The problem with this analogy is it denies the unity of the God-head. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. The military would like to have that power. The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. He completed a doctorate in 1990, looking at the question of harmonic rhythm in the organ music of J.S. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. CafeLogos.orgThe Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity Trinity is like a Shamrock (or an Apple or an Egg). The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. THE DISTINCTION AND UNITY of the Trinity is not for us to fully understand because it is a supernatural mystery. Thus the Father is in Jesus " I and My Father are One" (John 10:30), "The Father is in Me" (John 14:10) God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). Lost will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. Genisis 1:17, KJV. The trinity is like water. When we see them as three individual spirits, (God is one Spirit John 4:24), then that is the blasphemy of polytheism which is the worship of more than one God. You are an egg! And in our efforts to grasp it, weve come up with a number of analogies. But Jesus makes it clear in John 10:30- I and the Father are One. The Greek word for one means one thing, not one person. They are united in their essence (spirit, nature) but not identical persons. Jesus Person is the image of Gods Person (Hebrews 1:3), and the Invisible Spirit of the Father that is in Him - God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). Unfortunately, Arianism is still around and can found within the Jehovah's Witnesses teachings. John 17). Love your blogs! There is what is called the 'triple point' the combination of pressure and temperature at which H2O can exist simultaneously in all three states: solid, liquid and gas. Similarly, in our aquatic analogy, water can appear in three different modes, depending on the environment, but the three are not co-existing. Yet, as we view the pages of the Bible, we see that God is a personal and relational God. But you cannot be broken when your faith is in Jesus, for the Spirit of the Son that lives in us and gives us the voice through which we cry Abba, Father, (Galatians 4:6,) this Spirit of the Father that dwells within you is there to strengthen, protect and guard your person. Haydn Lea is an Ordained Minister, and is currently serving as an Air Force Chaplain in Adelaide. See the depths of Catholicism for yourself! We came up with several practical implications of this doctrine. Or have you ever tried to teach kids about the Trinity? God is NOT like H2O in that He does not need the right pressure and temperature to exist as three persons. All of the above Bad Analogies would perhaps do more harm than good if used in explaining the Trinity. Or what? At the Cathedral, we recognize that there are responsibilities that come with . What happens when an egg hatches? This analogy actually teaches the heresy of modalism. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! They are three in one egg. The Sun was created on the forth day. Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. When we see them as three individual spirits, (God is one Spirit John 4:24), then that is the blasphemy of polytheism which is the worship of more than one God. 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. In an attempt to explain the Trinity, there are some bad examples people use, and some better ones. The three parts create a unified whole. A good follow up verse to help explain is the baptism of Jesus. Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. The Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. But this view, too, wont do. Because Gods Person is unapproachable, the Spirit White acts as insulation, for we know that it is through the Holy Spirit that God can communicate, speak through and interact with mankind. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. The Son "proceeds" from the Father, and the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son.". We might call one side A, another side B, and the other C. So, there is a distinction between each of the sides, yet, all three are the same. Just as water changes forms so too is the trinity. What portion of the analogy holds true with Church Teaching? 3. Sadly, theres something "rotten" about this egg analogy. This view, also known as "modalism", was rejected by the early church. Deuteronomy 6:4- Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. This verse is also the beginning of the Jewish Shema prayer; their confession of faith. Perhaps youve heard the analogy that the Trinity is like H2O (the molecular symbol for water). This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. The problem with this analogy is that no one molecule of H2O can actually exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time. And we know that because Hes been experiencing perfect love within Himself forever. So God performs 3 different roles/relationships but 1 God. I think the analogy of the Sun works well. Ontological means the nature or essence of something. This was first used by Patrick of Ireland (yes there really was a Patrick of Ireland and he was a great guy), around 400 A.D. 2. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. 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. Therefore, we would rightly say, within the Ontological Trinity, there is no variation or distinction made. Now were going to look at how some people often misunderstand the Trinity. In order to accomplish this union with God and man, He allowed His Shell to be broken with the weight of our sins to cleanse our souls so His holiness can approach, for God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the what is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the whos being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Thus the Father is in Jesus " I and My Father are One" (John 10:30), "The Father is in Me" (John 14:10) God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). When we separate them and view them as individual deities, that is the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual gods as one. Explaining the Holy Trinity. These hand embroidered emblems are made with metallic gold-plated thread with silver content, printed on canvas. Since these bad analogies tend to lead to a heresy, we will examine the main three areas of heresy concerning the trinity. Its hard to explain! Love was not given to Jesus. Each one is fully 100% God. Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. Often these analogies explicitly teach heresy. I and My Father are One (John 10:30). The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). For example, triangles are not the kinds of things that are personal. The wonders and ways of God may not be apparent or fully known at present, but we can still marvel at His supremacy and worship Him in wonder- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Therefore, there is one God, who is eternally present in three persons. In contrast to the Ontological Trinity, there is the Economic Trinity. The Holy Trinity, one of the five Dogmas of the Church, is an extraordinary and unfathomable mystery. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. Devils cannot grab ahold of them to cast them into Satans prison. Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. But you cannot be broken when your faith is in Jesus, for the Spirit of the Son that lives in us and gives us the voice through which we cry Abba, Father, (Galatians 4:6,) this Spirit of the Father that dwells within you is there to strengthen, protect and guard your person. God does not morph from one person to another, nor does God exist as three separate beings. God is one. It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. Each of the divine persons is GOD WHOLE AND ENTIRE, and there is one God. The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. God does not play three roles.. FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. (It is also why the Jews had an issue with Jesus calling Himself God.). This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. He has not yet revealed some mysteries (what did Jesus do in His childhood, when will He return, what does the word Selah mean in the Old Testament- and so many more.). These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. How so? The Trinity are three distinct persons who exist apart from each other. To become the people we were always created to be. This is the error of Arianism (not to be confused with Aryanism, which is also bad). 5And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? What is wrong with what I said? The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. 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. The problem with this analogy is that it would imply that there is only one Divine Person, who eventually multiplied Himself. The Holy Spirit prays for us. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. The Egg Analogy God is like an egg. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. In the same way, water is all the same molecular structure, expressing itself in three different modes. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. 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). The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. Understanding 1 Corinthians 14:34-35. And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. God the Father spoke from heaven and spoke of His Son, Jesus. His being is somewhat of a mystery to us. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. A single molecule cannot simultaneously exist in three different states. So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. He began to play the organ as a chorister in England, before continuing his studies in Qubec and France. His ways are not my ways! One day, however, the image will be clear. Dont become discouraged if you cant answer the question to your liking. An egg is made up of shell, white and yolk. 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. Before I even began writing this post, I had an unusual song stuck in my head Holy God, we praise thy name. They are three in one egg. In Biblical Trinitarianism we can never have one without the other because they are one Spirit; each is the totality of the other which means we cannot have the Holy Spirit without the Father and the Son, We will come (into the believer through the Holy Spirit, John 14:23), and we cannot have the Son without The Father whose Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20). So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. The above picture is a famous work of art by Andrei Rubilev, the great medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescos. Here are 8 Bible Characters Who Should Be More Famous. In this analogy, God is compared to a man. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. Its all one person, simply functioning in three different roles. God is like H2O in that the Bible may refer to a specific person of the Trinity but that person is still God. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. Blessings! This is the Christmas paradox. The analogy explains that in the same way that one shamrock can have three leaves on it, the Trinity has three Persons that constitute one God. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. 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). Some have used examples such as water, watermelons and eggs; the principle behind those illustrations is that even though each thing is one, it is also three. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves running, boxing and studying history and theology. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John14:2, 3). There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. For sure, our everyday experience does not include using our finite minds to understand the infinite! There is only one egg with three different parts. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and are distinguished from one another. The Trinity is not real in my life because of superior knowledge or insight. In this episode, Fred Sanders discusses what it really means to say that God is a Trinitythree persons in one God. God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. Our God is three in one. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, constructed between 1800 and 1804, is the first Anglican cathedral to have been built outside the British Isles. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. 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). And whos the Holy Spirit? This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. But its all water. As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. Your email address will not be published. Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. . I can only shake my head when He does these things! This is not an exhaustive list: For further reading on the Trinity, I would recommend James Whites The Forgotten Trinity, Wayne Grudems Systematic Theology and online articles by CARM.org. An essential factor lacking from those concepts is the relational quality of God. Similarly, light and heat are simply creations of the sun, yet it is the heresy of Arianism to claim that the Son or Spirit are mere creations of the Father. If you only had an apple core, you wouldnt pack it in your lunch. Stars were made on the froth day. Over the course of church history there have been several heresies that have cropped up that deny one of these three truths. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. Unfortunately, there is a problem with this view of the Trinity. Revelation 4:3 And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. That would not be had God be three persons. The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. Take a moment and give it a try. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. 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). What is H2O? This analogy is still not perfect because each of the aspect cannot stand as egg like each of the persons in the trinity can stand as God. Paul explains our finite understanding of beliefs like the Trinity as looking into a poor-quality mirror- a distorted image; dim and unclear. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind lived the doctrinal truth about the Trinity. What does that really mean? If youre interested into diving deeper into the topic of the Trinity, here are some valuable resources that could help. Stars were made on the forth day. Dr. Bruce Ware does an excellent job in his book Big Truths for Young Hearts. For since light is always in existence, it is manifest that its brightness also exists, because light is perceived to exist from the fact that it shines, and it is impossible that light should not shine. MULTIPLICATION ANALOGY. My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. THE TRUTH IS: From the very beginning, the Blessed Trinity Father, Son, and Spirit was there. And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. However, it breaks down on the level of equality: No one keeps or eats the shell of an egg. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. Afterall, we can get rid of a few of its parts - for instance the shell - and still scramble an egg. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. We find it in all four Gospels. Water can exist in liquid at room temperature. Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature. (Lateran Council IV), 4. 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. But Hes God too, right? . The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. But if modalism is true, and the Trinity really is like water, then the story of Jesus (the Son) praying to the Father as recorded in the Bible seems like an awfully strange masquerade. When we separate them and view them as individual deities, that is the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual gods as one. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. Genesis 1:26- Let us make man in our image, in our likeness The plural us and our show more than one person was involved. He differs from the Father, but was and still is God. The Trinity is pretty weird: the Father (or Mother), Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are in some sense distinct from one another, but are all unified in another sense. It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Which ones have you heard? God does not just change forms but exists as three persons in unity. Yet there is only one God. What is the Trinity? An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. God is kind of like a man who is a father, a son and an uncle God is kind of like a three-leaf clover, or a triangle; one object, but three different, identifiable leaves, or sides* . The early church labeled this view "tritheism". Unfortunately, most of them actually give us the wrong idea about what the Trinity is. He is one God in three persons, all at the same time. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. Try starting your explanation with a simple definition and then ask for further questions: No one can completely know or understand God. Yet God lovingly chose to create and eventually redeem us anyway (both thoroughly Trinitarian acts), at great cost to Himself. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father., 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. So, part of understanding the Trinity is realizing that God is personal and relational. All Rights Reserved. Is He Jesus side-kick? Christians believe, then, that only one God exists but this God exists as a unity of three persons: a Trinity. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1, *. It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. The Egg Analogy - This claims to be a good representation of the Trinity because Eggs have three distinct parts: the shell, the yolk, and the whites. Revelation 4:3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. That would not be had God be three persons. For those, like myself, who are not from a highly-liturgical denomination, it may come as a surprise that June 11 was Trinity Sunday. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. God controls that light. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Why is it wrong? She would explode!" In other words, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have a unique and unbreakable unity, and their existence together is the being that is God. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? Some have taken on the task of explaining how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist as one. H2O can only ever be one form at a time. There are many mysteries to our faith. God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. Jesus was standing in the Jordan River, His Father speaks from heaven above, and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him as a dove. Martyn Iles Removed as Managing Director of Australian Christian Lobby by Board, Seven Types of Rest to Restore Your Body, Mind and Spirit, 8 witnesses testified against Hillsong founder Brian Houston in court case, wife Bobbie reveals, Why you feel guilty for not going to church, Samaritan's Purse sends 52-bed field hospital to Turkey. Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. To help you out, here is a comical and silly video that teaches about these bad analogies. As a result the water molecule must change forms. But it cant be that way with God. Each one is fully God. . The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit also exist eternally and concurrently. To return to my Life Group anecdote, after our discussion I asked why does it even matter?. Jesus then becomes a created being and thus less than fully God. They have a common purpose in making harmonious music, but each note is its own separate entity. In one of his sermons, he wrestled with the passage in Scripture recounting Jesus' Baptism. We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. God is like H2Olike water. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. He has been a member of the Royal Australian Air Force since 2007, and is now training to be an Air Force Chaplain. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments.