The trinity and the triple point?

Question

So many people seem confused about the trinity. So I am going to try and explain. Have you heard of the triple point of water? This is specific conditions when water can exist as a solid, liquid, and gas all at once. While the water exists in all three forms the gas is not the liquid, the liquid is not the gas, neither the liquid or gas is the solid. They are individual states. However underlying all three forms is the same substance, h20. Regardless of form they are all water and not three distinct types of water. Just three forms of water.

The same is true of the trinity. You have one underlying nature or substance which is God. However God exists in three forms at the same time. He is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One underlying substance but with three forms, just like water at the triple point. Only 1 God just like there is only 1 water. Yet having three distinct forms that all exist at once.

Make sense?

CC - very good answer. Although I get worried if we agree too often. Makes me worry the world will end or something. lol

BLUETICK - Salt and fresh water are the same thing believe it or not. All salt water is, is a solution. Water with salt dissolved in it. It does not change the nature of the water.

Mike B - Lets go back to the water analogy and the triple point. At the triple point would you see water in all three forms at once? You would. Thus Since God exists in all three forms at once the Son can be at the right hand of the Father. Think of the stem being above the ice which is above the water then turn the picture on its side. The steam would be on the right hand side of the ice. Get it?

Answer 1

Best Answer right here:

God is ONE: One being, three persons. A human is one being and one person: A cat or dog is one being and NO persons: God is one being and THREE persons. We can not FULLY understand the Trinity, but the scripures are pretty plain that God IS Trinity:

Jesus tells his apostles to baptize "in the name [notice, singular, not plural] of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). This is a proof-text: three distinct Persons united in the one divine name. In 2 Corinthians 13:14, Paul writes, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." We see this same unity of divine Persons in 1 Corinthians 12:4–11, Ephesians 4:4–6, and 1 Peter 1:2–3.

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God (cf. John 8:58, 10:38, 14:10; Col. 2:9). It also clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit is God (cf. Acts 5:3–4, 28:25–28; 1 Cor. 2:10–13). Everyone agrees the Father is God. Yet there is only one God (Mark 12:29, 1 Cor. 8:4–6, Jas. 2:19). How can we hold all four truths except to say all three are One God?

And yes, Jesus DID say he was God. In John 8:58, when quizzed about how he has special knowledge of Abraham, Jesus replies, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am"—invoking and applying to himself the personal name of God—"I Am" (Ex. 3:14). His audience understood exactly what he was claiming about himself. "So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple" (John 8:59).

Also significant are passages that apply the title "the First and the Last" to Jesus. This is one of the Old Testament titles of Yahweh: "Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of armies: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides me there is no god’" (Is. 44:6; cf. 41:4, 48:12).

Come on Edge: Give me my props, and my 10 points

Answer 2

Yeah that's definitely an interesting analogy. While I get the gist of what you're saying, I would say that while water only exists in 3 phases under certain conditions, the theology is that God always has and will exist as a trinity. In the sense that regardless of the state, it's always water, then yeah, I'm with you on that.

Answer 3

This is a question that even the Pope himself would say he could not answer. The concept of th Trinity is one of the great mysteries of the Church. A mystery of the Church is defined as something which the Church accepts as true even though it is beyond human understanding. The reason we believe this rather bizarre concept is because this is what Christ taught us. It cannot be reduced to human understanding like "three parts of the whole" or "three functions", or "like 3 in 1 oil", or anything like that. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Spirit is God. And yet they are all ONE. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God." John 1: 1

Answer 4

I am one, yet three. I have an outside shell ( flesh ), and within that shell there are two more parts of me. One, spirit ( the life force ), and two, the soul ( my mind ). One natural part, two spiritual parts.

Father = mind
Son = Jesus in flesh
Holy Ghost = Spirit of life

1st. Corinthians 15 : 24-28

In Jesus resided the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
At the moment they are separated, but when all is put under the feet, once again Jesus will have the fullness again = God.

Answer 5

As a physics teacher I appreciate the beauty of the analogy but I'm still confused about why Timothy would see Him standing on his own right hand.

Answer 6

Bravo!!!! Never heard explained that way but you are right on all points. I'm glad someone on here other than me believes in the oneness of God. Praise The Lord!!

Answer 7

I think he made water that way on purpose. Water is vital to us physically as God is vital to us spiritually, and each are three yet one. Can the same be said of any other substance on earth?

Answer 8

Sure it does. I got it!! God is water. Now let's argue over salt or fresh water.

Answer 9

I like that.

I also like the egg "theory" : In an egg there is three parts; egg white, yolk and shell, but we still call it egg.

I also like mind,body and spirit

Answer 10

I like the peach theory. Skin, meat, and seed. All three are different, and yet all three are one.