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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. 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. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. The Holy Trinity: Egg Analogy by Sharmaine Pagtakhan - Prezi An egg is made up of shell, white and yolk. My intention is merely to address some common erroneous analogies, including water. I'm always interested in ways to encourage you, so feel free to contact me and let me know what areas interest you! God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. This is one of the reasons we say that "God is LOVE". This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. The Trinity is Like an Egg How the analogy goes: The Trinity is like an egg. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1 what and 3 whos*. He has the world and our individual lives within His supremely capable hands. I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. So, in God, there are three distinct persons. Is He Jesus side-kick? I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. Further, we can label each of the sides. 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. Or what? The visual form of God seperated from Jesus on the cross. All Scripture is taken from the NIV version unless otherwise specified, Author Ignace Franz, translated by Clarence A. Walworth. Required fields are marked *. The past is not the present and the present is not the future, yet all three together is what we call time. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. These attributes are: omnipotence (all-powerful), omniscience (all-knowing), and omnipresence (exists in all places). These images fall short, because these components arent enough to be considered a whole on their own. 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). The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Jesus was standing in the Jordan River, His Father speaks from heaven above, and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him as a dove. His ways are not my ways! Thankfully he isnt a cage-stage Calvinist about it all. How do we make sense of the Trinity? Which ones have you heard? This analogy actually teaches the heresy of tritheism. The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. 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. FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. Yet others have thought that H20 (water) shows us the Trinity since H20 can be three things: solid (ice), liquid (running water) and vapor (steam). Genisis 1:17, KJV. I believe that the best way to talk about the Trinity is to simply say that God is one God, who eternally exists in three Persons. Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. Modalism denies the distinction of person in the trinity. The Trinity for Kids - Part 2 - Prepared to Answer The concept is literally unthinkable. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? Water can be frozen and is called ice. Here are a few common illustrations: The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk. The analogy breaks down because I can simultaneously be a father, husband, and son to any one person. Why analogies of the Trinity fail Youthworks Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,, , Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. Each one is fully God. The 3 Most Common "Trinity Analogies" (and their limitations) The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. When we think about influential New Testament leaders, most names are male. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. We believe that it is a revelation that comes from Christ Himself. Yet it appears to be almost entirely misunderstood within contemporary evangelical circles. Here are some of them: The problem with this is that it leads to the view that God is a Trinity simply because He relates differently to us at different times. PART OF A WHOLE. Dont become discouraged if you cant answer the question to your liking. It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. Each Person in the Trinity (or the Godhead) is fully God and fully a Person. To the other major monotheistic faiths (Islam and Judaism), it is rank heresyTrinitarianism is therefore definitional to Christianity. Studying the Trinity poses difficulty to us Catholics. Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. Theyve transformed. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. The angel answered (Mary), The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High (referring to the Father, italics mine) will overshadow you. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. is not). Explaining the Holy Trinity Using Analogies - Militant Thomist Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. 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). From time to time, Doctors of the Church used analogies, but with care. We can touch the cord, but not the power it is insulating. The God of the Bible is one God. 2 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each God. This is because the H20 is changing forms in representing each person. God does not just change forms but exists as three persons in unity. Your email address will not be published. Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. When we tend to make an analogy about the trinity we are forced to diminish one of the three trinitarian truths in order to make the analogy work. Unfortunately, Arianism is still around and can found within the Jehovah's Witnesses teachings. In this analogy, God is compared to a man. The trinity is like water. The Trinity are three distinct persons who exist apart from each other. 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. You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. The Bible teaches three truths: 1 - there is one God. They have a common purpose in making harmonious music, but each note is its own separate entity. Haydn Lea is an Associate Pastor in Queensland, and is currently studying his Master of Arts (Theology). The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. Trinity Analogies that End Up as Heresies - Medium The beautiful depth of Gods eternal Triune nature is a sublime reality which should bring an end to our attempts to cognitively master Him. 1. Humans as we are, we cannot fully understand how the three divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God. - well, sort of. Why All Analogies of the Trinity Fall Short - Joshua's Pen H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. The egg (or apple) fails in that the shell, white, and yolk are parts of the egg, not the egg in themselves, just as the skin, flesh, and seeds of the apple are parts of it, not the apple itself. If you say, "water" then you are incorrect. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the . Dont you know Jesus? So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. 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. 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. As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. The Egg Analogy God is like an egg. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There are some analogies that come close. we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,neither blending their personsnor dividing their essence. 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). Blessings! 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). For those, like myself, who are not from a highly-liturgical denomination, it may come as a surprise that June 11 was Trinity Sunday. . 