Thinking about God and finding words to describe him in the Trinity

Thinking about God and finding words to describe him in the Trinity

Already the first hurdle is to place the existence of the Holy Trinity into the vernacular of everyone’s ability to understand the possible meaning of three persons who are one God.

Attempting to describe in human terms the very existence of how the Trinity is only one God, yet is really three persons.  And to further attach a meaning isn’t one person divided into three individuals, making them only a numerical portion of this one God.  Each person has an individual personality which differs from the other two persons, yet still remains the one God.  

Let’s go to the beginning of humanity, not God, but his creation of a finite personhood that will not understand the creator’s decision to put infinite nature removed from the human mind.  If we look at the creation passage from Genesis, it is easy to see that the Trinity was already in agreement with what would carry our existence throughout the history of mankind.  “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”  (Gn 1: 26).   The Holy Trinity was preparing us and agreeing within each other the creation of humanity.

Can anyone comprehend what the world would have been like if God never existed?  Well if that could be then we wouldn't be writing this or reading any of our work since there couldn’t be what is without an eternal essence which is God.  So to erase the thought of God never having a beginning, we can now move on with a more serious discussion of the Trinity and how we are connected to him (them).  

Phillip asked Jesus to show them the Father, then they would believe.  “If you know me , then you will also know my Father.  Phillip said to him, Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.  Jesus answered him saying; “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Phillip?  Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”  “How can you say, " Show us the Father?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

“Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”  (Jn 14: 7-11).  

When one person of the Trinity is at work through miracles, via healing, teaching, and raising the dead, all three persons of the Holy Trinity are there.  That perhaps is the best exclamation of who the Holy Trinity is, and how best to explain in terms to a finite mind that seeks a definitive answer that no one can completely present.  

Remember the three persons were there at our beginning, our falling away through sin, the forgiveness we receive, and the day we are brought to church and our remains are blessed by the church.  And if that is not clear enough, the Trinity will be there to welcome us home as the words “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things.”  (Mt 25: 21).

Ralph B. Hathaway