Throughout history various theologians have pondered at the idea of the Trinity and its doctrine. Though many theologians have given various explanations of this teaching, the correct understanding of the Trinity and its meaning can be found within the Catholic Church. According to the Catholic Church, the Trinity is “One God in three persons, in whom the divine persons are distinct and relative to one another.” The Catholic Church also believes that, “Actions within the Trinity are united actions but can be spoken of in accord with its personal property”. In other words, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all part of the trinity and act together. For example, the Father created the world and humanity. He sent the Son to save human beings …show more content…
This implies that the Father cannot be begotten by another, rather he begets the Son. Unlike human beings, God cannot be constrained by time, which is a variable measured by human beings. Due to God existing eternally and outside the bounds of time, one cannot claim that God is not the first efficient cause. God may act in time, such as the Holy Spirit coming down at Pentecost or the splitting of water by Moses, but God is immaterial. While there are many theologians who view God as the first mode of being due to his role as creator, the correct description of the plurality of the Trinity can best be explained with the following illustration: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are truly distinct from one another because of their relationship with one another; however, they are entirely God due to sharing the same essence. This suggests that the threeness of God can be found in the relations between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as indicated by Gregory of Nazianzus. While each created thing is made up of a substance or ousia, each relation of the Trinity is a divine person of the same substance or …show more content…
Past theologians have spoken about God and have tried to describe him in human terms. Unlike human beings, who possess various attributes, God is his own attribute. For example, God cannot become the goodness human beings strive for because He is pure goodness itself. While many may question the plurality of the Trinity, it is important to note that Christians believe in only one God; therefore, it would be absurd to apply modalism to the monotheistic and only true God. Athanasius argues that we cannot know the truths of God if we fail to know who God truly is. Due to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit being of one and the same essence, it is incorrect to claim that the Father is greater than the Son or vice versa. The same claim would be incorrect when applied to the Holy Spirit, for the Trinity does not include three different essences. The Father is Father by relation, the Son is Son by relation, and the Holy Spirit is the Holy Spirit by relation. In conclusion, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit make up the Trinity, are one in essence, work in accord for the salvation of man, and are distinct from one another due to their relation to each