Christians: We all know you believe IT, BUT do you Honestly Understand IT?

Question

When i ask Christians to explain the trinity, this is what they say:
Jesus is the son of God, But he is also God at the same time. God sent his son (Jesus/God) down to earth to save us. And the Holy Spirit is up there in the heaven as a spirit/ghost.
And then i say:
I dont understand it, can you elaborate more.
Then they say:
Neither do I, i cant really understand it but i believe it. You have to have faith that you understand it. But i believe it with all my heart....
I have asked my professors and Christian friends, they all say similar things. Every time after they attempt to explain it, they always end with something like the above (i cant understand it, i just believe in it). To me it is all fine if you have strong faith and belief in something, but make sure you understand what you believe.
So this is my Question.
Why would God reveal something to humans that we don’t understand, and expects us to have blind faith and believe rather then have a substantial understanding?

I couldnt fit this in:

Please dont take this as i am attacking you guys,
i just want to understand and learn.

So if you say three in one you dont mean one in three:

well then how many forms of God werethere when jesus died for three days (some say 40 i think). Then the H20 and clover example dont work

To Proverbs;
Just to let you know, if you say you dont believe ibn Allah, then basically you say you dont believe in GOd. Because Allah just means God in arabic. I could say i believe in God or Allah and it means the same thing. Arab Christians use the word Allah in their church.
And btw i do understand it, i understand and accept the fact that he has always been and always will be. Nothing created him.

Why would God reveal something that you cant understand (which most of you admited to) and likt that to your salvation to believing that???

Proverbs:
There is no"Muslims GOd" He is just God.
But people view him differently, like you guys say there are 3 form in one, and one in thre forms.
which i dont understand even after all your guyes explanations.

God is a self-sufficient Being, and needs not anything from without himself to support himself, or to make himself happy. He is the "first" of Beings, the first and the last; from everlasting to everlasting he is God; and therefore his existence is not owing to any; nor has he received any assistance or support from any; being self-existent, he must be self-subsistent; as he existed of himself, and subsisted in and of himself, millions and millions of ages, even an eternity, inconceivable to us, alone, before any other existed, he must be self-sufficient, and as then, so to all eternity.

PRoverbs:
I dont know everything,
but wouldnt you want to know what the hell you believe AND understand it.
I mean it is the core beliefe in your religion. And no where in the bible does it have an EXPLICIT meaning or proof of the Trinity. Yes there are hint but they are very vague themselves.
I am not saying i know everything, but i do know the main and fundametla belifes of my religion without having to use corny examples of leavs and the sun and water and eggs.

My God is not false, as a muslim, God to me is everyones God.
My God revealed your bible, but people changed it. If my God was false (which he is not) then why would my book revealed by my God mention the bibel and prophet way after they were dead and gone. And it was revealed ina place were the people did not know much about the Torah and bible, so they did not copy it (as many people think). I already explained how God is self-sufficient. I mean he is God, so he does not get hungry or sleepy, or tierd or bored like humans do.

i dont like the examples because they are comparing God to objects which are imperfect and have flaws. God is the opposite.

Answer 1

your professors are right, we don't really understand the Trinity. We know what it is (God in three forms) but we can't fully comprehend it. Just like its impossible to comprehend eternity, just think. God was always been, and he always will be. I personally can't fully grasp how God could be there forever, without being created. BUT, God wants us to trust in Him and have faith, that if we lean on Him, everything will turn out fine. Unfortunately i have many questions about the Bible that people can't answer, the best they come up with is "you'll have to wait until you get to heaven so you can ask God" or "God just told us what we need to know, he didn't tell us everything because we would be to overwhelmed" I've learned throughout the years just to accept this. I Love the Lord and He will always be first in my life, and i know that someday, when i am home with Him in heaven, that i will truly understand everything i am wondering now, and i know that then, i won't really care.

Answer 2

For centuries people much smarter than I have studied this topic for the purpose of trying to create a simple and easy to grasp explanation. Part of what makes it difficult is that the bible doesn't use the term "trinity" but refers to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The term trinity is our attempt to explain how One God appears in three forms.

To complicate matters God uses the plural right away in Genesis when He says "...created man in OUR image". Implying that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are present.

As a Christian, rather than try to explain something I don't understand I just admit that I don't totally get it. I think the thought that Christians need to have all the answers about their faith is where some Christ followers begin to become close minded and defensive. I have no problem admitting that I don't know it all, and that I could be wrong. If there were total proof I wouldn't need faith now would I? :)

Great question though! Interested to see all the answers!

Answer 3

It is impossible to explain the three elements of this single entity. The defining nature of the Trinity is in the context as one can extract it from the different elements in the Bible. If anyone were to even try to explain it from a metaphysical standpoint they would be walking on shaky ground at best. The problem from a scientific basis, is that no two objects can occupy the same space. These are physical laws as set by man. God does not obey these laws. He can bend them as He sees fit. He created time and space. God reveals many things to us we cannot understand. We have seen DNA. We do not know what causes many physical maladies associated with genetic abnormalities. (These are many elements in a single construct). Only in using the texts of the Bible can this be explained. Just as an angel of Allah told Mary that she would bear a child. She had little faith or understanding in that she had not laid with a man. She bore Jesus of Nazareth. We know this and can explain His life through the historical record. Explaining any of God's physicality is beyond physical description.

Answer 4

Will try best I can and in plain English. Please don't take anything as disrespectful toward God. I am Christian.

God is and has always been.
Jesus was born in human flesh in a human way except with no sex. (God can do anything) He chose a virgin so she and others would know Jesus was the son of God.
After Jesus died on the cross and resurrected, the Holy Spirit came to his followers to reside within their "hearts" - he had already told his disciples this would happen but they did not understand what he was talking about. They did after the Spirit entered their hearts while in "the upper room"

God is the main man
Jesus is our savior and teacher - He is a part of God because He is Gods' son. Much like you are a part of your mother/father.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. Therefore The Spirit is also a part of The God.

