Are there any good illustrations of the
Trinity?
Posted: Aug 28/2k
Somebody wrote in:
Hello Glen. I'm so glad I found your pages,
they're great, I love your style. You'd make a great evangelical preacher, and
an even better debater / defender of the Christian faith with Muslims.One of my
Muslim friends wants to know:-"who did Jesus pray to?" I believe
absolutely God's revelation of Himself, as a Triune God, but can't understand
unity in triunity. It's way beyond me to understand and so, can't explain it
either (which doesn't make any sense to my friend XYZ.) Can you suggest anything that might help?
I wrote back:
Well, the simplest
'visual' is unfortunately a bit grotesque...but its sorta like a three-headed
man (three minds, one shared living body)...it would be a conversation between
two of the heads, in perfect physical agreement (shared essence), but with
'distinct' minds...this is a good logical picture of it, but at least the
western world considers the image 'a monstrosity' (I suspect Monty Python was
spoofing the trinity with the 3-headed monarch in Quest for the Holy Grail)
Otherwise, the
next closest image is that of a son talking to his father...although in
space-time they have different bodies, they have 'content-wise' the same
genes--the are 'one' genetically, but distinct 'mentally'...when you get to
non-spatial deity, of course, the 'separate bodies' disappear and each seems to
be 'overlaid' on the other...(but the minds are still distinct)...
And a final one,
probably closer to the real nature of it, would be relationship between my
acting personality and my conscience. They both seem to have an almost separate
agency about them (cf. Rom 9.1 and 2.15), but they are also part of
"me" (2 Cor 4.2).
maybe these three
images will help enough to avoid outright dismissal...
we also have the
same issue, btw, with how could God be in the Temple and in heaven at the same
time--he must have at least two 'centers of action' that can separate in
space-time, yet still stay linked (identical) in essence...
I hope this helps
a little...
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