Perhaps a more biblical approach is to consider that a husband and wife are two persons yet in God's eyes they are "one flesh." And, when it comes to something as central and essential to who God is as the Trinity, that must be significant, that must inform how we view him, how we view our lives, living with him. Sin as it were (though not in ultimate reality) caused a rupture in the Trinity. An egg is made up of a shell, the eggwhite, and the yolk. A. (According to some people, the pretzel was actually invented in Europe several hundred years ago by a monk who wanted to illustrate the Trinity to the children of his village so he took some dough, looped into the familiar three-hour shape, based it, and gave it to the children as an edible object lesson.). One of the more interesting illustrations note the different roles a person can play. 3:16. Tony Evans commented that the pretzel is a good illustration because it consists of one piece of dough with three holes. - Sam Allberry from christianitydotcom2 on GodTube. All rights reserved. 35 If he called them gods, to whom the word of God cameand Scripture cannot be set aside. He, through Jesus Christ, is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. Because of this equality of dignity and worth, each member of the family ought to be accorded respect and be treated as someone created in the image of God. As the Psalmist says of the animals, When you [God] send forth your Spirit, they are created (Psalm 104:30). The one God was metamorphosed in external form according to the need of the moment. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, the Spirit is not the Father, but each is God individually and yet they are together the one true God of the Bible. WebJesus teaching focuses much more on his own identity and his unique relationship with the Father. The Hebrew word for God is elohim, which is actually a plural form of the word el. "This is a question little children like to stump their parents with. The Spirit also guides us in our lives. An illustration of a magnifying glass. And so we affirm today what the church has explicitly affirmed as orthodox since the days of the Councils of Nicaea in A.D. 325 and Constantinople in A.D. 381: The oneness of Godand thus the full essential equality of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit-is constituted precisely in a oneness of divine nature possessed fully, simultaneously, and eternally by each of the divine Persons. I am the Lord, and there is no other (Isa 45:5-6). So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Since each member of your family is made in the image of God, each should be treated in ways that are fitting to who they are. It was not until so much later when the Holy Spirit was used in most Bible translations to primarily signify the third person in the Holy Trinity after the Father and the Son. Love is truly the essence of Gods inner life. It's essential to understand this distinction: We do not have three gods; we have one God in three persons functioning uniquely and perfectly. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Andrew Menkis holds a B.A. What Are the Names of God Found in the Bible? If he is God, should we not also worship him? Make your relationship to your husband an issue of spiritual accountability before the Lord, and live before your husband in a way that honors Christ. Through the word the Spirit builds the church as sinners are called to repentance and faith (Ephesians 1:22-23; 2:22; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 12:4). James 1:1-7 orders them to worship or pray instantly to God with belief that is steadying. When we say these things we mean that the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, but they are not three gods but only one God. The wife is under the authority of her husband, but is over the children in the household, partnering with their father to ensure that they learn godliness and obedience. The answer of course is yes. Someone asked Daniel Webster, who happened to be a fervent Christian, "How can a man of your intellect believe in the Trinity?" WebWe cant say, The Son is the Father, but we can say the Son and the Father are One. What is the Trinity? Now, notice this carefully: Since by nature or essence the Father, Son, and Spirit are identically the same, what distinguishes the Father from the Son and each of them from the Spirit cannot be their one and undivided divine essence. That he made us at all is a statement of his great love and the wisdom of his plan. The word Trinity cannot be found in the Bible, but the truth of it can. Is There a Question That God Cannot Answer? The Gospels teach us that Jesus makes a point of placing Himself on the same level with God the Father many times. Finally, all three Persons are associated together on an equal basis in numerous passages: This list of passages might be extended. With regards to the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son are not exactly equal. Blasphemy against Jesus and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit do not carry the same weight, i.e., they dont have the same consequence. Blasphemy against Jesus can, and will be, forgiven. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. By the end of this article, youll be able to get; The word trinity comes from tri meaning three and unity meaning one. It may come as something of a surprise to some readers that the doctrine of the Trinity is really and truly one of the most practical doctrines in the whole of what we believe in the Christian faith. In other words, the Trinity presents us with the truth that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are fully equal in their essence while also presenting the truth that the authority-submission structure of the Trinity is inviolable with the Father as supreme, the Son under the Father, and the Spirit under the Father and the Son. Each Person is equal in essence to the other divine Persons. The truth is, while the Holy Spirit is quite different from the Father and the Son, the Bible tells us a lot about the Spirits relationship to the other persons of the Trinity as well as his role in Gods works. Copyright 2023, Southern Equip. What, then, distinguishes the Father from the Son and each of them from the Spirit? communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. Even as he went to the cross, it was with the help of the Spirit that Christ offered his life for our sins (Hebrews 9:14). However, the Bible also contains clear statements regarding diversity within that unity. Let us rejoice that we have a Triune God who has provided for Trinitarian salvation. Take away any one of the holes and the pretzel isn't really a pretzel anymore. The Son is under the Fathers authority and seeks always to do the Fathers will. The three persons of the Trinity (the threeness) are not separate. 