how to explain the trinity to a new believer

We then turn to the most important strategies that have been developed by Christians to resolve this problem. God told Moses in the Torah to tell God's people these words: M. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." ( Deuteronomy 6:4) C. Yes, that's right. 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. For instance he: Jesus has all the features that ensure he, too, is a person. It's so simple, it fits on one page. The Fathers plan for our redemption shows his great love for humankind. 1. Likewise, after the Son returned to the Father (John 16:10), the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world (John 14:26; Acts 2:33). It may seem that the Catholic Church and all the Protestant denominations dont have much in common, but they do have this creed to share. 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. A triangle must have three different corners in order to be one triangle. The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. 18:20; Matt. The personhood of each member of the Trinity means that each Person has a distinct center of consciousness. If you are teaching young children, these object lessons are both the perfect starting and stopping point. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Silica Bible Chapel 1. How To Explain The Trinity To A Child Or Teenager - Mama Manages How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus. How can one explain the Trinity simply to a new believer? 4:4; Col. 1:15), Eternal (John 1:1-3; 17:5; Col. 1:16-17; Jude 25), Omnipresent (Matt. That is because it is the only religion that believes in the Trinity. And that he is manifest as three Persons.. . Amongst other books, I have read 'The Forgotten Trinity" by James White, but remain unconvinced that acceptance of or belief in the confusing doctrine of the trinity is essential for Salvation. The Trinity Matters because the Gospel Matters. A beautiful mystery. Being Gods child, we can worship the Father and Jesus through the Spirit (John 4:2324; Phil. Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. Wayne Grudem explains: But if each person is fully God and has all of Gods being, then we also should not think that the personal distinctions are any kind of additional attributes added on to the being of God . 12:28; Rom. Internship opportunities with Cru's ministries. Our kids are currently 2, 4, and 7, and its equally loved by all of them, so the Yoto age range is really wide! 13: Trinity | Putting the Fun In, Faith and Finances: 5 Steps to Get Started. They are different Persons, not three different ways of looking at God. Carrying this concept over to the Trinity, it is not a contradiction for God to be both three and one because He is not three and one in the same way. And this illustration helps us understand the Trinity: This illustration shows how the doctrine of the Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Instead, it reveals that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit possess the same divine essence. ETS members all confess the Father, the Son, and the Spirit to be "one in essence, equal in power and glory.". The word "trinity" is a term used to denote the Christian doctrine that God exists as a unity of three distinct, simultaneous persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I might end with sharing a few analogies from nature. As Christians, we derive our concept of person from the relations in the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity is the belief that there is one God who has revealed Himself in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 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. 2:5), The Father is not the Spirit (John 14:26; John 15:26), The Son is not the Spirit (Matt. The Trinity is first of all important because God is important. The concept of the Trinity. Does it look like Grandpa? In this blog post, we will discuss how schools and parents can help girls to, Read More Navigating Girl Drama: 20 Ways Schools and Parents Can Help Calm the StormContinue, Ill never forget the moment I watched in amazement as my newly-turned 4 year old sounded out her first few CVC words. understand the doctrine of the Trinity. 7:28; Ps. And all three members of the Trinity were involved. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. 20:23; Deut. Take the next step in your faith journey with resources on prayer, devotionals and other tools for personal and spiritual growth. This leads us to investigate more closely a very helpful definition of the Trinity which I mentioned earlier: God is one in essence, but three in Person. "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons.. After all, each of these illustrate the idea that God is made up of parts, and thats not really true. 19:714; Ps. It is one of the two ordinances of the Christian Church. But I hope you have learned that the Trinity is not contradictory. Satan existed with the angels at the beginning of creation as one of the cherubim. As Hebrews 9:14 declares. We all have a story. Three separate beings, all rolled into one entity. If Jesus is God, why do the Gospels record instances where He prayed to God? Explore answers to life's biggest questions. God is spirit (John 4:24). The Son and Holy Spirit are equal in deity to the Father. Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. After all, plenty of, Read More 40 Surprising and Fun Bible Facts for Kids (with a FREE true/false printable game)Continue, Whereas most of us are pretty comfortable with our family traditions for celebrating Easter, Holy Week for kids is WAY more intimidating. Many other verses concurrently list the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. They are equal in power, love, mercy, justice, holiness, knowledge, and all other qualities. And certainly not if it were a contradiction. Volunteer abroad this year on a short term global missions trip offered by one of the best, most-reliable Christian missions organizations in the world. After all, the Trinity is difficult to understand. Tertullian coined the term Trinity during the second century. 