To Whom Was Christ Praying?

Question

I don't understand the concept of the Trinity--the idea of three different aspects, one God. Maybe those who believe in the triune structure can help my understanding of their belief by answering this question.

When Jesus Christ was in the Garden of Gethsemane, to whom was he praying? It certainly does not appear to me, in my reading of the Bible, that he is praying to himself.

Further, when Christ laments on the cross that he has been forsaken, to whom is Christ referring? Who is he saying had forsaken him? It just doesn't make sense to me that Christ would be accusing God of forsaking him, if Christ were God, himself.

Note: this question isn't for those Christians who 1) don't believe that Jesus was God or 2) don't believe in a Trinity. I want to know from those who believe that Jesus is, in fact, part of the Godhead.... If he's God (one of three aspects, in any event), then why did he talk *to* God? Don't we usually reserve that for separate entities?

Answer 1

Jesus was praying to the Father. Each person of the Trinity is separate, but equal, and of the same substance.

Tertullian, one of the early church fathers, coined the term "Trinity." The word actually means "three-ness." Tertullian was an ardent supporter of orthodoxy in the church, and was one of the greatest defenders of the historic Christian faith.

The term "Trinity" is not found in the Scriptures, but the doctrine is clearly displayed. There are many times where Jesus said of Himself that He was God. He applied the name of God, "I AM," to Himself in several passages. Here's a few examples: Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50, Mark 13:6, Luke 21:8, John 4:26, John 6:20, John 8:24, 28, 58, and John 13:19. (In many English Bibles the words "I am" have been mistranslated to "It is I," or "I am He.") There are several others I have not listed. Besides this, Jesus said that He & the Father were one (John 10:30). This describes a unity, even though there are two.

The Trinity has an underlying appearance in the Old Testament as well. In Genesis, we see during creation that God said, "Let us make man in our image." and also when man sinned, God said, "...man has become as one of us, to know good and evil..." Who was He speaking to? The other persons of the Trinity. We also see that the Spirit of God hovered over the waters in the beginning, and in John 1:1-3, it clearly states that Jesus (the Word) made everything.

Another angle to pursue is the various Scriptures that demonstrate that God's attributes are present in Jesus as well as the Holy Spirit. For example, the Father is eternal (Psalm 90:2), and so is the Son (John 1:2), and so is the Holy Spirit (Hebrews 9:14). Another shared attribute is their holiness. Only God is truly holy. The Father is holy (Revelation 15:4), so is the Son (Acts 3:14), and so is the Spirit (Acts 1:8).

An ancient diagram of the Trinity can be helpful in getting your hands around the doctrine, and can be found at the link in the SOURCE list.

The Trinitarian doctrine requires much more depth of discussion than can occur here. It is important to know that we only have to believe, not necessarily understand, the Trinitarian nature of God. It is a bedrock doctrine of the Christian church. Anything else is heresy.

Answer 2

O. k the trinity is in the bible and to explain it alittle better then most people God is the creator of all things after adam and eve sinned he planned to send his soon who was made to be and look like god to come and save the world from the devil who now has adominion over this earth given by adam when he sinned. His son JESUS came died on the cross for you and me and evrybody else, he took evrybodys sin on himself and went to hell for 3 days where he conquared the devil and arose from the dead. When JESUS went up to heaven to be with his father he sent a helper the holy ghost to act as a guide and helper to those who need and ask for it so there you the father, the son and the holy ghost the trinity hope you understand.
bye

Answer 3

The trinity is the Father,Son and Holy Ghost. God in 3 persons. Jesus was praying to God. He was forsaken by one of the disiples. He doesn't accuse God of any wrong doing. He of course is not praying to himself. I think you should reread your Bible, You for some reason are not comprehending what you are reading.

Answer 4

God is the Father, Jesus is His Son, After the resurrection, the Holy Ghost. 3 Entities not 1

Answer 5

He was praying to his Father in heaven. Even though he was willing to go to the cross and die for us willingly for our sins, there was a part of him that didn't want to go through the pain. He knew what the suffering would entail, and he knew that the only way to bring us back into a right relationship with Him would be through the shedding of his blood. The Bitter cup of suffering is always difficult, but always necessary especially for ones growth.

Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to go through the pain and the rejection so that we could be accepted by His father.

Answer 6

God was always , in the beginning God said "let us make man in our image who was he referring to here??? God has always been,he sent Jesus to the earth to become man in the flesh and his spirit dwells in all believers. I think of the trinity this way look at an egg the yoke, the white, and the shell three parts yet1 egg.

Answer 7

He was praying to his Father. Remember that he was in fact true man as well as true God. The sacrifice had to be unblemished and pure to repair the relationship of man to God destroyed by Adam and Eve, such as a lamb which the Jews used to repair sin and since there was no human alive that was pure and unblemished God had to send his Son, the new Adam for that sacrifice

Answer 8

God is Creator....The word of God is Creator..God says be light....read in Genessa....
Jesus is The Word Of God,(is hard to understand,but not impossible) that meens Jesus does The Will of God .(The Word has got man life)
God-Father is like a fire(read about Moise..when he meat God...) ,mens can't stay near Him on earth.For that God was comming on earth in Jesus Christ,men and God(a form of God which can stay near a men..).
Jesus said in The New Testament,in many places,that He does and speaks only the Will of God,and says that His Kingdom isn't on Earth.
In the Garden ,Jesus was praying to God-Father(The Father of the Word),Jesus saw what will happen with Him.Jesus,had an mision on Earth,He must to do The Will of God Father,but Jesus was men and God on Earth,He can refuze,because was men too,with free will, but at and says..".but not My will be,be Your Will Father ".
On The Cross,few time,before the death of Jesus Christ,i hear at Medjugorje, ,that Jesus was only in His humanity,because only so He can be dead .In that situation,in His humanity, Jesus prays to God Father.
God Bless us and my soul bless my God.

Answer 9

The Trinity isn't mentioned in the Bible, it's just a way of understanding how that works.

God is the mind, Jesus is the body and the Spirit is the soul. Different parts, but put together it makes one being.

Answer 10

A lot (actually, _all_) of people have trouble with the Holy Trinity concept.

Jesus was praying to His father, whom we know by several names; Jehova, YHWH, The Almighty to name a few.