Posted on 05/30/2010 2:09:35 PM PDT by Salvation
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Think of it as a block of ice on a hot frying pan. The water, ice and steam exist in the same general area and are made of the same molecules, but they’re in different states and act differently.
Excellent example. I used that with children before to illustrate the solid, liquid and gas theories of matter!
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No plasma?
Here’s the way I look at the Trinity:
God the Father is the great “I am”, creator, sustainer and maintainer of all that exists. Jesus Christ the Son of God is “the image of the invisible God” (COL 1:15), or the “Word made flesh” that dwelt among us” (JOHN 1:14) in our space-time. The Holy Sprit is God’s presence and the agent of His will in our space-time. Note that He (the Spirit) “beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth” (1JOHN 5). One God, three manifestations.
As a point of interest, in Matt 3:16,17, all three elements of the Trinity were present and monifested in our space-time at Jesus’ baptism: “16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”.
This is as much as my finite mind can grasp of what the Scrpture has to say about the Trinity. Your comments are welcome.
Excellent article. Thank you. When I read this particular paragraph, I got this kind of "brain zap", so to speak. I think it was a very good way to explain how the "being" of God is infinite in that it is present in all the dimensions we know about. As we are body, soul, spirit - and made in the image of God - so Almighty God is also existent in these forms and experiences all because he is present in all. I don't claim to be a scholar, I know, it shows!
St. Patrick and the three leaf clover come to mind.
The Holy Three-in-One..
My mother used to use her Singer Three-in-One oil for her sewing machine to explain the Trinity to me...She called it her Holy Three-in-One oil and would tell me again of the Trinity...she never tired oif telling me and I never tired oif listening...
God the Father, God the Son, (Jesus, the Word) and God the Holy Spirit...
As we sing in the last line of the 1st verse of the great 1826 Hymn, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, that was written for Trinity Sunday,
“God in Three Persons, Holy Trinity”
Whoops that should have been
“God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity”
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.
Holy, holy, holy! though the darkness hide Thee,
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in power, in love, and purity.
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All Thy works shall praise Thy Name, in earth, and sky, and sea;
Holy, holy, holy; merciful and mighty!
God in three Persons, blessèd Trinity!
Words: Reginald Heber, 1826. Heber wrote this hymn for Trinity Sunday while he was Vicar of Hodnet, Shropshire, England.
Music: Nicaea, John B. Dykes, in Hymns Ancient and Modern, 1861
Silly example to support the trinity being one god.
Steam is not water and water is not ice and ice is not steam.
God is not Jesus, Jesus is not holy spirit, and Jesus is not God.
Or else the term Son of God and no meaning if God and Jesus are equivalent terms and can be used interchangeably.
Scriptures clearly state that God is invisible and that no man has seen God at any time.
Scriptures clearly state that God is not a man and that God cannot be tempted with evil.
The man Christ Jesus, is the mediator between men and God. Jesus is the visible representation of the invisible God. Jesus was tempted in all ways.
God called Jesus his son. Jesus called God his father.
I tend to believe that God and Jesus knew who they and each other were. However we humans needed to hold council in nicea to elect Jesus to an office to which he never aspired.
I am putting together a Scriptural Rosary for Priests and I included that quote — only from the RSV in it.
Our finite minds are quite feeble when it comes to understanding the Trinity. I think that’s why I liked the title of this. “Mystery” of the Trinity”
what a great way to explain the Trinity.
We sang “Holy, Holy, Holy” today too.
We also sang “Holy God we praise Thy Name”
Third verse
Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit, three we name Thee.
A cogent, short, clear, and entirely positive explanation on the nature of the one God in three Persons.
May we each and all kneel in our hearts and bodies before his holy, loving nature.
The 3 forms of water, Ice, liquid and steam, are not quite the same as one God in 3 persons—and if we take that example too literally, it can lead us to “modalism” probably the most common mistake people make about God in trinity.
Modalism, like the name, says that God has 3 modes, or ways of relating to us...either as a Father, or a Son or a Spirit. However, that would also place a person, behind and unknowable, behind the modes or masks.... and each role or mode...as a kind of disguise or deception of the real person.
Classic trinitarianism though acknowledges 3 real persons...each of whom is equally the one God. When/if you come to know one, you do know all 3...but each person is, as the text beautifully says above, “more truly personal than any of us” in a perfect union of Love with each of the other two, so much so they are one being...and that way from all eternity.
That is quite different than the modes of ice, water and steam.....
The Old Testament clearly indicates that only God is to be worshiped. Numerous examples exist of prophets starting to worship angels (since they are so glorious) and being sternly corrected for that.
However, Jesus never corrected anyone who worshiped and bowed down to him. Numerous examples in the New Testament call Jesus “Lord and God” and have persons freely worshiping Him. Such is blasphemy...an offense one would be executed for under Jewish law...IF it were not true.
Jesus even used the covenant name for God...Y_hw_h, (or “I Am.”) referring to Himself...and was nearly stoned to death for it....(showing they indeed knew was He was saying). To this day Orthodox Jews avoid saying that name out loud...it is so holy....yet, Jesus used it to refer to Himself.
God is indeed Spirit, but the Gospels clearly indicate the Holy Spirit, in real history, came upon the blessed virgin Mary and miraculously made her pregnant. Without the virgin birth we don’t have anyone who can possibly be a Mediator...someone fully God, yet, also, fully human, the one Man, Christ Jesus.
Christians have ALWAYS worshiped Jesus as God—if you don’t—you’re free to do that, but you are simply not a Christian, and to be historically truthful, you shouldn’t claim the name.
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