holy trinity egg analogy holy trinity egg analogy

The egg white represents Gods Spirit. To return to my Life Group anecdote, after our discussion I asked why does it even matter?. In other words, one stuffness. However, He exists in three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk . Each one is fully 100% God. HO may act as water, steam, or ice, but it is still HO. Yet, the trinity is mysterious. Time Analogy God is like time. This is one of the reasons we say that "God is LOVE". When we see them as three individual spirits, (God is one Spirit John 4:24), then that is the blasphemy of polytheism which is the worship of more than one God. The Holy Spirit is like the heat that the sun produces, unseen yet powerful and effective in making the sun felt. So when God created us and revealed Himself to us, what He did was to invite us into the perfect goodness He has always known within Himself. 5And there are varieties of ministries and the same Lord. Share your thoughts with us in the comments! The Holy Spirit is the shell, Jesus is the egg white, and the Father is the egg yolk. The unity or oneness of God is also found in the Bible. Yet others have thought that H20 (water) shows us the Trinity since H20 can be three things: solid (ice), liquid (running water) and vapor (steam). But we can (and should) have a solid foundation to explain this core belief of our faith. Water Analogy God is like water, or H2O, which can exist in 3 forms. For example, an equilateral triangle (a triangle with three equal sides) has three sides. And then theres Jesus, Gods son. Love was not given to Jesus. The Holy Trinity: Egg Analogy The Holy Trinity is GOD in three divine persons GOD the FATHER GOD the HOLY SPIRIT GOD the SON But together they makeup and are still ONE GOD Like how an egg is made up of three things but is still ONE EGG. Answer (1 of 25): Cynics assert that the idea of the Holy Trinity is a logical impossibility. Common, yes. I dont know how our majestic God feels about being compared to watermelons and eggs, but He is also a loving Father, and like any father, I believe God would seek to provide simple explanations so His little children can understand. The Trinity is distinct in their roles and individuality, but united in their attributes of love, mercy, holiness, knowledge, etc. What portion is erroneous? This book is now available in a published format for easy sharing and classroom use. This description that all persons are fully God is called the Ontological Trinity. Because Gods Person is unapproachable, the Spirit White acts as insulation, for we know that it is through the Holy Spirit that God can communicate, speak through and interact with mankind. I remember asking my Life Group last year, How have you heard the Trinity explained? I braced myself for the inevitable reply. We Christians believe it on faith. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. But theres one problem: the water analogy is not the biblical picture of God. So, I shot down a lot of images that seems to be pretty helpful. Because God is utterly unique, all comparisons will fail at some point. The idea that the Trinity can be compared to a shamrock is largely attributed to St. Patrick. The Sun was created on the forth day. He has not yet revealed some mysteries (what did Jesus do in His childhood, when will He return, what does the word Selah mean in the Old Testament- and so many more.). Blessings! The word Trinity comes from the Latin word trinitas which means tri-unity. God does not play three roles.. Adorn your liturgical vestments with classic images from the Monastery Icons collection. The problem with this analogy is that it denies the distinction of persons in the God-head. You know, that bearded guy on the throne who looks something like Zeus, right? Dont you know Jesus? A chicken egg consists of a shell, a yolk, and an egg white, yet it is altogether one egg. Dr. Bruce Ware does an excellent job in his book Big Truths for Young Hearts. In trying to describe what they saw in the pages of the Bible, the early church decided to use the word person to describe the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Here are a few common illustrations: The Egg- One egg has three parts: shell, whites, and yolk. Stars were made on the forth day. The Son is like the light rays that visibly reveal the sun, as Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). Required fields are marked *. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. When the Bible talks about God, it may be referring to Jesus Christ in a specific instance, the Holy Spirit in another and God the Father in a third occasion. In order to accomplish this union with God and man, He allowed His Shell to be broken with the weight of our sins to cleanse our souls so His holiness can approach, for God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13). If the Sun existed from eternity past then so were the light rays from the Sun. Modernizations of this analogy include that of an apple (with the peel, the flesh, and the core) or an egg (with its shell, yoke, and white). And for a mere mortal to have dared invent it and be able t. Some think of God as H 2 O, which is sometimes a solid (ice), sometimes a liquid (water), and sometimes a gas (steam). Theyve transformed. Through the brokenness of the Shell, His Son, the Spirit white pours out into our beings through our faith in what was done and believers are joined with the yolk, for it is by One Spirit we have access to God the Father (Ephesians 2:18). PART OF A WHOLE. They say that three separate beings exist 2. If the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate beings, then its not really clear how someone can say that God is one or that only one God exists. