Holy Trinity - tension with 10 Commandments?

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One othe Ten Commandments states that there is only one God. But, the Church speaks of the trinity. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Can someone explain this apparent tension in layman’s terms?

thanks. I am really struggling with this issue.
 
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Golf_Nut:
One othe Ten Commandments states that there is only one God. But, the Church speaks of the trinity. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Can someone explain this apparent tension in layman’s terms?

thanks. I am really struggling with this issue.
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We believe that there are three persons IN one God.

The Protestants focus on Jesus, The Charismatics focus on the Holy Spirit, but all in all when we say “God” we mean all three.

Otherwise we would say “God, the Father.”

If I’m wrong, someone will correct me.
 
My difficulty with this answer of yours (for which I thank you) is that I do not see any Scripture authority for this position.

By way of introduction, I am a Catholic and lately have been examining my faith and sadly must say that this issue is really challenging.

The 10 Commandments are very clear. There is only one God. Yet we take the position that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are holy. THe only way I can reconcile this is if Jesus and the Holy Spirit are extensions of God. But the New Testament assigns them very separate positions.

In any case, my next project will be to re-read the Bible and see if I can reconcile this issue. I believe the Old Testament speaks of a Messiah to come and so with the comming of the Messiah, the Jesus is the fulfilment of that prophecy. But the Holy Spirit is something else. Who is the Holy Spirit? Is it referred to in the Old Testament? How can it co-exist with God if there is only one God?

I find this difficult to wrap my mind around.
 
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Golf_Nut:
My difficulty with this answer of yours (for which I thank you) is that I do not see any Scripture authority for this position.

By way of introduction, I am a Catholic and lately have been examining my faith and sadly must say that this issue is really challenging.

The 10 Commandments are very clear. There is only one God. Yet we take the position that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are holy. THe only way I can reconcile this is if Jesus and the Holy Spirit are extensions of God. But the New Testament assigns them very separate positions.

In any case, my next project will be to re-read the Bible and see if I can reconcile this issue. I believe the Old Testament speaks of a Messiah to come and so with the comming of the Messiah, the Jesus is the fulfilment of that prophecy. But the Holy Spirit is something else. Who is the Holy Spirit? Is it referred to in the Old Testament? How can it co-exist with God if there is only one God?

I find this difficult to wrap my mind around.
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First, we as Catholics do not say “God” to mean “God the Father”. Jesus refered to Him as “My Father”
It is one of the mysteries of our church but I have always thought of it as a commitee. I may be wrong.

We do not believe in Sola Scriptura.
Our religion is Tradition based.
Men wrote the Bible with God’s divine intervention but God did not give every man the ability to read it properly. There are many websites with Catholic Apologetics. Start with your priest and then do a Google search for Apologetics.

God Bless.
 
Thanks for the suggestion to check the web for apologists sites. They certainly contain the information I am interested in. I will also follow up with my priest eventually if I still have problems with this issue.
 
netmil(name removed by moderator):
We do not believe in Sola Scriptura.
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I presume that Sola Scriptura refers to the view that all answers are to be found in the Bible. But, I thought that the Old Testament Prophets spoke the word of God, as opposed to providing an account of experiences as related by the Disciples.
 
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Golf_Nut:
I presume that Sola Scriptura refers to the view that all answers are to be found in the Bible. But, I thought that the Old Testament Prophets spoke the word of God, as opposed to providing an account of experiences as related by the Disciples.
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I’m not really sure!
I do know that all answers are not found in the Bible and that does depend on what Bible you use.
There are really smart people here. I’m just kind of a mom who reads stuff.
I’m sure someone here can help!
 
In addition to apologetics websites, you may want to read through the Catechism of the Catholic Chuch. You will find very helpful information explaining what we believe. In paragraph 684, for example, the CCC begins to explain the progression of how the three persons of the Trinity were revealed throughout Holy Scripture.
St. Gregory of Nazianzus, the Theologian, explains this progression in terms of the pedagogy of divine “condescension”:

The Old Testament proclaimed the Father clearly, but the Son more obscurely. The New Testament revealed the Son and gave us a glimpse of the divinity of the Spirit. Now the Spirit dwells among us and grants us a clearer vision of himself. It was not prudent, when the divinity of the Father had not yet been confessed, to proclaim the Son openly and, when the divinity of the Son was not yet admitted, to add the Holy Spirit as an extra burden, to speak somewhat daringly… By advancing and progressing “from glory to glory,” the light of the Trinity will shine in ever more brilliant rays.
 
netmil(name removed by moderator):
I’m just kind of a mom who reads stuff.
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Now that’s an understatement if I ever heard one!

Golfnut, do not let netmil(name removed by moderator) fool you; She is very wise and we love her around these parts! She is correct in saying that there are some *really *smart people here. There are even some smart alecks!

Stick around for some really great discussions and debates. We all learn something new every day here.
 