1, Issue 2.] WebThe Jesus' name doctrine or the Oneness doctrine upholds that baptism is to be performed "in the name of Jesus Christ," rather than using the Trinitarian formula "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." So, a small insight about God can lead to a very big insight about us. My personal favorite illustration comes from noted scientist Dr. Henry Morris. Why is such begrudging submission insufficient? It Is So Painful to Care: How Do I Conquer Apathy? Those words may sound harsh, but they represent the judgment of the Christian church across the centuries. The Son had the distinct role of becoming incarnate in order to take on our sin and provide his life as a substitute sacrifice for us (Phil 2:6-8; 1 Pet 2:24). God the Father the Son and the holy spirit biblical explanation with Scriptures Notice that parentsthat is fathers and mothersare in view in these first two verses. They each fully possess one undivided divine nature. Equality of Identity in the Trinity In this perversion, husbands and fathers abdicate their God-given responsibility. Ingram Engines is also a family run shop. What is Blasphemy and Why is it So Deadly? A. He is not merely the Son of God but also God the Son. All are equally omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, and unchanging, but each has unique functions. He is not just a "force" but a Divine Person. Genesis 1:26-27. He also has authored Gods Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism; Gods Greater Glory: The Exalted God of Scripture and the Christian Faith; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance; Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God; and The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ. The issue is not the word, but the concept or the idea. In other words, there is only one God who presents himself in various forms (Father, Son, or Spirit) as he wishes. How Is the Holy Spirit Different from the Father and the Son? 3:5. It Is So Painful to Care: How Do I Conquer Apathy? The headship of the hus- band must take to heart the sober and joyous responsibility to work, to serve, to love, to pray, and long for the continual spiritual growth of his wife. Every parent understands that you can receive obedienceat least outward obediencewithout receiving honor. In some sense, we can never understand that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit have forever communicated and loved each other. Luke 1:35 The holy spirit is the third person of the trinity. And since this is true, church ministries must be designed in ways that acknowledge and equip husbands and fathers to carry out these responsibilities. Colossians 2:9 The husbands headship must be invested in constant healing, restoration, growth, and joy in family relationships. There is salvation in no other God. Like His fellow Jews, Jesus affirmed the truth of Deuteronomy 6:4: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.. (1) This article has been excerpted from the forthcomingbook Trained in the Fear of God: Family Ministry in Theological, Historical, and Practical Perspective, ed. They eventually reduced their belief in the Trinity to two short statements. From heaven and hell to communion and baptism, we want to provide easy-to-read and understand articles that answer your questions about theological terms and their meaning. And actually, it helps us to get to know God authentically when we understand that he is Trinity. The word for Spirit in both Hebrew and Greek can also mean wind or breath (see Psalm 33:6 or Acts 2:2 as examples). Third, we don't believe that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are "parts" or "pieces" or God. He has the personhood and mind of God, and performs a special duty to help us connect with God the Father. As the Son sought to glorify the Father in all he did, the Spirit seeks to glorify the Son, to the ultimate praise of the Father (see, for example, John 16:14; 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:11). Christians everywhere have always believed it. What is the Sabbath and is it Still Important?Heaven - What is it Like, Where is it?Hell - 10 Things You Should KnowBaptism - What Does it Mean and Why is it Important?Communion - 10 Important Things to Remember. In fact, sometimes husbands are pitifully unlike Christ, and submission can be very difficult. There is no stronger grounding possible for the full equality of Persons of the Godhead than this: the Son possesses eternally and fully the identically same nature as the nature that is possessed eternally and fully by the Father and by the Spirit; hence, their equality isnot merely an equality of kind but is in fact an equality of identity. I'm not suggesting that Isaiah fully understood the Trinity or that the Jewish readers would have understood what it meant, but I do think that in the light of the New Testament, we can say that this seems to be a clear statement of the Trinity in the Old Testament. The second sinful perversion of headship is far more sinister yet far less obvious. You have the notion of, the story of the Trinity or the reality of the Trinity is born out just in viewing things. 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