the holy trinity?

[mamaKate]

Quote:
I hate to even touch this one because I don't want to offend anyone, but here goes...

The reason you don't understand 'the holy trinity' is because this doctrine is not a Bible teaching.
I will give you the scriptures to show you what the Bible does teach, you can look it up in your bible (Please DO look these up in your Bible), and a few outside resources, like encyclopedia's, and you can make your own decision.

The New Encyclopedia 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' (Deuteronomy 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), Micropaedia. 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.

This is what a few encyclopedias have said about the doctrine of the Trinity.
I personally, am a christian, I believe Jehovah is God, Jesus is his son, and the Holy Spirit is God's active force, what He uses to accomplish His will. These are three separate entities. This is what my life-long study of the Bible has lead me to believe.
I do not believe in the Trinity.

John 14:28 says '...If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going my way to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.' So Jesus NEVER claimed to be equal to God.

Also, the Bible tell us God and Jesus have personal names: Jehovah God(Psalms 83:18), and Jesus Christ, but no where is there a personal name for the holy spirit. Surely if it was equal to God, it too would have a personal name.

If you have taken the time to read this, I know it is a lot to think about.
If you would like to talk about this more, please feel free to PM me, and I could help you understand this subject better.

As I said before, I don't wish to offend anyone, and I will not be talking about this further on the forum, so PM me if you would like to talk.
Have a great day!

WOW. New perspective. I need more research but thanks.

 

[mjdtexan]

Aha, I love this subject. This is a good thread by the way. I will be honest and admit that that I have never fully understood the Trinity. I do however have faith that I will one day get it. It took me a long time to "discover faith" At a young age we were taught evolution in school. It took me a very long time to overcome that. I was in my thirties before I came to any kind of faith and when I found it I was doing time. Anyway, I really wish I could eggsplain it to ya, but please, do the research, visit clergy. Its worth it.

 

[Brelansmama]

Quote:

The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion

I have to respectfully disagree with this statement. As I said before I am a Christian, and I do not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity.
The definition of 'christian' is: An individual who seeks to live his or her life according to the principles and values taught by Jesus Christ.
I believe, and follow what Jesus taught, like here: Matthew 16:15-17, Jesus clearly agrees with Simon-Peter, that he is "Christ, Son of the living God."
The word 'trinity' does not appear in the bible.

 

[speckledhen]

Folks, stay on topic. She asked for an explanation of the concept, not a debate on the subject, so please stick with the original question at hand and choose your words carefully. Thank you.

 

[conny63malies]

Quote:
sauted in a ton of butter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_trinity_(cuisine)

 

[lavandula girl]

I explain it to my young students this way:

As a human created in God's image, I am always my parents' child, I am always my husband's wife, and I am always my children's mother. In God's case, he is always a Father, always a Son, and always a helper (Holy Spirit). But because God is divine, God can seperate these persons from one another when He needs them to do specific things. He can "send" the Holy Spirit to the apostles on Pentacost... it's still all of Him, but he appears fully as one aspect, in order to teach and inspire in a certain way. Same goes for Jesus' time walking with people. He is fully there, but only one aspect of Him is apparent to us. We shadow this, as creatures of God's image, when we are wholly in the moment with a child, or as a teacher, or with our spouse, we don't stop being the other aspects of us, but they are not as apparent in the moment.

 

[Happy Chicken Mama]

I always liked the water/icecube/vapor anaology...

Lets say you pour youself a glass of water in a cup. Its water right?

You take that cup and put it in the freezer and it turns to ice.

The you take that big hunk of ice and put it into pot on the stove and boil it for a real long time the water turns to vapor.

All three things, water, ice & vapor are the same. They just perform different functions.

God, Jesus, & the Holy Spirit are the same (sort of) they just have different functions.

I know this is an oversimplified analogy but one has to start somewhere!

Hope that helps.. enjoy the journey in finding out who each one is!!!

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Quote:
I homeschool my youngest two children and we study the Bible as a subject. This came up recently - try explaining this to an 11 year old and a 7 year old - NOT EASY! I found a book that explained it on their level. Here is what it says...

God is so very great that we shall never know all about Him. We cannot understand God.
The Bible tells us that God is One. We have learned that there is only one God. But the Bible also tells us that God is three. God is three Persons, yet He is one God. That is something we cannot understand.
The Bible tells us about God the Father, and about God the Son, and about God the Spirit. They are the three Persons.
God the Father is in heaven.
Jesus is God the Son. Jesus came to this earth as a baby. We remember His birthday on Christmas.
God the Holy Spirit came down to be with Jesus. He came when Jesus was baptized. And afterwards He came again, to live in the hearts of those who believe in Jesus.
There was a man named John, who baptized people in the river. People called him John the Baptist. One day Jesus went to John the Baptist. Jesus wanted to be baptized.
John and Jesus went down into the water together. John baptized Jesus. When they came out of the water, John saw something wonderful. Something that looked like a dove came down from heaven. It came and rested right on Jesus' head.
It was not really a dove. It was God the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.
At the same time John heard a voice. The voice said, "This is my beloved Son!" That was the voice of God the Father. He spoke from heaven.
In this way God showed himself in the three Persons. Jesus, God the Son, was baptized. God the Holy Spirit came down like a dove. And God the Father spoke from heaven. So all three Persons were there: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. How wonderful and great God is!​

I hope this helps. I don't know how to explain it any better.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Arabookworm doesn't ask difficult questions, does she?

Wow. I've been trying to get a better understanding of the Holy Spirit lately. I am going to print and study this thread - hope to learn more.

Thanks all you guys, for responding to Ara's question.

 

[buckeye lady]

I liked the perspective in the book "The Shack". It is a fictional story that offers a different way to comprehend The Trinity. The Author uses different characters to illustrate the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It's a very thought provoking read. It's available at all book stores and Most large retail stores as well as your local Library.