why is the concept of holy trinity confusing

To most people today, the Trinity is a distinctly Christian concept, referring to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Volunteer abroad this year on a short term global missions trip offered by one of the best, most-reliable Christian missions organizations in the world. All joking aside, these statements should help us understand what the Bible plainly states, and therefore what true Christians must believe. Point to Jesus speaking to the Father about sending the Holy Spirit," he says. Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. My passion is to help others apply God's truth to every aspect of life for his glory and our enjoyment of him. Unfortunately, there are many illustrations which are not simply imperfect, but in error. Thus, we are not speaking with a forked tongue we are not saying that God is one and then denying that He is one by saying that He is three. God as both three persons and one being with a single, divine nature is a difficult one. What does it take to begin a relationship with God? The essence only "exists" by subsisting in particular divine persons. This is perhaps the most famous analogy, and one that surely gets cracked out at least once a year in churches up and down the country. Does the Trinity mean that God is divided into three parts? So a closer look at the fact that God is one in essence but three in person has helped to show why the Trinity is not a contradiction. 42 people found it helpful jerriemaesibugone Answer: Holy trinity is confusing for some christians and non-christians alike because they have different kind of beliefs depending on their religions and some elders are very strict when it comes to beliefs (God) Explanation: Advertisement Still have questions? To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. For example: The Nicene Creed is recited during every service of Holy Communion . Enacting change on the tangible and intangible realms usually required more than one deity so that the essence of one deity would not overwhelm the balance of the worlds seen and unseen, Williams writes. Basil of Caesarea, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Gregory of Nazianzus (the Cappadocian Fathers), the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since. Help us keep publishing stories that provide scholarly context to the news. This makes sense. Cults deny the deity of Christ because they cant comprehend how Jesus could be a man and God at the same time. He is three in Person. Reaching students and faculty in middle and high school. JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students. The question of "Who is she?" is answered with, "Janie.". None of us can see God, not in a physical way. (2023, April 5). During the Old Testament, most of the prophets and characters in the Bible interact with God, being described as a Supreme Being, with older form. Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Hebrew Scriptures: Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4). Grace is the promise that you stand forgiven before God if you know Jesus. Well it would be, except that if we take the three leaves as representative of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, then the analogy fails to recognise that the Godhead is not simply split up into thirds, but each are wholly and completely God in and of themselves and also when they are together. We need to listen to His Spirit talking to our hearts. Kemetic culture relied on the principle of Maat, or order. 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. So, think of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as the three pieces of God's personality. Carrying this concept over to the Trinity, it is not a contradiction for God to be both three and one because He is not three and one in the same way. Theologian R.C. The Trinity has a very significant application to prayer. As Augustine said, "What you understand can't possibly be God".. Find more answers Ask your question To know more about the Holy Trinity, see these links below: This site is using cookies under cookie policy . We need you. Striving to see Christ-followers on every team, in every sport and in every nation. After Jesus went to heaven, his Apostles continued his teachings and works. The Holy Spirit is God, but He is not the Son or the Father. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. No problem and sorry for the late reply I was answering other questions and wasn't paying attention to my notification, Why is the concept of Holy Trinity confusing for some Christians and non Christians alike. God is one in a certain way (essence) and three in a different way (person). Plus you get FREE access to all of our eBooks. It is perhaps the most important doctrine in all of Christianity. The Trinity Is Confusing Because It Describes More of Gods Essence than All Other Doctrines. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most difficult ideas in Christianity, but it's fundamental to Christians because it: states what Christians believe God is like and who he is plays a. It just doesn't compare to the complexities of the Trinity. also 1:18). Someone please:(. The diversity in interpretation of the Trinity was conditioned especially through the understanding of the figure of Jesus Christ. But if that's the end of our understanding of the Trinity, then something's gone badly wrong," he explains. Why is the concept of Holy Trinity confusing for some Christians and non-Christians alike? Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! Asar was a revered king who was murdered by a usurper but became king of the afterlife, or spiritual realm. But his immanence shows that God is near, omnipresent, and holding all things together (Colossians 1:17). And while men typically occupied the formal positions of political authority, royal women also had a powerful role in decision making. God has revealed himself to us. The Holy Trinity The basis for the doctrine of the Trinity Holy Trinity The central Christian affirmations about God are condensed and focused in the classic doctrine of the Trinity, which has its ultimate foundation in the special religious experience of the Christians in the first communities. Answers to questions on donations, financial policies, Crus annual report and more. This question was answered through the Neoplatonic metaphysics of being. The second persona is God the Son, who we known as Jesus Christ. God is spirit (John 4:24). Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be distinct from the Father and the Son. 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. In fact, would Jesus have us baptize in the name of a mere creature? View our top Cru resources in more than 20 languages. God has revealed himself to us. The doctrine of the Trinity is by no means the easiest doctrine to articulateand not because most of the theological terminology is developed from patristic Latin and Greek. . God is one, and God is three. Get your fix of JSTOR Dailys best stories in your inbox each Thursday. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . It is very simple: All three Persons are one God because, as we saw above, they are all the same essence. Learn Religions. There is far more to God than the intricacies of the Trinity and, however we choose to look at it or make some sense of the complexities of the Godhead, we're never going to get there. He is God the Father which symbolizes power and justice. How can Christians, who talk about one God, and one God only, believe in him being three things, and isn't that impossible? The paperback version is available for $12.99. All Rights Reserved. Awareness of the distinct role that each Person of the Trinity has in our salvation can especially serve to give us greater comfort and appreciation for God in our prayers, as well as helping us to be specific in directing our prayers. God has revealed himself to us. People who believe in the trinity have to infer that their Jesus is god, first. There would only be a contradiction if we said that God is three in the same way that He is one. 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. Among churches that reject the doctrine of the . The three Persons are distinct, yet only constitute one name. "God is one but not solitary.". 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). Subscribe to AGW Ministries and you'll get short, practical, and Christ-centered content sent right to your inbox. The Trinity expresses the belief that God is one being made up of three distinct persons who exist in co-equal essence and co-eternal communion as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit . Simple, right? It just doesn't add up (sorry). The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (Latin: Trinitas, lit. Jesus is God, but He is not the Father or the Holy Spirit. 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! I've served as a missionary, a pastor, and as a pastoral counselor. Many people have stopped using the term "Trinity" and started using the term "Tri-Unity" to explain the three parts of God and how they form the whole. This is very important: God is one and three at the same time, but not in the same way. If you wanted to get as close as possible to answer the question, Who is God?, I believe it would be most fitting to start with the doctrine of the Trinity. These critics lack the proper understanding of the theological term "Holy Trinity" for or two reasons: 1. 2 (MARCH 2014), pp. All persons are beings, but not all beings are persons. But my favorite act of serving God is revealing his truth in written format. Please click here to learn how. The Wooden Horse: A Gift Christian theology took the Neoplatonic metaphysics of substance as well as its doctrine of hypostases as the departure point for interpreting the relationship of the Father to the Son. This process stands in direct relationship with a speculative interpretation of Christology in connection with Neoplatonic Logos speculation. JSTOR, the JSTOR logo, and ITHAKA are registered trademarks of ITHAKA. It is crucial for properly understanding what God is like, how He relates to us, and how we should relate to Him. Doesnt that help? The doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to the Christian faith. Therefore, it is often difficult to have a concrete definition of Person as we use it in regards to the Trinity. It's like the three stages of water: ice, liquid and vapour. The region was full of stories involving resurrection, salvation, virgin births, and central figures who were the sons of supreme gods. What we do not mean by Person is an independent individual in the sense that both I and another human are separate, independent individuals who can exist apart from one another. The Trinity Is Unique Among Monotheistic Religions. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is Godbut there is only one God. From the beginning, I have told you plainly what would happen.' Her identity sometimes merged with other goddesses, like Astarte and Hera. The word "trinity" is not written in the Bible, and this might be one of the reasons why other religions and skeptics think that Christians have borrowed a so-called polytheistic conception about God from Greek and Roman cultures. To him be glory forever. Mahoney, Kelli. While Jesus and the Father are both God, they are different Persons. What can you le Omissions? But he is also the King, reigning over us. Proponents of this way of thinking believe that God first manifested himself as Father, then as Jesus, then as the Holy Spirit. Satan Tempts Jesus in the Wilderness Bible Study Guide. In one of his sermons, he wrestled with the passage in Scripture recounting Jesus' Baptism. He can do anything, be anything, and be everything at every moment of every second of every day. The first tendency recognized the distinctness among the three, but at the cost of their equality and hence of their unity (subordinationism). Leading from values so others will walk passionately with God to grow and bear fruit. Gods essence is His being. , rma 2. Beliefs and Practices of UPCI United Pentecostal Church International, Compare Major Beliefs of 7 Christian Denominations, Biography of Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria. Also, confusions are experienced by people who don't read the bible or haven't understood the bible at all. This basis of experience is older than the doctrine of the Trinity. Atman 5. It should be a comfort embraced, not Scripture to be altered (as the cults do), when we run into truths of God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that rise above human logic. God is not one person who plays three different roles, as this illustration suggests. Mahoney, Kelli. This traditional doctrine expresses a belief in one God who exists in three distinct but equal persons. 