29thJanuary
How Do You Explain the Trinity?
Categories: Trinity, God the Father, Holy Spirit, Jesus | 2008 | by Ken Horn | 36 commentsI am having a difficult time explaining to my children how Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit are one person. Can you help?
The Trinity is first-rate mystery.
Augustine said that anyone who denies the Trinity is in danger of losing his salvation, and anyone who tries to understand it is in danger of losing his mind. It is not fully explained in Scripture.
In fact, the word Trinity is not found in the Bible. But, by the late second century it was being used by the church to describe a biblical concept—literally, tri-unity, or “three in one.”
This does not mean three Gods … though Christians have been accused of being polytheists by other world religions. Instead Christians have a unique view of God, one that comes about because they believe both the Old and New Testaments.
There are six basic biblical steps to understanding the Trinity:
1. There is one God. (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Deuteronomy 6:4 is one of the most important verses to the Jews, who believe in one God. It is known as the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!”
Here is the Hebrew: Shema Yisrael: Yahweh Elochenu Yahweh Echad. The Hebrew language has two words that are translated “one”—Yachid and Echad. Yachid means an absolute one. Echad refers to a united one. Echad is the word used of God in the Old Testament—God is a united one.
2. The Father is God. (2 Peter 1:17)
3. The Son is God. (John 8:58)
4. The Holy Spirit is God. (Acts 5:3-4)
5. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct individuals. (John 14:26)
6. Therefore, there are three Persons in the one Godhead.
A typical, accurate doctrinal statement is this, Assemblies of God Fundamental Truth no. 2: “WE BELIEVE … There is only One True God—revealed in three persons … Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (commonly known as the Trinity).” (See ag.org for all 16 Assemblies of God Fundamental Truths.)
Since the Trinity is completely unique, no analogy really fits. The Trinity is not really “like” anything.
But attempts have been made. The best analogies do not look at the Trinity as three parts that make up a whole, like these examples:
• Shamrock: Saint Patrick, who spread the Gospel in Ireland, used a three-leafed clover.
• Egg: Another common one—eggshell, egg white and yolk.
• H2O: The three phases of H2O—water, ice, steam—are better as an analogy but also fall short since any given temperature produces only one of these at a time. That picture leads to a false doctrine that says the Trinity is really only one person who takes on one of three modes at any given time. This belief is problematic for those who hold it: Just what was going on in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus was praying to the Father? Was He talking to himself?
The best illustration I have seen comes from C.S. Lewis:
• The three dimensions of space: Length, width and height. All coincide in the same place, yet are distinct.
Ken Horn
I agree with Ken that the Trinity is not like anything else. Actually, any time we examine an infinite concept with our finite mind, we are going to come up short in our understanding. Even when God enlightens our understanding in one of these areas, we often have inadequate language to express what has been revealed to our spirit.
A few years ago, my wife bought a candle for the sofa table. As I sat in the darkened room, lighted only by this candle, my attention was drawn to the Trinity. True, there is not a suitable comparison to the Trinity in our natural world, but this was enlightening and edifying for me.
This candle was only one candle, but it had three wicks. It occured to me that when we lit the first wick, we had light and heat. As we lit successive wicks, we had nothing different than we had with lighting the first, but we did reach the intended fullness of effect. The three wicks were fully separate and distinct in operation, but totally united in purpose. There was absolutely no conflict between the three wicks of the one candle. The weakness in this analogy is that, with the candle, each of the wicks had the same function. With the Trinity, the roles of each member is different, but remaining in unity and blended in purpose to achieve the intended fullness of effect.
I’ve heard of the “triple point” of water experiment where you can take a vacuum tube, put water into it, then remove all of the oxygen. You then put the tube under 220 MM of gas pressure and reduce the temperature of the tube to zero degrees (not sure whether F or Celsius on this temperature).
In the one test tube at the exact same micro-second, the bottom of the tube will freeze, the middle of the tube will remain liquid, and the top of the tube will puff into steam. Water exists in three separate states (solid, liquid, gas) simultaneously within the 1 test tube. I’m sure there is a weakness in this analogy somewhere due to using natural things to illustrate the divine nature. But if water can co-exist in 3 different states simultaneously, it shouldn’t be a problem for the Creator of the universe (God).
