by jimwalton » Thu Jan 19, 2017 5:55 pm
The trinity is not mutually exclusive. There are several ways it's perfectly logical. The Trinity is not an example of the law of non-contradiction because of the idea of paradox. While some things seem to be self-contradictory, there are both possible and logical ways to reconcile the alleged variance. For instance, we know that light exhibits the characteristics of a particle and of a wave. So while it is a single entity (substance), it manifests itself in various ways. It’s a paradox, but also a reality. Light doesn't contradict itself, and particles and waves aren't mutually exclusive. It manifests itself in two different ways without being a contradiction.
Another way to look at the Trinity comes from an idea posed by Sheldon Vanauken in **A Severe Mercy**. His idea was this: Suppose I write a book, and I put myself in it. The character "me" says what I would say and does what I would do. It's ME in the book. He's exactly as I am. Now, is the character in the book different from the me outside of the book? Of course he is. But is it me? Of course it is. He's all me, but he's all a separate character. I can easily be both the author and a character without compromising either. Two characters, one person, not mutually exclusive.
In addition, we know that some people view human beings as unified entities—that we have no soul or spirit—but we just are: all of me is all there is of me. Some people, however, view humans as bipartite—a body and a mind. Is that a contradiction, to think that the "mind" of me is somehow a separate entity of the "body" of me, and yet I am "me," a unified whole? Not at all. It's possible. It's difficult to know the truth and reality of such things, but it's both possible and possibly reasonable. Is this mutually exclusive? Not one bit.
In the Bible, the Trinity distinguishes between the *principle* of divine action and the *subject* of divine action. The principle of all divine action is the one undivided divine essence, but the subject of divine action is either Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. The Father can send the Son according to his power, and the Son can be incarnated according to his nature without dividing the divine essence (light, person, nature, in my 3 analogies).
Joe Boot also explains, "If God is not the triune Lord revealed in Jesus Christ, then the doctrine of creation is rendered impossible, and man is just part of a cosmic chain of being. This is because a monadic conception of God as some kind of singularity leaves us with the emptiness and void of non-personality as ultimate. If there is no plurality within God's being, then there is no subject-object relationship, no particularity, only a blank unity. In such a view of God there can be no foundation for knowledge, love, morality, or ethics. Indeed, without an absolute personality, there is no diversity or distinction basic to reality at all; ultimate reality is a bare unity about which nothing may be said. This is why the Trinity is so important in tackling the philosophical problem of the one and the many. Moreover, because a denial of the Trinity leads to a denial of an absolute personality, we cannot speak coherently of the will of God. Only persons have a will. But if God has no will, then creation is not the free act of an absolute, personal God. Rather, the universe is the emanation of divine being, and what we call the universe is merely the extension of god, or, as some pagans would say, it is the body of god."
Therefore, the Trinity is both a logical and necessary part of creation, love and life, and not mutually exclusive.
The trinity is not mutually exclusive. There are several ways it's perfectly logical. The Trinity is not an example of the law of non-contradiction because of the idea of paradox. While some things seem to be self-contradictory, there are both possible and logical ways to reconcile the alleged variance. For instance, we know that light exhibits the characteristics of a particle and of a wave. So while it is a single entity (substance), it manifests itself in various ways. It’s a paradox, but also a reality. Light doesn't contradict itself, and particles and waves aren't mutually exclusive. It manifests itself in two different ways without being a contradiction.
Another way to look at the Trinity comes from an idea posed by Sheldon Vanauken in **A Severe Mercy**. His idea was this: Suppose I write a book, and I put myself in it. The character "me" says what I would say and does what I would do. It's ME in the book. He's exactly as I am. Now, is the character in the book different from the me outside of the book? Of course he is. But is it me? Of course it is. He's all me, but he's all a separate character. I can easily be both the author and a character without compromising either. Two characters, one person, not mutually exclusive.
In addition, we know that some people view human beings as unified entities—that we have no soul or spirit—but we just are: all of me is all there is of me. Some people, however, view humans as bipartite—a body and a mind. Is that a contradiction, to think that the "mind" of me is somehow a separate entity of the "body" of me, and yet I am "me," a unified whole? Not at all. It's possible. It's difficult to know the truth and reality of such things, but it's both possible and possibly reasonable. Is this mutually exclusive? Not one bit.
In the Bible, the Trinity distinguishes between the *principle* of divine action and the *subject* of divine action. The principle of all divine action is the one undivided divine essence, but the subject of divine action is either Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. The Father can send the Son according to his power, and the Son can be incarnated according to his nature without dividing the divine essence (light, person, nature, in my 3 analogies).
Joe Boot also explains, "If God is not the triune Lord revealed in Jesus Christ, then the doctrine of creation is rendered impossible, and man is just part of a cosmic chain of being. This is because a monadic conception of God as some kind of singularity leaves us with the emptiness and void of non-personality as ultimate. If there is no plurality within God's being, then there is no subject-object relationship, no particularity, only a blank unity. In such a view of God there can be no foundation for knowledge, love, morality, or ethics. Indeed, without an absolute personality, there is no diversity or distinction basic to reality at all; ultimate reality is a bare unity about which nothing may be said. This is why the Trinity is so important in tackling the philosophical problem of the one and the many. Moreover, because a denial of the Trinity leads to a denial of an absolute personality, we cannot speak coherently of the will of God. Only persons have a will. But if God has no will, then creation is not the free act of an absolute, personal God. Rather, the universe is the emanation of divine being, and what we call the universe is merely the extension of god, or, as some pagans would say, it is the body of god."
Therefore, the Trinity is both a logical and necessary part of creation, love and life, and not mutually exclusive.