A Co-equal Trinity

[Frankk]

We are taught that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are co-equal. My problem is that when I read the Bible I find things like:

Mt 12:32 And anyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but let anyone speak against the Holy Spirit and he will not be forgiven either in this world or the next

Mt 24:36 But as for that day and hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, no one but the Father only.

Mt 20:23 Very well, he said, you shall drink my cup but as for the seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those whom they have been allotted by my Father.

John 14: 28 …If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

I’m sure there are other verses but these give a good sample of the difficulties I’m having equating the words of Our Lord with the concept of a co-equal Trinity. He, Himself, says that the Father is greater than He.

Many thanks to whoever can steer me onto the right path.

 

[thistle]

We are taught that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are co-equal. My problem is that when I read the Bible I find things like:

Mt 12:32 And anyone who says a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but let anyone speak against the Holy Spirit and he will not be forgiven either in this world or the next

Mt 24:36 But as for that day and hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, no one but the Father only.

Mt 20:23 Very well, he said, you shall drink my cup but as for the seats at my right hand and my left, these are not mine to grant; they belong to those whom they have been allotted by my Father.

John 14: 28 …If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

I’m sure there are other verses but these give a good sample of the difficulties I’m having equating the words of Our Lord with the concept of a co-equal Trinity. He, Himself, says that the Father is greater than He.

Many thanks to whoever can steer me onto the right path.

I recommend the book Theology For Beginners by F.J. Sheed.

 

[Della]

The verses you cite are not dealing with equality but with authority–the difference is very important.

I’ll give you a few examples:

According to Scripture, a husband has authority over his wife and children. Does that make him greater in worth than his family? No. I only means he has the burden of making the final decisions.

The president of the USA has certain powers and privileges that Senators and other public servants do not. Is he of more worth than they? Certainly not. His powers and privileges come with the office and will disappear as soon as he has left office.

The Holy Father has a charism of infallibility not given to other bishops, as individuals. Is he of more worth than his brother bishops? Again, no. He is the “Servant of the Servants of God.” His charism comes with his office and when he dies and another pope is elected, the new pope will “inherit” the charism his predecessor had.

In the Godhead, the Father has the greatest authority, but the Son and the Holy Spirit are co-equal. Also, when Jesus spoke about the Father, while on earth, he was speaking as the Son of Man more than as the Son of God. He laid aside his privileges as the Son of God when he took on his human nature and assumed them again when he rose from the dead.

The reason sins against the Spirit are unforgivable is because they are sins against Love, which cuts one off from God, for the Holy Spirit is the personification of the Love the Father and the Son have for one another. Anyone who would deliberately violate that Love would have to be one who is apostate/reprobate.

 

[Jaypeeto3]

Hi !!
The three persons of the Trinity are equal as regards their NATURE or ESSENCE.
The Father IS greater than the Son in the sense that He eternally begets the Son of His own essence. Also, the Son lovingly does His Father’s will. But the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are fully equal in regard to the fact that all three fully share the Divine Nature or Deity.

The speaking against the Holy Spirit that Jesus spoke about is one of Jesus’s more mysterious and difficult sayings. It does NOT mean that the Holy Spirit is holier or better than the Father or the Son, so that saying bad words about the Holy Spirit is worse than saying bad words about the Father or the Son. When anyone speaks against “God,” he is speaking against all three persons, since God is one God in three persons. The sin or blasphemy against the Holy Spirit refers to a stone-hearted, wicked and vicious refusal and denial of the graces the Holy Spirit offers us sinners to lead us to repentance. If a person repents of his sin, no matter what it is, he has repented because of the Holy Spirit’s promptings and therefore cannot be guilty of the unforgivable sin that Jesus was addressing.

God bless,
Jaypeeto3 (aka Jaypeeto4)

 

[Frankk]

thistle, Della, Jaypeeto3

Many thanks for your replies which have hit the bullseye first time. The answer seems so obvious - I was just too thick to see it!

thistle, I do have a copy of Sheed’s excellent Theology and Sanity on my bookshelf so I’ll re-read what he has to say about the Trinity later on. He devotes two chapters to it, so I’ll doubtless get a lot out of it! Trust me not even to look harder at my own books to find an answer. Still, I wouldn’t have had the benefit of your wonderful advice if I had.

Thank you all, once again.