Ever get Confused about the Trinity?

Question

Ive seen lots of questions about God-The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Many people are confused about it, and I was too untill I found an explanation in my daily devotional book that I got from camp, I wanted to share it with everyone...

[Have you ever wondered how water can be in three different forms, with different characteristics, and still be water? Science shows that water can be in the form of a liquid, solid and gas, each having different characteristics & different purposes, but each being fully water and equally water.
The same is true with the Trinity. There is ONE God who eternally exists in THREE persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, all of whom are fully God, all of whom are equal. Each person of the trinity has different characteristics about Himself & different purposes in the roles and in how they relate and communicate to us on earth.]

You might think me weird for relating God to water, but it helped me understand the Trinity a little more

Answer 1

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name (NOT THE NAMES) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (St. Matt. 28:20).



Many Christians begin to learn about the Trinity through knowledge of Baptism. This is also a starting point for others in comprehending why the doctrine matters to so many Christians, even though the doctrine itself teaches that the being of God is beyond complete comprehension. The Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed are structured around profession of the Trinity, and are solemnly professed by converts to Christianity when they receive baptism, and in the Church's liturgy, particularly when celebrating the Eucharist. One or both of these creeds are often used as brief summations of Christian faith by mainstream denominations.

One God
God is one, and the Godhead a single being: The Hebrew Scriptures lift this one article of faith above others, and surround it with stern warnings against departure from this central issue of faith, and of faithfulness to the covenant God had made with them. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" (Deuteronomy 6:4) (the Shema), "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Deuteronomy 5:7) and, "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel and his redeemer the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." (Isaiah 44:6). Any formulation of an article of faith which does not insist that God is solitary, that divides worship between God and any other, or that imagines God coming into existence rather than being God eternally, is not capable of directing people toward the knowledge of God, according to the trinitarian understanding of the Old Testament. The same insistence is found in the New Testament: "...there is none other God but one" (1 Corinthians 8:4). The "other gods" warned against are therefore not gods at all, but substitutes for God, and so are, according to St. Paul, simply mythological or are demons.

So, in the trinitarian view, the common conception which thinks of the Father and Christ as two separate beings, is incorrect. The central, and crucial affirmation of Christian faith is that there is one savior, God, and one salvation, manifest in Jesus Christ, to which there is access only because of the Holy Spirit. The God of the Old is still the same as the God of the New. In Christianity, it is understood that statements about a solitary god are intended to distinguish the Hebraic understanding from the polytheistic view, which see divine power as shared by several separate beings, beings which can, and do, disagree and have conflicts with each other. The concept of Many comprising One is quite visible in the Gospel of John, chapter 17, verses 20 through 23.

God exists in three persons

The "Shield of the Trinity" or "Scutum Fidei" diagram of traditional Western Christian symbolism.This one God however exists in three persons, or in the Greek hypostases. God has but a single divine nature. Chalcedonians — Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants — hold that, in addition, the Second Person of the Trinity — God the Son, Jesus — assumed human nature, so that he has two natures (and hence two wills), and is really and fully both true God and true human.


The singleness of God's being and the multiplicity of the Divine Persons together account for the nature of Christian salvation, and disclose the gift of eternal life. "Through the Son we have access to the Father in one Spirit" (Ephesians 2:18). Communion with the Father is the goal of the Christian faith and is eternal life. It is given to humans through the Divine union with humanity in Jesus Christ who, although fully God, died for sinners "in the flesh" to accomplish their redemption, and this forgiveness, restoration, and friendship with God is made accessible through the gift to the Church of the Holy Spirit, who, being God, knows the Divine Essence intimately and leads and empowers the Christian to fulfill the will of God. Thus, this doctrine touches on every aspect of the trinitarian Christian's faith and life; and this explains why it has been so earnestly contended for, throughout Christian history.

Answer 2

I have heard this analogy also, but what does the bible say... is that not really what God has given us as a way of communication? It is an interesting observations actually to see many of christian churches whatever they are baptist, Pentecostal or evangelical, they all do the same thing,

1. they have their own way of worship to Jesus,
2. they celebrate holidays that are pagan or wiccan in origin, despite they attempt to justify that some holidays are harmless in our time,
3. worships three gods in one.

Like the Egyptians, Babylonians, and many other nations they also worshiped triads. or three gods in one. Since the 3rd century the Church has incorporated that belief and other holidays as being acceptable. Of course over the last 2,000 years it has become tradition. But even the early Americans when they landed they did not celebrate Christmas, as it was in Europe involved with adultery and drunkenness which are things in the bible state those persons will not inherit the kingdom of God.

So rather than listening to pastors that do not follow what God has stated in his word the Bible, It is best to read it for yourself, and examine what God requires of you.