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,, , Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. Part 2. A person distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A being is the whole nature or essence of something. But based on what you know that Jesus is born so that He can save people from their wrongdoings, will you trust Him to forgive you. This is the Christmas paradox. True, we humans are image bearers but nothing in creation serves as an analogy for the Trinity because the Trinity is a doctrine of special (biblical) revelation not nature or reason. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit also exist eternally and concurrently. The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the primary tenants of the Christian faith. For example, I would say, "God is like an egg." You can throw away one part of an egg (e.g., shell) and still have essentially an egg. They suggest that only one God exists but this God transforms or morphs into each of the different persons Let's begin with the second view. We can say that the first is egg the shell, the second is egg the albumen and the third is egg the yoke. This is a worse analogy than the egg because it is more analogous to the heretical doctrine of Modalism/Oneness than for the Trinity. We believe that it is a revelation that comes from Christ Himself. Indeed, how can an infinite God be contained in a finite human womb! They are three in one egg. , 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you., For further reading on the Trinity, I would recommend James Whites, Lastly, below is a helpful graphical chart explaining the doctrine of the Trinity I found from the Christian blog by Tim Challies. You can also catch up with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and TikTok Some have used examples such as water, watermelons and eggs; the principle behind those illustrations is that even though each thing is one, it is also three. Each of the persons is that supreme reality, viz., the divine substance, essence or nature. (Lateran Council IV), 4. We can admit it is a mystery and accept that our incomplete knowledge cannot fully comprehend it. This is because the H20 is changing forms in representing each person. - well, sort of. None of the 3 are less divine than the others. Under Arianism Jesus is less than fully God. There are some analogies that come close. There's a simple reason they don't work: The Trinity, as such, isn't like anything in creation. Learn how your comment data is processed. Many of us would use analogies to explain the Trinity. How so? The Unseen Father is in Christs mind. Humans as we are, we cannot fully understand how the three divine Persons, though really distinct from one another, are one and the same God. Check out verse four: Holy Author, Holy Word, Holy Spirit, three we name thee; Still, one holy voice is heard; undivided God, we claim thee, and adoring bend the knee, while we own the mystery. . Jesus would have remained in the tomb, or hell, had Jesus sinned. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. He has been relationally fulfilled within Himself since forever. But God is the eternal Light, which has neither had a beginning, nor shall ever fail. A good follow up verse to help explain is the baptism of Jesus. Bach, and has released two previous CDs, one . He completed a doctorate in 1990, looking at the question of harmonic rhythm in the organ music of J.S. What is H2O? If you need to use an analogy, then use a good one. Since these bad analogies tend to lead to a heresy, we will examine the main three areas of heresy concerning the trinity. The egg example, while not perfect or complete by any means, will still give us a basic understanding of the primary principle of Biblical Trinitarianism. This is a general rule when we study this Mystery using our human weakness since it is absolutely impossible for our human minds to comprehend the Divine. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the what is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the whos being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). I go to prepare a place for you. The Unseen Father keeps the Father that is seen, alive. The problem with this analogy is that an egg yoke is of a very different substance than a shell. No analogy is perfect, but we want to be careful of using wrong ones that may confuse people. Again, this analogy doesnt work because God doesnt morph, change, or become different aspects of Himself. You are an egg! Jesus is the Holy Spirit that saves us. and Holy Spirit are only parts of God (egg and sun). In other words, God may manifest Himself as the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. In scripture we see explicit trinitarian references, especially at Jesus' baptism where the Father speaks, the Spirit descends, and the Son is in the water. On a whim, I looked up the lyrics at a later time. Another wrong illustration is using ourselves: I am one person, but also a wife, mother, and writer. God Himself explains why some things are still a mystery: For as heaven is higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Our human minds can never understand all of who God is and how He thinks and acts. Here many of the creeds help us in clearly articulating the trinity. Proof texting is when we cite a bunch of bible verses to support a theological stance. What makes it hard is that all of our analogies and metaphors fall short of capturing what the Trinity actually is. Arianism clearly denies the deity of the three persons. Among the most popular analogies for the Trinity, two in particular stand out; and most of the others resemble one of them. They are unified in one divine being. What we can understand and accept is that God exists eternally as one divine nature, substance, or essence, comprising three co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial personsthe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It