Does God choose to be a Trinity?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Hatikvah
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
H

Hatikvah

Guest
My interest in this question was sparked when I saw this thread in the AAA forum earlier today.

Being the Trinity is a unique aspect of God that He alone possesses. However, just like His omnipresence or omnibenevolence, it is an aspect of His Being that really defines what God is from our perspective. There is an inner working in the Trinity, of course, such as the eternal generation of the Son and the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit that has been happening… eternally.

So does God consciously choose to be a Trinity in some way, or is it a matter of “it just is”? The Persons are their own hypostases, not just modes, so we need to be sure to avoid modalism in any given answer.
 
Hatikvah said:
My interest in this question was sparked when I saw this thread in the AAA forum earlier today.

Being the Trinity is a unique aspect of God that He alone possesses. However, just like His omnipresence or omnibenevolence, it is an aspect of His Being that really defines what God is from our perspective. There is an inner working in the Trinity, of course, such as the eternal generation of the Son and the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit that has been happening… eternally.

So does God consciously choose to be a Trinity in some way, or is it a matter of “it just is”? The Persons are their own hypostases, not just modes, so we need to be sure to avoid modalism in any given answer.
Click to expand...
mark
 
It’s my understanding that He just is the Trinity. His Fatherhood is eternal and what He is, not just a metaphorical relationship with Creation. His Sonship (which we participate in) is eternal and what He is, not just a created relationship. His Spirit of Love (being Love itself) is eternal and what He is, not simply a created relationship or something He does. In strict unitarianism, God is not eternally a Father, or eternally Love. Absent creation He would not be these things, they would be things He does or made happen. Such relationships would be dependent on creation and not exist within Himself as what He eternally is. That is what a Triune God brings to the table.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top