20:23; Deut. A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! But they are eternally subordinate in their roles to him (1 Cor. Many other verses concurrently list the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The technical term in case youre interested for this wrong way of thinking about God is calledmodalism. But what does it mean that God is gracious? 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. In other words, Christianity is unique among all other worldviews. After all, as I have said many times (to myself as much as others! Trinity may be a new term for you and can be confusing even for Christians to explain to others. If youre wondering how to explain the Trinity to a child, keep it simple. What is Gods essence? The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. The Trinity is more than just a vital doctrine. Does the Trinity mean that God is divided into three parts? Answer: Jesus came to lead us into relationship with the Father and that required the sacrifice of his own life because of our rebellion. It's so simple, it fits on one page. First, we have God. I hate getting spam. I'm an author, speaker, husband, father and ice cream lover. The Definition Of The Trinity. The Trinity Matters because the Gospel Matters. Of course, if the triangle illustration were perfect, we would be able to comprehend God fully, but we cant. But how can finite humans know anything about Gods infinite essence? This one is kinda fun for older kids who understand a bit of science. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. He differs from the Father, but was and . The three-ness and one-ness are two different features. A subreddit for the encouragement and discussion of the Biblical Unitarian position which holds The trouble with this one is that its a bit less visual. Below is the easiest way that I have ever heard it explained: God the Father is the sun. The different roles refer to a functional order or functional subordination.. The concept of the Trinity is often referred to during worship, which helps Christians to understand it. Rather than let that frustrate you, let it encourage you. I recently had some of my kids friends ask meWhat is the Trinity? That isGod is three Persons in onethe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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. Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God in truth as well as in our hearts. Rather, the being of each Person is equal to the whole being of God.[1] The divine essence is not something that is divided between the three persons, but is fully in all three persons without being divided into parts., Thus, the Son is not one-third of the being of God, He is all of the being of God. Well, we can know because God has given us his special revelation: the Bible. 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 Bible reveals that God isone, in essence, eternally revealed inthree Persons. 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! Matt Perman is the director of career navigation at The Kings College NYC, a blogger, and an author. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. This post is full of Bible facts for kids that will spark the imagination, encourage lots of good questions, and even inspire some Bible reading. Genesis 1:1 reads: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." If we look more closely at the word we translate "God," Elohim, we see it is plural. Then share them with another Christian or genuine seeker. Here is an object with three parts: a hard shell, the egg white, and the yolk. You can describe the Trinity in different ways: The wordspersonsandessencerefer to entirely different features relating to God. We can discern and apprehend what it is. But dont get confused. 1:7; 2 Tim. Example 1: What is the nature or essence of a rock? Modern theologians have created a distinction between the "economic Trinity" and the "immanent Trinity.". Amen. 8:6a). Showing God in action in and through His people. The Holy Spirit is God. Here are the best childrens Bibles, sorted by age. Are you still not a Christian? 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. We are referring to two different features of God: (1) his singular essenceor natureand (2) three Persons. He sent Jesus to save us and then completed our salvation through the indwelling Holy Spirit (Eph. Ironically, not much is known about his death; even the year when he passed away is up for debate. 12:711), The Father is not the Son (Matt. There we read that " God said, 'Let us make man in our image' . Their prime usefulness it to show the mystery is not contradictory. After all, children deal best with concrete ideas. The Trinity doctrine developed over hundreds of years and was influenced by the teachings of pagan Greek philosophers. Before anything was created he begat his Logos as a person distinct from himself. Steam, water, and ice are all H20. We begin with a brief discussion of the doctrine in historical context, explaining more fully the nature of the problem it raises. Would you like to give your time to work with Cru? You can help us reach children and their families to know Jesus. Each member of the Trinity is . But secondly, Christians need to clarify that God is incomprehensible. Jesus dying on the Cross is one of the most important parts of His story. 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! 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? No, the wordTrinitydoes not appear in the Bible. So many things clamor to define you. 15:28). Use Objects As Visual Aids. I am also Keith Ferrin. How to Support Gifted ReadersContinue, OurYotoplayer,Yoto Mini, and set of Yoto cards is the number one favorite toy in our household, and it has been for two years now. 3. They only describe what makes up Gods singular essence. For instance, the Father is the first person of the Trinity. His function is superior to that of the Son and the Holy Spirit. Go ahead and start with one of the object lessons above. 2:6), The image of God (John 12:45; 2 Cor. 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. If youd like to get away from simple object lessons and move your child toward a deeper understanding of Gods nature, check out The Attributes of God for Kids. For example, since the Father sent the Son into the world (John 3:16), He cannot be the same person as the Son. 12:32; 28:19; Luke 3:22), There is one God and three Gods (a contradiction), God is one person and three persons (a contradiction), God has one nature and three natures (a contradiction), There is a functional order within the Trinity, Bowman, R Jr. The Biblical Basis of the Doctrine of the Trinity. Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/bowman_robert/trinity/trinity.cfm#trin_1 Accessed: 1/20/2022. In the early 2000s, people began using a new approach called "deep . The Trinity Is Unique Among Monotheistic Religions Christianity is a "monotheistic" religion. Christs resurrection is variously attributed to: Multiple verses distinguish each member of the Trinity. But Jesus did not become less than the Father during his incarnation. Disclaimer: I believe Trinity. The Holy Trinity - Explained. 32:39), Has personal traits, such as the ability to communicate (John 14:31), He has intellect (John 2:25), emotions (John 11:35), and a will (John 6:38), Has intellect (John 14:26; 1 Cor. Question: How do you explain the Trinity? My passion is helping you not just read and study the Bible, but truly enjoy it! Lets move on to Scriptural evidence for the Trinity. It is fundamental to our worldview. At this stage, your head may be swimming with all this new information about God! But all three must be present simultaneously for the geometric figure to be a triangle. Errr, not quite. Satan. 4. Many non-Christians and new Christians often struggle with the idea of the Holy Trinity, where we break up God into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One of the problems is that most of us myself included are tempted to move too quickly to analogies that only help explainaspectsof the Trinity. The only way humans can know about these mysteries is because the Bible teaches them. This is one of the books of the Torah. 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. 2:18). Its probably the most classic Trinity object lesson, but its not my favorite. Essence and personhood are NOT the same thing. There are three Persons with one divine essence! At the risk of sounding too physical, essence can be understood as the stuff that you consist of.. 3. be explained away. 1. 4:47), In Hebrews (Heb. Thats where the confusion comes from. 8:6), Jesus is called God (John 1:1-5; John 20:28; Rom. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God.". While some say . Read about individuals who have been transformed by faith. 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. AboutPressCopyrightContact. understand the doctrine of the Trinity. 2. To understand more fully what God is like is a way of honoring God. Lets apply what weve learned to the Trinity based on the graphic. 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). You may be wondering how to wrap your mind around all this brand-new information! Why, if they are ALL God? As Hebrews 9:14 declares. God is truth, so the unity that He is effecting between believers is a unity grounded in truth. They include: Now you have a basic understanding of the Trinity. 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]. 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. know that I recognise only one God. Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. Believe it or not, the fact that God is too immense for our finite minds should be comforting, not discouraging! And that knowledge can feel liberating. Show them that there are three parts: seeds, flesh, and skin. 3:25; Dan. The Trinity is the perfect loving community of three Persons. The first commandment says, You shall have no other gods before me (Ex. Explore answers to life's biggest questions. 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. Another serious error people have made is to think that the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we derive our concept of person from the relations in the Trinity. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. How to Teach Kids the Trinity with an Apple Object Lesson Grab an apple and share these five truths with your kids: An apple has three parts: the seeds, the flesh, and the skin.
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