1:8-12; 1 Pet. 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. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. The Gospel is theperson, work, and message of Jesus Christ that provides salvation to all repentant believers. Relationship Analogy (Husband/Son/Father) God is like a person with different relationships just as a man can be a Dad, but also someones Son, and also someones Husband. You know, that bearded guy on the throne who looks something like Zeus, right? 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). Some have taken on the task of explaining how Father, Son, and Holy Spirit exist as one. Love was not given to Jesus. The Trinity is distinct in their roles and individuality, but united in their attributes of love, mercy, holiness, knowledge, etc. In some ways, it resembles the tritheism view (Misunderstanding 2). But its all the same person, operating in three roles or functions. It is not existing as 3 different parts (persons) at the same time. These three Persons are all equally God and all equally Persons. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. The egg has a shell, the whites and a yoke. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. But they are one God. This analogy explains that the Father is like the sun. If one of the sides were removed, then there would be no equilateral triangle. Modalism teaches that the trinity is not three distinct persons, but just different modes that God reveals himself to human beings. Here are a few of the many verses giving evidence of the Trinity in the Bible: Genesis 1:1&2- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. The Holy Spirit was an active participant in the creative process. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning. This error denies something central to God that makes Him God. I go to prepare a place for you. At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity tells us that there's ONE GOD who is THREE distinct PERSONS existing as a community of self-giving and loving relationships with each other. Our limited intellects are unable to comprehend its reality, yet, our Scriptures and scholarly Tradition makes it known to us. Depth isnt the same thing as height and height isnt the same thing as width, yet all three together are what comprise space. How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? Its impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. Understanding the Trinity - Busy Blessed Women What happens when an egg hatches? Is the Trinity like H2O, an egg, or a triangle? - Fervr Trinity Egg Analogy . 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 trinity is like this man. The problem with this analogy is it denies the unity of the God-head. We define a person as one having a will and who is distinguishable from another person. These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. 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. History, lifestyle, family, music, theology, scripture, literature, the saints, church history, parenting, politics, prayer, the pope, and more. An analogy illustrates that in a similar way, one shamrock can have three leaves on it, and the trinity has three persons that comprise one God. The teaching of the trinity is clearly taught in Scripture and must be preserved as such. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 but more like 1 x 1 x 1. A person distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A being is the whole nature or essence of something. 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. Some people think that H2O cannot exist in all three states simultaneously but that is not true. It is still important that we have some understanding of the concept, however. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! He is one God in three persons, all at the same time. The problem with this analogy is that it teaches that God has three components: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Therefore the eternal brightness shines forth before Him, and co-exists with Him, in that, existing without a beginning, and always begotten, He always shines before Him; and He is that Wisdom which says, I was that wherein He delighted, and I was daily His delight before His face at all times.. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. Or water can be evaporated and called steam. Here's a look at six explanations for why so many people truly believe 3 Ways to Experience The Good Life in Jesus. Water Analogy God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. Haydn Lea is an Ordained Minister, and is currently serving as an Air Force Chaplain in Adelaide. In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. 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). There is only one egg with three different parts. We find it in all four Gospels. The Trinity is not 1 + 1 + 1 butmore like 1 x 1 x 1.You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. Modalism teaches that one God just changes forms or modes over the course of scripture. But based on what you know that Jesus is born so that He can save people from their wrongdoings, will you trust Him to forgive you. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. Before we look at a few bad analogies that many often use to try to illustrate the trinity, we need to first understand the doctrine itself. The Holy Trinity, one of the five Dogmas of the Church, is an extraordinary and unfathomable mystery. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. One day, however, the image will be clear. Basic mathematics tells us that 1x1x1 = 1.. No analogy is perfect, but we want to be careful of using wrong ones that may confuse people. Take a moment and give it a try. Each part of the egg make up only one portion of the wholethe yolk is not the fullness of the egg. But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the, is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the, being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). Both are one. 2:5-6; Col. 1:15-17, 2:9; Heb. In trying to describe what they saw in the pages of the Bible, the early church decided to use the word person to describe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Latin word for trinity (trinitas) combines two words- unitas (unity) and trias (three). The problem with this analogy is that no one molecule of H2O can actually exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. In other words, this view denies Gods oneness. Haydn describes himself as a five-point Calvinist, but he recognises that many faithful Christians disagree. But the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. God is like H2O in that the Bible may refer to a specific person of the Trinity but that person is still God. Modalism, or Sabellianism, denies the three distinct Persons of the Trinity and claims that God is one Person who appears in different modes at different timesin the Old Testament He appeared as the Father, in the Gospels He appeared as the Son, and from Pentecost onwards He appears as the Holy Spirit. Explaining the Trinity | Catholic Answers The Trinity is like an egg. Tritheism denies that there is only one God. If one of the persons were not there, then we would not have God. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. I know in the past Ive used analogies that werent the best (more on those later.) Celebrating Easter Is About so Much More Than One Hour on Sunday. All these make up one egg just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit make up one God. What portion is erroneous? As John 1:18 says, Jesus is "the only begotten God, in the bosom of [God] the Father.". However, in some instances, the use of carefully chosen analogies may be of help for some of our brethren in learning the teachings of the Church. 