The word or reference to these three aspects of God are referred to as the trinity by man. The word or reference implying the trinity is not mentioned in The Bible.

If anyone tells you that they understand EVERYTHING about God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit, they are wishful thinking or see themselves as much smarter than they really are.

Hope this helps with your understanding. Best I can do.

Answer 5

If you were raised Muslim, then you are blessed to already know and accept that God is above man and to be honored, revered and obeyed. I hope the athiest and agnostic come to see the true relationship between them and their Creator - inshallah.

You are correct - the Christian Trinity is a bit of a mystery. If a Christian tells you he has is figured out - well, he is seeing it a bit too simply. God is far beyond the comprehension of man, isn't He? So all Christian teachers I have read say the mystery is beyond out understanding. It can be a comforting meditation, however.

We believe it because there is a lot in the Bible about the Trinity. there is good evidence the early Christians also believed it, in their writings.

The idea is that God is one, but God is the union of three Persons - each divine, each God. There is the Father God - creator of the universe, One Person - Jesus (also God) - became Man to bring us a clearer message and be the long-prophesied martyr/sacrifice and defeat the Enemy (Satan) and death. He gave another sign by resurrecting to life after the crucifixion.

Jesus is often called the Son of God (and also the Son of Man) but that's because He had both natures - fully God and fully Man. He is not subordinate to the Father God - but as Man he chose to humble Himself and honor God as His Father (suporior) - because Jesus was also Man and that is Man's proper place before God.

The third person in the Trinity is the Holy Spirit - who lives in Christians after they accept Jesus as their lord. By the Holy Spirit we are empowered to change and live a more sanctified life - although as free beings we also (too often) choose to go our own way - and sin. The Holy Spirit gives me a chance to walk with a God-awareness and even dialog throughout the day.

I suggest you pray that He will reveal more of Himself to you in all His fullness. He blesses those who seek Him.

Salaam.

Answer 6

People tend to make the bible and faith so hard to understand that it really makes my head spin at times. What they mean by the 3 forms of God...TGod the father...all knowing and wise...God the son...the part of God that we can relate to..ie..Jesus...and God the holy spirit...the part of God that lives in our hearts when we accept him as our lord and savior.
I personally do not think of him in a 3 part person like that...metaphorically speaking..maybe...but when I say "God" I am talking about the creator of all things,but then that is just me.Many others may feel the need to break God into different categories...whatever works for you in my opinion...
But i do agree...you hear people all the time saying...you need God...well how can you tell people about how great God is, if you do not even know what your religion is about?

Answer 7

The whole God concept is a mystery that can only be believed by Faith--"Without Faith it is impossible to please God" As you grow Christian you will understand much more and at the same time your understanding of Grace will grow, the problem is for some the deeper the knowledge the more you find your Faith needing to expand. Salvation is a continuous action verb that allows you to keep on keeping on.
Triune God head is like(visualize) a three-leaf-clover. three separate leaves take them apart and you have 3 leaves and a stem. Leave it together and think about the God Head--each leaf is separate and functions on its own but its not separate It is a part of the whole. Each leaf is on its own--but not separated from the whole. Father--Son--Holy Spirit--separate but one. Hope this helps

Answer 8

God being 3 in 1 and 1in 3 is somthing we cannot understand. our finite minds cannot comprehend this.

If you have trouble seeing why God revealed something we cant understand, let me ask you, (I am assuming your muslim because In your profile thing it said a part of your life was God and Islam, How did Allah come about? I personnally dont believe in Allah, but muslims do, and Iif they have trouble understanding the trinity, how do they understand how Allah is self sustaing? How could he have just been? and if they dont believe Allah has always been, what or who created him, and did they come about? or do you not understand how this could be, and just accept it because he is Allah?

Christians trust that the trinity is real because God says so. But we cannot understand it. The same way we do not understand how Christ could be around since before time.. for eternity! never created!
I hope this helps.

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When Jesus Died, he still was. The same as we will still be after we die. there has always been a 1 in 3 and 3 in 1 and will always be

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To clear things up, When I say Allah, I am reffering to the Muslim god.

How do you understand Allah to be self-sufficient?

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If we knew everything, wouldn't we be God?

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The most basic answer i can think of is: for His own glory.

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You believe in false god your "God" is not my God.
That said, How can you understand that Allah is selfsuffcient beyond the fact that he is "God". Essentially, that is the reason I understood you to give.
How Can I understand that God is 1 in 3 beyond the fact that he is God?

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While examples such as a clover and egg may be helpful, they are by no means the actual thing.
And the hints are not vague. I would not even call them hints. When the Bible reffers to 3 distinct beings as God, and says there is only one God, and God does not change or lie, The only answer is that He really is 3 in1 and 1 in 3.

Answer 9

I know this is going to be politically incorrect among my fellow Christians, but I understand the Trinity. There's a categorical difference between a being and a person. That can be demonstrated by the mere observations that not all beings are personal beings. A rock, for example, is a being, but it is not a person. A human is both a being and a person. Well God is a being who is three persons. That is, three distinct selfs/consciousnesses/egos/etc. share the same being.

Answer 10

We all can't go tyo bible school. And now we can find positive answers on the internet. God lives in a different dimension than we do. That is the 1st step to a better understanding. The second step is to read all of scripture and attempt to understand God's nature [what He loves and what He hates]. Step 3 you discover that the bible tells you there is a triunity. And it then boils down to a faith, meaning you accept what you do not completely understand. But that is OK becvause we haven't gotten to His dimension yet !!!http://www.carm.org/doctrine/100truths.htm