does not imply Jesus was created if you emphasize that the Sun existed from eternity past. Yet there is still only one God we serve. The egg analogy is very simple but it is OK to show something as simple as an egg can be one and yet three. Thus, the Father Himself is not God, nor is the Son, nor is the Holy Spirit, but combining the three, there is one God. You are an egg! Born in England in 1961, Benjamin Waterhouse Benjamin Waterhouse has been the organist of the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity since 2000. Although the water changes forms it is still H2O. The Father sends the Son, and both the Father and Son send the Holy Spirit. Perhaps youve heard the analogy that the Trinity is like H2O (the molecular symbol for water). If then the sun were eternal, the day would never end; but now, for such is not really the state of the case, the day begins with the beginning of the sun, and ends with its ending. (Describing God as LOVE is my favorite way of understanding the Trinity. If youve been involved in ministries for children or young people, questions about the Trinity have most likely come up. God is kind of like a man who is a father, a son and an uncle God is kind of like a three-leaf clover, or a triangle; one object, but three different, identifiable leaves, or sides* RELATED: The Biblical Principle Of Baptism By Fire. However, keep in mind that the one being who is God is a personal being. And we know that because the Persons of the Godhead have perfectly blessed and exalted each other for all eternity. The term Economic refers to the roles, functions, and relationships that exist within the Trinity. Jesus is in the form of the Holy Spirit. 3. I can only shake my head when He does these things! The past is not the present and the present is not the future, yet all three together is what we call time. 1. Matthew 3:16-17- As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. we worship one God in trinity and the trinity in unity,neither blending their personsnor dividing their essence. These two analogies are the "water" analogy and the "egg" analogy. This is a quick way to describe the doctrine of the Trinity namely, God is 1 being (the, is Gods nature, essence, being) and 3 whos (the, being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). The Church should not forget that these heresies still exist in the present day and is even being taught by some priests and catechists. Water at room temperature is liquid. These are likewise erroneous or even heretical. The Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, constructed between 1800 and 1804, is the first Anglican cathedral to have been built outside the British Isles. If God has existed for all eternity in a perfectly loving Triune relationship, then it shows He is completely self-sufficient and requires no further relationship in order to complete or satisfy Himself. I never thought about it in that way some of these examples Ive never heard of. How can we explain what it means to have three persons in one being? The trinity is Like a man who is a father, husband, and son. An essential factor lacking from those concepts is the relational quality of God. God is like H2Olike water. Each part of the egg make up only one portion of the wholethe yolk is not the fullness of the egg. The Trinity is not real in my life because of superior knowledge or insight. Now were going to look at how some people often misunderstand the Trinity. God controls that light. The Trinity is one of the most foundational doctrines of Christianity. If the sun exists, there is also day; if nothing of this be manifest, it is impossible that the sun should be there. These things are referred to as the Economic Trinity. This is a bad analogy because it fails at the truth that all three persons comprise the fullness of God. Analogies often fall short. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father., 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. This view, also known as "modalism", was rejected by the early church. Lost will be ashes under the feet of the righteous. Now if any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9). But we cannot do that (assuming we can) with God. An explanation that is so common, and seemingly does elucidate how something can simultaneously be three and onecan it really be that bad? Yeah its definitely a hard thing to understand, let alone explain to little ones ! So, the egg analogy doesnt work after all. Over the course of church history there have been several heresies that have cropped up that deny one of these three truths. The trinity is like water. This is the error of Arianism (not to be confused with Aryanism, which is also bad). Can you think of some Bible verses to back up your explanation? We recommend you adhere these emblems to your vestments by mounting on the material with fabric glue and then stitching them . I dont believe that God wishes us to be confused about the Three that are so apparent throughout the Old and New Testaments. There is what is called the 'triple point' the combination of pressure and temperature at which H2O can exist simultaneously in all three states: solid, liquid and gas. I know in the past Ive used analogies that werent the best (more on those later.) That fire keeps devils away from the saved. Some people think that H2O cannot exist in all three states simultaneously but that is not true. The shortfall of this illustration, and others like it, is that God cannot be divided into "parts." The meme above discourages the use of analogies in explaining the Trinity. But they are one God. Some people falsely claim the Trinity is a form of . And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there you may be also (John14:2, 3). Water can be frozen and is called ice. The Unseen Father and Father that is seen existed