THE TRINITY
In attempts at explaining the Trinity, several illustrations have been used, but each has its problems. The shamrock has been mocked as picturing a three-headed God, one person with three minds. The parts of an egg, the shell, white and yolk are distinct, but they are also very different from each other. As water is transformed from liquid to ice and then to steam, it is still composed of the very same particles of matter, the same H2O molecules. Others have also pointed out that, except in elaborate laboratory experiments, any given temperature produces only one of these at a time - hardly an apt illustration of three distinct personalities.
The following explanation seems to demonstrate the unity of the Triune God while also illustrating the individuality of its three members.
Air is a mixture of molecules of nitrogen, oxygen, and minute amounts of other gases that surrounds the earth and forms its atmosphere. These elements are called gases. Wind is the movement of these molecules of gases, all at once and all together. From soft zephyrs to mighty tornadoes, whether caressing or crushing, it is one air, one wind composed of infinite numbers of molecules of all the different gases. These diverse elements all have the same vapor-like state, and they move as one in perfect unison, invisibly flowing in all directions. Yet each has its different function, and together they are constantly doing all manner of work on the earth. Each interacts in different ways with the varied forms of nature. Oxygen gives breath to every plant, and creature on earth and in the sea. Nitrogen fertilizes the plant life, and carbon-dioxide is essential to its production of food. Each of these elements is air-borne, yet together, they compose the air, the wind, purifying, pollinating, pruning, combining to form rain and snow, sleet and hail.
In scripture, the Holy Spirit is often typified by the wind; but God the Father is also Spirit, and the Son is a Quickening Spirit as well. Together, they are the Spirit Wind, individual personalities performing distinct spiritual tasks. The Father in the Son, the Son in the Father, the Holy Spirit going forth from and with the Father and the Son, invisibly moving about and above and beyond the universe, sustaining and maintaining it, restraining sin, dispensing judgment, creating life, both physical and spiritual.
Individually, they are each one omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. Each would be infinitely capable of doing it all alone, yet they are one breath, one wind, one Spirit, one Triune God. Of course, to truly become the Son of Man, our Lord had to forget his all-knowing omniscience, surrender his all-powerful omnipotence, and draw down from his everywhere-existent omnipresence to exist in only one place at a time, beginning with his conception in an ovum of his virgin mother and continuing until his glorious resurrection and glorification, when he was restored to the glory he had with the Father before he came into the world.
While on the earth, Jesus Christ did nothing on his own, moving in obedience to the father’s commands and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Since he has been glorified, his body sits at the right hand of God, but his Spirit is again omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent, For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9).
Can I get a witness?
Bob, it’s an excellent analogy. I had not heard this comparison before; it is very helpful.
Another good analogy maybe is mathematics.
1+1+1=3
1*1*1=1
It’s the “law” of addition and the “law” of multiplication (a “higher order” of mathematics if you will). I can’t explain it nevertheless it’s reality.
Cheers,
There may be another approach to “explaining” the mystery that comes to mind. The Gospel of John 17:21-23 is a passage of “oneness”. If one thinks of a bunch of light bulbs wired in series one could say there is a “unity” of light bulbs. I say “unity” vice “oneness” because we are speaking about the individual bulbs in series. However, if we flip the switch that controls the “power” to those bulbs the bulbs “manifest the light” as they were designed to do. Now instead of a “unity of bulbs” we have a “oneness” being manifest. Is not this what Jesus was praying for? that as he manifested the Father we too should manifest the Father? That to those who believe and have been “grafted into the source” we are all partakers of that one source just as we were once darkness now we are light in the Lord. Hebrews also is very appropriate … the Son is the “brightness/effulgence/outshining” of the His (Gods) glory.
Cheers,
Someone once explained it to me like this:
The sun in the sky = Father
The rays from the sun = Son
The warmth from the rays = Holy Spirit
The members of the Trinity are distinct, yet co-existent. Take a coin: heads, tails and rim. The heads side is not the tails side, and the rim is neither-they are always distinct. Yet they form one and the same coin. Yet the heads, tails and rim are not mere parts of the coin, for they are inseparable: no matter how thin the coin is shaved, it will always have two sides and a rim.
