The seeds are like the Holy Spirit, because He helps us grow. 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 . There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. But that doesnt mean the concept isnt clearly taught. 8:2327), Resuscitates the dead (Matt. The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. It was God who took the initiative to save humankind. Be cool with leaving the gathering with more questions than answers. . The Trinity is more than just a vital doctrine. 4; 14; Jon. While Jesus and the Father are both God, they are different Persons. Secondly I'd like you to read this verse with me from the Bible. After understanding the difference between essence and personhood, most objections evaporate! 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. (Againwere trying to grasp something that isnt fully grasp-able.). The Trinity doctrine developed over hundreds of years and was influenced by the teachings of pagan Greek philosophers. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. After all, each of these illustrate the idea that God is made up of parts, and thats not really true. The Holy Spirit is God. That's the one we think of as the Father. 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. the one who is not a Christian. Most of them are less-than-helpful. Let's explore each of these members. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. 13: Trinity | Putting the Fun In, Faith and Finances: 5 Steps to Get Started. But secondly, Christians need to clarify that God is incomprehensible. It has been said, Try to explain the trinity and lose your mind, try to explain away the trinity and lose your soul. Live in another country building relationships and ministries with eternal impact. We hate SPAM. If someone already has an understanding based on the definition and explanation above, then these analogiesmighthelp them grasp aspects of the Trinity. But how can finite humans know anything about Gods infinite essence? God is like the skin because He protects us. We will never sell your information, for any reason. 1:8). We are referring to two different features of God: (1) his singular essenceor natureand (2) three Persons. 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. The easiest way to explain the Trinity is with an object lesson, and thats true no matter how old someone might be. But what does it mean that God is gracious? Jesus himself spoke of the one-ness of the Godhead when he quoted the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4. Our fellowship with God should be enhanced by consciously knowing that we are relating to a tri-personal God! The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. With teenagers, you want to take a different approach, and celebrate the mystery of it all. Girls become divided, friendships are ruined, and reputations are tarnished. And confusing ones. 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. Geisler, N. L., and R. E MacKenzie, R. E. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: agreements and differences. The Trinity consists of one being revealed in three distinct persons. 1:318; 1 Pet. Of course, anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about (p. 145). ETS members all confess the Father, the Son, and the Spirit to be "one in essence, equal in power and glory.". For example, since the Father sent the Son into the world (John 3:16), He cannot be the same person as the Son. But as a follower of Christ, your identity can and should be grounded in one thing: who He says you are. Here is an object with three parts: a hard shell, the egg white, and the yolk. 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 . It is very simple: All three Persons are one God because, as we saw above, they are all the same essence. 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! After Christ rose from the grave, he appeared to the disciples and gave them a job to do: preach the Word to everyone. The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. He differs from the Father, but was and . Example 1: What is the nature or essence of a rock? See if they can think of anything better, and be ready to discuss where different ideas might not quite work. 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). A subreddit for the encouragement and discussion of the Biblical Unitarian position which holds 2:2729). ), "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. 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! The three Persons are distinct, yet only constitute one name. The important difference between complexity and incomprehension: If Christianity was something we were making up, of course, we could make it easier. This is a limitation on God that doesnt acknowledge that God isalwaysthe Father,alwaysthe Son, andalwaysthe Holy Spirit. While it is good for us to seek understanding of the Trinity, we cannot fully comprehend God. These verses make it impossible to deny their individuality and deity. The technical term in case youre interested for this wrong way of thinking about God is calledmodalism. Ibid, p. 255. First, we have God. That is where I go back to the starting point I mentioned above. Several analogies help us apprehend the Trinity. Heres how the triangle analogy can help: Consider a triangle with me. Being Gods child, we can worship the Father and Jesus through the Spirit (John 4:2324; Phil. You can cut into an apple in front of your group. Errr, not quite. 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. Fill this out to make sure you don't miss a thing! And we can delight in praying to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit (John 14:1314; Eph. Why not consider these truths and place your faith in Jesus (1 John 5:1)? 3:1417). But its not a mystery that can or should! And interesting they are listed under a single name. This refers to Gods single essence. That definition is a mouthful. 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? They have eternally (John 17:5, 24) sought to glorify each other (Phil. When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen. But each member had a different function. Here is an indication of the divinity of the Word. While we cannot fully understand everything about the Trinity (or anything else), it is possible to answer questions like these and come to a solid grasp of what it means for God to be three in one. The Bible speaks of the Father as God (Phil. You cant find an earthly match for this concept. Not the answer an enquiring young mind was looking for. 6:45; 32:39; 1 Kings 8:60; 2 Kings 5:15; Isa. Others seem to come by it naturally, and its just not fair! In fact, would Jesus have us baptize in the name of a mere creature? But that doesn't mean the concept isn't clearly taught. 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. 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! To further our understanding of the distinction of persons within the one God it is best to move on to the next trinitarian principle. Now lets go a little deeper and consider the triangles three corners (angles). 4:47), In Hebrews (Heb. Disclaimer: I believe 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. He exists as a Trinity. But a common question arises: How do the members of the Trinity differ from one another?. 8:6a). Christ took Gods punishment, and wrath meant for us because of our sins (Heb. Jesus is the one whose life we try to copy. Ignore the urge to tie everything up with a nice little bow. Now, as Fred Sanders once quipped, this doesn't mean you should begin every witnessing encounter, "God loves you . Each Person of the Trinity is distinct, 8. Modern theologians have created a distinction between the "economic Trinity" and the "immanent Trinity.". .. He was sustaining and manifesting Gods immediate presence in his creation. But Christianitys God is unique. As youll see explained more deeply in one of the videos below, you can think of it this way: I am a human being. 1:7; 2 Tim. We begin with a brief discussion of the doctrine in historical context, explaining more fully the nature of the problem it raises. The only way humans can know about these mysteries is because the Bible teaches them. And God seeks people to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). 2. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be one of the central Christian affirmations about God. Use Objects As Visual Aids. 7:28; Ps. 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. Ask the teenager this question: Where does this fall short? That is why any discussion of the Trinity is based on Scripture (Ps. It included Jesus miraculous conception in the virgin Mary (John 3:16)an act that we call the incarnation.. Perhaps for the first time, you have read that the Trinity is a mystery and not acontradiction. A triangle must have three sides three corners (angles), and the sum of the three angles must be 180 degrees. 2. And certainly not if it were a contradiction. 2:1011; Heb. God is one in a certain way (essence) and three in a different way (person). The Trinity Is Unique Among Monotheistic Religions Christianity is a "monotheistic" religion. And in John 16:13-15 we see that although there is a close unity between them all, the Holy Spirit is also distinct from the Father and the Son. 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). Other statements may at first seem contradictory but are really not. 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. 2:11), emotions (Eph. The wordtrinitymeans tri-unity or three-in-oneness.. If you go to YouTube and search on explain the Trinity youll findlotsof videos. . We then turn to the most important strategies that have been developed by Christians to resolve this problem. "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. . And all three members of the Trinity were involved. Question: How do you explain the Trinity? Actually, March 17 commemorates St. Patrick's death, actually. And these three Persons are the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. "Economic" has to do with the history of salvation, and discusses the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the sending and mission of salvation. 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.
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