Like modalism, the "three beings" view was rejected by the early church. He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. This is just as bad as the Water analogy and leads to the same error. These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. A certain YouTube page created a famous video titled "St. Patrick's Bad Analogies" (which can be found here), in which the historic St. Patrick meets charming villagers who deride him based on the analogies which he uses in the process of explaining the Holy Trinity. 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. The Holy Spirit is Christs spirit in us guiding us into all truth. Depth isnt the same thing as height and height isnt the same thing as width, yet all three together are what comprise space. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. The trinity is Like a man who is a father, husband, and son. 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 word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. The problem with this analogy is that it also leads to the heresy of MODALISM. It can also be a liquid and called water. Examples of these different roles would be: The Incarnation: Only the Son became incarnate, took on flesh. There are some analogies that come close. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. How do we make sense of the Trinity? The military would end up destroying themselves. Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. The problem with this analogy is that it would imply that there is only one Divine Person, who eventually multiplied Himself. 3:15; John 17:1-4, The Holy Spirit Acts 5:3-4; John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-13. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). Haydn Lea is an Associate Pastor in Queensland, and is currently studying his Master of Arts (Theology). 2 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each God. Among the most popular analogies for the Trinity, two in particular stand out; and most of the others resemble one of them. 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. RELATED: What Did Jesus Really Look Like? The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. Yet there is still only one God we serve. The Trinity is Like an Egg How the analogy goes: The Trinity is like an egg. 3 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons. That is why Moses said. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. If one of the persons were not there, then we would not have God. The God of the Bible is one God. Hello busy women! What makes it hard is that all of our analogies and metaphors fall short of capturing what the Trinity actually is. I know in the past Ive used analogies that werent the best (more on those later.) However, keep in mind that the one being who is God is a personal being. Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. Good and Bad Analogies of the Trinity - Answers . This would make Jesus something less than fully God. They are three in one egg. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. As a result, this analogy can easily lead to tritheism in which there are three different gods which might share some like substance. Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. Just like an egg, none of the parts are co-equal, nor are all of the parts necessary for the egg to exist. This analogy seems to make a lot of sense, but it actually reinforces a fatal misconception about the Trinity called modalism. God is much bigger than what we can understand yet He is close enough to us so that we can know some things about Him, though not completely and not everything. 1A) Dave is a son of Graham and Lois Armstrong. 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. I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. Each one is fully God. The problem with this analogy is it denies the unity of the God-head. This means there is a sense in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. If the Sun existed from eternity past then so were the light rays from the Sun. Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. Truly, it is a Mystery. There is one GOD in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), 2. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. Believing in the above 3 points leads all Christians to acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity. Or have you ever tried to teach kids about the Trinity? An egg is made up of shell, white and yolk. There would be three thrones. This error denies something central to God that makes Him God. This description that all persons are fully God is called the Ontological Trinity. 2:5-6; Col. 1:15-17, 2:9; Heb. The analogy explains that in the same way that one shamrock can have three leaves on it, the Trinity has three Persons that constitute one God. Each PERSON is distinct from one another. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John14:2, 3). In humans, our spirits are designed to operate with and be united to the soul which is the person of anyone and so it is with our Egg. How would you explain the Trinity if someone asked you right now? These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. They have a common purpose in making harmonious music, but each note is its own separate entity. . The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). Time Analogy God is like time. We also know that God didnt create humanity out of loneliness or boredom. The more I reflect on Easter, the more Ive realized how much its become a consumeristic holidayeven Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Instead, each person is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. So, part of understanding the Trinity is realizing that God is personal and relational. It only has 1 person acting in three different roles. In other words, God may manifest Himself as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. The analogy breaks down because the three cloves are overly distinct and cannot represent the unity of God. Again, this analogy doesnt work because God doesnt morph, change, or become different aspects of Himself. Learn how your comment data is processed. The scientific analogy that will be provided in a few moments is truly inadequate to describe the Holy Trinity. This analogy is an invalid comparison to the Trinity and is a heresy called PARTIALISM. CafeLogos.orgThe Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity The Trinity is established by 3 Biblical truths, . Well, the egg analogy, when applied to God, suggests that only one being exists but this being exists in three different parts. If you're looking to dive deeper into God's word, here are 6 kinds of bible study tools and resources 9 Influential Female Leaders in the New Testament. 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. Why is it wrong? We believe that it is a revelation that comes from Christ Himself. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw. So if all of these explanations are heretical, what is a good analogy? Hi Im not a theologian and I dont disagree with what you say but when you state that we know the persons of the Trinity have perfectly loved for eternity etc how do we know? Modernizations of this analogy include that of an apple (with the peel, the flesh, and the core) or an egg (with its shell, yoke, and white). Here are four. In this analogy, God is compared to a man. Some people think that H2O cannot exist in all three states simultaneously but that is not true. But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not simply names designating modalities of the divine being, for they are really DISTINCT from one another: He is not the Father who is the Son, nor is the Son he who is the Father, nor is the Holy Spirit he who is the Father or the Son. (CCC 254), 3. I dont know how our majestic God feels about being compared to watermelons and eggs, but He is also a loving Father, and like any father, I believe God would seek to provide simple explanations so His little children can understand. The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. Jesus Person is the image of Gods Person (Hebrews 1:3), and the Invisible Spirit of the Father that is in Him - God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). 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. The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. But this idea is central to the Christian faith. But its all water. The sun comprises the sun itself, its light and its heat. Vestment Emblems. But in the Godhead, each Person is fully and completely God unto Himself (even as they are all one God). The Father Matthew 27:45-46 (usually there is no argument that the Father is not God, since every place Jesus speaks to God, he is addressing the Father. Analogies often fall short. So God performs 3 different roles/relationships but 1 God. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the three are all equally one God. 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. 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). According to modalism, God does not actually exist in three persons. But the Bible is CLEAR in its teaching. Jesus loves us so much that he did not obliterate people who died, with power that set stars in the universe. Jesus is in the form of the Holy Spirit. When we separate them we can fall into the error of tritheism, which is the worship of three individual deities as one. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. 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. We worship one God who exists in three persons. True, we humans are image bearers but nothing in creation serves as an analogy for the Trinity because the Trinity is a doctrine of special (biblical) revelation not nature or reason. If youre interested into diving deeper into the topic of the Trinity, here are some valuable resources that could help. His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. 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. 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. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. My prayer is to infuse God's character into your everyday lives with short ( 4-5") devotions and Bible Studies every Monday morning. Water is water, but exists in three different forms: liquid, frozen, or steam. Blessings! Because God is utterly unique, all comparisons will fail at some point. God does not morph from one person to another, nor does God exist as three separate beings. Few if any have every tried to teach the heresy of Tritheism, but it needs to be mentioned anyway. Its a very common explanation within the church to try to explain how God, who clearly exhorts His followers to preserve His supreme oneness (Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4), could also be identified with Jesus (Titus chapter 2 verse 13), and the Holy Spirit (Acts chapter 5 verses 3-4). This is because the H20 is changing forms in representing each person.