The Trinity

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Knowing Jesus

Islam

Jesus and His Father

Jesus and the Holy Spirit

What Is The Trinity?

Christians believe in one God. That is an absolutely fundamental belief. Christianity is a monotheistic faith.

However, there are three persons within that one God: the Father, Jesus (the Son) and the Holy Spirit.

None of those persons is one of the others, e.g. the Son is not the Father. They are all distinct.

However, they are all God.

Clearly, that belief is not straight-forward and raises legitimate questions.

Why Do Christians Believe In A Trinitarian God?

The word "Trinity" does not occur in the Bible. Nor is the concept explicitly taught, so why do Christians believe in a God they say is a trinity? Where did that idea come from?

The Trinity in the Bible

The word "trinity" does not occur but the Trinity certainly does.

Passages where the three members of the Trinity are all mentioned.

Top 7 Bible Verses About The Trinity - Michael Krouszer (Patheos)

20 Bble Verses That Mention All Trinity Members (Bible Overview) - note the links to extra resurces at the bottom.

Bible Verses About The Trinity (Bible Study Tools)

50 Biblical Evidences For The Holy Trinity - Dave Armstrong (National Catholic Register)

Explaining The Trinity

Without a doubt, the concept of the Trinity is hard for us to grasp. It is understandable that some people conclude that it doesn't make sense. It does make sense but we have to recognise that we cannot understand everything about God. He is infinitely bigger than we are. He is revealed in Jesus and in the Bible but has to describe Himself in tersm that we can understand e.g. He is described as a person but He is not a human person.

We might not fully grasp it, or be able to explain, it but we can believe it. As we have seen, God reveals Himself as a Trinity in the Bible.

Video - Is the Trinity Logical? (InspiringPhilosophy)

5 Scriptural Points To Help You Understand The Trinity - Nabeel Qureshi (Crosswalk.com)

Please note that Ravi Zacharias is on stage with Nabeel Qureshi and Nabeel references him. Since then, Ravi Zacharias has been discredited.

The use of this video is not mean to give credibility to Ravi. Please listen to what is being taught by Nabeel without seeing it as an endorsement of Ravi

Analogies

No analogy is adequate but some might help us understand a little bit.

H2O

H2O is found in 3 forms (water, ice and steam) but all are H2O.

Problem: this analogy describes modalism i.e. that God is really only one person who can appear in 3 different "modes". H2O can be a liquid, solid or gas but it cannot be all three at once. It changes from one to the other. God, on the other hand, is Father, Son and Holy Spirit at the same time.

1 Person, 3 Roles

I am only one person but I can have different roles and might be seen as a different person in those different contexts. I am a husband, a father and a pastor. People perceive me in different ways. I am one person to some people but a different person to other people.

Problem: This is close to modalism. It suggests God reveals Himself in three different ways not that there are three distinct person in the Trinity.

An Egg (or Apple)

An egg consists of three parts (shell, yolk and albumen (white). Likewise, an apple consists of skin, flesh and seeds. Yet, they are one egg (or apple).

Problem: God is not made up of three parts. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one. The shell is not an egg but the Son, for example, is fully God.

A Triangle (or a shamrock)

I triangle has three distinct sides. No side is the other side but all of them are integral to the triangle.

St Patrick is said to have used the shamrock as an analogy for the Trinity.

The limitations of analogies

What Are Some Popular Illustrations of the Holy Trinity? (Got Questions)

The Trinity Is Like Water... And Other Bad Analogies - Haydn Lea