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. Why does scarcity mean that people must choose. True Christianity is logical, but every part of it should not be grasped fully or else it is not really describing our Creator. Holy trinity is confusing for some christians and non-christians alike because they have different kind of beliefs depending on their religions and some elders are very strict when it comes to beliefs (God). They are three real persons, not three roles God plays. The Trinity is first of all important because God is important. Genesis 1:26, Deuteronomy 6:4, Matthew 28:19. The problem comes when we get confused between what is helpful truth being illustrated, and what's actually misleading.". 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. Write your answer in your answer sheet. But the essence is not a fourth "thing" over and above the three persons of the Trinity. If there is one passage which most clearly brings all of this together, it is Matthew 28:19: Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. First, notice that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinguished as distinct Persons. The words might be spelled forward or backward. Will the actions of orthodox Anglicans be as strong as their words post-Kigali? These personal distinctions are modes of existence within the divine being, but are not divisions of the divine being. "If the shamrock story is truethen as an opportunistic missional moment, that's fine. In order for something to be contradictory, it must violate the law of noncontradiction. Trojans' side of the story. 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). Use your hobbies and interests to find the best place for you to serve. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Write the letter of your answer in your answer sheet. To be even more precise, essence is what you are. Abstract. Seven comedy moments you might have missed, Three of Jesus' commands we might have been getting wrong, How did Judas Iscariot die? Every term in this statement (God, exists, as or in, equally divine, Person) has been variously understood. He represents Past and normally encountered during the earliest times in the bible. He has given us a written record of his truths and sent his Son to earth for this very purpose. But a dog is one being and zero persons. of the Holy Trinity has long been acknowledged in the Christian tradition. Within Gods one, undivided being is an unfolding into three personal distinctions. Early Christians believed that Jesus used the phrase "in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" in Matthew 28:19 to make the first reference to the Trinity. But God is not an equation to be figured out, but rather our Lord to be loved, enjoyed, and obeyed. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser. This is not . Amen. It is confusing because, you are seeing three (3) different people or symbols. Get the answers to frequently asked questions on Christian beliefs and practices. If God was to give us true information about himself, it would be fitting that some of it would be very confusing. Their trinity god is 3 males. We exist to worship God. Like many Egyptian gods, these divine beings started out as humans. Use the links below to jump to a specific section: The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Have a correction or comment about this article? They are equal in power, love, mercy, justice, holiness, knowledge, and all other qualities. They are all eternal. 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. The fact that God has made himself close and present (immanent) does not negate the fact that he is also reigning in glorious, unapproachable light (transcendent) (1 Timothy 6:15-16). Did this doctrine originate in the Bible or in the early Church? This approach is known as Partialism (which is also the term for something else which is NSFW.) Therefore each of the Persons into whose name we are to be baptized must be deity. Read about individuals who have been transformed by faith. How can God be both one and three? to the How is God three? Why is the concept of Holy Trinity confusing for some Christians and non-Christians alike? The fact that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not an impersonal force (like gravity), is also shown by the fact that He speaks (Hebrews 3:7), reasons (Acts 15:28), thinks and understands (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), wills (1 Corinthians 12:11), feels (Ephesians 4:30), and gives personal fellowship (2 Corinthians 13:14). Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The situation became further aggravated by the conceptions of the special personal character of the manifestation of God developed by way of the historical figure of Jesus Christ; the Holy Spirit was viewed not as a personal figure but rather as a power and appeared graphically only in the form of the dove and thus receded, to a large extent, in the Trinitarian speculation. peoples' experiences? Surely that's a watertight analogy (sorry, again)? They are different Persons, not three different ways of looking at God. It sounds confusing at first, but when we understand the jobs of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, breaking it up makes it easier for us to understand God. God Is Immanent and Transcendent, Thus God Is Comprehensible and Confusing. Well this one falls short, too. | World Events and the Bible The trinity is the belief the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the same entity. This included the grouping of deities in families or pairs, such as the Asar-Aset-Heru trinity. The Trinity does not divide God into three parts. reason to finally surrender Find resources for personal or group Bible study. But the Holy Spirit is not an it, but a He (see John 14:26; 16:7-15; Acts 8:16). The earliest Christians, however, had to cope with the implications of the coming of Jesus Christ and of the presumed presence and power of God among themi.e., the Holy Spirit, whose coming was connected with the celebration of Pentecost. Is the Trinity a contradiction? So God is one what but three whos.. So what's the point in these illustrations? Even many early Christian baptisms were centered on an embrace of the Trinity. Only the Trinity is "divine" in the sense of being a god. Murtis 9. The answer must be no, because the Bible also indicates that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons. Mao Zedong: Reader, Librarian, Revolutionary? The Bible is clear that all three Persons are each one hundred percent God. He spoke with Moses face-to-face as a friend (Exodus 33:11), but he would not let Moses see his face because Moses would have been killed by the holiness of the Lord (Exodus 33:20). 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. It is accepted in all of the historic confessions of Christianity, even though the impact of the Enlightenment decreased its importance in some traditions. These statements help us understand the facts about the Trinity. Sigmund Freud theorized that our personalities are made up of three parts: Id, Ego, Super-ego. 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. While the core aspects of the Trinity are clearly presented in God's Word, some of the side issues are not as explicitly clear. Directions: Match the terms in Column A with its English meaning in Column B. When the global church comes together then powerful things can happen. Another serious error people have made is to think that the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit. 33 This theory has the Father and Son being "divine" not in the sense of being a god, but rather in the sense of being something like parts of the one God, which is the Trinity. With regard to the Trinity, there is one being, which is God, yet there are there Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 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. And in John 16:13-15 we see that although there is a close unity between them all, the Holy Spirit is also distinct from the Father and the Son. The faith in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Updates? We, as people, are balanced out by the impulsive Id, the logical Ego, and the moralizing Super-ego. Why is it important to tell our stories? 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. But it also raises many difficult questions. For example, it says of Christ that in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Colossians 2:9). In ancient Egyptor Kemet, as it was known to its people at the timeone key concept was the relationship among three deities, Asar, Aset, and Heru. The Holy Trinity is pertaining to one God, but he has three (3) forms, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Would you like to give your time to work with Cru? The Trinity Is Confusing to Understand, But Simple to Define. She became known as the protector of the living and the most powerful healer among the gods. Around 3334 AD/CE, during or soon after the life and/or death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the concept of the Holy Trinity began to take hold. Then they reject Genesis 1:27 that says that God is male and female and we were created like Them. It is crucial for properly understanding what God is like, how He relates to us, and how we should relate to Him. It is right for every Christian to pursue knowledge of God, fully expecting to attain it. Understanding the Holy Trinity. Since the Father and Son are both already in Heaven, God will continue to communicate to us, his people by the Holy Spirit. It's not that complicated. But Aset, and the Egyptian trinity more generally, didnt map cleanly onto the emerging Christian system. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Trinity-Christianity, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy - Trinity. [2] [3] [4] Nontrinitarian (largely part of the Restorationist branch of Christianity), who reject the . In other words, you have contradicted yourself if you affirm and deny the same statement. Bringing hope and resources to military families worldwide. Having seen that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, that they are each fully God, and that there is nonetheless only one God, we must conclude that all three Persons are the same God. Neither should we think of the Persons as being defined by attributes added on to the being of God. Are these just three different ways of looking at God, or simply ways of referring to three different roles that God plays? The Holy Trinity is pertaining to one God, but he has three (3) forms, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And my personal favourite it's like three-in-one shampoo. Because different people have different kinds of beliefs based on their religions and some elders are very strict when it comes to beliefs, the holy trinity can be confusing for both Christians and non-Christians. 45, No. Those three parts impact our thoughts and decisions in different ways. Some refer to Him as the Godhead. Under the influence of subsequent Neoplatonic philosophy, this tradition became central in speculative theology. It is that little voice in your head.
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