Is this the best explanation of the Trinity you have ever read ?

Question

‘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 from 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


One god sends another down to earth. The god on earth prays to the god in heaven. The god in heaven is pleased with the god on earth. The god on earth says that the god in heaven is greater than he (the god on earth). The god on earth says he will later send a third god down to earth. The god in heaven forsakes the god on earth. The god on earth dies and goes to the god in heaven and sits by his side. That is polytheism for sure, one hundred percent. You can call it whatever you want, but it’s polytheism pure & simple.

God is not the author of confusion (I Cor. 14:33)




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Answer 1

The best explanation I've heard is that mythology isn't required to make logical sense.

Answer 2

No. That's utter drivel. here's the explanation:



Question: "What does the Bible teach about the Trinity?"



Answer: The most difficult thing about the Christian concept of the Trinity is that there is no way to adequately explain it. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. God is infinitely greater than we are, therefore we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also teaches that there is only one God. Though we can understand some facts about the relationship of the different persons of the Trinity to one another, ultimately, it is incomprehensible to the human mind. However, this does not mean it is not true or not based on the teachings of the Bible.



Keep in mind when studying this subject that the word "Trinity" is not used in Scripture. This is a term that is used to attempt to describe the triune God, the fact that there are 3 coexistent, co-eternal persons that make up God. Understand that this is NOT in any way suggesting 3 Gods. The Trinity is 1 God made up of 3 persons. There is nothing wrong with using the term "Trinity" even though the word is not found in the Bible. It is shorter to say the word "Trinity" than to say "3 coexistent, co-eternal persons making up 1 God." If this presents a problem to you, consider this: the word grandfather is not used in the Bible either. Yet, we know there were grandfathers in the Bible. Abraham was the grandfather of Jacob. So don't get hung up on the term "Trinity" itself. What should be of real importance is that the concept that is REPRESENTED by the word "Trinity" does exist in Scripture. With the introduction out of the way, Bible verses will be given in discussion of the Trinity.



1) There is one God: Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5.



2) The Trinity consists of three Persons: Genesis 1:1; 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8; 48:16; 61:1; Matthew 3:16-17; Matt 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14. In the passages in the Old Testament, a knowledge of Hebrew is helpful. In Genesis 1:1, the plural noun "Elohim" is used. In Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8, the plural pronoun for "us" is used. That "Elohim" and "us" refer to more than two is WITHOUT question. In English, you only have two forms, singular and plural. In Hebrew, you have three forms: singular, dual, and plural. Dual is for two ONLY. In Hebrew, the dual form is used for things that come in pairs like eyes, ears, and hands. The word "Elohim" and the pronoun "us" are plural forms - definitely more than two - and must be referring to three or more (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).



In Isaiah 48:16 and 61:1, the Son is speaking while making reference to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Compare Isaiah 61:1 to Luke 4:14-19 to see that it is the Son speaking. Matthew 3:16-17 describes the event of Jesus' baptism. Seen in this is God the Holy Spirit descending on God the Son while God the Father proclaims His pleasure in the Son. Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 are examples of 3 distinct persons in the Trinity.



3) The members of the Trinity are distinguished one from another in various passages: In the Old Testament, "LORD" is distinguished from "Lord" (Genesis 19:24; Hosea 1:4). The "LORD" has a "Son" (Psalm 2:7, 12; Proverbs 30:2-4). Spirit is distinguished from the "LORD" (Numbers 27:18) and from "God" (Psalm 51:10-12). God the Son is distinguished from God the Father (Psalm 45:6-7; Hebrews 1:8-9). In the New Testament, John 14:16-17 is where Jesus speaks to the Father about sending a Helper, the Holy Spirit. This shows that Jesus did not consider Himself to be the Father or the Holy Spirit. Consider also all of the other times in the Gospels where Jesus speaks to the Father. Was He speaking to Himself? No. He spoke to another person in the Trinity - the Father.



4) Each member of the Trinity is God: The Father is God: John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2. The Son is God: John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20. The Holy Spirit is God: Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16 (The One who indwells is the Holy Spirit - Romans 8:9; John 14:16-17; Acts 2:1-4).



5) The subordination within the Trinity: Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. This is an internal relationship, and does not deny the deity of any person of the Trinity. This is simply an area which our finite minds cannot understand concerning the infinite God. Concerning the Son see: Luke 22:42; John 5:36; John 20:21; 1 John 4:14. Concerning the Holy Spirit see: John 14:16; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7 and especially John 16:13-14.



6) The tasks of the individual members of the Trinity: The Father is the ultimate source or cause of: 1) the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11); 2) divine revelation (Revelation 1:1); 3) salvation (John 3:16-17); and 4) Jesus' human works (John 5:17; 14:10). The Father INITIATES all of these things.



