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Here is an object with three parts: a hard shell, the egg white, and the yolk. Matthew 3:16. But it is not. Lets apply what weve learned to the Trinity based on the graphic. . 2:10), convinces (John 6:44), teaches (Luke 12:12), convicts (John 16:18), commands (Acts 1:2), moves (John 11:33), helps (Rom. 2:6), The image of God (John 12:45; 2 Cor. 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.. After all, as I have said many times (to myself as much as others! ). The Trinity is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is like an egg or apple. Genesis 1:1says this: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.. 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). 25:3146; 2 Cor. For example: The Nicene Creed is recited during every service of Holy Communion . Most Christians are puzzled by the Trinity, and therefore, cant explain it very well. They only describe what makes up Gods singular essence. But Scripture provides ample evidence of the existence of the Trinity. 3:17; 17:5; Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 10:15; 12:28; 17:1-26; 1 Tim. But it is possible to go deeper. 15:16), inspires, intercedes (Rom. A mystery that should cause us to marvel, and wonder, and worship! 20:23; Deut. We also see this evidenced in how the Son and Father sent the Spirit into the world (John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7). Errr, not quite. God is like the skin because He protects us. With teenagers, you want to take a different approach, and celebrate the mystery of it all. After Christ rose from the grave, he appeared to the disciples and gave them a job to do: preach the Word to everyone. Ironically, not much is known about his death; even the year when he passed away is up for debate. Others seem to come by it naturally, and its just not fair! Thats what faith is being content with our own confusion while still knowing that God is bigger than we can comprehend. The doctrine or concept of the Trinity is central to most Christian denominations and faith groups, although not all. 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 . There are three Persons with one divine essence! 104:30), sanctifies (Rom. Firstly, we agree that finite humankind is limited. Essence means the same thing as being. Thus, since God is only one essence, He is only one being, not three. I recently had some of my kids friends ask meWhat is the Trinity? Live in another country building relationships and ministries with eternal impact. We exist to worship God. And Scripture provides many descriptors, orattributes,of Gods singular essence or nature. If we were to translate it . Jesus dying on the Cross is one of the most important parts of His story. 119; Prov. 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). Confusing them leads to misunderstanding. Principle #3: Order. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. And certainly not if it were a contradiction. Just hang on a little longer. What is the essence of a triangle? Develop your leadership skills and learn how to launch a ministry wherever you are. Looking for a great childrens Bible? At Jesus baptism, when Christ came up out of the water, the Spirit descended in the appearance of a dove. It's a great reminder of the three parts of the Holy Trinity! Then I'll share an activity using the Celtic Trinity Knot to explain the Trinity to children along with the love that exists between each of its Persons and us. Omnibenevolence (Jer. As Christians, we derive our concept of person from the relations in the Trinity. Help others in their faith journey through discipleship and mentoring. Those centuries were t To start, let me define what I mean when I say persons. Personhood is having intellect, emotions, and a will. OrThe person were explaining it to will think that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). If youre wondering how to explain the Trinity to a child, keep it simple. Answer. Heres how the triangle analogy can help: Consider a triangle with me. All of this information is a lot to take in at once. Leading from values so others will walk passionately with God to grow and bear fruit. We baptize into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In sum, the essence or nature of anything is what it is. Jesus himself spoke of the one-ness of the Godhead when he quoted the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4. So all three members of the Trinity have unique personhood. It included Jesus miraculous conception in the virgin Mary (John 3:16)an act that we call the incarnation.. The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Son or the Father. 2:34; Heb. Here are three I found to be really helpful. 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. They are three real persons, not three roles God plays. Then share them with another Christian or genuine seeker. See if you can let kids arrive at the notion that God isnt really made up of parts. But how can finite humans know anything about Gods infinite essence? The personhood of each member of the Trinity means that each Person has a distinct center of consciousness. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. "After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him.". 5:510; 1 Cor. But he is not inferior in Gods divine essence. 11:3336). The Trinity. 