Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. There are so many things to learn about God and His desires for us, that getting caught up on the Holy Trinity and explaining it as something scientific can take us away from the glory of His creation. "If the shamrock story is truethen as an opportunistic missional moment, that's fine. Most people's problem, he says, centres ultimately on the three-in-one issue, "but that's not the big question about God". Only the Trinity is "divine" in the sense of being a god. All persons are beings, but not all beings are persons. Holy Spirit in Christianity - Wikipedia Thus, as Wayne Grudem writes, When we speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together we are not speaking of any greater being than when we speak of the Father alone, the Son alone, or the Holy Spirit alone.[2]. A. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization helping the academic community use digital technologies to preserve the scholarly record and to advance research and teaching in sustainable ways. Get the answers to frequently asked questions on Christian beliefs and practices. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. However, there are ways that God has chosen to talk to us. Trojans. He is three in Person. Step 2. An alternative solution was to interpret Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three modes of the self-disclosure of the one God but not as distinct within the being of God itself. Would you like to give your time to work with Cru? Learn to develop your skills, desire and ability to join others on their spiritual journeys and take them closer to Jesus. When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen. Throughout the Bible, we are taught that God is one thing. The Trinity is important as it helps Christians to understand the complex nature of God. What Was Jesus Doing Before He Came to Earth? As theologian and apologist Norman Geisler has explained it, while essence is what you are, person is who you are. We exist to worship God. Why Jesus used parable story in answering the question of the Pharisees rather than to be in direct answer?, write a short journal expressing your beliefs about religion. Understanding the Trinity: How Can God Be Three Persons in One? How can God be both one and three? Why is the concept of the Holy Trinity confusing for some - Quora In other words, there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons. However, the Nicene Creed, which was adopted by Christians at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD/CE, established the Trinity as their official doctrine. The last persona of God is the Holy Spirit. the Trojans have advanced Phew. The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit aren't simply three functions of God, they are (say it with me now) three distinct persons. Greeks. As I said earlier, it means the same thing as being. For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. What is the Trinity? It is one God in three persons: Father, Son, Holy Understanding the Holy Trinity - Learn Religions The paperback version is available for $12.99. The Bible Says 'No' to Talking to the Dead. Trinity means three, so when we discuss the Holy Trinity we mean the Father (God), Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit (sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost). Phew. Reflecting Jesus together for the good of the city. With regard to the Trinity, there is one being, which is God, yet there are there Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Why are first-hand accounts important? Find resources for personal or group Bible study. His achievement Many non-Christians and new Christians often struggle with the idea of the Holy Trinity, where we break up God into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. St. Augustine's Analogy for Understanding the Trinity Therefore, we must always endeavor to deepen our worship of God in truth as well as in our hearts. Doesnt that help? The Blessed Trinity, which consists of the three persons or faces of God who ultimately come from the same body or source, is another belief shared by the majority of Christians. It is rooted in the fact that God came to meet Christians in a threefold figure: (1) as Creator, Lord of the history of salvation, Father, and Judge, as revealed in the Old Testament; (2) as the Lord who, in the incarnated figure of Jesus Christ, lived among human beings and was present in their midst as the Resurrected One; and (3) as the Holy Spirit, whom they experienced as the helper or intercessor in the power of the new life. This basis of experience is older than the doctrine of the Trinity. The easiest flaw to identify with cults who claim to be Christian even though they deny the doctrine of the Trinity (almost always in relation to the deity of Christ) is that what they believe about God is fully comprehensible to the human mind. But a dog is one being and zero persons. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. What Is the Meaning of Immanuel in the Bible? 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. On the other hand, we must say that the Persons are real, that they are not just different ways of looking at the one being of GodThe only way it seems possible to do this is to say that the distinction between the persons is not a difference of "being" but a difference of "relationships." Veda COLUMN B A.) 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. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Trinity-Christianity, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Trinity. This approach is known as Modalism the idea that God merely represents himself in three different forms, but isn't three distinct persons. 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). why is the concept of Holy Trinity confusing for some Christians and Egyptians passed property and titles down matrilineally. Then there's the classic one about a man who is a father, husband and a son all at the same time. The pursuit of happiness is often considered an ideal, but it may be possible to have too muchor the wrong kindof a good thing. I have a Master's Degree in Pastoral Counseling, I've been married since 2008, we have two wild children, and we live in Cleveland, Ohio. Jesus declared, "I and my Father are one," in John 10:30. The late theologian Herman Bavinck has stated something very helpful at this point: The persons are modes of existence within the being; accordingly, the Persons differ among themselves as the one mode of existence differs from the other, and using a common illustration as the open palm differs from a closed fist.