The Son is the agent through whom the Father does the following works: 1) the creation and maintenance of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17); 2) divine revelation (John 1:1; Matthew 11:27; John 16:12-15; Revelation 1:1); and 3) salvation (2 Corinthians 5:19; Matthew 1:21; John 4:42). The Father does all these things through the Son, who functions as His agent.



The Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the following works: 1) creation and maintenance of the universe (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30); 2) divine revelation (John 16:12-15; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21); 3) salvation (John 3:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2); and 4) Jesus' works (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). Thus the Father does all these things by the power of the Holy Spirit.



None of the popular illustrations are completely accurate descriptions of the Trinity. The egg (or apple) fails in that the shell, white, and yolk are parts of the egg, not the egg in themselves. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not parts of God, each of them is God. The water illustration is somewhat better but still fails to adequately describe the Trinity. Liquid, vapor, and ice are forms of water. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not forms of God, each of them is God. So, while these illustrations may give us a picture of the Trinity, the picture is not entirely accurate. An infinite God cannot be fully described by a finite illustration. Instead of focusing on the Trinity, try to focus on the fact of God's greatness and infinitely higher nature than our own. "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" (Romans 11:33-34)

Recommended Resources: Making Sense of the Trinity: Three Crucial Questions by Millard Erickson.

The Forgotten Trinity by James White.

Answer 3

Hello,

I am Catholic and I'm going to give you a Catholic point of view of what you have asked. It is a very interesting question.

Catholics believe that there is one God but it has "three parts". The best way I could understand this was in Peru, when a priest compared the Trinity with a dish of mashed potatoes. In Peru there are many kinds of potatoes, so he got a white potato, a pink potato and a purple potato (which are not actually of those colours, they're just names they have). He made a dish of mashed potatoes and then told me God was something like that. It has existed since the beginning, it has three parts but it has been so mixed that we cannot make a difference nor separate them.

When Jesus came to Earth, there was a temporary separation. God sent a piece of Him which has an own life... Imagine you send just your tongue to talk on your behalf and you'll get the idea. The tongue could speak, but to do other things you needed the hand, which was still in Heaven with the Father. That is why Jesus, as God, prayed to Himself. If He didn't he could not be considered a complete man and a complete God as He is. The key of the mystery is something like this.

There is not polytheism here.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

It's a Mystery, the single greatest Mystery of the Christian faith.

The Trinity is WHO GOD IS, it's What He is.
The Three Persons are not each a "partial God" or "aspects of God" or "manifestations of God." The Three Persons are each fully and truly 100% God in their essence and have each existed from the very beginning of time. One did not create or precede the Other. At the same time, the Three Persons are not Three separate "Gods"; they are ONE God!

We believe what we believe because we place our faith in the Church whose Sacred Scripture is replete with proofs of the Trinity! In the Old Testament, from the very first chapter of Genesis, when God says, "Let US make man in OUR image," to God's use of two different persons in Malachi 3:1, each and every Book of the Old Testament (Tanach) speaks of the triune nature of our God. Isaiah, in the 9th chapter and 6th verse of his book, very clearly predicts that the Messiah will be called "a Mighty GOD" -- and the Gospels make clear that's Who Messiah is!

He declares that He will come to be the judge of all men (Matthew 25:31). In Jewish theology the judgment of the world was a distinctively Divine, and not a Messianic, prerogative.


In the parable of the wicked husbandmen, He describes Himself as the son of the householder, while the Prophets, one and all, are represented as the servants (Matthew 21:33 sqq.).


He is the Lord of Angels, who execute His command (Matthew 24:31).


He approves the confession of Peter when he recognizes Him, not as Messias -- a step long since taken by all the Apostles -- but explicitly as the Son of God: and He declares the knowledge due to a special revelation from the Father (Matthew 16:16-17).


Finally, before Caiphas He not merely declares Himself to be the Messias, but in reply to a second and distinct question affirms His claim to be the Son of God. He is instantly declared by the high priest to be guilty of blasphemy, an offense which could not have been attached to the claim to be simply the Messias (Luke 22:66-71).

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit! Each is God, not One is less God than another: three Persons, one God, one Being, one Divine Essence.


Gloria in excélsis Deo!





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Answer 5

The Catholics must have really concentrated so much all of their efforts to come out and prove the the Trinity of God.
The only problem is that it contradicts all the thing that God claimed Him to be in the Old Testament. Already from the beginning of the Old book to the last of the Prophets, none was written whatsoever that God proves to have three split personalities.
One: To be called Son of God like what He did to Adam (See Genealogy of Jesus in Luke) and to the children of Adam (See the Sons of God mentioned in the accounts of Noah and his ark), is not to be begotten and not even to impregnate a woman to bear any child. It is merely God's calling to anyone whom God is giving a assignment or mission) Adam for the propagation of One God or monotheistic belief which was given emphasis to Abraham and his descendants.
2Samuel 7:13-14 will clearly explain how someone can be called Son of God and God as the Father. It may also tell you why Jesus had to be punished by the rods and floggings by his own men (fellow Israelites). Christians claim about Jesus being sinless because they never knew the gravity of what he did to the signs between God and Israel that goes through generations. arrogantly claiming to be the Lord of what he desecrated.
Two: The Holy spirit is not an entity as what Christian claims. these are the words of God that were put into the mouth of His chosen ones such as His prophets, David and somehow even to Jesus in the early parts of his mission. When the words of God is learned from what the prophets have written, and you put those into your mind and heart, as you spaek to others of what know, you are guide by the spirit of the words you understand thereby you are guided by God's Holy Spirit. It is not an entity. they are God's words.
Trinity is a Roman Pagan adoptations and insertions to the Christian religion to defy the Old Jewish Tradition..