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). The apple one is kind of cool. As long as a shape has those three angles that add up to 180 degrees, it doesnt matter what the angles degrees are. These three persons are of the same substance, equal in power and glory. Some attributes include eternal, infinite, omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. 1:18; Luke 1:2635). 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. In brief, how we view God will profoundly impact our everyday lives. Lets do a quick review of the topics we have covered. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. Because humankind is limited, God will always exceed our knowledge and understanding (Isa. Internship opportunities with Cru's ministries. 42. 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. Trying to fully understand God is like a 2-year-old trying to fully understand the complexities of relationships, marriage, and parenting! So, rather than starting there, heres where were headed: To think we will everfullyunderstand the Trinity is to make the mistake of thinking God is fully understandable. As Benjamin Needler preached: This doctrine should establish us in the truth of the gospel For my part, I would not worship that God that I could comprehend Bless God for the clear discovery of this truth under the gospel! Why not plan on studying verses in each section to prove to yourself that the Bible does claim that God is a Trinity? You can help us reach children and their families to know Jesus. 3:25; Dan. This triune God (or Trinity) began to allude to this aspect of His nature right in Genesis 1:26-27. The Trinity is first of all important because God is important. Best Age To Teach The Trinity To A Child. That way were providing a simple, common language and framework for everything else were going to say (or any analogies we use). 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. After understanding the difference between essence and personhood, most objections evaporate! In Hinduism, the trinity (Trimrti, or The Three Forms) is of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. See, each member participated in the creation, the incarnation, and redemption. They are equal in power, love, mercy, justice, holiness, knowledge, and all other qualities. Our kids are currently 2, 4, and 7, and its equally loved by all of them, so the Yoto age range is really wide! There are many illustrations which have been offered to help us understand the Trinity. How do we come to terms with these different ideas of God? Geisler, N. L., and R. E MacKenzie, R. E. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: agreements and differences. 2. Rather than let that frustrate you, let it encourage you. They include: Now you have a basic understanding of the Trinity. The important difference between complexity and incomprehension: If Christianity was something we were making up, of course, we could make it easier. Gods essence is His being. And we can delight in praying to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit (John 14:1314; Eph. Essence and personhood are NOT the same thing. There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. While there are some illustrations which are helpful, we should recognize that no illustration is perfect. The word Trinity does not appear even once in the Bible. If we can understand more precisely what is meant by essence and person, how these two terms differ, and how they relate, we will then have a more complete understanding of the Trinity. Dont despair. Admittedly, the idea of three distinct persons/expressions that are each fully God is part of the mystery. Clearly, he appreciated a plurality within the Godhead. There are two other major monotheistic world religions namely Judaism and Islam. Learn about Cru's global leadership team. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit do not unite people by neglecting t These definitions express three crucial truths: (1) The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, (2) each Person is fully God, (3) there is only one God. Its a mystery the Bible teaches. "The Trinity is the foundational Christian belief that God is one Being who exists in three Persons.. In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. For example, it says of Christ that "in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). The Fathers plan for our redemption shows his great love for humankind. We begin with a brief discussion of the doctrine in historical context, explaining more fully the nature of the problem it raises. Thats where the confusion comes from. Read more. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. Finally I would end with Deuteronomy 29:29 which helps us to realize that we cannot fully comprehend God. He regenerates us with new spiritual life (John 3:58). Fill this out to make sure you don't miss a thing! He sanctifies us (1 Pet. Its three things, but all are complete on their own. But as a follower of Christ, your identity can and should be grounded in one thing: who He says you are. Since God is one in a different way than He is three, the Trinity is not a contradiction. However, Matthew 28:19 is frequently used in attempts to prove that the Trinity is a biblical teaching. I am also fully Keith Ferrin. This is just an egg, or an apple, or H2O. But first, lets cover the basics. Discipleship involves a lot, but one of the most important things you can do with a new believer is read the Bible with them-teaching them how to read, understand, respond to, and apply God's Word.