[4], Because each of these forms of existence are relational (and thus are Persons), they are each a distinct center of consciousness, with each center of consciousness regarding Himself as I and the others as You. Nonetheless, these three Persons all consist of the same stuff (that is, the same what, or essence). This is something far removed from our human experience, where every different human "person" is a different being as well. Learn why He did it and what it means for you. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_3" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); JSTOR Daily provides context for current events using scholarship found in JSTOR, a digital library of academic journals, books, and other material. Other statements may at first seem contradictory but are really not. The trinity is not provable by the Bible which confuses Christians and non-Christians. Help us keep publishing stories that provide scholarly context to the news. They begin by claiming that the Father of Jesus Christ is the one true God taught in the Old Testament. Why is it important to tell our stories? Someone please:(. Why is the concept of Holy Trinity confusing for some Christians and non-Christians alike? Proponents of this way of thinking believe that God first manifested himself as Father, then as Jesus, then as the Holy Spirit. While God has certainly made himself known, approachable in Christ, and comprehensible to some degree, the Bible does not claim man will be able to understand him fully and wholly. This included the grouping of deities in families or pairs, such as the Asar-Aset-Heru trinity. Why is the Trinity so difficult to understand? - Christian Today Third, notice that although the three divine Persons are distinct, we are baptized into their name (singular), not names (plural). https://www.learnreligions.com/how-can-god-be-three-things-712158 (accessed May 1, 2023). She previously worked as an administrator for NXT, a high school Christian youth group. The Trinity isn't for anything beyond itself, because the Trinity is God. (2023, April 5). Read about individuals who have been transformed by faith. To learn more about the Concept of the Holy Trinity follow the link. Asar was a revered king who was murdered by a usurper but became king of the afterlife, or spiritual realm. Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be distinct from the Father and the Son. Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide. . He says that while no analogy will ever be complete ("I'm slightly resistant to your term 'bad illustrations' because it suggests that some are good"), to give them up completely would be a mistake. Judaism and Christianity share many ideas and behaviors. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9), Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! It just doesn't compare to the complexities of the Trinity. God is God in this way: God's way of being God is to be Father, Son, and Holy Spirit simultaneously from all eternity, perfectly complete in a triune fellowship of love. "The three actors named in the gospel narrative are each truly unquestionably, irreducibly, God. Did this doctrine originate in the Bible or in the early Church? Theologian R.C. So many things clamor to define you. COLUMN A 1. This can only be if they share one essence. of the Holy Trinity has long been acknowledged in the Christian tradition. Hi, I'm Mark Ballenger and I'm so happy you've come to ApplyGodsWord.com. He has given us a written record of his truths and sent his Son to earth for this very purpose. So, think of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as the three pieces of God's personality. Likewise, God is balanced out to us in a way we can understand by the all-seeing Father, the teacher Jesus, and the guiding Holy Spirit. He is the way God revealed Himself to us in a way we could understand. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. The second came to terms with their unity, but at the cost of their distinctness as persons (modalism). But the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts 8:16). He exists as a Trinity. To be fair, it's maddeningly complex, and a concept that few have managed to get their heads around. create tension? That's one reason why at times the Spirit may appear to be a person. You might find the words spelle Develop your leadership skills and learn how to launch a ministry wherever you are. If he was like every other person and we could understand him fully, this would be evidence against his deity. To him be glory forever. All Rights Reserved. Why two biblical stories can't both be right, and why it matters, God is on the move in the broken Anglican Communion, Church of England bishops urged 'to step back from the brink' on same-sex blessings, Christians fear for their future in Sudan as conflict grows, Less than half of born-again Christians believe Jesus lived sinless life on Earth: study, Lessons for today from the Salem Witch Trials. Our best stories about the vast histories and cultures of Americans with ancestry in Asia and the Pacific. It's difficult to comprehend how one God may exist in three forms. How do you have a Father, Son and NO MOTHER. Find more answers Ask your question For example, if I say that the moon is made entirely of cheese but then also say that the moon is not made entirely of cheese, I have contradicted myself. If God was to give us true information about himself, it would be fitting that some of it would be very confusing. The trinity is the belief the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the same entity. The Trinity Is the Basis of Our Relationship to God and His Church Because the Father, Son, and Spirit were perfectly unified before the creation of the worldloving, serving, and glorifying one anotherwe can be confident God didn't create us out of a needy desire to fill an inner relational void.
