Am I being a heretic?

[CalmPepper]

I have been accused of being a heretic by the way I try to explain the Trinity.....
I explain it to my understanding that God is capable of becoming His own creation while remaining omnipresent.

the Trinity is so very hard to grasp and explain that many reach for whatever they can to put it into words. My 6 year old daughter questions how the Trinity is possible often and I use my above explanation to try to get her to understand. So am I lying to her being un-biblical in my answer?

on a side note she still doesn't fully grasp it so the end result every time in our conversation is I tell her to pray for God to reveal it to her in a way He knows she'll understand.

My concern here is that I use my way of explaining it, the way I understand it to people often and have been chastise by man for it.....
I do not want to lead anyone astray



what are your thoughts?

 

[ResidentAlien]

I explain it to my understanding that God is capable of becoming His own creation while remaining omnipresent.

What do you mean exactly? Can you expand on this?

 

[Lucy-Pevensie]

I have been accused of being a heretic by the way I try to explain the Trinity.....
I explain it to my understanding that God is capable of becoming His own creation while remaining omnipresent.

the Trinity is so very hard to grasp and explain that many reach for whatever they can to put it into words. My 6 year old daughter questions how the Trinity is possible often and I use my above explanation to try to get her to understand. So am I lying to her being un-biblical in my answer?

on a side note she still doesn't fully grasp it so the end result every time in our conversation is I tell her to pray for God to reveal it to her in a way He knows she'll understand.

My concern here is that I use my way of explaining it, the way I understand it to people often and have been chastise by man for it.....
I do not want to lead anyone astray



what are your thoughts?

The part I bolded in your post is evidence you are NOT a heretic. You are willing to ask God and let God reveal himself
to you. How can you explain something you admit you are unsure you understand yourself?

Don't let too many religious people get you down. Chances are they don't really understand either
I wouldn't explain the Trinity in the way you did but if I explain it the way I understand it, someone here will probably
come along and tell me I have it all wrong.

To be classed as a "heretic" you would have to deny the Trinity. (The truine nature of our one God)
You aren't doing that.

 

[brighthouse98]

Who knows oneself better then the person themselves. In Sunday School for little children, I once had a class which asked me about this subject. I first said children please look at this scripture. ( Matt 19:26) And although the Bible was talking about the rich young ruler,and salvation.this also made a point about how can one make the impossible,possible?

One would have to be God himself to fully understand 1. How did God himself come about? 2. How can he be everywhere? 3. What to him is the Trinity? We as Elders can only give you what God's Word says about this, and make this as simple to understand as possible. I, like children as you, must take what he says on faith, a supernatural action which brings results we want,but never dreamed could happen to us.

Do not worry or be concerned,about what you cannot always explain, but rather be concerned, about how you all can encourage others,as well as yourselves,and learn how you can be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer only. ( James 1:22) I do not believe you are a heretic in any way,we do our best to help and sometimes we have to just admit,I really do not know. I just believe what God's Word says,and leave these questions up to him to answer. Hope this gives some comfort!

 

[Edify]

I explain it to my understanding that God is capable of becoming His own creation while remaining omnipresent.

Perhaps it's the way you explain it. This almost sounds like explaining the trinity from a Oneness point of view.

 

[Aaron56]

If it helps at all...

I used to see God as three distinct persons, probably because of that song "Holy, Holy, Holy". Now, I see that when He wanted to reveal who He was in time and space, He displayed His nature as Father, Son, and Spirit. Ultimately He did this so that we, who love Him, would understand who He is. And this also defines how we are reconciled back to Him: as sons to a father.

 

[Chester]

I have been accused of being a heretic by the way I try to explain the Trinity.....
I explain it to my understanding that God is capable of becoming His own creation while remaining omnipresent.

the Trinity is so very hard to grasp and explain that many reach for whatever they can to put it into words. My 6 year old daughter questions how the Trinity is possible often and I use my above explanation to try to get her to understand. So am I lying to her being un-biblical in my answer?

on a side note she still doesn't fully grasp it so the end result every time in our conversation is I tell her to pray for God to reveal it to her in a way He knows she'll understand.

My concern here is that I use my way of explaining it, the way I understand it to people often and have been chastise by man for it.....
I do not want to lead anyone astray



what are your thoughts?

Men and scholars have for centuries been trying to explain the Trinity. And likely God in heaven just smiles and looking down at man gently chuckles over the attempts of the finite to describe the infinite in language and words that comes from the Creation of the Trinity.

