will see: By now you understand that the three Persons of the Trinity equally share Gods essence. This is one of the books of the Torah. Tertullian coined the term Trinity during the second century. In the early 2000s, people began using a new approach called "deep . Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not unite people by neglecting t Within a week,, Read More Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? 1:20-21), In salutations and benedictions (2 Cor. How do we receive His grace? We exist to worship God. He was sustaining and manifesting Gods immediate presence in his creation. Every time the wordElohim(plural) is used throughout the Old Testament referring to the one, true God, it is used with a singular conjugation of the verb. That is because it is the only religion that believes in the Trinity. It is the Matthew 28:19 baptismal formula: Jesus said, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in thenameof the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (emphasis mine). I am also fully Keith Ferrin. Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and Jerome mention it. Third, Christians believe that the entire New Testament is inspired. 11:3336). How to EXPLAIN The Trinity to a New Believer - Introduction to the Godhead In this video I will introduce the godhead or the trinity in one of the easiest te. Allegedly, Saint Patrick used a shamrock as a metaphor to explain the Trinity: three leaves, one shamrock. Then, ask them to write words on the poster that make up the character of God. 3. A subreddit for the encouragement and discussion of the Biblical Unitarian position which holds As you might expect, some people consider these mysteries as contradictions. But in response we can point out both agreement and clarification. The Bible teaches the Trinity beginning with the days of creation. The Father sent Jesus into the world (John 3:16; Gal. God is like the skin because He protects us. Egg A single egg is made up of the yolk, the whites, and the shell. Having seen that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, that they are each fully God, and that there is nonetheless only one God, we must conclude that all three Persons are the same God. Its three things, but all are complete on their own. There is a clue that the Son is distinct from the Father, yet there is fellowship between them. We define personhood by three key characteristics: Now that you understand the critical distinction, you know that essence is what. And you know personhood is who.. How to Support Gifted Readers, 27 of the Best Yoto Cards for Kids (sorted by age group), 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game), Holy Week for Kids: How to Teach Beyond Easter Sunday, 15 Powerful Self Esteem Activities for Kids to Do at Home and in School. The answer is they are gray and hard. 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. In other words, what are the objective attributes or properties that make up all rocks? For example: The Nicene Creed is recited during every service of Holy Communion . After understanding the difference between essence and personhood, most objections evaporate! 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]. Another serious error people have made is to think that the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit. How do they relate? One illustration to beware of is the one which says, I am one person, but I am a student, son, and brother. Why not consider these truths and place your faith in Jesus (1 John 5:1)? For example, it says of Christ that "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). This is just an egg, or an apple, or H2O. The Fathers plan for our redemption shows his great love for humankind. 4:6; James 2:19; Jude 25. How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus. We are referring to two different features of God: (1) his singular essenceor natureand (2) three Persons. Conclusion: Scripture teaches the Trinity. Then share them with another Christian or genuine seeker. Their prime usefulness it to show the mystery is not contradictory. Only older children will grasp the in one concept of H20. 3:17), Omnipresence (Ps. 8:26), comprehends (1 Cor. Yoto has lots of great stuff for, Read More 27 of the Best Yoto Cards for Kids (sorted by age group)Continue, If youre a Sunday School teacher or a mom hoping to instill a love of Bible learning in your children, Ive got some goodies for you! Read about individuals who have been transformed by faith. I might end with sharing a few analogies from nature. What we do mean by Person is something that regards himself as I and others as You. So the Father, for example, is a different Person from the Son because He regards the Son as a You, even though He regards Himself as I. Thus, in regards to the Trinity, we can say that Person means a distinct subject which regards Himself as an I and the other two as a You. These distinct subjects are not a division within the being of God, but a form of personal existence other than a difference in being.[3]. Perfect for the Bible newbie or the long-time Bible reader. So God is one what but three whos.. Jesus dying on the Cross is one of the most important parts of His story. Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the Trinity. 32:17, 27; Matt. However, you dont want to stop there with a student who can participate in a discussion. Before anything was created he begat his Logos as a person distinct from himself. Fun fact: The 325 Nicene Creed does not state Trinity. You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. . Therefore each of the Persons into whose name we are to be baptized must be deity. Or stated simply, the triangles what-ness.. In this case, "immanent" means "the action remaining within an agent.". Just as ONE egg has THREE different parts - the shell, the white, the yoke - ONE God has THREE different . Satan. It included Jesus miraculous conception in the virgin Mary (John 3:16)an act that we call the incarnation.. Each member of the Trinity is . Looking for a great childrens Bible? Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. See, each member participated in the creation, the incarnation, and redemption. What's the Origin and History of the Trinity in the Church? Tozerputs it well in The Knowledge of the Holy. 1:3), Demonstrated divine sovereignty over nature (Matt. For example, since the Father sent the Son into the world (John 3:16), He cannot be the same person as the Son. 3:1617). Explore answers to life's biggest questions. The different roles refer to a functional order or functional subordination.. The Holy Spirit is God. But first, lets cover the basics. God the Fathers plan of redeeming humankind involved sending his Son into the world (John 3:16), The Son accomplished redemption for us on the cross (Heb. The important difference between complexity and incomprehension: If Christianity was something we were making up, of course, we could make it easier. Other statements may at first seem contradictory but are really not. The Trinity confuses many people. Jesus is like the flesh, because He became flesh so we could know Him better. (So I won't send you any.) While theconceptof the Trinity is evident in the New Testament (Matt. Jesus himself spoke of the one-ness of the Godhead when he quoted the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4. (eds. Being Gods child, we can worship the Father and Jesus through the Spirit (John 4:2324; Phil. As youll see explained more deeply in one of the videos below, you can think of it this way: I am a human being. Elohimis the plural form of the word God. passage also demonstrates Jesus' early declaration of the Trinity. Among the three persons of the Trinity, there is a proper order: The Father is the First Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Now, as Fred Sanders once quipped, this doesn't mean you should begin every witnessing encounter, "God loves you . 4 Visual Ways To Explain The Trinity To A Child. 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. Not the answer an enquiring young mind was looking for. See if you can let kids arrive at the notion that God isnt really made up of parts. The word Trinity is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible; however, countless scriptures mention all three forms of God. Ask them to draw it on the page. Divide your group into three teams and give each group a sheet of butcher paper or poster. 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. Most people, including many Christians, struggle trying to apprehend the Trinity. No, the wordTrinitydoes not appear in the Bible. But it is possible to go deeper. 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. 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. Find freedom from your sins today. Thus, Jesus prayed to God the Father without praying to Himself. Since God is one in a different way than He is three, the Trinity is not a contradiction. Thus, they relate to each other personally the Father regards Himself as I, while He regards the Son and Holy Spirit as You. Likewise the Son regards Himself as I, but the Father and the Holy Spirit as You.. 15:19), God is called Father (John 17:1; John 3; 20:17; 1 Cor. God is infinite. After Christ rose from the grave, he appeared to the disciples and gave them a job to do: preach the Word to everyone. And these three Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 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. Actually, March 17 commemorates St. Patrick's death, actually. There was never a time when one of the Persons of the Godhead did not exist. ETS members all confess the Father, the Son, and the Spirit to be "one in essence, equal in power and glory.". God the Son. We can never completely understand the Trinities one essence and three Persons. Ibid, p. 255. Of course we are speaking by analogy here, for we cannot understand this in a physical way about God. Even wonderful parents have kids who struggle with self esteem, despite excellent parenting and a supportive home environment. So a closer look at the fact that God is one in essence but three in person has helped to show why the Trinity is not a contradiction. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. 10:57), The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian. Its okay for them to have a very limited understanding of God. *catholic, meaning universal here, and not a reference to the big C Catholic. Among the worlds religions, the Christian faith is unique. The three Persons are distinct, yet only constitute one name. The seeds are like the Holy Spirit, because He helps us grow. Each Person of the Trinity is distinct, 8. These questions arealwaysasked by someone who is exploring faith in Jesus. Assign each group with one of the Godheads: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), or the Holy Spirit. 2:11), emotions (Eph. Famous pastor and authorA.W. In other words, Christianity is unique among all other worldviews. 2:11), speaks (Mark 13:11), testifies (Acts 20:23), reveals (1 Cor. Whether an object is a rock or a triangle, we can classify it based on its objective characteristics. The Trinity was present in the atonement at the cross. 6:45; 32:39; 1 Kings 8:60; 2 Kings 5:15; Isa. Ive got you covered with all the basics, no matter your denomination. Sun The sun is a physical object, but also gives off light and heat. This is a limitation on God that doesnt acknowledge that God isalwaysthe Father,alwaysthe Son, andalwaysthe Holy Spirit. Find resources for personal or group Bible study. Unfortunately, there are many illustrations which are not simply imperfect, but in error. For instance: Additionally, all three members of the Trinity participate together in several critical events. Thats the one we think of as the Father. A beautiful mystery. There we read that " God said, 'Let us make man in our image' . If each Person of the Trinity is distinct and yet fully God, then should we conclude that there is more than one God? This law states that A cannot be both A (what it is) and non-A (what it is not) at the same time and in the same relationship. We also see this evidenced in how the Son and Father sent the Spirit into the world (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7). 1. They include: Now you have a basic understanding of the Trinity. 5:510; 1 Cor. 2:8-9), we can become Gods children. understand the doctrine of the Trinity. Third, notice that although the three divine Persons are distinct, we are baptized into their name (singular), not names (plural). The Trinity Is Unique Among Monotheistic Religions Christianity is a "monotheistic" religion. Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. 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. He sanctifies us (1 Pet. The personhood of each member of the Trinity means that each Person has a distinct center of consciousness. The Hebrew word for God isElohim. Whats a Mama to say when the questions start flowing? 42. OrThe person were explaining it to will think that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. They had to wait another 50 year for the 381 update. A Christian would still be expected to understand it. Go ahead and start with one of the object lessons above. 139:711; Jer. For instance, the Trinity does not mean that: Instead, we need to clearly distinguish two categories (Persons and essence). 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. However,barais the singular conjugation of the verb. How can one explain the Trinity simply to a new believer? He brings all light and life to the world. Three separate beings, all rolled into one entity. May 23, 2012 by: Justin Buzzard. In brief, how we view God will profoundly impact our everyday lives. While Jesus and the Father are both God, they are different Persons. "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him.". They are three real persons, not three roles God plays. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. 55:8-9). We cannot entirelycomprehendan infinite God and these mysteries (Rom. 1:12). 40:18; Rom. But it is not. Here are the best childrens Bibles, sorted by age. Each person of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) really IS God. The three members of the unholy trinity are Satan, the Antichrist, and the false prophet. 2:1011; Heb. Each of the persons is distinct from the other in relation (Economic Trinity), yet each is identical in essence (Ontological Trinity). The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Because these features make up the singular essence or nature of a triangle. 2. 13:14), the term Trinity does not appear. Now lets dig into these imperfect yet better than nothing representations of the Trinity for kids. Monotheism. Youngblood, R. F., et al. Rather, everything that one Person is involved in, the other two are also involved in, one way or another. Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. 15:3). See if they can think of anything better, and be ready to discuss where different ideas might not quite work. The doctrine is critical, even if not easily comprehended. 3:16; 2 Pet. Why do so many people struggle with the doctrine of the Trinity? 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. As long as a shape has those three angles that add up to 180 degrees, it doesnt matter what the angles degrees are. Theologians have pointed out that if it were not true, the Bible would be unreliable, Christ would not be divine, and His death on the cross would not atone for our sins, being merely the death of a martyr. Just hang on a little longer. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God.". How can three and one refer to the same God? 3:3; Heb. Subjection and subordination do not mean inequality. 1. If Jesus is God, why do the Gospels record instances where He prayed to God? The best way to teach the Trinity to ANYONE who is confused is with an object lesson. Its NOT God. I hate getting spam. 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. Further, we clearly should not think of God as consisting of anything other than divinity. That's the one we think of as the Father. Explore resources to help you live out your life and relationships in a way that honors God. We just covered Gods one divine essence. It starts with a whisper. He differs from the Father, but was and . After all, as I have said many times (to myself as much as others! The prologue of the Gospel of John has the strongest argument for the Trinity. ), "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. 6:11; Gal. .. To this day, this scripture inspires the language we use to baptize people across Christian denominations. The Trinity is the perfect loving community of three Persons. Some attributes include eternal, infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. No, the word Trinity does not appear in the Bible. 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. God is truth, so the unity that He is effecting between believers is a unity grounded in truth. But the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts 8:16). It was God who took the initiative to save humankind. But dont get confused. How can God be both one and three? Because humankind is limited, God will always exceed our knowledge and understanding (Isa. Believe it or not, the fact that God is too immense for our finite minds should be comforting, not discouraging! 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. What is Gods essence? "Economic" has to do with the history of salvation, and discusses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the sending and mission of salvation. Here is an object with three parts: a hard shell, the egg white, and the yolk. Gods essence is His being. Two biblical teachings confirm the doctrine of the Trinity: How is that possible? The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible . Gods One-ness is his One divine essence, 3. 89:14; John 17:25; Rom. 13: Trinity | Putting the Fun In, Faith and Finances: 5 Steps to Get Started. This is great fun to see how teenagers draw a picture of God. This is girl drama, and it can be extremely harmful to girls both mentally and emotionally. You arent alone! 8:2327), Resuscitates the dead (Matt. 3 in 1: A Picture of God This one is for anyone interested in using the apple object lesson. ). 8:26), guides (John 16:13), creates (Ps. Each person of the Trinity is equally and fully God, distinct from the others, and yet they remain just one God. 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. The trouble with this one is that its a bit less visual. Matt Perman is the director of career navigation at The Kings College NYC, a blogger, and an author. using the shamrock or the three states of H 2 O to explain the . LESSON 1: THE TRINITY AIM: To teach the children in simple terms the truth of the Godhead. 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.