Three into one does not go!

Question 3, takes us to the number 3 and one of the hardest truths to get our heads around!  So, before we start out - let's remember Q2 - we can't put God in a box!

How many persons are there in God?

There are three persons in the one true and living God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  They are the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

Heres some things this answer is saying:

• There is only ONE God.

Lots of things may claim to be God.  People worship things as if they are God.  But there is only ONE true and living God.

• Relationship!

When we read throught he bible we discover there different persons - Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit.    Now the bible doesn't explain this, rather it simply states that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are all God.  Each one of them acts when God is doing something.  Take creation for example, in Genesis 1 we read that God created the heavens and the earth.  He did so through his word (another name for the Son) and the Spirit of God was present, hovering over the waters, acting, shaping, bringing order out of disorder. What does all this mean - it means that God was never alone.  He was in relationship within himself.   That is what lies at the heart of the truth, God is love.

• Equality

Three persons, one God - all perfectly equal.  They are the same in substance.  They have the same power and glory.  No one is better than the other.  Sure, they carry our different roles in the world which they created, but none is better or greater than the other.  They are distinct from each other, but they are equals. And that is important - it is the foundation for how we relate to others - people who are different from us, but that does not mean they are less than us.    As with God, all are equal.   There has been lots of debate on the doctrine of the trinity down through the history of the church.  The last phrase which the catechism uses is one which it took centuries for the church to agree on.   We may not be able to grasp all that it means - but get this, God is great.