Maybe it would be a bit as if the computers man had made were to attempt to describe man? (Probably now I am a heretic!)

I doubt I would say it as you do, but I am OK with any attempt to explain the Trinity by sincere believers endeavoring to understand.

 

[JohnDB]

Here you go...the proper explanation for everyone.

 

[BillG]

the Trinity is so very hard to grasp and explain that many reach for whatever they can to put it into words. My 6 year old daughter questions how the Trinity is possible often and I use my above explanation to try to get her to understand. So am I lying to her being un-biblical in my answer?

A bit confused as to how your 6 year old daughter questions how the is possible?

 

[Aaron56]

the Trinity is so very hard to grasp and explain that many reach for whatever they can to put it into words. My 6 year old daughter questions how the Trinity is possible often and I use my above explanation to try to get her to understand. So am I lying to her being un-biblical in my answer?

Show her how you are a mother to her but to your mother you are a daughter. To your siblings you are a sister, etc. You are all these things yet you are one.

This might help eventhough it only scratches the surface.

 

[CS1]

I have been accused of being a heretic by the way I try to explain the Trinity.....
I explain it to my understanding that God is capable of becoming His own creation while remaining omnipresent.

the Trinity is so very hard to grasp and explain that many reach for whatever they can to put it into words. My 6 year old daughter questions how the Trinity is possible often and I use my above explanation to try to get her to understand. So am I lying to her being un-biblical in my answer?

on a side note she still doesn't fully grasp it so the end result every time in our conversation is I tell her to pray for God to reveal it to her in a way He knows she'll understand.

My concern here is that I use my way of explaining it, the way I understand it to people often and have been chastise by man for it.....
I do not want to lead anyone astray



what are your thoughts?

Stand in line the biggest error with many is they think they know the full nature of Infinite God while being finite.
The Godhead is a Mystery that we must approach reverently and humbly.

 

[eternally-gratefull]

Show her how you are a mother to her but to your mother you are a daughter. To your siblings you are a sister, etc. You are all these things yet you are one.

This might help eventhough it only scratches the surface.

This might be a little decieving

Jesus was sent by the father he did not send himself

Jesus also had to return to the fat her so the father could send the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not go back to himself so he could once again send himself.

 

[eternally-gratefull]

I do not think we will fully understand the godhead until we see God face to face

 

[Aaron56]

This might be a little decieving

Jesus was sent by the father he did not send himself

Jesus also had to return to the fat her so the father could send the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not go back to himself so he could once again send himself.

I think we must start from the principle that without the love of God for the world (humans), the Son and the Holy Spirit were not necessary.

The Three: God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three different estates of the Living God, the realities of whom coalesce to bring about the reconciliation of man to God.

The reign of the Son is necessary until all enemies are under the feet of the Son.

"Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet."

We know that, in the end, even the Son will be folded into God (my words) so that God will be "all in all".

"Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."

This is not to say that the Son is less than the Father, but that, the representation of the Father through the Son will no longer be needed when mankind and all of creation are subject to the Living God.

When we are folded into the Son, there is no need for a separate representation of the Living God.

 

[eternally-gratefull]

I think we must start from the principle that without the love of God for the world (humans), the Son and the Holy Spirit were not necessary.

While this may be true. It does not need they were not there.

God is a relational God. He proves this in his word. To think God by himself sat for billions upon billions upon billions of years by himself as a relational being. Well This would be impossible.

The Three: God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three different estates of the Living God, the realities of whom coalesce to bring about the reconciliation of man to God.

The reign of the Son is necessary until all enemies are under the feet of the Son.

"Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet."

We know that, in the end, even the Son will be folded into God (my words) so that God will be "all in all".

"Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."

This is not to say that the Son is less than the Father, but that, the representation of the Father through the Son will no longer be needed when mankind and all of creation are subject to the Living God.

When we are folded into the Son, there is no need for a separate representation of the Living God.

Again This assumes that God is one being. And that he created these different parts of himself to serve a purpose.

I think this is a stretch. Again,

Who did God relate with in eternity past before creation. Have you ever been alone? Have you ever experienced it. Now imagine experiencing it for as Long as the father Would have

Unless God is the relational god he claims to be, This would be unbearable. Even for himself.

 

[walknlight]

There is a reason this Hypostatic Union cannot be explained past what the Scripture tells us.
Our finite minds....

 

[Aaron56]

While this may be true. It does not need they were not there.