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Golf_Nut:
My difficulty with this answer of yours (for which I thank you) is that I do not see any Scripture authority for this position.
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read very carefully, the first few verses of Genesis, the beginning of the last Chapter of John’s Gospel, and the gospel accounts of the Baptism of the Lord and the Transfiguration. You will very clearly see all three Persons who share the Divine Nature, God one and indivisible, in these passages. When the OT speaks of a mighty wind that is a reference to the Spirit. In reading Genesis creation account and “in the beginning was the Word” in whom, for whom and through whom all things were created, you will see all three Persons present.
 
Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut everyone. I have a lot of reading to do!
 
You should get a book called Theology for Beginners by F.J. Sheed. Its paperback, 177 pages only and easy to read. In the book there are 3 sections which will answer your questions. One on The Blessed Trinity, one on The Three persons, and one on The Human Mind and The Doctrine of the Trinity.
 
thanks Thistle. I will get the book. I know that this is a topic that is very old, but nevertheless, if I want to truly understand and believe, I have to examine this issue.
 
I second the nomination for the FJ Sheed book Theology for Beginners. It is quite good.

Keep in mind that Catholics firmly believe that there is only ONE God! The divine nature is infinitely perfect and can only be One. There can be only One God. We firmly believe that. We also believe, because it has been revealed, that three distinct Persons each totally and completely possess that one divine nature.
 
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JimG:
There can be only One God. We firmly believe that. We also believe, because it has been revealed, that three distinct Persons each totally and completely possess that one divine nature.
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Respectfully, your comments are surely a testament of your faith but I do not find them persuasive, but rather contradictory.

If there is only One God, it would be contradictory to say that “***three distinct Persons ** each totally and completely *possess ** that one divine nature.”

I do not mean to be disrespectful, but your comments are not logical.
 
This may (or may not) be helpful. The Trinity has also been depicted as three interlocking circles, the overlap representing their unity and the outlying areas representing their distinction.
 
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Golf_Nut:
Respectfully, your comments are surely a testament of your faith but I do not find them persuasive, but rather contradictory.

If there is only One God, it would be contradictory to say that “***three distinct Persons *** each totally and completely **possess ** that one divine nature.”

I do not mean to be disrespectful, but your comments are not logical.
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No disrespect is taken. In our own human experience, one human nature is associated with one human person. What I am is one human being. Who I am is JimG. But it is nothing inherently contradictory about having more than one who associated with a single what.

What God is, is one infinite supreme being. *Who * God is, is Father, Son, and Spirit.

The three divine Persons do not share the divine nature, because sharing means that each would only then be partially God. Rather, each is totally God. But there can only be one divine nature because there is only one God.

But I am only writing a post. Frank Sheed wrote the book.
 
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Golf_Nut:
I presume that Sola Scriptura refers to the view that all answers are to be found in the Bible. But, I thought that the Old Testament Prophets spoke the word of God, as opposed to providing an account of experiences as related by the Disciples.
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Actually sola scriptura refers to several things. One, if it is not in the Bible it didn’t happen. For instance, no mention made of the dinosaurs, they did not exist… No mention of the Immaculate Conception, it did not happen. No mention made of Peter being the first Pope, he wasn’t, etc etc.

It also refers to the belief that every word in the Bible must necessarily be 100% correct and accurate, or the whole thing must be false. Therefore the Bible is taken quite literally. This is a fairly radical position and not adhered to by many.

Another, is that all matters of faith are decided by the Bible and your PERSONAL interpretation of it. This is the big one that most followers of sola scriptura belief in and is the basis for most Protestant branches.
 
Greetings Golf-Nut
Moses was a part of the transfiguration to represent all the law.
Elijah was a part of the transfiguration to represent all the prophets.

All the law and the prophets hang on the greatest commandments, and if you were to go beyond the ten commandments to the greatest commandments, you may search in a more profound way.

The greatest commandments might be compared to a hook to hang your coat on, without the hook the coat falls on the floor. So it is trying to find out how the question of the Trinity hangs on the words of the greatest commandments

Can the words of the greatest commandments possibly show how Christ is one with the Father by describing their perfection and their relationship with each other?

The Father loves all that he is and all that he does with all his heart, soul, mind and strength.

The Father loves Christ as he loves HIMSELF?
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Christ loves the father as he loves HIMSELF?

God loves each and every one of us as he loves himself?

Here is a short passage that uses the same kind of language to describe one flesh, as you read it, search in your heart for the profound mystery.

Ephesians 5:31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery- but I am talking about Christ and the Church. However each one of you also must love his wife as he loves Himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Paul brings together one flesh, marriage, Christ and the Church, and the second commandment making a profound connection between them all.

Holy scriptures are there to inspire people to do something.

Are the scriptures of the Trinity there to inspire us to seek a greatest relationship with God and our neighbour?

In the Spirit of searching for greater relationships

Eric
 
The ten Commandments are revealed to the Jewish people, at which point God had not fully revealed himself. There was prophecy, but like the prophecy of today, it was simple yet complex, and what happened was not at all what was expected. With the new covenant God more fully revealed himself.
Not that God is ever fully revealed, as he is infinite, but moreso than at that period.
 
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