However, you dont want to stop there with a student who can participate in a discussion. In describing the Trinity, the New Testament clearly distinguishes three Persons who are all simultaneously active. 3:16; 2 Pet. Teaching the Trinity to Students Youth Pastor Theologian 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. Jesus dying on the Cross is one of the most important parts of His story. 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. What Is the Economic and Immanent Trinity? - Zondervan Academic passage also demonstrates Jesus' early declaration of the Trinity. .. The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. In his second letter to the Corinthians, he bids farewell to them: "May the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Its a devotional book. 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. They are equal in power, love, mercy, justice, holiness, knowledge, and all other qualities. John says in the first verse of the book: "The Word was with God, and the Word was God.". Three separate beings, all rolled into one entity. The Trinity. Hmmm. This explains how God can be both one and three. The problem with this is that it reflects a heresy called modalism. It is one of the two ordinances of the Christian Church. The New Testament lists all three Persons of the Trinity simultaneously, 6. What a challenge! We then turn to the most important strategies that have been developed by Christians to resolve this problem. They are different Persons, not three different ways of looking at God. He is an extension of the sun and brings the sun directly to the world. Ibid, p. 255. The verb for created isbara. What is the Trinity? Actually, March 17 commemorates St. Patrick's death, actually. After Christ rose from the grave, he appeared to the disciples and gave them a job to do: preach the Word to everyone. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. The all powerful one who lives up in Heaven and either judges us mercilessly or loves us endlessly, depending on who you ask. Christs resurrection is variously attributed to: Multiple verses distinguish each member of the Trinity. Why is the Trinity important to Christianity? 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. 2:2729). The origin of the doctrine of the Trinity is the Bible . He said, Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one (Mark 12:29). After all, so much happens in the week leading up to the resurrection of Christ. The Holy Spirit was moving or hovering over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:2). Essence and person are not the same thing. Showing God in action in and through His people. What we do mean by Person is something that regards himself as I and others as You. So the Father, for example, is a different Person from the Son because He regards the Son as a You, even though He regards Himself as I. Thus, in regards to the Trinity, we can say that Person means a distinct subject which regards Himself as an I and the other two as a You. These distinct subjects are not a division within the being of God, but a form of personal existence other than a difference in being.[3]. " Here God is a plural noun, said is in the . No, the wordTrinitydoes not appear in the Bible. 8:6), Jesus is called God (John 1:1-5; John 20:28; Rom. Ironically, not much is known about his death; even the year when he passed away is up for debate. As you might expect, some people consider these mysteries as contradictions. But in response we can point out both agreement and clarification. These are all qualities of personhood. 4:15), dying for our sins (1 Cor. God created man in His image. AboutPressCopyrightContact. 25:3146; 2 Cor. Omnipotence (Jer. The concept of the Trinity is often referred to during worship, which helps Christians to understand it. The doctrine of the Trinity, simply stated, is as follows: The Bible teaches that there is one eternal God who is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. As Christians, we derive our concept of person from the relations in the Trinity. There was never a time when one of the Persons of the Godhead did not exist. Or what are the objective characteristics that all triangles share? The trouble with this one is that its a bit less visual. . That leaves us with the modern definition of the word mystery. Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity? 8:3539; Eph. And certainly not if it were a contradiction. And yet, we run into the same problem again, because God isnt made up of parts. The Trinity Is Unique Among Monotheistic Religions Christianity is a "monotheistic" religion. 4:6; James 2:19; Jude 25. 3:1417). There would only be a contradiction if we said that God is three in the same way that He is one. (eds. In the baptism of Jesus, we see the Father speaking from heaven and the Spirit descending from heaven in the form of a dove as Jesus comes out of the water (Mark 1:10-11). The concept of the Trinity is that we have God in three forms - a union of three. 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. How to Talk Right(ly) About the Trinity - pursueGOD.org But a common question arises: How do the members of the Trinity differ from one another?. The wordtrinitymeans tri-unity or three-in-oneness.. To further our understanding of the distinction of persons within the one God it is best to move on to the next trinitarian principle. As Hebrews 9:14 declares. What Is the Trinity? (Free Downloads) - Ligonier.org Theologian R.C. In eternity past, before the beginning, God was alone. 13: Trinity | Putting the Fun In, Faith and Finances: 5 Steps to Get Started. 2:8-9), we can become Gods children. But Christianity's God is unique. How to explain the Trinity to a non-Christian - Quora 40:18; Rom. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not unite people by neglecting t Simply stated, God is one in essence and three in person. A Simple Way to Explain the Trinity - Keith Ferrin 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. Find freedom from your sins today. The answer is simple. EXPLAIN THE TRINITY - How To Explain The Holy Trinity Simply Genesis tells us that God created the heavens and the earth by his word. Helping students know Jesus, grow in their faith and go to the world to tell others. As long as a shape has those three angles that add up to 180 degrees, it doesnt matter what the angles degrees are. Allegedly, Saint Patrick used a shamrock as a metaphor to explain the Trinity: three leaves, one shamrock. Now youre gonna tell me theyre all the same but also different? 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. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. What Is The Best Way To Explain The Trinity To A New Believer 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. 3:1617). Does the Trinity mean that God is divided into three parts? The Trinity and Christian Unity - Ligonier Ministries But it is not. Learn about Cru's global leadership team. 317 subscribers in the BiblicalUnitarian community. As I said earlier, it means the same thing as being. And when he speaks, he refers to himself in first personas I (Deut. At his death on the cross, sinless Jesus chose to substitute himself in our place (Heb. 4. Disclaimer: I believe Trinity. 10:57), The Holy Spirit indwells every Christian. Answer: Jesus came to lead us into relationship with the Father and that required the sacrifice of his own life because of our rebellion. how to explain the trinity to a new believer - NewJeru Reflecting Jesus together for the good of the city. And God seeks people to worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). 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.. 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 . Unfortunately, there is a lot of confusion about the Trinity. 8:6a). Ignore the urge to tie everything up with a nice little bow. This should make it clear why it is so important to understand that all three Persons are the same essence. Object Lessons on the Trinity for a Child or New Believer, The Difference Between Teaching the Trinity to a Child vs. a Teenager, Books that Explain the Trinity to a Child, Navigating Girl Drama: 20 Ways Schools and Parents Can Help Calm the Storm, Is It Normal that My 4 Year Old Can Read? However, these illustrations arent perfect, and really mature kids or teenagers (or adult new believers) could handle digging a bit deeper! But continue seeking to understand why the Trinitarian nature of God matters. Yet Jesus would not have referenced the Trinity unless it was important. How To Explain St. Patrick's Day To A Child, From Fun To Facts - MSN . PDF UNDERSTANDING THE TRINITY - Andrew M. Bailey God the Father, Jesus His Son, with the Holy Spirit, they are three in one! 4:4; Col. 1:15), Eternal (John 1:1-3; 17:5; Col. 1:16-17; Jude 25), Omnipresent (Matt. 15:19), God is called Father (John 17:1; John 3; 20:17; 1 Cor. Kids understand the three different forms clearly, as separate objects. But what does it mean that God is gracious? Yet most Christians have difficulty explaining the Trinity clearly and Biblically.