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How can God be both Three and One? This is just one among many “Frequently Asked Questions” posed by all kinds of people, whether they consider themself a Christian or not.

Some months ago, Troy gave a teaching that dealt with God’s nature. Here’s an excerpt from that teaching that grapples with the mystery of God’s Three-in-Oneness. While the excerpt does not explain fully how God can be both three and one, it does provide a picture as to how we can understand it a bit more.  Here’s the excerpt:

As you can guess, this year we’ll be exploring crucial territory like Jesus, suffering, the cross, the Holy Spirit, the church, forgiveness and eternity. Today, we’ll be looking at the rough guide to God. Specifically, the Apostle’s Creed answers the all-important questions: “Who is God?” and “What is God like?”

In response to those questions, I’d like to draw out just two big highlights from the Creed: First, the Apostle’s Creed tells us what God is like when it describes God as Three-in-One. It emphasizes belief in God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Christians call this the Trinity, which is a compound word of sorts meaning Tri-Unity. Essentially, when Christians say that God is a Trinity, they are saying God’s essence forms a unity, yet within that single essence there exists a distinctness of persons.

Kelly: “What?! You see that’s just what I don’t like about Christianity! What’s up with this Trinity thing? Either there is One God or there are multiple gods.  Let’s not try to play both ends of the field.  Pick one or the other for goodness’ sake.  Stop being so wishy-washy!  Why do Christians have to insist on this absurd concept, anyway?”

Troy:  I realize I may have just turned some of you off to being Christian.

Kelly:  You can say that again!

Troy:  I’ll admit that at first the concept of the Trinity seems a logical impossibility…

Kelly:  You can say that again!  Although I wouldn’t call it just a “logical impossibility”.  I’d put it more this way:  Where other people have a brain, Christians have resonance!

Troy:  Okay, okay.  That’s hitting a little below the belt.  Would you like to hear a response now?

Kelly:  Sure–if you’ve got one (which I doubt).

Troy:   Okay, here it is:   If the skeptic’s critique of God’s Three-in-One nature rests on the foundation of “logical impossibility”, the Christian’s defense of God’s Three-in-One nature rests (in part) on that same foundation.

Kelly:  What do you mean?  In plain English this time, please.

Troy:  Okay.  Christians say:  “You skeptics think it’s logically impossible that God could be Three in One?”

Kelly:  Yeah.

Troy:  Well, I say it’s logically impossible God isn’t Three-in-One. 

Kelly:  Oh, this is gonna be good:  Why?

Troy:  Three simple words: ‘God is love.’” Kelly:  (pause) What does that have to do with it?

Troy:  We’ll get to that in a little bit, but first let me just ask you:  Do you agree with the statement “God is love”?

Kelly:  Of course I do.  Who wouldn’t?  But I still don’t see what that has to do with it.

Troy:  Everything.  Let me ask you another question:  Would it be possible for me to love my wife if my wife had never been born, if there was no such thing as “my wife”?

Kelly:  No.  You can’t love someone who’s not there.  That’s just silliness.

Troy:  So, love requires an object to love.

Kelly:  An object?

Troy:  Another person or thing.

Kelly:  Yeah.  I guess so.  There is no such thing as love without something else to love.  That’s partly what makes love “love”.   It always involves “another.”

Troy:  So, if God is love and love requires an object to love, who’s the object in God’s case?

Kelly:  Us.

Troy:  Yes, right.  But, who did God love before there was an “us”?

Kelly:  Other “us”es.

Troy:  No, I mean, before there were any humans at all.

Kelly:  Oh.  Ummm…Angels?

Troy:  And how about before there were angels?  How about when there was just God?

Kelly:  (pause) I see your point.

Troy:  When Christians say God is love, St. Augustine tells us they’re saying God is like the triad “Lover, Beloved, and Love Itself.”

Kelly:  Come again?

Troy:  Okay, illustration time:  You know Nicolas my son, right?

Kelly:  Yeah.

Troy:  You know I love him, right?

Kelly:  I think so, although I do see you yelling at him an awful lot.

Troy:  But I do love him, right?

Kelly:  Right.

Troy:  In this instance I am the Lover, Nicolas is the One I Love (the Beloved) and what passes between us?:  Love itself.  There’s a trinity.  In the case of God, we could say God the Father is the Lover, God the Son is the Beloved and the Holy Spirit is love itself.  (Remember, by the way, when Jesus was baptized?  What happened?  The Spirit (love) descended on Him like a dove and the Father’s voice could be heard from heaven saying, “This is my Son, whom I love…” In that one scene we see the nature of the Trinity:  The Father represents the One Doing the Loving, the Son represents the One Receiving the Love, and the Spirit rests on the Son, representing Love Itself!)    One essence, three persons.  That’s why Christians say both “God is love” and “God is Triune”.  You can’t have one without the other.  God cannot be love (that’s the unity of essence) without a plurality of persons.  It’s impossible.  See?

Kelly:  Yeah.  Thanks.

Troy:  You’re welcome.  And thank you.  You can have a seat now, if you like.