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! In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. As a result, this analogy can easily lead to tritheism in which there are three different gods which might share some like substance. (It is also why the Jews had an issue with Jesus calling Himself God.). Christians believe, then, that only one God exists but this God exists as a unity of three persons: a Trinity. God has revealed some mysteries from the Old Testament in the New Testament (the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the coming of the Messiah, salvation by grace through faith, etc.) Examples of these different roles would be: The Incarnation: Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. Believing in the above 3 points leads all Christians to acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. Stars were made on the forth day. Each of the divine persons is GOD WHOLE AND ENTIRE, and there is one God. The divine persons are really DISTINCT from one another, and not merely different roles of God at different times. Yet there is only one God. What does that really mean? Jesus would have remained in the tomb, or hell, had Jesus sinned. God Himself explains why some things are still a mystery: For as heaven is higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Our human minds can never understand all of who God is and how He thinks and acts. The military would end up destroying themselves. All Rights Reserved. For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. When they used the word person, they didnt mean it in the same way that we do today. A, distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A. is the whole nature or essence of something. How so? As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. Many of these analogies have the best of intentions, but God cannot be described in a way we can fully comprehend or rationalize. RELATED: What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts? Somewhere in the recesses of my mind lived the doctrinal truth about the Trinity. The Son "proceeds" from the Father, and the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son.". Holy Trinity, the downtown Greek Orthodox church that was partially destroyed by fire 11 years ago, was a special place for 57-year-old Georgiou. The Holy Trinity - A Scientific Analogy - The Fra Angelico Institute Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. Some people have suggested using an egg to explain how God can be both one and three. It became real to me because I have experienced His love, grace, guidance, redemption, conviction of sin, and fellowship that comes from Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 2A) Dave is a father of four children: three boys and a . H2O can exist as a solid, a liquid and a gas but they are all still H2O. CafeLogos.orgThe Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity Analogies of the Trinity. So while its tough to make sense of the Trinity, the Trinity actually helps us make sense of so many things we believe. And the reason we know that is because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly loved each other for all eternity. This analogy denies the distinction of the God-head. He has one essenceone substance. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. But thats not how they understood it. But remember, it is much better to let Scripture teach the 3 points above which establish the doctrine of the Trinity than to rely on analogies. But its all water. Proof texting is when we cite a bunch of bible verses to support a theological stance. This is a worse analogy than the egg because it is more analogous to the heretical doctrine of Modalism/Oneness than for the Trinity. If then the sun were eternal, the day would never end; but now, for such is not really the state of the case, the day begins with the beginning of the sun, and ends with its ending. Stars were made on the froth day. Surely this is a better understanding of the water analogy! Well the issue is, the water analogy is akin to the heresy of Modalism. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). 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. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. There are two basic ways that people misunderstand the Trinity: 1. God is Great, I always try to figure out how to explain it to my Sunday school kids and they get confused which i get, how would you explain it to them? The Son intercedes as our High Priest before the Father. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. Here are 8 Bible Characters Who Should Be More Famous. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. The Trinity is like waterand other bad analogies They are three in one egg. God controls that light. Why Analogies And Illustrations Of The Trinity Fail Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:13). Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. 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. They are three in one egg. They all exist as fully God, with none of them lacking in any attribute or aspect that defines God. Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. There was no relational deficiency that prompted God to create us. Now were going to look at how some people often misunderstand the Trinity. We worship one God who exists in three persons. There's a simple reason they don't work: The Trinity, as such, isn't like anything in creation. He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. Shively The egg example, while not perfect or complete by any means, will still give us a basic understanding of the primary principle of Biblical Trinitarianism. Analogies that we present would always be insufficient as none of them would equate to the incomprehensible beauty of God. And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. Few if any have every tried to teach the heresy of Tritheism, but it needs to be mentioned anyway. If you looked at a single cloverleaf, you wouldnt call it a shamrock. That is heaven in a person. Homily for The Solemnity of Holy Trinity In the same way, at one moment God is the Father, but at different times God morphs or transforms into the Son or Holy Spirit. They've always led to error and have been rejected by the church. 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 above picture is a famous work of art by Andrei Rubilev, the great medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescos. Each one is fully 100% God. The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. Arianism denies the deity of each person in the trinity. One popular and simple illustration of the Trinity is the egg. One sits on the throne looking like Sardine and Jasper stone. 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. (Which I just found out is in error). I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. In the same way, there is a God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Not just for explaining it to others, but to bolster our own faith and see how each One works in our lives. Likewise we cannot have the Father or His Spirit without the Son I am the Way the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by Me- John 14:6. May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).