The idea is to make an analogy with things that are distinct yet inseparable. Take a triangle (or any polygon). It has three distinct, yet inseparable properties: having n sides), ( having n angles, and enclosing an area on a plane. These three properties are absolutely not the same thing, yet you can’t have any without the other two in a polygon–they are eternally distinct yet eternally inseparable.
The coin analogy is an excellent contribution.
I have submitted the manuscript on a book I am writing that is scheduled to be released Nov. 15th entitled “How to Explain the Trinity” Subtitle: “How to Explain the Trinity to Your Child Using a Puppet Stage”. I wish I could just give you all the information here, but I could not do it justice in a few lines.
If anyone is interested in getting a copy of this book (I promise you, you will LOVE it) just send me an e-mail to Godisatrinity1@live.com and I will make sure you get a copy.
Let me just say, the Trinity can be CLEARLY SEEN, and it can be UNDERSTOOD by the finite mind.
A Long time ago the trinity was explained to me in the following way.
You picture a light switch on the wall, God said let there be light. ( God giving Command )
the switch has to be turned on to complete the circuit.
( Jesus performing the command turns the switch on ).
Light doesn’t just come on it needs power. This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. The Holy spirit complete’s the circuit by bringing power.( Holy Spirit completing the command )
Hi guys,
If the word “trinity” is not mentioned by word in the bible, aren’t we really interpreting it ourselves according to what we want to believe? Help help! THanks..
Hey Rosenee,
It’s not really interpreting it ourselves if we are using God’s Word to interpret it. It’s like we are using what he said to say what he has implied. By asking us this question, does this mean you don’t believe in the trinity or are you just saying that it isn’t up to interpretation? You are right though by bringing us to a reality that we will never know the true and exact difinition of how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit exist as 3 persons in ONE! Secret things belong unto the Lord! We will see one day though. It’s true though you must believe in all three for salvation!
=)
All wonderful visual representations. I also have another. In a family- husband and wife become one (Genesis 2:24). She was made in him from his rib and not from the dirt making her different. Jesus (God the son) was made from the seed of the father (God the father), delivered of the Holy Spirit (God the spirit). Now in human terms when you have a family of the Smith’s- the father is not the mother is not the child but all are the Smith’s. The 1st family made in the image of God was formed from dirt (father), rib (mother), seed (child)- in that order. Jesus is God by proof that all seeds will produce their own kind (Gen 1:11-12). Where did Jesus come from (see Matthew 1:20)
To further complicate the Smith family story, I must point out the terrible flaw that each person in the Smith family has a spirit all of their own but it is sinful and they are divided (unlike the trinity) Also because they are human and NOT GOD they do not have one purpose (like the Trinity does)
THE SMITH FAMILY DESPERATELY NEEDS A THREE PART TRINITY. Without God they would not have been “created” (needing a creator), would not be able to be become sinless (needing a savior), would not be able to presently have contact with God (needing the Holy Spirit).
In the beginning the trinity was together. God the father resides apart from us because we fell away from Him, meanwhile sent the Holy Spirit to deleiver the seed of Jesus, Jesus was here and when he left, then Jesus sent the Holy Spirit back to stay with us. Only one part of the trinity with us at a time. (see John 16:7) The trinity is a complex team. God is complex not simple. He is in all places at all times knowing all and no one will hide one word or action so that all will be exactly as it should be in the end. No Cheating in this game of life!!! We have a Perfect referee and score keeper and coach and also a clear book of rules too. PRAISE GOD.
Some of these are pretty good! I cannot imagine how God “Spoke” the universe into existance, Nor can I imagine how He can have always existed! The finite mind cannot grasp some things. Also I have a sneaking suspicion that we, as created souls….even after spending a million years with our Lord, will never be able to fathom these mysteries of our creator! We tend to believe that some day we will know all things! I do NOT doubt that we will be much more enlightened than now, but we will never reach “God-Like” status! Think about it…We don’t finally get into heaven because we’ve done what it right! We get in because of our faith in the fact that this unfathomable God… somehow became flesh and shed His blood for us!
