On the Trinity

Akoue said:

I'm inclined to agree with those who hold that the doctrine of the Trinity matters a great deal indeed for the economy of salvation.

I respond that:

God didn't intend for all of us to be Theologians. If we were all Theologians, the work which He prepared from the foundation of the world would never be done.

As I understand it, but I am no linguistic, the word used in the Bible for work, is the same word for worship. Therefore, we believe that we glorify God in our work. Our work is worship and our worship is work.

Akoue:

But there is another issue here which is itself quite pressing: monotheism. If the Father is divine and the Son is divine and the Holy Spirit is divine, it is incumbent upon Christians too explain how this can be--or what it even means--unless we are to accused of idolatry. There can be only one God. And though--and I think everybody will agree with this--than none of us can comprehend the Trinity fully, still we must be able to grapple with the question of the nature of the Divinity if we are to have any idea what we worship and to whom we pray.

Here are some ways in which I've explained it in the past:

First, it is a mystery. But a mystery to which God has given us insight here on earth.

You and I share a human nature, do we not? Yet we are distinct persons. So what's the difference between us and the Holy Trinity.

Well, the difference is our limited nature. Human nature is such that we are limited. We are restricted to our space. You in yours and I in mine. But Divine Nature is such that it can't be limited. The attributes of Divine Nature is such that it is Eternal, Omnisicient and Omnipresent.

What does that mean? Well, that means that there can only be One God. God is eternal and therefore there is no "room" for any other God. If God were not eternal, then there could be many gods. But there is only one because the Divine Nature is eternal.

What about the persons? How can there be three Divine Persons? What is Person? A person is distinguished by an attribute that can't be shared. You and I share a human nature but we don't share a name, a personality, a body, a mind and many other characteristics. What is it that the Holy Trinity do not share. An identity, a role, a relationship.

The Father is in the Son, but the Father is not the Son.
The Son is in the Father but the Son is not the Father.
The Holy Spirit is in the Father and the Son, but the Holy Spirit is not the Father or the Son.

Three persons SHARE one Divine Nature.

BUT, you say, those three Persons aren't like you and I. They share everything but identity. Whereas, you and I share nothing but nature. True. But even in human beings, there are some "personalities" which share a body, a mind and a spirit.

-It is proven, psychologically, that there are people who suffer from multiple personality syndromes. These multiple personalities share the same nature.

You might say, yeah, but that is a disorder? True. When the personalities are in conflict, it is a disorder.

Although I am not aware of any examples where the personalities were not in conflict, it is possible that is because, when they aren't in conflict, there is no need for corrective intervention.

You might also say, but you and I share the human nature with many human beings. We are talking about a Trinity, not a multiplicity.

True. But the Trinity is revealed as such. If God had revealed a Quintity or even a Centurionity whatever, that is what we would have to accept. God has revealed He is a Trinity, nothing less and nothing more. Therefore we believe and accept although the Mystery is almost beyond the ability of the unaided mind to comprehend.

Then there is the mathematical response. Certainly, 1+1+1 is equal to three. That is only partially true however, because there are Three Divine Persons. But the three persons are also consubstantial. That is, they share the same nature. Since they share the same nature, then it is also correct to use this mathematical formula, 1x1x1 = one.

Finally, a look at nature will show how the entire world reflects the Holy Trinity. If we look at space we see that everything is three dimensional. Everything has width, heighth and depth. Yet everything is one. This is a reflection of the Holy Trinity.

If we consider time, we see that time has past, present and future. Yet where do we divide. When does the past become the present and the present become the past. Time is seamless. Time is one.

I hope that doesn't confound matters even worse.

Sincerely,

De Maria