Is this a good Trinity annalogy?

[fireproofpoodle]

Hi, brothers and sisters in the faith;

I recently have thought of this analogy to illustrate the Trinity: that we compare God with love. This idea is Biblical, as we are told that God is love itself in scripture. The analogy is that just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three seperate entities yet one being, each omnipotent and fully God, so love is several seperate entities (paternal love, filial love, fraternal and amorous love) yet each is fully love. Each can be called love - no one is more loving than the others. Just as you can add Father, Son and Holy Spirit and get 1 God, you can add paternal, filial and fraternal love (three loves) and get love.

Perhaps the distinction between the members of the Trinity is the different love they embody. The Father has a paternal love for the Son, Spirit and all creation. The Son has a filial love for the Father and the Spirit, as well as a fraternal love for us. The Spirit has a fraternal love for the Father and Son as well as one for us. Also, Christ has an amorous love for the church as a unit (while having a brotherly love for her individual members), meaning all forms of love will be found in God.

This is just my suggestion. Bearing in mind my relative youth and recent conversion, perhaps I have misudnderstood or made a doctrinal errror somewhere. Should I use this idea to illustrate the Trinity to others?

Any thoughts?

God bless.

 

[JimG]

The analogy is that just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three seperate entities yet one being, . . .

I am a little troubled by this part, because Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three entities, but one. They are distinct persons each possessing the one divine nature–that is, the one divine being. God is one entity, not three. But God is three distinct persons who are not distinct in their being (entity).

Sorry to be picky. I recommend Frank Sheed’s discussion of the attributes of God and his discussion of the Trinity in his book “Theology for Beginners” as a basis for theological reflection. But the fact is, there really is no good analogy for the Trinity, because all of the persons we are familiar with have a distinct human nature. One person, one nature; whereas with God it is one nature, three persons.

 

[fireproofpoodle]

I am a little troubled by this part, because Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not three entities, but one. They are distinct persons each possessing the one divine nature–that is, the one divine being. God is one entity, not three. But God is three distinct persons who are not distinct in their being (entity).

I stand corrected.

 

[fireproofpoodle]

Hi, brothers and sisters in the faith;

I recently have thought of this analogy to illustrate the Trinity: that we compare God with love. This idea is Biblical, as we are told that God is love itself in scripture. The analogy is that just as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three seperate entities (persons) yet one being (entity), each omnipotent and fully God, so love is several seperate entities (paternal love, filial love, fraternal and amorous love) yet each is fully love. Each can be called love - no one is more loving than the others. Just as you can add Father, Son and Holy Spirit and get 1 God, you can add paternal, filial and fraternal love (three loves) and get love.

Perhaps the distinction between the members of the Trinity is the different love they embody. The Father has a paternal love for the Son, Spirit and all creation. The Son has a filial love for the Father and the Spirit, as well as a fraternal love for us. The Spirit has a fraternal love for the Father and Son as well as one for us. Also, Christ has an amorous love for the church as a unit (while having a brotherly love for her individual members), meaning all forms of love will be found in God.

This is just my suggestion. Bearing in mind my relative youth and recent conversion, perhaps I have misudnderstood or made a doctrinal errror somewhere. Should I use this idea to illustrate the Trinity to others?

Any thoughts?

God bless.

 

[maesoph]

This is a little Scott-Hahn-ish, but the attached is my model of the Trinity and why we have it. Jesus is not just an individual, if he was, then he would have been formed out of clay as the first Adam was - he is a member of BOTH the spiritual family (upper) and the physical family (lower).

 

[MarcoPolo]

What is difficult about explaining the Trinity is that the 3 persons are all fully God at once, and where 1 person is, there are the other 2. While I think you have a good start there, I don’t think paternal love embodies all love (including filial or even “I love this hot dog”). If anyone does come up with a perfect analogy, they’ll be the first.

 

[fireproofpoodle]

What is difficult about explaining the Trinity is that the 3 persons are all fully God at once, and where 1 person is, there are the other 2. While I think you have a good start there, I don’t think paternal love embodies all love (including filial or even “I love this hot dog”). If anyone does come up with a perfect analogy, they’ll be the first.

I think you misunderstood me. I am not suggesting that paternal love is the only sort of love, nor that the three I mentioned above are the only forms of love. I am using love as an analogy that the three kinds of love are seperate things yet one emotion. It seems logical that, if God is love, the Father would be paternal love and the Son filial / fraternal, and the Spirit (fraternal love for Father and Son, paternal love for us?). Of course, the Son also amorously loves the church, his bride. Just a thought.

God bless.

 

[Eric_Hyom]

Greetings and peace be with you fireproofpoodle; I think love is at the heart of the Trinity, in the form of the greatest commandments.

When Jesus spent his time on Earth, he would have lived by the greatest commandments, and this could be interpreted as…

Jesus loves the Father with all his heart, soul, mind and strength?
Jesus loves each and every one of us as he loves himself?

Could the words of the greatest commandments possibly describe how Jesus is one with the Father?

Jesus loves the father as he loves himself.
The Father loves Jesus as he loves himself**. **

**In the spirit of searching for answers. **

---

Eric

 

[Equites_Christi]

I like to think of the Trinity as H20.

It can exist as water, vapor, or ice. Each has its own distinguished qualities, but all are fully and equally H20.

Now the trick is to imagine it as all three at once.