The best way I heard to describe the Trinity I read in the book “Bible Doctrines”. This is how it is best understood. It is like our government. All branches (the legistative, the judicial and the executive branch) all 3 make up 1 government so therefore, the 3 Godheads are 1 Great God!!!
8. nancy almost has it.
GOD the FATHER = CENTER of UNIVERSE
Thus we have: The Sun = JESUS CHRIST at the right hand of the FATHER.
Holy Spirit= Sun’s ray’s and warmth
GOD BLESS and much AGAPE LOVE.
Kallen-jay (Eli-jah)
)Thus I have seen the face of GOD
yes I am able to stare into the sun
this is proof of HIS Saving GRACE for me.
In your Hebrew transliteration, you may want to change the transliteration of the tetragrammaton to Adonai, as this is accepted practice and far less offensive to our Jewish fore-fathers.
How would I explain this to a Jehova’s Witness. They want bible verses.
My cousin explained it this way, and I can find no fault with it:
We are created in God’s image:
I am Paul. I have a spirit. I have a soul. I have a body.
All three are Paul.
Each one is Paul.
Three separate members, one in essence.
I am the author of a book that was released on Oct. 21st of 08 entitled “How to Explain the Trinity”. The following is a condensed version of chapter 1:
Romans 1:20 says, “for since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities - his eternal power and DIVINE NATURE - have been CLEARLY SEEN, being UNDERSTOOD from what has been made, so that men are without excuse”. NIV
Notice that the point in time at which the world was created (Genesis 1:1) was the point in time at which God’s divine nature began to be clearly seen, and understood. So let’s go back to that point in time (Genesis 1:1) and find out what God created there that CAUSED his divine nature to be CLEARLY SEEN and UNDERSTOOD.
In your Bible, turn to Genesis 1:1 (the very first verse in the Bible). Genesis 1:1 says, “In the BEGINNING, God created the HEAVENS and the EARTH”. There were 3 things spoken into existence in Genesis 1:1. Those 3 things were TIME, SPACE, and MATTER. The beginning was the beginning of time. The word heavens in Genesis 1:1 is referring to space, and the earth is matter. Now notice that what God created in Genesis 1:1 was 100% time (time is EVERYWHERE), 100% space (space is EVERYWHERE), and 100% matter (matter is everywhere when you consider that matter is solids, liquids, gases, LIGHT, and energy. Light goes out from our sun in all directions, and a very tiny fraction of that light hits the earth, but the rest of that light streams out into space, and there are apparently billions of stars all doing the same thing. So matter is EVERYWHERE). Now notice that what God created in Genesis 1:1 is 100% time, 100% space, and 100% matter SIMULTANEOUSLY. It (the creation) is 100% of each of the 3 all at one time. That is EXACTLY what God’s divine nature is like. God is 100% Father, 100% Son, and 100% Holy Spirit SIMULTANEOUSLY, just like what He created in Genesis 1:1 is 100% time, 100% space, and 100% matter simultaneously! Now consider a 2 cubic foot area of space in front of you. Notice that you can’t take time out of that space, you can’t take the space out of the time and matter, and you can’t take all of the matter out of that area of space. In other words, they can NOT be divided or separated. That PERFECTLY reflects the divine nature of God.
For a more complete discussion of what you have just read, including detailed instructions on how to explain the Trinity to your child using a puppet stage, obtain the book entitled “How to Explain the Trinity” which can be purchased on Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com.
Ken
The only analogy I have ever seen IN SCRIPTURE for the Trinity is a combination of Romans 1:20 and Genesis 1:1. Romans 1:20 gives us permission to go back to the point in time at which the world was created (Genesis 1:1), behold the things that came into being there, and from that, we should be able to CLEARLY SEE and UNDERSTAND what God’s DIVINE NATURE is like (Romans 1:20)
What God brought into existence in Genesis 1:1 is TIME (the beginning), SPACE (the heavens), and MATTER (the earth, light, and energy).