God is a relational God. He proves this in his word. To think God by himself sat for billions upon billions upon billions of years by himself as a relational being. Well This would be impossible.


Again This assumes that God is one being. And that he created these different parts of himself to serve a purpose.

I think this is a stretch. Again,

Who did God relate with in eternity past before creation. Have you ever been alone? Have you ever experienced it. Now imagine experiencing it for as Long as the father Would have

Unless God is the relational god he claims to be, This would be unbearable. Even for himself.

Sure. I have no problem admitting my view of the trinity is limited.

Food for thought: I don’t think we can use “years” or “needs” or “created” to describe the Living God: He exists outside of time, He was not created, and He only has needs if He says He has a need. To the last point, His nature is perfect, He lacks nothing, so we cannot say He needed a relationship because of lonliness.

The Living God created an estate to be inherited by men. He came in the form of the Son to show us the Master of the estate (His character, etc. ) and to reconcile (to put back as it once was) men back to the Father by destroying the works of the devil. The Holy Spirit is given to empower men as they walk out their destiny, to the end that God will be all in all.

From the natural we can see this. A corporation (from the root ”corpus” or “body”) is both singular and many. We may say “Apple” as in the company but we know that Apple, the corporation, includes the thousands of workers who work under their name. The same is true for “Christ”. He is both singular, there is one Christ, and many, we who are in Christ are His many members, His flesh and His bones.

 

[eternally-gratefull]

Sure. I have no problem admitting my view of the trinity is limited.

Food for thought: I don’t think we can use “years” or “needs” or “created” to describe the Living God: He exists outside of time, He was not created, and He only has needs if He says He has a need. To the last point, His nature is perfect, He lacks nothing, so we cannot say He needed a relationship because of lonliness.

The Living God created an estate to be inherited by men. He came in the form of the Son to show us the Master of the estate (His character, etc. ) and to reconcile (to put back as it once was) men back to the Father by destroying the works of the devil. The Holy Spirit is given to empower men as they walk out their destiny, to the end that God will be all in all.

From the natural we can see this. A corporation (from the root ”corpus” or “body”) is both singular and many. We may say “Apple” as in the company but we know that Apple, the corporation, includes the thousands of workers who work under their name. The same is true for “Christ”. He is both singular, there is one Christ, and many, we who are in Christ are His many members, His flesh and His bones.

I think we can determine that God created man in his own image. And in that image man is a relational being. Not meant to be alone. We can conjure God created mankind to serve, because it is what he wants to do.

there is a huge difference between need and want

The father son and spirit spent eternity in unison and in a relation unlike any we can know or even fathom.

God decided out of that relationship to create beings to serve them

Sadly his creation rebelled against him. But his love is so pure it Denys logic. And he provided a way.

Again, God did not send himself. He created man is his own image, He created the heaven and the earth. He in gen 1 is plural. not singular.

 

[Aaron56]

I think we can determine that God created man in his own image. And in that image man is a relational being. Not meant to be alone. We can conjure God created mankind to serve, because it is what he wants to do.

there is a huge difference between need and want

The father son and spirit spent eternity in unison and in a relation unlike any we can know or even fathom.

God decided out of that relationship to create beings to serve them

Sadly his creation rebelled against him. But his love is so pure it Denys logic. And he provided a way.

Again, God did not send himself. He created man is his own image, He created the heaven and the earth. He in gen 1 is plural. not singular.

Aside from the “relational“ stuff…

Of course. I believe in the Trinity, just not in the way it’s been taught. I mean, you’re not suggesting there are 3 Gods, right? That’s a rhetorical question as I know you are not.
I believe, in His nature, He is One (There are many verses that say so) but, with the advent of His plan to have man as His heirs, He revealed Himself in three parts.

I was just thinking, that when we read “In the beginning…” it cannot mean the beginning of God. That’s a foolish notion, as God has no beginning and end. The beginning refers to His unfolding Logos, Word, Christ, in time and space. And, as you pointed out, it begins with Father and Son. This is the beginning into which man is reconciled: into the Son. The Word was both with God and was God. And, once everything is brought under the rule of Christ, He will deliver it to God who will then be All in all.

 

[Dean62]

Some good attempts at explaining God in this thread. This is the kind of topic that can get me out in the weeds if I am not careful. The Bible never tries to completely explain God because it's not possible. I have wondered at times if being accused of being a Heretic is a bad thing. You are fine, your accusers are a little concerning. Hopefully they to are just trying to do their best with finite understanding.