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Don’t feel the pressure to have all the answers, it’s okay to say “I don’t know, let me get back to you on that.” Also, be sure to empathize with their question. A great way to lead into a convo like this could be by saying something like… “That’s such a good question, I’ve wrestled with that one as well.”
Don’t answer their questions immediately. Sounds backwards right? It’s a little bit of hyperbole, but the point is, ask them what they think about it before you give an answer. Force them to wrestle with it themselves before spoon feeding them an answer. This will help them flex spiritual muscles and help them learn to think critically for themselves.
What about the Trinity? Make it make sense!
The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. How can they all be the same, but different? Three, but one? United, yet separate? Many of us struggle to understand what the Trinity is and how It all works. Many times, that confusion comes from the mathematical contradiction that 3 equals 3 and 1 equals 1, however, 3 cannot equal 1. It doesn’t make sense!! For something to “make sense” it must be able to be clearly understood. This is simply not one of those things. There are certain biblical concepts and natures of God that we might not ever be able to fully grasp because we are trying to make sense of an almighty, all powerful, sovereign, and holy God with our incomparable human brains. There are tons of arguments you can find on the internet about this, ie: Trinitarianism, Modalism, etc. Our goal is not to solve all of that today! Our goal is to give a baseline that might help you unpack this with your kids and students.
Just give me the answer!
Here is the baseline… God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one! There is only one God. However, they are also all unique. Here are some verses for reference… 1 Cor 8:6, 2 Cor 3:17, Col 2:9, John 10:30, Mt 1:23, Col 1:15-17, etc. A couple unique passages: Matthew 3 has the God the Father, Jesus the son, and the Holy Spirit all on the scene at the same time! They are all unique! John 1:1 tells us that Jesus isn’t just “God-adjacent”, but that he actually is God himself. Confusing stuff! Consider H20. Water is H20, ice is H20, and steam is H20. Three clearly different things are all the same thing on an elemental level. This isn’t a perfect analogy theologically speaking, but it does put the trinity into a framework our minds can wrap around!
How does this play out with our kids/teenagers, and why does it matter?
Why does this even matter? The idea of the Trinity continues to be one of the most attacked aspect of the Christian faith by other religions. It might not matter much when they are 5, but laying the groundwork for understanding this will matter down the road. You might have a 5-year-old who says… “Jesus and God love me!” In that moment it’s important to validate that statement, “Yes, they do! But did you know that Jesus and God are the same? Kind of like how I’m your dad, but I’m also a lawyer! Lawyer Joe and Dad Joe are the same person!” That response might leave them confused, but it will help lay the groundwork as they get older. Your 4th grader might ask something like… “Why did Jesus pray to God if he was God?” After you scratch your head for a moment, you might say something like “I think He did it to set an example for us, but also because in some crazy way He was fully human and fully God at the same time. Since He was fully human, He needed prayer just as much as we do.” Your teenager might have questions about the Holy Spirit... “Is it like Christian Steroids?” You might say, “Well… kinda, but times a million. The Holy Spirit is literally God inside of you. The Holy Spirit is a “he” not an “it”, it’s a person, not a thing!”
All of these conversations will help bring clarity to a subject that often turns people off of the Gospel simply because it doesn’t add up in their minds. We worship one God! But in His power, He interacts with His creation in 3 different ways. God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit have always been and will always be ONE, but unique. Clear as mud?