Now notice that TIME is EVERYWHERE. There is NOWHERE where time isn’t present. The creation is 100% time. SPACE is EVERYWHERE. There is NOWHERE where space isn’t present. So the creation is 100% space. And, of course, notice that MATTER is EVERYWHERE. There is NOWHERE where matter isn’t present when matter is considered to be solids, liquids, gases, light, and energy. So the creation is 100% matter.
Are you ready? Now notice that the creation is 100% time, 100% space, and 100% matter SIMULTANEOUSLY ! The creation is 100% of each of the 3 all at once. This is EXACTLY what God’s divine nature is like. God is 100% Father, 100% Son, and 100% Holy Spirit SIMULTANEOUSLY, just like His creation is 100% time, 100% space, and 100% matter simultaneously.
There is allot more that needs to be said about this, and it is all documented in the book I wrote entitled “How to Explain the Trinity”.
One way I like to think of it is that I am a father, a son, and a husband. I am just one person; one mind. I am not a three-headed entity (where the shamrock analogy falls short). So for me the mystery isn’t how can three be one. Rather in this example I don’t see how you can seperate them. When my famiy sits down for Christmas dinner I am honoring my parents, supporting my wife, and nurturing my children all at the same time. It’s also not hard for all three to co-exist, in fact being a better father honors my parents and supports my wife. Being a better husband nurtues my children… I am not three seperate things acting like one, I am one thing acting in three roles.
maybe we should focus not on the trinity but on the oneness of God. And if we cant we should remember that this is the most beautiful love story ever. God the Father cant be in the presence of sin. He made us and we “cheated.” His love like a hurt lover found a way to take us back. Now He cant be in the presence of our sin so He finds a way to atone for our sin. Jesus becomes thee image of the Father who cant be seen because of sin. Jesus became our “priest” to Him. Our bridge our mediator
Nelly, you’ve been given scriptures. The Jehovahs Witnesses don’t believe in the Trinity. Yet they respond to the clearest proof in the entire bible John 1:1, but adding the word “a” before the word God, in their version of the bible. This is not the proper transation of the scriptures.
Its hard to explain the meaning of the Trinity to a group that changes the “instruction book” (the bible) to satisify its own doctrine.
Deception is the work of the devil…………no?
I think of the Trinity this way. I can physically touch my body, I have an inner soul which I think with and is known to only me and contains my every thought, prayer and being, and I have a spirit which I show to the world. My spirit floats around me all the time and can be good or evil. I have control of my spirit, God gave me that.
So my body, my soul and my outer spirit are all three rolled up into who I am.
Please accept my version of the Trinity.
One spirit, one body and, one soul are still one person, not three as are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Two sides and a rim are still one coin, which is passive in itself and can only be spent in one place at a time. Concerning the time-space-matter analogy, time does nothing, space does likewise, and only matter is actionable, unlike the Trinity, which is composed of three active personalities. I too am a father, a son and a husband, but unlike the Trinity, I am only one person. I would be interested in seeing any contradictions of the detailed blog I contributed on March 20, 2008, comparing the Trinity to air. Could that be the solution to the historic search for a scriptural, comprehensive, yet understandable analogy of the Trinity? If not, why not? If it is a cogent explanation, then why not embrace it and spread it around to answer the questioners and outright denyers of the tri-unity of the Godhead? If there is an explanation, then there is no contradiction, no discrepency. It might even prevent some people from going insane, as was warned by Augustine and quoted in the very first blog above.
Bob Lyle, isn’t it a dealbreaker that hydrogen, oxygen, and other gases cannot each be seperately called “air”? They may combine into being air, but they are not independently air. My understanding is that Jesus is FULLY God - his nature is the very same as the Father and Spirit. He can individually be worshiped as God, albeit in direct relationship to his role as a member of the Trinity.
Sorry that your analogy may not be the ultimate silver bullet.
i think of it like this.
a egg:
has the shell=holy spirit
the white=Jesus
and the middle yolk=God the Father.
Hi Ken, I hope to take the first-rate mystery out of the Trinity.
Years ago when I honestly looked at this question, this is what I found.
It was said that the doctrine of the Trinity teaches that there is one God, yet three distinct persons, each person is the same in substance and equal in and power and glory .