at the same time. The Spirit white is connected to Jesus Person I will come to you (John 14:18) and the Fathers Person, We will come to him and make our abode with him (John 14:23). (It is also why the Jews had an issue with Jesus calling Himself God.). H2O can exist in three forms: liquid, gas and solid. Is He Jesus side-kick? 2A) Dave is a father of four children: three boys and a . The divine persons are really DISTINCT from one another, and not merely different roles of God at different times. He is one God in three persons, all at the same time. Similarly, light and heat are simply creations of the sun, yet it is the heresy of Arianism to claim that the Son or Spirit are mere creations of the Father. When we look at the egg as an example of the Trinity, we must view it in its entirety. So, in God, there are three distinct persons. What happens when an egg hatches? Yet, as we view the pages of the Bible, we see that God is a personal and relational God. Why is it wrong? Heat it up, and it turns to vapor. Perhaps we must be content to admit that we cannot fully understand Gods nature in our finitude. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. As a doctrine (belief), the trinity is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three separate and distinct persons united in one being- God. The military would end up destroying themselves. The Trinity is a tri-unity, a unity of Three, - God the Father, Jesus, the Son of God and the Holy Spirit. Yet God lovingly chose to create and eventually redeem us anyway (both thoroughly Trinitarian acts), at great cost to Himself. Water can be ice and steam, yet they are the same element. Vestment Emblems. Yet we do not have three gods but ONE God. There would be three thrones. Son and Holy Ghost are each fully God. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2023 Christian Today. If all you had were an eggshell, you wouldnt have a very exciting breakfast. Modalism, or Sabellianism, denies the three distinct Persons of the Trinity and claims that God is one Person who appears in different modes at different timesin the Old Testament He appeared as the Father, in the Gospels He appeared as the Son, and from Pentecost onwards He appears as the Holy Spirit. So God performs 3 different roles/relationships but 1 God. Our limited intellects are unable to comprehend its reality, yet, our Scriptures and scholarly Tradition makes it known to us. There is one GOD in three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), 2. It can also be a liquid and called water. This is why Jesus said, He who has seen Me, has seen the Father (John 14:9). Sadly, theres something "rotten" about this egg analogy. Now that we know the doctrine of the trinity and its corresponding major heresies, now we are ready to look at some bad analogies for the trinity. I'm always interested in ways to encourage you, so feel free to contact me and let me know what areas interest you! But it cant be that way with God. Space consists of three things: height, width, and depth. God created us for community, since God is communal and we were created in His image. Devils see that Spirit as a tempestuious fire. Christians believe, then, that only one God exists but this God exists as a unity of three persons: a Trinity. The Holy Spirit is Christs spirit in us guiding us into all truth. In one egg you have the white, the yoke, and the shell composing one full egg. Here are some of them: The problem with this is that it leads to the view that God is a Trinity simply because He relates differently to us at different times. St. Augustine, one of the most important Fathers of the Church, wrote a great deal on the doctrine of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit prays for us. in that while water can change into vapour or ice, Jesus cannot change into the Father or the Holy Spirit. The Trinity are three distinct persons who exist apart from each other. This analogy sounds pretty good, but it is fatally flawed in that is describes the Son and Spirit as creations of the Father. in which all 3 persons may act or speak as one. He is married to Shamsa Lea, is the father of Amira, and loves boxing and studying Theology. They are equally eternal, powerful, sovereign, and worthy of worship. His motto was that "There was a time when the son did not exist". Further, we can label each of the sides. But while this idea is central to the Christian faith, it is also incredibly mysterious to us. This is perhaps the most common analogy for the Trinity. Love your blogs! God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. He has one essenceone substance. But Jesus makes it clear in John 10:30- I and the Father are One. The Greek word for one means one thing, not one person. They are united in their essence (spirit, nature) but not identical persons. Now God can be in you by His Spirit! Here are a couple "usefully flawed" analogies for the Trinity. The Son was begotten by the Father IN ETERNITY, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. A, distinguishes himself from others by saying me, mine, you, yours, etc. A. is the whole nature or essence of something. This may be my favorite verse of them all. Through the brokenness of the Shell, His Son, the Spirit white pours out into our beings through our faith in what was done and believers are joined with the yolk, for it is by One Spirit we have access to God the Father (Ephesians 2:18). At times God is Father, or Son, or Holy Spirit. FOR CENTURIES, the Church had fought against heresies on the Trinity. In Jesus is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). They are three in one egg. This analogy denies the distinction of the God-head. Likewise we cannot have the Father or His Spirit without the Son I am the Way the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father except by Me- John 14:6.