holy trinity egg analogy holy trinity egg analogy

In order to accomplish this union with God and man, He allowed His Shell to be broken with the weight of our sins to cleanse our souls so His holiness can approach, for God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). God is like H2Olike water. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him to equip Him for His ministry. Memory, Understanding, and Will. No analogy is perfect, but we want to be careful of using wrong ones that may confuse people. Further, we can label each of the sides. The beautiful depth of Gods eternal Triune nature is a sublime reality which should bring an end to our attempts to cognitively master Him. Here are a few common illustrations: The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk. The mystery is in the "how" this is accomplished; something we will finally understand in heaven. But remember, it is much better to let Scripture teach the 3 points above which establish the doctrine of the Trinity than to rely on analogies. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:13). The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. Trinity is like a Shamrock (or an Apple or an Egg). Ontological means the nature or essence of something. God is not made up of 3 parts like the 3 parts of the egg. These two analogies are the "water" analogy and the "egg" analogy. The problem with this analogy is that it teaches that God has three components: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. The Holy Spirit and Son do not send the Father. So, in God, there are three distinct persons. It is so important that to deny the trinity is to deny Christianity. It is the Fathers desire to join His Spirit with all of us as well for He has said They shall be My sons and daughters (II Corinthians 6:18). Part 2. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. God does not play three roles.. For the Trinity, instead of using the formula 1+1+1, we use 1x1x1. To become the people we were always created to be. He completed a doctorate in 1990, looking at the question of harmonic rhythm in the organ music of J.S. Martyn Iles Removed as Managing Director of Australian Christian Lobby by Board, Seven Types of Rest to Restore Your Body, Mind and Spirit, 8 witnesses testified against Hillsong founder Brian Houston in court case, wife Bobbie reveals, Why you feel guilty for not going to church, Samaritan's Purse sends 52-bed field hospital to Turkey. A good example would be an electrical cord. Modalism is a heresy because it denies the distinction of God. If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, constructed between 1800 and 1804, is the first Anglican cathedral to have been built outside the British Isles. The Father hears their intercessory prayers. The problem with this analogy is that it also leads to the heresy of MODALISM. Or, we can quote Daniel Webster; a strong Christian- I do not pretend fully to understand the arithmetic of heaven now. . Therefore, there is one God, who is eternally present in three persons. 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 TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three different parts or components of God, but the . 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). So, part of understanding the Trinity is realizing that God is personal and relational. But if modalism is true, and the Trinity really is like water, then the story of Jesus (the Son) praying to the Father as recorded in the Bible seems like an awfully strange masquerade. A good follow up verse to help explain is the baptism of Jesus. What we can understand and accept is that God exists eternally as one divine nature, substance, or essence, comprising three co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial personsthe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 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. An egg has a shell, white, and yolk, but these three are part of an egg or Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao but the same Philippines. Shively Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. Yet God lovingly chose to create and eventually redeem us anyway (both thoroughly Trinitarian acts), at great cost to Himself. . The word trinity is not in the Scriptures, but is a word used to describe the three in one God revealed in the Bible. We came up with several practical implications of this doctrine. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. But you cannot be broken when your faith is in Jesus, for the Spirit of the Son that lives in us and gives us the voice through which we cry Abba, Father, (Galatians 4:6,) this Spirit of the Father that dwells within you is there to strengthen, protect and guard your person. Therefore, we would rightly say, within the Ontological Trinity, there is no variation or distinction made. I never thought about it in that way some of these examples Ive never heard of. While it captures the idea that God is one, it doesnt do such a good job of showing how God is three and one at the same time. For them, a person is someone who could relate to another. 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. TO AVOID HERESIES, LET US LIVE BY WHAT HAS BEEN REVEALED TO US: 1. As a result, this analogy actually teaches modalism. This analogy denies the distinction of the God-head. Jesus, visually seen, judges all, not the Unseen Father. History, lifestyle, family, music, theology, scripture, literature, the saints, church history, parenting, politics, prayer, the pope, and more. This analogy seems to make a lot of sense, but it actually reinforces a fatal misconception about the Trinity called modalism. It is the Central Mystery of our Christian faith. But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. Being the brightness of the eternal Light, He Himself also is absolutely eternal. It should bring us to realise that we truly are finite creatures standing before a sovereign, transcendent, divine mystery. Afterall, we can get rid of a few of its parts - for instance the shell - and still scramble an egg. Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. I know in the past Ive used analogies that werent the best (more on those later.) Each part of the egg make up only one portion of the wholethe yolk is not the fullness of the egg. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. The following verses attest to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. Blessings! As John 1:18 says, Jesus is "the only begotten God, in the bosom of [God] the Father.". The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. Thus the Father is in Jesus " I and My Father are One" (John 10:30), "The Father is in Me" (John 14:10) God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (II Corinthians 5:19). The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. God the Father spoke from heaven and spoke of His Son, Jesus. God is not made up of 3 'parts' like the 3 parts of the egg. The Egg and I - Part Two It leads to the heresy of MODALISM which teaches that God switches to different modes. The three distinct notes come together to make one beautiful sound. Often these analogies explicitly teach heresy. If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. The yolk represents Gods Person, His Being, and His Holiness which generates Light that no man can approach (I Timothy 6:16). The problem with this analogy is that no one molecule of H2O can actually exist as solid, liquid, and gas at the same time. 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. There would be three thrones. When we use analogies, we need to indicate these things so as to not lead to heresies, A Catholic and Filipino writer interested in theology, philosophy, liturgy, politics, and law. The watermelon has a skin, pulp and seeds; the egg is shell, yolk and egg white. Time exists as 3 things: past, present, and future. For instance at the baptism of Christ, the Father, Son and Spirit are all distinctly present and interacting (Matthew chapter 3 verses 16-17). Each PERSON is distinct from one another. The Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. Therefore the eternal brightness shines forth before Him, and co-exists with Him, in that, existing without a beginning, and always begotten, He always shines before Him; and He is that Wisdom which says, I was that wherein He delighted, and I was daily His delight before His face at all times.. Have you wondered what is God like? He has been a member of the Royal Australian Air Force since 2007, and is now training to be an Air Force Chaplain. Arianism clearly denies the deity of the three persons. Deuteronomy 6:4- Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. This verse is also the beginning of the Jewish Shema prayer; their confession of faith. FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. Scripture however, doesnt depict God this way. The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. Also, the egg is made up of three distinct and unalike parts. According to the first, just as water takes three forms (liquid, vapor, and ice), so too God takes the form of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Light comes from God. But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. It is the Fathers desire to join His Spirit with all of us as well for He has said They shall be My sons and daughters (II Corinthians 6:18). 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 did read about the shamrock analogy! Modalism teaches that one God just changes forms or modes over the course of scripture. They are three in one egg. These three Persons are all equally God and all equally Persons. CafeLogos.orgThe Egg and i -A Simple Explanation of The Trinity But this view, too, wont do. Few topics of discussion in the Christian faith are more confusing than the idea of the Trinity. But while this idea is central to the Christian faith, it is also incredibly mysterious to us. He taught that the son was at one point created by God the father. Theyve transformed. Haydn Lea is an Associate Pastor in Queensland, and is currently studying his Master of Arts (Theology). Or have you ever tried to teach kids about the Trinity? The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and are distinguished from one another. Each person is fully God (Phil 2; Acts 5:3-4). The teaching of the trinity is clearly taught in Scripture and must be preserved as such. God is like H2O in that the Bible may refer to a specific person of the Trinity but that person is still God. The trinity is an essential doctrine to the Christian faith. God controls that light. We believe in only one true God in all existence, in all places, at all times. Well, the egg analogy, when applied to God, suggests that only one being exists but this being exists in three different parts. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. This would make Jesus something less than fully God. in that He is not made up of three parts one part () the Father, another part () Jesus Christ and a third part () the Holy Spirit. Tritheism denies the unity of the God-head by saying there is just three different gods. Its downright hard to understand. But thats not how they understood it. Instead, each person is co-equal, co-powerful and co-eternal. Truly, it is a Mystery. An essential factor lacking from those concepts is the relational quality of God. Good and Bad Analogies of the Trinity - Answers . Believing in the above 3 points leads all Christians to acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of modalism. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. One day, however, the image will be clear. Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. Did I leave out any analogies? When we view the egg in its entirety we have the Biblical Trinity, One that is Three. John 17). You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. This analogy denies the unity of the God-head. The Holy Spirit is Christs spirit in us guiding us into all truth. Each one is fully 100% God. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. So comparing God to water isnt really as helpful as it seems on the surface. Required fields are marked *. To help you out, here is a comical and silly video that teaches about these bad analogies. Just as water changes forms so too is the trinity. 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). But if they give us a warped idea of what they are trying to explain, they arent helpful illustrations. His ways are higher than ours, but isnt that a comfort?! 3. Each side is co-equal with the others, yet, each side is necessary. Depth isnt the same thing as height and height isnt the same thing as width, yet all three together are what comprise space. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. If you only had an apple core, you wouldnt pack it in your lunch. How do we make sense of the Trinity? Trinity Egg Analogy . When the Bible talks about God, it may be referring to Jesus Christ in a specific instance, the Holy Spirit in another and God the Father in a third occasion. However, many of our faithful, and even priests, attempted to simplify the Mystery of the Trinity and made it easier to understand by using MODELS AND ANALOGIES, giving birth to modern-day heresies/fallacies about the Trinity. That helps explain the concept quite well- the oneness, unity of God with the distinct three persons of God- Father, Son, and Spirit. But Jesus makes it clear in John 10:30- I and the Father are One. The Greek word for one means one thing, not one person. They are united in their essence (spirit, nature) but not identical persons. Water at room temperature is liquid. The Egg Analogy - This claims to be a good representation of the Trinity because Eggs have three distinct parts: the shell, the yolk, and the whites. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? Paul leaves the Corinthians with this blessing in 2 Corinthians 13:14- May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.. In the Scripture we see "the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Col 1:9). Jesus loves us so much that he did not obliterate people who died, with power that set stars in the universe. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. It is still important that we have some understanding of the concept, however. Im giving God the credit for stirring this memory, and am extremely grateful. In the same way is God being the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.. Sadly, theres something "rotten" about this egg analogy. The trinity is Like a man who is a father, husband, and son. PART OF A WHOLE. I do not have the time or space to exhaustively demonstrate in scripture these truths, but the Biblical witness teaches these three truths consistently about God. His being is somewhat of a mystery to us. 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). Haydn Lea is an Ordained Minister, and is currently serving as an Air Force Chaplain in Adelaide. 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 problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. In the same way, water is all the same molecular structure, expressing itself in three different modes. God Himself explains why some things are still a mystery: For as heaven is higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Our human minds can never understand all of who God is and how He thinks and acts. Now that we know the doctrine of the trinity and its corresponding major heresies, now we are ready to look at some bad analogies for the trinity. show me your glory. They say that three separate beings exist, 2. They are equally eternal, powerful, sovereign, and worthy of worship. For example, triangles are not the kinds of things that are personal. The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. Jesus is fully God. I have the good one. Thought of Tim Its amazing to think that everything will be so clear when we het to Heaven! One thing that Ive found helpful is using the Trinity to illustrate truths we know about God. They say that three separate beings exist 2. It falls into the heresy of tri-theism. 3 - The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct persons. Genisis 1:17, KJV. . When discussing God, especially in regards to his nature, being and persons, a simple statement to articulate the Trinity is: God is 1 what and 3 whos*. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each called Jehovah (or Spirit of Jehovah), given divine attributes, and, (usually there is no argument that the Father is not God, since every place Jesus speaks to God, he is addressing the Father.). We believe that it is a revelation that comes from Christ Himself. The angel answered (Mary), The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High (referring to the Father, italics mine) will overshadow you. The Trinity is foundational and at the heart of our Christian faith. The very definition of the heresy known as Modalism/Oneness is that there is one person existing in three different modes or manifestations. The Trinity is Like an Egg How the analogy goes: The Trinity is like an egg. Each character of the trinity has in one another (cf. 2. This is the one I used long ago when trying to explain the Trinity to a group of 1st-5th graders. Learn how your comment data is processed. To put it simply, "The problem with using analogies to explain the Holy Trinity is that you always end up confessing some ancient heresy." . Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. Check out verse four: Holy Author, Holy Word, Holy Spirit, three we name thee; Still, one holy voice is heard; undivided God, we claim thee, and adoring bend the knee, while we own the mystery. . This may be my favorite verse of them all. Or what? This view teaches that three separate beings exist. So much of what we know about what God does is wrapped up in who He is. Three persons is false. In Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9) A single molecule cannot simultaneously exist in three different states. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. We wont find the word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept is shown in many verses. What makes it hard is that all of our analogies and metaphors fall short of capturing what the Trinity actually is. 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. It became real to me because I have experienced His love, grace, guidance, redemption, conviction of sin, and fellowship that comes from Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. 6And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons., , The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all., There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. This analogy actually teaches the heresy of tritheism. Therefore, in this context, God is the what and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the who. They all exist as fully God, with none of them lacking in any attribute or aspect that defines God. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. But having lots 6 Bible Study Tools To Help You Dive Deeper. One sits on the throne looking like Sardine and Jasper stone. However, it breaks down on the level of equality: No one keeps or eats the shell of an egg. The military would end up destroying themselves. It is not important merely for the sake of tradition, or because the word itself is taught in the Bible (. The early church labeled this view "tritheism". copyright 2009 by H.D. Located in the heart of Quebec's historic district, it is a source of inspiration for visitors from around the world. 1 Corinthians 8:6: Yet for us there is but one God.. Eggs are one, yet comprise yolk, shell and albumen. Its hard to explain! So whats one good way to explain what the Trinity is? As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. We all want to experience the good life. The Holy Spirit prays for us. Water has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. Here are eight bible characters that you might not know about, but should. Jesus is the Holy Spirit. But the Father is not the Son or the Spirit. It is a miraculous invention, the egg. Infinite thy vast domain, everlasting is thy reign.. Or water can be evaporated and called steam. Each person is fully the one God, but is also distinct. Each one is fully God. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God. THE TRUTH IS: The Father, Son, and Spirit are three different persons who are all equally one God. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. Like modalism, the "three beings" view was rejected by the early church. When you encounter a person or group who denies the Trinity, it is merely a matter of walking through these 3 points, to see where they diverge from Biblical teaching. La da dee dee dum dum (I couldnt remember the in-between parts). In an attempt to explain the Trinity, there are some bad examples people use, and some better ones. It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves running, boxing and studying history and theology. 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. Jesus is the visual form of God. Indeed, how can an infinite God be contained in a finite human womb! His ways are not my ways! Augustine's typical dialectic is to move from the exterior realities of creation to the interior reality of the human soul where he hoped to encounter God in the image of God, damaged as it is by the fall. (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. The word God in this sense is defined as a single being, having all divine attributes. Father, Son, Holy Sprit : 3 persons, 1 great relationship, Copyright 2023 Fervr | Terms of Service. We can think of it this way: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. It taught there is one nature in God, and that there are two processions, three persons, and four relations that constitute the Blessed Trinity. We recommend you adhere these emblems to your vestments by mounting on the material with fabric glue and then stitching them . But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. As we examine the scriptural witness we see three truths that make up the doctrine of the trinity. The unseen Father is in Christs mind. The egg has a shell, the whites and a yoke. ORDER from Barnes and NobleAmazon.com or wherever fine books are soldISBN-13: 978-1978167643Return to Cafe Logos Homepage | Bite-Sized Bible Bites. The apple seed alone is not an apple. If the Sun existed from eternity past then so were the light rays from the Sun. In other words, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have a unique and unbreakable unity, and their existence together is the being that is God. I can only shake my head when He does these things! Water Analogy - God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. The shell, while important, is no longer needed. Now, as youve probably guessed, this analogy also breaks down. RELATED: What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts? [4] The goal of an analogy is to draw out similarities between it and its referent in illuminating ways, not to define the referent itself. All of the above Bad Analogies would perhaps do more harm than good if used in explaining the Trinity. None of the 3 are less divine than the others. There have been many attempts to explain the Trinity the relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. God does not morph from one person to another, nor does God exist as three separate beings. Celebrating Easter Is About so Much More Than One Hour on Sunday. God has revealed some mysteries from the Old Testament in the New Testament (the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the coming of the Messiah, salvation by grace through faith, etc.) It does not represent 3 persons existing simultaneously. Unfortunately, no analogy is perfect. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father., 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. In this episode, Fred Sanders discusses what it really means to say that God is a Trinitythree persons in one God. The Father is fully God; Jesus is fully God and the Holy Spirit is fully God.