I have always been confused on the idea of the Trinity?

Question

Christians believe in one God. How does the Trinity come into that belief. Is the Farther, Son, and Holy Spirit separate or one deity. If they are one, why the separation and if they are three different beings then that goes against the one God theory.

I hear some people say, "Jesus is coming" or "God is coming" which is it? Isn't Jesus Gods son?

I am not Christian bashing, I really want to know.

These are all great answers. Thank you.

I am Pagan not Christian. Although I was raised Christian. My Grandfather was a Southern Baptist Preach. Hell, Fire and Brimstone and all that.

Answer 1

who is not? this is not only you, idea itself is confusing.

Answer 2

Christians believe the Trinity is 3 person's in ONE God. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. There is no separation of the Trinity, but they are 3 different beings in one being that the Bible talks about separately. In Genesis, when God created everything. In the Gospels when Jesus comes to the earth. And in the many passages when it talks about the Holy Spirit.

Answer 3

The Trinity is one of the more misunderstood concepts in Christianity, even by Christians.

Which is unfortunate, as it really isn't that hard to understand once you take in two points made several times in the Bible.

The first point is that God is not limited by time or space. Linear time does not apply. All moments are "now" to God. (This is easy to say, but is very difficult to actually wrap your head around.)

The next point is that mankind is made in God's image, so if God has an attribute, we should be able to find some bit of that attribute that in our own makeup.

So, God is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but is a single being. How does that work?

How many people am I? (No, not the split personality, where one does math and another one cannot cook.)

Well, I'm "dad", where I must enforce a certain amount of discipline while always keeping the needs of my child paramount. In fact, my son is now of an age where he sees two different aspects. He's my friend, and we can joke and play together, and he's my son, and dad is still in charge. (He's gotten pretty good at being able to tell which one he's dealing with at any particular moment.)

I'm "John", who is further split to include my professional persona and the person I allow friends and family to see.

I've been "the Chief", while in the Navy, showing entirely different aspects of myself to subordinates, peers and seniors. (There's three right there.)

All of these people are me, and throughout, there are the same values, the same basic desires, wants and needs.

But they are manifest in entirely different ways. None of my young Sailors would have recognized that fellow giggling and playing with his newborn son (even though I really did care about those young Sailors as if they were my own kids as well).

Basic Christian theology is that God chose to become a man, in the person of Jesus. Just as a person makes choices based on multiple reasons, it can be assumed that God had more than one thing in mind in that choice, so when folks talk about the "why", multiple answers can all be correct.

But remember that bit about linear time not applying to God? It's important here, because otherwise the question arises "who was running things while God was walking around on Earth?" (among others).

God became a human and took on those limitations, in part to show us how it is supposed to be done. As a real person, he became subject to time and space, had real doubts, suffered real pain. Here is the real mystery, and the place where even Christians don't really understand how it works.

How does God, who is not limited by space or time, place himself into his creation? (Gender specific terms used simply due to English language convention here. Contrary to the statements of some, God does not have a specific biological gender.)

Hope that helps. For more, I suggest reading "Mere Christianity" by C. S. Lewis, which may be the best "primer" ever written on the basics of Christian belief.

Answer 4

First of all I have to wonder if you are a Christian. However I will try to explain as best as I can the Trinity. They are three distinct personality's but are One. God the father God the Son and God the Holy Ghost. How is that, I'm not really sure just that I have faith that it is so because my spirit agrees with it when I read it or if someone Preaches it or even says it. As Christians when we hear the truth of the word we know that it is truth by something God placed within us upon conversion. The Holy Spirit of God, that teaches us, helps us, who comforts us. It is all by faith, you would have to feel it to believe it or to understand it. It is trusting God, in all things even if we can't explain it. Spiritual things most often can't be explained in human terms.

Answer 5

The reason it is confusing is because the bible doesn't teach Jesus is God, or equal to God.

The New Encyclopædia Britannica says: “Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4). . . . The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. . . . By the end of the 4th century . . . the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.”—(1976), Micropædia, Vol. X, p. 126.

The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: “The formulation ‘one God in three Persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.”—(1967), Vol. XIV, p. 299.

In The Encyclopedia Americana we read: “Christianity derived from Judaism and Judaism was strictly Unitarian [believing that God is one person]. The road which led from Jerusalem to Nicea was scarcely a straight one. Fourth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was, on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching.”—(1956), Vol. XXVII, p. 294L.

(Romans 15:3-6) . . .” 4 For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 Now may the God who supplies endurance and comfort grant YOU to have among yourselves the same mental attitude that Christ Jesus had, 6 that with one accord YOU may with one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus as Jehovah's representive comes in the name of His God, thus when Jesus comes, it is the same as God coming.

If I send Fred to represent me, It is the same as if I was there, especially if Fred is my son, and only does the things I instruct him to do.
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Answer 6

Ice, water and steam are all different states of the same substance H20 (water). The Trinity are different names to describe different perspectives of the one God. So the concept of the trinity is an attempt to explain the Christian theology. I have never met a Christian who believes in something other then one God. However during the time of Muhammad obviously there was some movement that understood the Gospels as representing some form of polytheism. Muhammad made plain that there is only one God. Sadly, some Muslims perceive that Christians think the words Son of God hold a polytheistic connotation, so the words Son of God can be offensive to some of them. Same thing with the trinity. It can not be held that three Gods make up the trinity nor that Jesus is independent or separate from God. Nothing is, including you. Interestingly enough my Muslim friends have about 100 different names of God that they use.

There is a huge difference between the two terms Son of God and Trinity as it relates to the bible. The word Trinity does not appear in the bible where the term Son of God does. Take that for what it is worth.

Jesus as flesh and blood is the Son of Man, the Christ or son / spirit of God is the light of life that lights every man that comes into the world. The Christ is the divine love of God in man, being God conscious and attained to faith. Our egos veil the indwelling spirit of divine love. The words of Jesus lead us to reveal that light of love and life (the Christ) by making the ego transparent so we are re-born into the state of the realized Christ.

The Christ is here already. Open up your heart and you'll see he is right there, he always was and will be, he'll relieve you of your cares. By chanting the names of the Lord you will be free. The Lord is awaiting on you all to awaken and see.

God is already here as well. He is in all things known and all things unknown. We are but drops in the infinite ocean of the light and love that is God.

Blessings and peace to all,
All in all,
B

Answer 7

The Trinity is the doctrine that explains why the Bible describes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as interacting with each other even though there is only one God.

The explanation, simply put, is that God is simultaneously one God and three Persons. He is *not* three Gods, and He is *not* one Person.

When people use the phrase "God's Son," they really mean "God the Father's Son."

On the other hand, "Son of God," could be read as either "Son of God the Father" (describing His relationship to God the Father), or as "the Person of God who is the Son" (describing His relationship to the whole Godhead).

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "God is coming." It's kind of an odd way of putting it, since it implies all three Persons being manifest together. "Jesus is coming" refers specifically to our belief in Jesus' promised return--in that return the Son will be personally manifest in the flesh.

Answer 8

Don't fret. No one can comprehend the trinity.
One God in three persons is the best explanation available. The Bible speaks of God as 1 God. Yet this God uses the term "us" as if there are more than one. The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit "of" God as being fully God. And, also the Son "of" God as being one with God from before the foundations of the world.
There is definitely 3 different distinct personages. All are co-equal. How else could one explain it other that a triune God. The Bible also speaks of the "fullness of the godhead bodily". It is a mystery.

Answer 9

You won't get a straight answer.

What it comes down to is "Nobody can understand the nature of God" which is the standard Christian cop out.

Most Christians believe in the Trinity as 3 aspects of one God. Like a stool has 3 legs (it actually has 3 legs and a seat... but I digress).

Mormons believe in 3 separate beings acting as one.

Some say Christ was not God at all and therefore the trinity is not an issue ot them.

The Trinity was conceived by early church leaders, but there was conflict about the "divinity" of Christ and if Christ was God. That question was put to rest by the Nicaean Council around 325 AD who decided that Christ was God.

Answer 10

One God, three manifestations! Although they all play different roles they are still only one God! God is God who created us, Jesus is God in a human form, who came to teach truth and die as a sacrifice for us and the Holy Ghost is the comforter and witness!
When I was young the example used was an egg. It is one egg but it has a hard outer shell, a thin membrane and inside that is the egg that we eat!
I don't know if that helps.

Answer 11

Trinity

It is am early roman catholic attempt to define God.

It predates the roman church but the idea that is most commonly associated with the trinity is a roman catholic compilation.

God is simply to big for words. Any attempt to define or describe God fails immediately, because these attempts always end up being limitations on God.

If you say that God is this or God is that you are saying that God is not the opposite of this or that.

This is an impossibility because God is everything. This is why words fail so miserably when we try to use them to describe God. They were designed to describe physical objects in a physical reality and are ill equipped to describe spiritual ideas.

That's why the idea of the trinity seems not to make any sense.

Love and blessings Don