Is my understanding of the trinity correct?

[Guitarjesus7]

I’m confused. A catholic friend of mine told me that the trinity is where god reveals himself as different “divinities.” this seems modalistic to me, but seeing as im not catholic yet, I could be entirely wrong. I’ve always understood it to be three individual persons that are the one true God. Sort of like how when people get married, their flesh becomes “one.” the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three persons that are the one true God. Am I correct? If not, could somebody please explain it?

 

[Rawb]

Your friend is describing Modalism, you’re correct (from what you’ve said anyway, it seems that way). The Catholic understanding of the Holy Trinity is the same as the Orthodox one. We sing this hymn every Sunday, and it aptly describes the Holy Trinity:

“It is meet and right to worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, One in Essence and Undivided.”

 

[MarkThompson]

I’m confused. A catholic friend of mine told me that the trinity is where god reveals himself as different “divinities.” this seems modalistic to me, but seeing as im not catholic yet, I could be entirely wrong. I’ve always understood it to be three individual persons that are the one true God. Sort of like how when people get married, their flesh becomes “one.” the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three persons that are the one true God. Am I correct? If not, could somebody please explain it?

Your friend is wrong. The Trinity is neither three divinities (polytheism), nor one divinity revealing itself with three faces (modalism).

It might help you to read the Athanasian Creed, which is binding, dogmatic credal statement of the Church. (Sorry, it’s just a hair longer than the Nicene Creed ):
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensibles, but One Uncreated, and One Uncomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not Three Lords but One Lord. For, like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, there be Three Gods or Three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting Salvation, that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.

God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His mother, born into the world. Perfect God and Perfect Man, of a reasonable Soul and human Flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood. Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but One Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by Unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one Man, so God and Man is one Christ. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into Hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.

 

[Lintaro]

The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

Dear friends, can you explain this quote from the creed for me? What exactly does ‘begotten’ mean? Does it imply that The Son was born from The Father? And what does ‘proceeding’ mean for The Holy Spirit?

Thank you.

 

[achristiantoo]

I’m confused. A catholic friend of mine told me that the trinity is where god reveals himself as different “divinities.” this seems modalistic to me, but seeing as im not catholic yet, I could be entirely wrong. I’ve always understood it to be three individual persons that are the one true God. Sort of like how when people get married, their flesh becomes “one.” the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three persons that are the one true God. Am I correct? If not, could somebody please explain it?

Hi Guitarjesus,

When I prayed “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” I thought they were three different people.

I found out that all are part of the divinity of the same one God.

When Jesus came to earth, we saw God face to face as a human

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
from John 1:14

And*** the Word became flesh ***and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus even said in John 10:30

I and My Father are one.

finally the Holy spirit…

1 Corinthians 6:19

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God

The way it was explained to me is think of water

put a container of water in a freezer it turns to ice

Heat it up and that same water will turn to gas.

All three forms are of the same water

Hope that helps

 

[jesuspsr]

I’m confused. A catholic friend of mine told me that the trinity is where god reveals himself as different “divinities.” this seems modalistic to me, but seeing as im not catholic yet, I could be entirely wrong. I’ve always understood it to be three individual persons that are the one true God. Sort of like how when people get married, their flesh becomes “one.” the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are three persons that are the one true God. Am I correct? If not, could somebody please explain it?/QUOT

you are correct.

 

[TimothyH]

You might try Theology for Beginners by F. J. Sheed…

The notion of one God who is three persons must be profoundly mysterious. We could not know it at all if God had not drawn aside the viel that we might see. Even when he has told us, we might be tempted to feel that it was altogether beyond us. … In it’s barest outline, the doctrine contains four truths:

1. 
   *]In the one divine nature, there are three person, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
   *]On one of the persons is either of the others, each is wholy himself.
   *]The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God.
   *]They are not three Gods but one God.
   
   Sheed goes on to explain that what we really mean is that there are three persons and one God is that there are three persons but one nature. The nature of somethig describes what it can do. I can eat, sleep and laugh because it is part of my human nature. I cannot lay and egg because that is the nature of a duck, not a human.
   
   ***There is one divine nature. One answer to the question, “What is God?”, one source of divine operations. But there are three who totally posess that one nature. To the question “Who are you?”, each of the three could give his own answer, Father or Son or Spirit. But to the question “What are you?” each could but answer “God,” because each totally possess the one same divine nature, and nature decides what a being is.
   
   First, the three do not share the divine nature … it cannot be divided up.
   
   Second, the three persons are distinct but not seperate. Each is himself; but they cannot be seperated, for each is what he is soley by possessing the one nature.***
   
   There are two more chapters, one of which discusses the three persons and the other discussed what the life of the trinity consists of and how the doctrine of the trinity is the supreme mystery of our faith.
   
   If I had to choose one book other than the Bible, Liturgy of the Hours or Catechism, it would be this book by Sheed and it is one book that I go back to regularly for basic understanding of doctrines such as sin, the redeemer, the Eucharist and the Mass, the Sacraments, etc.
   
   -Tim-