An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. Each person is fully God (Phil 2; Acts 5:3-4). My interview: https://www.readlotswritelot.com/wp/podcast/episode-21-john-k-adams/, More from Catholicism for the Modern World, https://www.readlotswritelot.com/wp/podcast/episode-21-john-k-adams/. Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. He is one God who expresses Himself in three modesFather, Son, and Spirit. What makes it hard is that all of our analogies and metaphors fall short of capturing what the Trinity actually is. 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. A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. Time Analogy God is like time. How do we make sense of the Trinity? Jesus loves us so much that he did not obliterate people who died, with power that set stars in the universe. The Holy Trinity: Egg Analogy The Holy Trinity is GOD in three divine persons GOD the FATHER GOD the HOLY SPIRIT GOD the SON But together they makeup and are still ONE GOD Like how an egg is made up of three things but is still ONE EGG. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons. I write to see memory and language wrestle with reality. But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. Matthew 3:16-17- As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. God does not just change forms but exists as three persons in unity. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. 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. How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. I never thought about it in that way some of these examples Ive never heard of. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. Bach, and has released two previous CDs, one . Try starting your explanation with a simple definition and then ask for further questions: No one can completely know or understand God. Truly, it is a Mystery. The three-leaf clover analogy is OK. Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! We all want to experience the good life. 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. How so? This little child cannot look at one without experiencing a profound sense of wonderment and awe. See the depths of Catholicism for yourself! These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. 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. He explains why the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to the gospel even if it seems abstract or confusing, highlights why all analogies and metaphors are of limited value when thinking about the Godhead, and responds to the . However, it breaks down on the level of equality: No one keeps or eats the shell of an egg. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. It is not existing as 3 different parts (persons) at the same time. FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. But understanding the Trinity is important. So much of what we know about what God does is wrapped up in who He is. They all exist as fully God, with none of them lacking in any attribute or aspect that defines God. Just like an egg, none of the parts are co-equal, nor are all of the parts necessary for the egg to exist. Or what? This is perhaps the most common analogy for the Trinity. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. The egg white represents Gods Spirit. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? 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.) If the Sun existed from eternity past then so were the light rays from the Sun. The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. To return to my Life Group anecdote, after our discussion I asked why does it even matter?. To become the people we were always created to be. God controls that light. So if all of these explanations are heretical, what is a good analogy? The Father hears their intercessory prayers. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. The three distinct notes come together to make one beautiful sound. 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. That is a holding pen for final judgment. They are equally eternal, powerful, sovereign, and worthy of worship. 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 TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. Your email address will not be published. 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. A single molecule cannot simultaneously exist in three different states. H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. Sure enough, one member answered Well Ive heard that the Trinity is like water: water can be liquid, gas (steam), or solid (ice), but its still the same water. Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. The concept is literally unthinkable. For example, I would say, "God is like an egg." Some who deny the Trinity claim 1+1+1=3, and therefore claim we worship three Gods. But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. 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. Misunderstanding 1: The transforming trinity Jesus is the Holy Spirit. Can you think of some Bible verses to back up your explanation? 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. Each one is fully 100% God. 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). We recommend you adhere these emblems to your vestments by mounting on the material with fabric glue and then stitching them . To put it simply, "The problem with using analogies to explain the Holy Trinity is that you always end up confessing some ancient heresy." . When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. Unfortunately, an analogy from the limited realm of creation may not be sufficient in explaining Gods nature. 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. Each part of the egg make up only one portion of the wholethe yolk is not the fullness of the egg. Our words should dissipate and be replaced instead with an awestruck adoration and wonder, as we realise the only appropriate response is to fall to our knees and humbly worship the one truly perfect, unified divine essence, comprising three diverse, co-equal and co-eternal divine persons. Our God is three in one. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites, The Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity. The early church labeled this view "tritheism". The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire, The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything, 3 Reasons Why Jesus Humanity Really Matters Her & Hymn, 3 Reasons Why Jesus' Humanity Really Matters, How Jesus Teaches Us To Be Human Her & Hymn. The Holy Spirit prays for us. They are unified in one divine being. While each person is distinct, they are never separate from one another. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. The problem here is it describes each part of the Trinity as 1/3 parts of the overall egg. Father, Son, and Spirit are each fully God (their own egg)- not fractions of one. But while this idea is central to the Christian faith, it is also incredibly mysterious to us. Arius was condemned by the council of Nicea in 325 AD. The egg has a shell, the whites and a yoke. Yet it appears to be almost entirely misunderstood within contemporary evangelical circles. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. The trinity is a like a Three-Leaf Clover. The trinity is not a contradiction, but a paradox. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. God is NOT like H2O in that He does not need the right pressure and temperature to exist as three persons. Haydn Lea is an Associate Pastor in Queensland, and is currently studying his Master of Arts (Theology). The trinity is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended. The visual form of God seperated from Jesus on the cross. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. Further, we can label each of the sides. This description that all persons are fully God is called the Ontological Trinity. The Trinity is Like an Egg How the analogy goes: The Trinity is like an egg. We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. Common, yes. When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. PART OF A WHOLE. Like modalism, the "three beings" view was rejected by the early church. . Shively Scripture however, doesnt depict God this way. It should bring us to realise that we truly are finite creatures standing before a sovereign, transcendent, divine mystery. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. The military would end up destroying themselves. Arianism is named after the heretic Arius. 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. And when the time comes when death is allowed to crack your shell in its final hour and your believing soul is released; the Spirit of God that holds you will carry you in His arms to your heavenly home because In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. He completed a doctorate in 1990, looking at the question of harmonic rhythm in the organ music of J.S. 2. Jesus would have remained in the tomb, or hell, had Jesus sinned. Jesus Person is joined to the Father by the Fathers Holy Spirit, because Gods Spirit is also Jesus Spirit - "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. 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. When we think about influential New Testament leaders, most names are male. This view, also known as "modalism", was rejected by the early church. Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. Sadly, theres something "rotten" about this egg analogy. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. These images fall short, because these components arent enough to be considered a whole on their own. 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. Yet the orthodox view is that each person of the Trinity is fully divine. The Latin word for trinity (trinitas) combines two words- unitas (unity) and trias (three). Trinity is like a Shamrock (or an Apple or an Egg). I think the illustration that represents the Trinity most accurately is the egg example. 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. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. In the same way, water is all the same molecular structure, expressing itself in three different modes. Part 2. Does that make sense? One day, however, the image will be clear. And let us once more come to illustrations. There are three different cloves that represent the three different persons of the trinity. The white of an egg is the connection between the yolk and the shell. If youre interested into diving deeper into the topic of the Trinity, here are some valuable resources that could help. Answer (1 of 25): Cynics assert that the idea of the Holy Trinity is a logical impossibility. Similarly, people have used the example of the apple in the same way- skin, flesh, and seeds. So God performs 3 different roles/relationships but 1 God. RELATED: Did Jesus Really Rise From The Dead? The beautiful depth of Gods eternal Triune nature is a sublime reality which should bring an end to our attempts to cognitively master Him. Its impossible to be an Orthodox Christian without professing belief in the Triune nature of God. Do you know why I keep saying God is like an egg (or H2O) but God is not like an egg (or H2O)? (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. Jesus Person is joined to the Father by the Fathers Holy Spirit, because Gods Spirit is also Jesus Spirit - "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) Examples of these different roles would be: The Incarnation: Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. He can even be all three at the same time. Instead, each person is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. Celebrating Easter Is About so Much More Than One Hour on Sunday. If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. So cool that God imparted that song in your mind and heart before you even wrote this blog post! The above picture is a famous work of art by Andrei Rubilev, the great medieval Russian painter of Orthodox icons and frescos. . The word God in this sense is defined as a single being, having all divine attributes. In using analogies, we need to acknowledge the demerits and limitations of the said analogy. But in the Godhead, each Person is fully and completely God unto Himself (even as they are all one God). 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. Now were going to look at how some people often misunderstand the Trinity. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. (Which I just found out is in error). If water is inadequate, there are a wide array of alternative analogies we can turn to in modern theological parlance. 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. For those, like myself, who are not from a highly-liturgical denomination, it may come as a surprise that June 11 was Trinity Sunday. Yet, these persons are not separate from one another. When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1, *. Many of us would use analogies to explain the Trinity. ), The Son Phil. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God. It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. Stars were made on the forth day. John introduces us to the Trinity in John 1:1- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and Word was God. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. These two analogies are the "water" analogy and the "egg" analogy. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. In this episode, Fred Sanders discusses what it really means to say that God is a Trinitythree persons in one God. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. How can God be Three in One? The teaching of the trinity is clearly taught in Scripture and must be preserved as such. John 17). This is a general rule when we study this Mystery using our human weakness since it is absolutely impossible for our human minds to comprehend the Divine. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (the word is not). The problem with this analogy is that no one molecule of H2O can actually exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time. One of the more traditional analogies is to the states of water. I bet I havent sung or heard this song in years! It is a miraculous invention, the egg. But the Trinity is our belief as Christians that God is one being who exists in three Persons- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Your email address will not be published. What is the Trinity? (It is also why the Jews had an issue with Jesus calling Himself God.). When we speak of someone as being a "person", we often mean an individual who is separate from other people, or we simply mean a human being. God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. The shell, while important, is no longer needed. Furthermore, this trinity is related to a shamrock, an apple, or an egg. Analogies that we present would always be insufficient as none of them would equate to the incomprehensible beauty of God. In other words, God may manifest Himself as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. Genisis 1:17, KJV. When we use analogies, we need to indicate these things so as to not lead to heresies, A Catholic and Filipino writer interested in theology, philosophy, liturgy, politics, and law. Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. The egg shell is the image of the yolk and the white. Again, this analogy doesnt work because God doesnt morph, change, or become different aspects of Himself. A good example would be an electrical cord. And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. These hand embroidered emblems are made with metallic gold-plated thread with silver content, printed on canvas. This is a worse analogy than the egg because it is more analogous to the heretical doctrine of Modalism/Oneness than for the Trinity. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). Or water can be evaporated and called steam. Light comes from God. Discover the richness of the old yet living 2,000-year-old religion which built the West. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. In one of his sermons, he wrestled with the passage in Scripture recounting Jesus' Baptism. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit.