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How to Explain the Trinity to a Child
How do you explain the Trinity to a child? For that matter, how do you explain the Trinity to anyone?
The first thing you need to know is that the Bible never uses the word “Trinity.” The word Trinity captures the various ways the Bible talks about the nature of God.
Also, the Trinity is one of the essential and foundational doctrines of the Christian faith. You can’t have Christianity without it.
I want to share a clear and memorable way to understand what the Bible teaches about the Trinity. I first came across this illustration from Norm Geisler.
One What and Three Who’s
There is one what and three who’s. There is one God and three persons. The “what” refers to the nature of God that all three persons share.
The belief that there is only one God is clearly taught in Scripture. For example,
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! – Deuteronomy 6:4
That there are three persons is also clearly taught in Scripture. We see all three persons described and at work in various passages, including 2 Cor. 13:14:
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”
The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is not the Father. Each is a distinct person. Three who’s.
These are just two of many verses we could share. If the Bible claimed there was one God and three Gods, that would be a logical contradiction (and obviously false).
The Trinity is a doctrine that is beyond reason, not against reason. This means it is a revealed truth that is not a logical contradiction.
But because God is infinite and humans are finite, we cannot (and should not) expect to fully comprehend the full nature of God (that would be a pretty small God if we could). In this sense, the Trinity is beyond reason.
A lot more could be said, but that’s a good start! Remember, the Trinity means that there is one what and three who’s. This is the nature of the God who created and loves you more than you can possibly imagine.