Answer 6

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit
They are three individual entities, the Father, the Son and the Spirit. Yet all are the of the same nature, God.

To compare to human understanding,
there are three men: a father, a son, another man.
Each are different beings, yet all are of the same nature, Man.

Answer 7

The trinity makes no sense. That's not surprising knowing that it has pagan origins.

Jehovah is the only true God who exists since ever. Jesus is God's son. The holy spirit is God's active force.

"This is what Jehovah has said, the King of Israel and the Repurchaser of him, Jehovah of armies, ‘I am the first and I am the last, and besides me there is no God." -- Isaiah 44:6

"....The Father is greater than I am." -- John 14:28

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." -- Colossians 1:15

"And I shall have to come down and speak with you there; and I shall have to take away some of the spirit that is upon you and place it upon them, and they will have to help you in carrying the load of the people that you may not carry it, just you alone." -- Numbers 11:17


For more information go to:
http://www.watchtower.org/cgi-bin/lib/ProcessForm.pl

Answer 8

I am muslim convert to christianity. During my younger ages the quran confused much about the God of BIBLE. said that there is 3 Gods. But during my sincere study, i found that only ONE TRUE GOD in the HOLY BIBLE. One Triune God, who is Creator of all (Deuteronomy 6:4; Colossians 1:16), eternally existing in three distinct Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 13:14), yet one in being, essence, power and glory, having the same attributes and perfections .God is our creator (Genesis 1:1), is eternal (Psalm 90:2), infinite (1 Timothy 1:17), sovereign (Psalm 93:1) and unsearchable (Romans 11:33-34). God is omniscient (Psalm 139:1-6), omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-13), omnipotent (Revelation 19:6), and unchanging (Malachi 3:6). God is holy (Isaiah 6:3), just (Deuteronomy 32:4), and righteous (Exodus 9:27). God is love (1 John 4:8), gracious (Ephesians 2:8), merciful (1 Peter 1:3), and good (Romans 8:28).Jesus Christ is fully God, the expressed image of the Father, who, without ceasing to be God, became man in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful man (Matthew 1:21; John 1:18; Colossians 1:15



I AM AN EX MUSLIM accepted Jesus Christ as my LORD and SAVIOR

Answer 9

Simply put.They are three seperate beings/persons. The Almighty God Jehovah, his Holy Spirit, and his son Jesus Christ.

Answer 10

Once the christian church decided on what scriptures to include as inspired by God they attempted to destroy anything else in print that contradicted their doctrines. The most hated text of all was the Apocryphon of John because Jesus makes it crystal clear that He and the Holy Spirit were created. He also makes it crystal clear that the o.t. was inspired by satan, not God. Jesus message in the gospels was also crystal clear the kindom of God is within us. It is the same Spirit of truth who inspired the writers of scripture who reveals where it is to be found, what it means, and how we are to apply it to our lives. Every christian preacher/pastor I have ever met tries to play god by trying to do the job of the Spirit of truth. No human being has the right to tell me what God said, what God meant by what He said, or how to apply it in my life.

Answer 11

One shouldn't get his theology from the encyclopedia. "progression of doctrine" might want to no longer be taken to intend "we did not believe that in the previous, yet we do now." It means that the perception grow to be continually present day, yet there hadn't been a want to solidify, quantify and articulate it unambiguously. The early church councils did not celebration to "advance doctrine". They were given at the same time to make clean issues even as disputes arose. interior the early church, a clean hectic practise arose (called "Arianism") promulgated through 1 Arius in Alexandria that Christ grow to be a created being (a perception held in the present day through Jehovah's Witnesses). This did not sit down nicely between the large Christian inhabitants -- because it grow to be no longer actual. The Council of Niceia grow to be called to handle the region. the effect of the council grow to be a *rationalization of the prevailing doctrine that Jesus Christ grow to be certainly divine, very God himself, and under no circumstances a creature of God. It grow to be no longer a clean practise, notwithstanding the conventional perception of Christianity, now codified. We believe interior the Trinity through the undeniable fact that is actual, preserved through the coaching of the Holy Spirit in his Holy Church. advantages. /Orthodox