The Trinity

[badsede]

A friend of mine has been struggling with the Trinity. This of course, should not be surprizing, anyone who *really* thinks about the Trinity struggles with the the idea. She has found her own concepts resembling Modalism, the belief that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are not three persons, distinct yet consubstantial, but rather that the

Comments

[annabellissima]

I love you *snuggles*

[h1s_songb1rd]

:)

Congratulations on your baby and your happy little family. ♥

[annabellissima]

Thank you! :D :D We're in the final 5 weeks as of tomorrow!

[h1s_songb1rd]

Very exciting! :D I remember wondering if I could make it that long! :) My first was born right on his due date. Blessings upon you!

[yechezkiel]

This is great (I mean, I really love this and don't want the rest of this sentence to indicate otherwise), but the penultimate paragraph is something that's always worried me about similar Trinitarian discussions: if the Spirit is only the love of the Father for the Son (or the mutual love of Father & Son), in what sense is the Spirit a person? Pneumatology is easily the most difficult aspect of Trinitarian theology, though.

[badsede]

The answer is in your use of the word "only." Love *is* God, if the Spirit is Love, then the Spirit must be a person, because if Love is not a person, love cannot be God, anything less than a person would be less than God. The problem is not that one might see the Spirit as "only" but that Love could be referred to as "only."

[h1s_songb1rd]

THIS (both your post, and the brotherly love shown in it) is why I call you my brother, and I always will.

I don't mind if you say it was me. I'm doing better, though it is painful, still. I do remember all the things He's done for me over the years [faith-building things] even though I had a misconception of Him, and I know that what I have with Him is genuine no matter how wrong I can be.

I appreciate your post and your heart so much. You and prester_scott (he really pulled me out of the garbage I was in).

And I especially should thank heyunyi for pointing it out to me.

I may not be able to understand God, but I don't ever want to misunderstand Him. I'm thankful for His grace and mercy.

[prester_scott]

Thanks for covering the aspect of this that I didn't. :)

One thing though. I also note the the second-to-last paragraph: it's very Western. I don't get Eastern theology very well at all on this point, but I presume there is some basis for rejecting the notion of the Holy Spirit as the co-processional "bond of love." I tried to read Lossky for the alternative position, and I'm not sure I understand it fully, but I *think* he would offer as an alternative metaphor that the Holy Spirit is not The Bond of Love so much as The Manifester of Divinity. This would fit both the appearance of the Trinity at Jesus' Baptism (the HS's descent paired with the pronouncement "This is My Beloved Son"), and the teaching of Christ in John 14:26 (the HS will remember/manifest the presence of the Son).

[badsede]

I certainly don't fully understand the Eastern position either, but I have to say that I haven't found it compelling .. or I should rather say, I have not found the Eastern objections to the Western position compelling, and I do find that Western position compelling.

I would say that if the Holy Spirit is the Bond of Love, then He is also inherently the Manifester of Divinity. Divinity is made manifest through love.

I keep trying to read Lossky, and keep getting little out of him. I get the sense of great ideas being burdened by .. something.

[sistermeg]

Triune God rules.

I wish I could be more eloquent, but that's all I've got.