Explaining the trinity to kids

[Doeroftheword]

Okay we all know about the trinity as God the father God the son and God the Holy Spirit. Today in my Sunday school class I had to explain the Three but one concept. The hard part was that it was way over the kids heads and they didnt understand the holy spirit and they couldn't with how confusing it was. They made it seem as if Jesus and God are one and so is the Holy spirit but I just think it confuses them. How do you explain the holy spirit to them?

Another question i have thats on the same subject is do you all believe we will see God the Father and God the Son or see only Jesus in Heaven?

God Bless

[Revmitchell]

There is no way to explain the how only the what is. How is the Trinity possible and how does it work? We cannot say. But we do know by scripture that The Trinity is.

[Marcia]

What is the age group you are talking about?

How about this?

Draw a triangle and write Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at each point. Show that they are all God (the triangle is the Godhead), but the Father is not the son (go from that point to the Son point), the Son is not the Holy Spirit, etc. They 3 Persons are together but distinct. Explain what distinct means.

The Holy Spirit is God; He is not an "it," a force, or a ghost (as in what the kids may think of as a scary ghost, in case they've heard the term "Holy Ghost").

The Trinity is very important to teach; I don't think there is enough teaching on it these days.

[Jim1999]

I always remember in England and in the Church of England, the vicar used an egg to explain the mystery of the trinity. Shell, Yolk and white, but one egg. The shell represented God, the overall aspect of the trinity. The yolk was the meat of the egg and represented Jesus. The Holy Spirit carried the essence of the egg, the message, the Saviour inside and the Father outside and overall. I guess it breaks down somewhere, but I remember as kids we were impressed with the egg.

Cheers,

Jim

[OldRegular]

Originally Posted by Doeroftheword

Another question i have thats on the same subject is do you all believe we will see God the Father and God the Son or see only Jesus in Heaven?

God Bless

Read Chapters 4 & % of Revelation.

[Johnv]

The concept of the Trinity is one of those things we probably can't fully understand as humans. It's easy to overanalyze it. Here's a very simple and effective way to understand it:

Think of an apple. The apple is made up of the seed, the meat, and the skin. All three together are a single apple, but each has its own separate distinct traits.

So it is with the Trinity. The Trinity together is referred to as God. God the Son is usually referred to as the Son, God the Holy Spirit is usually referred to as the Holy Spirit, and God the Father is often referred to as the Father.

Now, sometimes, God the Father is referred to just as "God", while the Son and Holy Spirit aren't. In fact, scripture frequently uses "God" to refer especially to the Father. How can that be? Again, think of the apple. The skin isn't typically referred to as "apple", nor is the seed. But the meat is frequently referred to as "apple" even though it is without seed or skin. Likewise it is with The Father. The Father is often referred to as God, even though its reference might not be inclusive of The Son or Holy Spirit.

[Crabtownboy]

There are many analogies that can be used. I probably would start with:

You are trinity and more.
You are a child
Your are a son/daughter
Your are a brother/sister ... if they have any
Your are a student
You are a friend

And yet you are one.

I would also, if they are old enough explain what the original word, persona, meant. That puts a light on the subject that many Christians do not know or realize.

To simply say no one completely understands the trinity, while true, is a totally unsatisfactory answer to any smart, thinking kid.

[Me4Him]

Originally Posted by Doeroftheword

Okay we all know about the trinity as God the father God the son and God the Holy Spirit. Today in my Sunday school class I had to explain the Three but one concept. The hard part was that it was way over the kids heads and they didnt understand the holy spirit and they couldn't with how confusing it was. They made it seem as if Jesus and God are one and so is the Holy spirit but I just think it confuses them. How do you explain the holy spirit to them?

Another question i have thats on the same subject is do you all believe we will see God the Father and God the Son or see only Jesus in Heaven?

God Bless

You raised a good question, the first idea that came to my mind was "play-doh".

You could make a little "play-doh man", as God created Adam from dust, breath into his "nose" to show how the "soul" enter the "body",

and once they were "born again", you would have:

1. play-doh man, flesh
2. soul
3. spirit of God

By showing that they to could become a "Trinity", like God, I think they would have a better chance of understanding it.

[Marcia]

Originally Posted by Crabtownboy

There are many analogies that can be used. I probably would start with:

You are trinity and more.
You are a child
Your are a son/daughter
Your are a brother/sister ... if they have any
Your are a student
You are a friend

And yet you are one.

I have to comment on this. This analogy goes more with modalism -- the concept that God is one Person with 3 roles. I would not use this illustration to explain the Trinity. The illustration above is one person in different roles - that is not the Trinity, which is 3 distinct Persons in one Godhead (not one Person).

[preachinjesus]

Wow...just, wow

I think the Trinity is the most misunderstood concept in Christianity. I hestitate to offer this illustration (primarily because it is hard to consider the Trinity intellectually. It is complex, Augustine took about 1000 pages to touch on its fringes.

If I were explaining it to children I would use either:

a. A glass of ice water...let it sit out in a warm room for a couple of minutes until condensation begins to build up.

The Trinity is like this ice water (can't believe I typed that.) You have one substance with three different expressions of that substance. Just like with the Trinity you have One Godhead and three distinct Persons forming that Godhead. With this glass of water you have three expressions of H20. Water is its liquid form, Ice is its solid form, and the condensation as evidence of its gasous form.

This is how the Godhead works. It is one form with three distinct expression. God the Father is like the water, Jesus Christ is like the ice, and the Holy Spirit is like the gasous form. While they are each an expression of H20 each has the exact same root...H20.

or B, take a thick rope with three cords wrapped around each other.

Notice how this rope is one single form. It is a rope. But it has three cords of equal length, equal importance, and none is stronger than the other. This is similiar to how the Trinity works. There is One Godhead (the rope) with three distinct Persons of equal divnity, nature, and expression (the cords.)

B also works using Ecclesiastes 4:12 as a Scriptural text.

Okay, now let's see how this is received...