I had discovered an interesting verse in the bible that helped me understand the trinity question more clearly. Hope this will help you.
In Roman 1:20 it says, (I have included verse 19 to show its context)
19: Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. **20: For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:**
Basically this is saying that, we can understand the invisible things of him by the things that are made/created or in other words by what we physically see and comprehend. This most definitely includes understanding his eternal power and Godhead as it is stated in verse 20.
**Definition**: Godhead n. 1. Divinity; godhood. 2. Godhead
a) The Christian God, especially the Trinity.
b) The essential and divine nature of God, regarded abstractly. (The union of the Father and Son and Holy Ghost in one Godhead)(http://www.thefreedictionary.com/godhead)
*The trinity is regarded abstractly for those that do not comprehend its nature or make-up.*
So back to the question, How can we understand the trinity (the invisible thing) with what God created (what we can see).
The universe is basically made up of 3 parts. Einstein’s theory of relativity revealed the fact that life as we know it consists of three things, **time, matter, and space** (which is energy).
If one of these elements were removed, the universe as we know it would cease to exist. All three elements are needed so the universe can be (i.e. exist).
Each of these 3 elements (time, matter and space) in turn are made up of 3 parts also.
**Time** is made up of 3 parts. They are; the past, present and future. If one of these elements were removed, time as we know it would cease to exist. If there is no past the present could not advance into the future to create a past. If there were no present, there definitely would not be a past and future. If there was no future, the present would not be able to move forward.
**Matter** is made up of atoms. All atoms consist of three basic components, protons, neutrons and electrons. A proton is not a neutron, a neutron is not an electron, and an electron is not a proton. One is not the other, all are part of the same, none can exist without the other (and still remain a complete atom), and yet each is distinct!
Matter is invisible at its core yet we can perceive it.
Two thousand years ago the writer of Hebrew’s wrote:
Heb. 11:3 **By faith we understand** that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so **that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.**
Re-read this until you understand what it saying. By faith we understand…that**,** what is seen**,** was not made**,** out of things which are visible.
(Side note: If man wrote the bible, how could he write something that he didn’t know about. We only discovered atoms at the invention of powerful microscopes. Man is catching up to the bible. This is one example of the divine inspiration of the scriptures.)
We now know this to be a fact because of microscopes. When things are magnified to its minutest level we found it to be energy.
**Matter** is made up of 3 parts. They are; gases, solids and liquids. If one of these elements were removed, matter as we know it would cease to exist. As an example, take water. In this form it is a liquid. If the element of gases were to be removed, matter as we know it would cease to exist because you would not be able to boil water which once boiled turns into a gas. If solids were to be removed, matter as we know it would cease to exist, because water in a liquid form when frozen would not be able to become/transform into a solid.
**Space** is made up of 3 parts. They are; length, width and height. Look to the upper corner part of the room you’re in right now and notice the three ‘walls’ i.e. the ceiling, the wall going to the left and the one going to the right. Each wall has an element to it. One supplies the length, one supplies the width and one supplies the height. These three elements make up the concept of space or 3 dimensions. If one of these elements were removed, space as we know it would cease to exist.
A question now comes up. In this example of space, which element (length, width or height) is the most important or which element is the greatest and which is the least?
Would you say that they are all equally the same and important? Could one element be the head or number 1?
When we perceive the ’space’ in a room, we realize that no one element can be greater than another. They all perform the duty they were created to do.
Space is an invisible concept yet we comprehend it by the walls we built around ourselves.
Here is another way to explain it:
Space is a trinity of elements: the length, the width, and the height. The length is not the same element as the width; the width is not the same element as the height; and the height is not the same element as the length. They are separate elements; yet, they are all the one space. They are in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance. They are coequal, and copowerful. If any one of the three were removed, there would be no space.
Using the above logic, I now apply it to the concept of the trinity.
God is a trinity of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Father is not the same person as the Son; the Son is not the same person as the Holy Ghost; and the Holy Ghost is not the same person as Father. They are separate persons; yet, they are all the one God. They are in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance. They are coeternal, coequal, and copowerful. If any one person of the three were removed, there would be no God.