Answer 3

No.If the Trinity is true, it is degrading to Jesus to say that he was never equal to God as part of a Godhead. But if the Trinity is false, it is degrading to Almighty God to call anyone his equal, and even worse to call Mary the "Mother of God." If the Trinity is false, it dishonors God to say, as noted in the book Catholicism: "Unless [people] keep this Faith whole and undefiled, without doubt [they] shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this: we worship one God in Trinity.

WELL, then, do the Christian Greek Scriptures ("New Testament") speak clearly of a Trinity?

The Encyclopedia of Religion says: "Theologians agree that the New Testament also does not contain an explicit doctrine of the Trinity."

Jesuit Fortman states: "The New Testament writers . . . give us no formal or formulated doctrine of the Trinity, no explicit teaching that in one God there are three co-equal divine persons. . . . Nowhere do we find any trinitarian doctrine of three distinct subjects of divine life and activity in the same Godhead."

The New Encyclopædia Britannica observes: "Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament."

Bernhard Lohse says in A Short History of Christian Doctrine: "As far as the New Testament is concerned, one does not find in it an actual doctrine of the Trinity."

The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology similarly states: "The N[ew] T[estament] does not contain the developed doctrine of the Trinity. 'The Bible lacks the express declaration that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are of equal essence' [said Protestant theologian Karl Barth]."

Yale University professor E. Washburn Hopkins affirmed: "To Jesus and Paul the doctrine of the trinity was apparently unknown; . . . they say nothing about it."—Origin and Evolution of Religion

There is clear evidence that the trinity is not taught in the Bible. True Christians are not confused about God. Trinitarians are.

Answer 4

Yes and in fact much of the Muslin world is Muslim because the church broke up on this issue and those areas were more vulnerable to invasion.

Further edit:I guess I angered some of the christians. If they did learn their church history they'd find that the trinity became official church dogma around 300-400 ad. I believe it was Constantine that had the big meeting but the Bishop from Egypt was late and certainly did not agree. There were many people in the eastern church who felt christ was either "more" devine or "more" human. I omitted making a judgement on whether or not this creed is "correct", that is a matter of faith. Most Christians today certainly believe it to be true. Muslim and Jewish critisize Christians on this point of dogma. My point is merely that the concept is not only a bit "debatable" but that it has historically been a point of conflict in the past. That does not necessarily imply that the dogma is "untrue". I mean relativity and quantum mechanics are counter intuitive compared to newtonian laws. However experiment suggests they are closer to the truth. WIth respect to religious truth in the end, it is a matter of faith.

Answer 5

Yes, it was also a concept that early church sects battled over.

While your illustration is entertaining, it fails to address the fact that the trinity means all three existing in the same place at the same time. Which water clearly does not.

The trinity is a very complex issue.

Answer 6

Ask your self, if Trinity is the truth, why it was not preached by no other prophets before ? By accepting Jesus as God are you not deviating from the first commandment of God ? If people before Jesus can enter paradise by worshiping God alone, why people after Jesus cannot ? When it become necessary to believe in Trinity, is it when Jesus was born, or when Jesus attainted 30 years or when Jesus left this world or when actually bible was written 40 years later Jesus ?

Answer 7

Bible also gives a great example. It is written that a husband and a wife are not longer two flesh, but they are ONE flesh. The husband is male, and has different roles then that of his wife ( female ), so they are different, yet they are ONE.
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, all have different roles, yet they also are ONE.
Understand the meaning behind a husband and a wife are no longer two, but they are ONE, then you will understand the Trinity also.

More info can be found here:
http://members.aol.com/discipledave/book/Trinity.html

Thanks

In His Holy and Precious Name, Jesus Christ

email [e-mail]
http://members.aol.com/discipledave/book/Index.html

Answer 8

Thank you for your question. I hope that it provokes much discussion, as we can all learn from each other.

The Trinity is so hard for our minds to grasp. It is one that I am still struggling with; but it is my understanding that the water explanation is flawed. Give a listen to Todd Friel on his August 25th podcast. He makes a lot of sense.

http://www.wayofthemasterradio.com/podcast/index.php?s=Trinity

Answer 9

no longer genuine confident, although i understand that each and one and all pagan faith roots returned to historic Egypt, beginning with Enoch, son of Cain. It grew to become into this Enoch that outfitted the pyramids. that's what i've got confidence. The religious conflict with Lucifer started interior the backyard of Eden, and worship of fake gods started with Enoch. Worship of Astronomy and Astrology started with the great pyramids of Giza. Freemasonry is traced returned to the pyramid and the all seeing eye of Horus, historic egyptian god. So according to risk it purely has something to do with Tri-perspective. Sacred Geometry first taught via Enoch, and the Anunnaki.

Answer 10

God is so infinite that our finite mind can not comprehend it. That is why we just have to have faith and believe in him. I do like your analogy. Another one that I have heard is like myself. I am a son, father, and husband. Three different roles but the same person.