Trinity details?

Question

I'm aware of how unpopular the Trinity is amongst certain folks, and why. This question isn't intended for those whose answer aims to refute it. Also I would like to add that this question is NOT evangelical in nature. I am not itrying to convince anyone of anything.

Isaiah 48:
16 Come ye near unto me, hear ye this;
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there am I:
and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

17 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
"I am the LORD thy God who teacheth thee to profit, who leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

Clearly this passage appears to be quoting God, yet in this quote we see a differentiation between God, His spirit, and the person quoting God. While I am Catholic, I still have difficulty with the concept of 3 "persons". 3 "parts" is far easier to understand. I'm hoping someone can help me understand the "persons" concept.

Thanks...

Answer 1

I would go for the three parts. The Spirit really isn't a person, anyway, and neither is God. The Son is the only one that became a person. Being a Catholic also, it is a difficult concept to grasp. You may find it comforting, however, that you can pray to God, who came to humankind in his Son, and and speaks to you through the Holy Spirit. Do you think of yourself and your soul as two different beings? Wouldn't that be comparable to God and His Spirit?

Answer 2

THE TRINITY CONCEPT IS DECEPTION AND GOD AND JESUS IS ONE ONLY IN THE WAY THEY THINK, THE PLAN FOR MANKIND. IT IS GOD THE FATHER AND JESUS THE SON. GOD IS A FAMILY AND IS REPRODUCING HISSELF WITH THOSE WHO KEEP HIS LAWS.
It may first be noted that the words “in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (KJ) found in older translations at 1 John 5:7 are actually spurious additions to the original text. A footnote in The Jerusalem Bible, a Catholic translation, says that these words are “not in any of the early Greek MSS [manuscripts], or any of the early translations, or in the best MSS of the Vulg[ate] itself.” A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, by Bruce Metzger (1975, pp. 716-718), traces in detail the history of the spurious passage. It states that the passage is first found in a treatise entitled Liber Apologeticus, of the fourth century, and that it appears in Old Latin and Vulgate manuscripts of the Scriptures, beginning in the sixth century. Modern translations as a whole, both Catholic and Protestant, do not include them in the main body of the text, because of recognizing their spurious nature.—RS, NE, NAB.

Other evidence of its impersonal nature. Further evidence against the idea of personality as regards the holy spirit is the way it is used in association with other impersonal things, such as water and fire (Mt 3:11; Mr 1:8); and Christians are spoken of as being baptized “in holy spirit.” (Ac 1:5; 11:16) Persons are urged to become “filled with spirit” instead of with wine. (Eph 5:18) So, too, persons are spoken of as being ‘filled’ with it along with such qualities as wisdom and faith (Ac 6:3, 5; 11:24) or joy (Ac 13:52); and holy spirit is inserted, or sandwiched in, with a number of such qualities at 2 Corinthians 6:6. It is most unlikely that such expressions would be made if the holy spirit were a divine person. As to the spirit’s ‘bearing witness’ (Ac 5:32; 20:23), it may be noted that the same thing is said of the water and the blood at 1 John 5:6-8. While some texts refer to the spirit as ‘witnessing,’ ‘speaking,’ or ‘saying’ things, other texts make clear that it spoke through persons, having no personal voice of its own. (Compare Heb 3:7; 10:15-17; Ps 95:7; Jer 31:33, 34; Ac 19:2-6; 21:4; 28:25.)

Answer 3

Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Elohaynu Adonai Echad.
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.

Barukh Shem k'vod malkhuto l'olam va-ed
Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever

note the first line! Christianity moves dangerously close to polytheism with their three gods and a goddess (Mary).
Remember the 10n Commandments including:

Thou shalt have no other gods before me

so, only the Jews got it right and followed the simple statement from Exodus.

BtW - the prayer quoted at the beginning is the Shema - the prayer most used by all Jews, every day.

Answer 4

The Church has make a confusion of this wrong doctrine. First of all there is only one true God the father of Jesus and the holy spirit is nothing but God's power. So that's very reasonable when you read versus like those you pointed..Saying God and his spirit sent him its telling you that such spirit is something that belongs to God (not to his son) and is not a third person because it doesn't have a personal name such as Jesus (God's son) and Jehovah (God almighty)
Then: God Almighty with his power or holy spirit , ad his son (two different people) Is that simple!
More questions? You may contact me by email.

Answer 5

I think this is the best description i have heard regarding the trinity.

"Christ according to the faith, is the second person in the Trinity, the Father being the first and the holy Ghost the third. Each of these three persons is God. Christ is his own father and his own son. The Holy Ghost is neither father nor son, but both. The son was begotten by the father, but existed before he was begotten--just the same before as after. Christ is just as old as his father, and the father is just as young as his son. The Holy Ghost proceeded form the Father and Son, but was an equal to the Father and Son before he proceeded, that is to say before he existed, but he is of the same age as the other two. Nothing ever was, nothing ever can be more perfectly idiotic and absurd than the dogma of the Trinity." - Col. Robert G. Ingersoll 1833-1899

Answer 6

God, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three separate beings with different roles, one in purpose. They make the Godhead. Jesus is the Son of God. When He was baptized, the Holy Ghost descended on Him (separate being) and the voice of the Father testified of Him (again separate personage) You can read this understand it clearly:

... I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people.

2 And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the Father, being the Father and the Son—

3 The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—

4 And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth.

5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.

6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even as Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

7 Yea, even so he shall be led, crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.

8 And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men—

9 Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.

The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.

23 A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon him and not tarry with him.

When prophet Joseph Smith had his first vision, he saw God the Father and the Son. They were two separate glorious personages with the same purpose.

Answer 7

it becomes easier to understand if you find a translation of the bible which uses Gods name Jehovah. most bibles have had it removed and replaced with lord, father and God so the name Jehovah no longer appears. by doing this people confuse Jesus with Jehovah. Jesus always said his power and message was from his Father, the one who sent him. He never claimed to be God, but always God's son. the holy spirit is also separate, it is Jehovah's active force which empowers his followers to do his will. it is the comforter Jesus said he would send after his death.
and as for his death, if Jesus were God, who was there to resurrect him if God was dead? the power to resurrect came from Jehovah by Jesus's own admission.
and as for John1:1, the translations used by many came from tampered manuscripts which removed a crucial word, a.
it reads, ''In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.'' and if you don't believe that, the greek words used for God and god were different. God signifying Jehovah, and god signifying a powerful being, in this case, Jesus

Answer 8

The Trinity is three persons, distinct in nature, which is why they are persons. They act in unity because they are never in disagreement about anything, yet they have separate functions. They communicate with one another as persons do. They are not bound together in the sense that we understand binding, but they are inseparable in the sense that they have a common purpose that does not vary. I understand that the concept of the Trinity is a difficult one to grasp, and it has taken me years of study, thought and counseling by mentors to finally get something of a grip on the concept. I can understand why the spiritually immature reject the concept---I am not calling you spiritually immature.

Answer 9

I think this deserves a simple answer so I will try.

You are one person, not more or less.

You have a mind a body and a soul, three parts no more , no less.

You are not your mind, you are not your body or your soul.

You are all three, they work in unison, they are all you, each is a part of you and is as much you as the other parts.

We were created in Gods image, three parts.

I hope that helps, works better for me than the egg, three parts, get it shell, yoke and white...

God Bless..

Answer 10

Alas! The Christian fraternity is not united even on this issue of fundamentals. Some incude Mary the blessed Virgin, others exclude her. Some (like Unitarians) do not at all believe in Trinity... This asker shall be answered by each according to own beliefs and perception. Their may be no 'best answer' !