1 John 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
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Some other examples of tri-unity in unity.
Man is triune in nature. He is made up of a spirit, a soul, and a body. The moment that one of these elements is taken out or removed, man as we know him, ceases to exist (in this plane).
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
How about the human mind?
Scientists tell us that the human mind is the most complex thing in the universe. The is also a trinity. The mind, the will, and the emotions. Your mind, (intellect) is not the same as your emotions. Your emotions are not the same as your will. One is not the other, all are part of the same, none can exist without the other, and yet each is distinct!
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Someone had made this observation about the sun once.
Direct sunlight has a luminous efficacy of about 93 lumens per watt of radiant flux, which includes infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunlight)
Infrared light can be felt but not seen. (Holy Ghost)
Visible light can be seen and felt. (The Son)
Ultraviolet light can’t be seen or felt. (The Father)
There are other examples I have that I can use. I hope you have enough information here to help you begin to comprehend and grasp this concept of the trinity.
All the best.
Hey Frank, can you reach me at byronarnold(at)gmail(dot)com? Your explanation has really helped me, and I would like to ask your permission to re-use the material to help others understand. Thank you so much.
~Byron Arnold
I will go with NANCY on this one.as it was explained to me god the father is the origin like the physical disc of the sun is.
god the son(logos gods mind) is like a ray coming out of the disc”only that his sending was timed to humanity”.
god the holy spirit(alive by his spirit) is another ray coming out of the sun and his sending too was timed(when jesus went back to the father he sent the holy spirit)…doesnt mean that the holy spirit wasnt given in the old testament but not for all people only for the prophets and the anointed kings.
Notice that u can see the disc and feel the warmth and see the light all at the same time which is like the diversity in the trinity functionality.
last thing according to the orthodox church where i belong the two rays representing the holy spirit and the son are emerging from the disc(the father)as their only source.i know this is different from catholic belief the holy spirit too emerges from the son.
but this is my question and i hope u reply to it.
how is it that the three distinct personalities within the holy trinity can have a dialogue?….i hope its not a disturbing question i just sometimes think about it.
I mean if the son talks with the father like in gestimain then there is a dialogue between two…yet one…so its not umm one mind…yet again the son represents the logos the mind…so how?…please forgive me i am just trying to understand
i hope u all have read the book of dick sztanyo relation between faith and reason.
http://www.apologeticspress.org/pdfs/e-books_pdf/far.pdf
i believe the word emerges isnt right(conveys a sense of being created which ofcourse is wrong)…i like to replace it with DIVERGES. thank you
Bob Lyle Replying to Alex G.
QUOTING ALEX G.:Bob Lyle, isn’t it a dealbreaker that hydrogen, oxygen, and other gases cannot each be seperately called “air”? They may combine into being air, but they are not independently air.
MY ANSWER: Neither can any one of the members of the Godhead be called “Trinity”. Father, Son & Holy Spirit combine into being Trinity, but they are not each independently Trinity.
AGAIN QUOTING ALEX: My understanding is that Jesus is FULLY God - his nature is the very same as the Father and Spirit. He can individually be worshiped as God, albeit in direct relationship to his role as a member of the Trinity.
MY ANSWER: You’re right that oxygen, hydrogen and other gases are not as identical in nature as are the 3 members of the trinity, but they are a whole lot more alike than the edge and sides of a coin or the 2 walls and ceiling of a corner or the shell, white and yolk of an egg or the spirit, soul and body of a man or time, space and matter, etcetera, etcetera, ad-infinitum.
Now if there were only one gas in the world, then the molecules of that one gas WOULD be called AIR; and when it moved it would be called wind, breath and all the other names that describe air. Likewise, if the Father had no Son, or the Son had no Father or the Holy Spirit had neither Father nor Son, any one of them alone would still be omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient; and he would be worshipped as God; but that one person would not be called Trinity.
QUOTING ALEX: Sorry that your analogy may not be the ultimate silver bullet.
MY ANSWER: Well, by incorporating the “one gas” concept into the “air” analogy, I still see silver. Let’s reload, gang!
Bob Lyle