It's a great reminder of the three parts of the Holy Trinity! What we do not mean by Person is an independent individual in the sense that both I and another human are separate, independent individuals who can exist apart from one another. This is one of the books of the Torah. The fact that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not an impersonal force (like gravity), is also shown by the fact that He speaks (Hebrews 3:7), reasons (Acts 15:28), thinks and understands (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), wills (1 Corinthians 12:11), feels (Ephesians 4:30), and gives personal fellowship (2 Corinthians 13:14). With input from her father, fart followed within a day or two, and I was horrified, but also excited that she mysteriously managed an r-controlled vowel without any explicit instruction. But Jesus did not become less than the Father during his incarnation. How can we pack more meaning and deeper, Read More Holy Week for Kids: How to Teach Beyond Easter SundayContinue, Not every child is born with tons of self esteem. The Trinity - God and authority in Christianity - BBC Bitesize The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Son or the Father. Egg A single egg is made up of the yolk, the whites, and the shell. This triune God (or Trinity) began to allude to this aspect of His nature right in Genesis 1:26-27. More posts you may like r/TrueChristian Among the worlds religions, the Christian faith is unique. Orthodox Christian theology has always affirmed that the one true God is triune in nature. After all, the Trinity is difficult to understand. 2:18). I recently had some of my kids friends ask meWhat is the Trinity? Since God is one in a different way than He is three, the Trinity is not a contradiction. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Andrew M. Bailey 42. Firstly, we agree that finite humankind is limited. How is God different? It was God who took the initiative to save humankind. Its probably the most classic Trinity object lesson, but its not my favorite. Among the three persons of the Trinity, there is a proper order: The Father is the First Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Another serious error people have made is to think that the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit. 2:11), emotions (Eph. They include: Now you have a basic understanding of the Trinity. Jesus dying on the Cross is one of the most important parts of His story. Even then, he was not alone, because he had his Logos within him. Satan existed with the angels at the beginning of creation as one of the cherubim. To contemplate the Trinity is to lift up your heart and to "set your mind on the things above" (Col. 3:2). There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. Being Gods child, we can worship the Father and Jesus through the Spirit (John 4:2324; Phil. 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 . To further our understanding of the distinction of persons within the one God it is best to move on to the next trinitarian principle. And all three members of the Trinity were involved. He sanctifies us (1 Pet. Thus, they relate to each other personally the Father regards Himself as I, while He regards the Son and Holy Spirit as You. Likewise the Son regards Himself as I, but the Father and the Holy Spirit as You.. Below is the easiest way that I have ever heard it explained: God the Father is the sun. I think the major problem involves not distinguishing two different features of God. After all, as I have said many times (to myself as much as others! *catholic, meaning universal here, and not a reference to the big C Catholic. And that he is manifest as three Persons.. It is fundamental to our worldview. That is why any discussion of the Trinity is based on Scripture (Ps. As a former youth minister and childrens minister, Ive already done your research! 92:8) and third person (he, his, him) singular pronouns (1 Kings 18:39). God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. Example 1: What is the nature or essence of a rock? Yet he also proclaimed, there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live (1 Cor. Secondly I'd like you to read this verse with me from the Bible. Our kids are currently 2, 4, and 7, and its equally loved by all of them, so the Yoto age range is really wide! Its not unusual for teenagers to give Jesus a bunch of loving characteristics and then put words like justice and vengeance on God the Fathers poster. "It has been said that there have been four centuries when the church's understanding of the person of Christ has been most under attack. First, we have God. Answer. Deut. Yes, the Spirit was sent, but this does not imply that the Holy Spirit is less than they are. 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. That definition is a mouthful. And this teaching gives us a glimpse into the incomprehensible greatness of God. No, the wordTrinitydoes not appear in the Bible. To start, let me define what I mean when I say persons. Personhood is having intellect, emotions, and a will. The Holy Trinity is 'the Center of Everything.'. Its NOT God. While this is in my mind the simplest, clearest explanation, I understand that even this breaks down when we go further and say I am a human and I am Keith Ferrin. Did your kids give each form of God different personality traits? They are not merely modes or manifestations of the same person (as Oneness theology incorrectly asserts) who sometimes acts as Father, sometimes as Son, and sometimes as Spirit. Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. Awareness of the distinct role that each Person of the Trinity has in our salvation can especially serve to give us greater comfort and appreciation for God in our prayers, as well as helping us to be specific in directing our prayers. In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. See, each member participated in the creation, the incarnation, and redemption. 4:4). How we seek to journey together with everyone towards a relationship with Jesus. Subjection and subordination do not mean inequality. 2:511). Ive already done your research at my local library. The relationship between essence and Person, then, is as follows. Each person of God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) really IS God. 1. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all fully God. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New Testaments. He is one Being in three Persons (centers of consciousness), not merely three roles. Now lets go a little deeper and consider the triangles three corners (angles). 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. But is there any easy way to apprehend these exciting discoveries? For instance, the Trinity does not mean that: Instead, we need to clearly distinguish two categories (Persons and essence). For example: One of the most common mistakes people make is to think of the Holy Spirit as some force ala Star Wars. But the Holy Spirit is most assuredly a person. 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. For if we deny this, we have denied Gods unity and affirmed that there is more than one being of God (i.e., that there is more than one God). 28:18-20; 2 Cor. Its three things, but all are complete on their own. They are three real persons, not three roles God plays. Geisler, N. L., and R. E MacKenzie, R. E. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: agreements and differences. What is the essence of a triangle? Ironically, not much is known about his death; even the year when he passed away is up for debate. 20:23; Deut. how to explain the trinity to a new believer - NewJeru 8:26), guides (John 16:13), creates (Ps. 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). 12:711), The Father is not the Son (Matt. Most Christians are puzzled by the Trinity, and therefore, cant explain it very well. Then, ask them to write words on the poster that make up the character of God. Sproul cites as an example Dickens famous line, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Obviously this is a contradiction if Dickens means that it was the best of times in the same way that it was the worst of times. "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons.. 2. That is because it is the only religion that believes in the Trinity. The Trinity is like an egg. The Hebrew word for God isElohim. Girls become divided, friendships are ruined, and reputations are tarnished. Jesus, the Word, was present in Genesis 1. Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God in truth as well as in our hearts. It is the unity of the Father, Son, and Spirit as three persons in one Godhead. Everything in Christian theology and in the believer's life finally comes back to who God is: the divine nature, the persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Can You Explain the Trinity to Me? - Billy Graham Evangelistic Association 4:6; James 2:19; Jude 25. Famous pastor and authorA.W. That way were providing a simple, common language and framework for everything else were going to say (or any analogies we use). He said, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Mark 12:29). Further, we clearly should not think of God as consisting of anything other than divinity. For example: God the Father is a person. 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. know that I recognise only one God. There we read that " God said, 'Let us make man in our image' . . See if they can think of anything better, and be ready to discuss where different ideas might not quite work. We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. That isGod is three Persons in onethe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Other references to the Trinity in the New Testament include Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 12:4-5, 2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 Peter 1:2, and more. Simply put: without three angles, theres no triangle! Three separate beings, all rolled into one entity. 1. . 317 subscribers in the BiblicalUnitarian community. Yet most Christians have difficulty explaining the Trinity clearly and Biblically. The Definition Of The Trinity. How Do You Explain the Trinity? - A Thimble-full of Theology for Daily 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. Thus, we are not speaking with a forked tongue we are not saying that God is one and then denying that He is one by saying that He is three. PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Silica Bible Chapel The Trinity confuses even adults, so when youre tasked (or inspired) to teach the Trinity to a child, teenager, or new believer, it can be overwhelming. 6:11; Gal. How could we? In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of noncontradiction. In John 1:1 it is affirmed that Jesus is God and, at the same time, that He was with God- thereby indicating that Jesus is a distinct Person from God the Father (cf.