Day 49

Of God and of the Holy Trinity

Chapter 2, Paragraph 3.

“…of one substance, power, and Eternity, each having the Divine Essence, yet the Essence undivided,..”

Scripture Lookup

Exodus 3:14.

John 14:11.

1 Cor. 8:6.

Reflection

God is one, and in this one being are three subsistences: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are all of the same substance, power, and Eternity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are of one substance. God is spirit. This means that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are spirit, because they are God. All three persons of the trinity are of one power. They all, being God, have the power of God. They are of one Eternity. There never was a time when the Father was not. There never was a time when the Son was not. There never was a time when the Holy Spirit was not.

All persons of the trinity have the Divine Essence. What does that mean? Oxford dictionaries defines essence as “the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character”.  So the Father is fully God, the Son is fully God, and the Holy Spirit is fully God. No member of the trinity is more or less God than any other member.

Recall, though, that God is one. Therefore, the Divine Essence of God is undivided. There are not three divine beings who are fully God, but rather, three divine persons of which God subsists. Richard Barcellos writes, “The three persons do not each possess one third of the divine essence. The essence of God is indivisible (not separable into parts). The essence of God cannot be cut into parts – it’s all or nothing.”

Questions to Consider

• Could you give a definition of the trinity if asked?