8:6a). In Hinduism, the trinity (Trimrti, or The Three Forms) is of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. That leaves us with the modern definition of the word mystery. He is beyond us. 1:8). The concept of the Trinity is often referred to during worship, which helps Christians to understand it. After understanding the difference between essence and personhood, most objections evaporate! We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is great fun to see how teenagers draw a picture of God. How Not to Be Scared of AI Kids understand the three different forms clearly, as separate objects. The Holy Spirit is God. However, the Bible teaches us enough about these mysteries that we can apprehend them. We need you. Why? He is one Being in three Persons (centers of consciousness), not merely three roles. In his bookMere Christianity, C. S. Lewis points out an important distinction. Why not consider these truths and place your faith in Jesus (1 John 5:1)? The Holy Trinity - Explained. 55 years on I've yet to hear or read an explanation of the Trinity that makes sense. Secondly I'd like you to read this verse with me from the Bible. This should make it clear why it is so important to understand that all three Persons are the same essence. Because humankind is limited, God will always exceed our knowledge and understanding (Isa. We can discern and apprehend what it is. Is referred to in the second person (you; Ps. The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be one of the central Christian affirmations about God. How To Explain the Trinity to Muslims - crossexamined.org These three persons make up the one true God. We can never completely understand the Trinities one essence and three Persons. How to explain the Trinity to a non-Christian - Quora Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. It is crucial for properly understanding what God is like, how He relates to us, and how we should relate to Him. Of course, anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about (p. 145). The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. You may feel like you are drinking from a fire hydrant. The The truth is always new, fresh, and exciting to the believer in Christ. If God is three Persons, does this mean that each Person is one-third of God? After Christ rose from the grave, he appeared to the disciples and gave them a job to do: preach the Word to everyone. 2:10), convinces (John 6:44), teaches (Luke 12:12), convicts (John 16:18), commands (Acts 1:2), moves (John 11:33), helps (Rom. 4:30), and a will (1 Cor. Matthew 3:16. The idea that God is somehow three and one starts onPage 1and never changes. Now, as Fred Sanders once quipped, this doesn't mean you should begin every witnessing encounter, "God loves you . Rather, each person of the Trinity has all of the attributes of God, and no one Person has any attributes that are not possessed by the others. Conclusion: Scripture supports the Trinity. I'm an author, speaker, husband, father and ice cream lover. Contrary to this, the passages we have seen imply that God always was and always will be three Persons. It is fundamental to our worldview. That means that, as Christians, we believe in only one God. At this stage, your head may be swimming with all this new information about God! 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. There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. Often it is objected that If Jesus is God, then he must have prayed to himself while he was on earth. But the answer to this objection lies in simply applying what we have already seen. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. This command lists all three persons of the Trinity. This is something far removed from our human experience, where every different human "person" is a different being as well. 1:18; Luke 1:2635). The early church absolutely believed and taught the belief in a God who was three-in-one. Understanding the Trinity: How Can God Be Three Persons in One? - Cru.org Deut. 89:14; John 17:25; Rom. Learn how you can know God personally. 9:14; Heb. But how can finite humans know anything about Gods infinite essence? It is the revelation of who our Almighty Creator actually isnot just a god, but an infinite Being existing in eternity as three co-equal, infinite Persons, consubstantial yet distinct. How do they relate? (Ohand I'll send you my free guideThe Simplest Way to Study ANY Bible Passageas a "Thank you" for jumping on board!). Jesus (the Son) is God. Learn why He did it and what it means for you. Instead, they are all identical in attributes. But continue seeking to understand why the Trinitarian nature of God matters. Lets move on to Scriptural evidence for the Trinity. The three most common go-to analogies for explaining the Trinity are water, an egg, and the sun. So God is one what but three whos.. This can only be if they share one essence. Discipleship 101: How to Disciple a New Believer - Crossway Now we will turn our attention to showing the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are persons.. 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 . So even if the Bible did call the Trinity a mystery it would only be saying it was unknown to the one not illuminated, i.e. God is like the skin because He protects us. How To Explain the Trinity to Muslims - Bellator Christi Thats the one we think of as the Father. Ask the teenager this question: Where does this fall short? Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! We begin with a brief discussion of the doctrine in historical context, explaining more fully the nature of the problem it raises. All three members of the Trinity have these characteristics. This analogy ignores the personal distinctions within God and mitigates them to mere roles. And when he speaks, he refers to himself in first personas I (Deut. But that doesn't mean the concept isn't clearly taught. 5:21), making it possible for us to have a relationship with God. Think about it: Finite Christians serve an eternal and infinite God. The Bible is full of Scripture speaking of there being only one God (seeDeuteronomy 6:4for starters), as well as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit all being God. Divide your group into three teams and give each group a sheet of butcher paper or poster. From the 1950s to the 2000s, people wanted to see if they could make computers exhibit intelligence indistinguishable from humans. So, the Trinity is incomprehensible. John 1 tells us that the Word is Yeshua - that he was with God and was God from the get go, right there at creation. Allegedly, Saint Patrick used a shamrock as a metaphor to explain the Trinity: three leaves, one shamrock. Explaining the Holy Trinity of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit will be needed at some point when presenting the God of the Bible to children, Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons and other non-Christians.