Friday, August 26, 2016
Can Three Persons Be One God?
This is a very sensitive question, and perhaps it is the main reason why some people in the religious world oppose this true biblical doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the Deity of the Lord Jesus. The major objection in this discussion seems to rely mostly on mathematical reasoning, whereby those who oppose the Trinity claim that it is impossible for the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—that is, three authorities—to be one God. They argue that this is the same as saying that 1 + 1 + 1 = 3 and not 1; therefore, Father + Son + Holy Spirit = three gods.
With this perspective in mind, I am compelled in this section to address the issue using a mathematical approach, in order to see whether these claims are correct and whether they can be resolved philosophically through the Scriptures. In attempting to answer this question, it is best that we be guided by the Scriptural perspective found in the book of Isaiah:
Isaiah 55:8 – “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.”
This is a very important caution in dealing with this subject. God Himself, in the book of Isaiah, makes it clear that in His actions, the methods He uses differ greatly from our human ways, and even our thoughts are different from His thoughts. The truth of this declaration in Isaiah can be witnessed in this very analysis. If you recall, the foundational argument against the Holy Trinity is based on the idea that three persons cannot be one God because one plus one plus one equals three.
“Let us examine that equation (three persons – one God) in Scripture.”
Father
Son/Word
Holy Spirit
One God
Elohim
Different teachings and various biblical examples clearly reveal the accuracy of this true and foundational doctrine in the world of faith. As the highest form of clarity on this doctrine, the Scriptures demonstrate the correctness of the conclusion that one God exists even though He is revealed in three persons. Consider the following examples and analyses:
A. Unity in Plurality
The first fundamental evidence of one God in three persons is seen in the very language God uses, as recorded in the book of Genesis:
Genesis 1:26–27
“Then God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, and over the livestock and all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
In that first part of the passage, God uses the language of plurality—referring to the Holy Trinity—as we have already seen: “Let us make man in our image.” It is clear that this statement reflects plurality. But what shows that this plurality refers only to the breadth of God’s operation within His oneness—and not to three separate gods—is the statement that follows in verse 27:
(27) “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Now observe this: the initial statement contains the idea of plurality (“Let us make man in our image”), but the following statement returns to the idea of unity (“So God created man in His own image”).
It is therefore clear that what is meant in these two verses is that the plurality or breadth of God’s operation exists within His unity, and does not create multiple gods or increase the number of divine beings from one to three.
Understanding of God in Ancient Judaism – Israel
It is important to remember that since the time of the Jews, this was their understanding of God. The Jews recognized God by the name “Elohim”, a name that appears more than 2,602 times in the Scriptures. This name is the plural form of the word El (God), thus “Elohim” conveys the idea of plurality within unity.
(“It has connotations of plurality.”)
Despite recognizing this plurality, the Jewish perspective firmly rested on the truth that there is only one God. They held strongly to a monotheistic doctrine—mono in Greek means “one,” and theistic means “God.”
This concept of one God is built in Scripture through the passage the Jews call the Shema—from the Hebrew word meaning “Hear”:
Deuteronomy 6:4
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
Through this Scripture, the Jewish community built an unshakeable foundation of faith in one God. But it is also important to note that this concept of one God acknowledges God’s eternal nature of acting in three persons, as we have already seen. Even in this Shema (Deut. 6:4), we see that the idea of God’s oneness is expressed through the word “one”, which in Hebrew is “Echad”.
The word Echad (one/ united) carries the same meaning of unity within plurality. This same word “Echad” is used to express the unity of marriage between two different persons—male and female—as we read in:
Genesis 2:24
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one (echad) flesh.”
The phrase “one flesh” uses the same Hebrew word Echad that describes the oneness of God. Thus, this unity is built on the combination of more than one element, and it illustrates the broad operation of God in more than one person.
To continue answering our main question, let us now explore further biblical evidence showing the possibility of three persons being one God. The opponents argue mathematically: Can one plus one plus one plus one be one?
Now let us look deeper for Scriptural support that answers this clearly.
B. The Unity of God in Three Persons
2 Peter 3:8
“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
This is an extremely important verse when addressing this mathematically framed objection. The verse immediately dismantles human mathematical reasoning by revealing that God's “math” is not the same as man’s math. What we see as plurality or magnitude, God does not see in the same way.
Read again the middle section of 2 Peter 3:8:
“…with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
For simplicity in resolving our matter, we may paraphrase it this way:
“With the Lord, one God is as three persons, and three persons are as one God.”
I believe, dear reader, that with this example your understanding of this issue is beginning to brighten, and as we proceed through the Scriptures and various examples, your doubts about this essential doctrine of faith will disappear.
Plurality united into One (plurality in unity)
The Bible contains various examples demonstrating how multiple elements can unite to form one thing, as we see in the following verses:
Genesis 1:5
“God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.”
This Scripture teaches us that what produces “one day” is the combination of two elements—night and day; or in other words, light and darkness together form the single entity called “one day,” and not two days.
Thus, it would be unreasonable to claim that the union of God’s three persons results in three gods, while at the same time we accept that the union of night and day results in one day.
Let us do this simple math:
Night + Day = One Day (Genesis 1:5)
Now let us try this:
Father + Son + Holy Spirit = One God (1 John 5:8)
I believe you are now beginning to see the clarity of this matter, and your confusion is fading away.
Consider another Scripture:
Ezekiel 37:17
“Join them one to another for yourself into one stick, and they shall become one in your hand.”
This was an instruction God gave to the prophet Ezekiel. God told him to take two sticks and join them so that they would become one stick in his hand. Biblically, this reinforces the possibility of unity arising from multiple elements, wherein the final result is still called one. Therefore, the supposed impossibility of three persons forming one God is completely removed by these biblical examples.
Simple Illustrations
The Trinity in an Egg
If you take an egg, boil it, and then peel it, you will discover that it contains more than three components:
– the outer shell
– the white
– the yolk
Yet no one ever claims that these are three eggs. Everyone acknowledges it is one egg with a tri-unity within it.
This simple illustration helps us easily understand and believe this true and accurate doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
Two lenses from one eye source
In my preaching, I often use another illustration involving the human eyes to explain unity in plurality. I usually ask people: “Does your ability to see come from two eyes?”
Most answer yes.
I then ask them to look left and right at the same time using those two eyes—something impossible to do. This shows that humans actually have one source of sight, but God provided two lenses to broaden the field of vision.
The source or “control center” is one, though there are two visual organs.
Likewise, one God can manifest Himself in more than one person and yet still remain one God, acting within a broader scope of authority.
A World of Trinities
It amazes me personally how God has placed abundant evidence of “trinity” even in the scientific and geographical structure of the universe. I fear that those who oppose the doctrine of the Trinity might even be judged by science on the Day of Judgment for rejecting this obvious pattern.
Consider how various fields of science and nature are filled with triune structures:
To get “World”:
Earth + Air + Sky
To get “Universe”:
Mass + Space + Time
To get “Atom”:
Proton + Electron + Neutron
To get “Time”:
Present + Past + Future
To get “Sphere”:
Lithosphere + Hydrosphere + Atmosphere
To get “Number”:
Positive + Zero + Negative
To get “Air”:
Nitrogen + Oxygen + Water vapor
To get “Water”:
Hydrogen ×2 + Oxygen
To get “Music”:
Melody + Harmony + Rhythm
Thus, the philosophy of “triunity” dominates geography, creation, and nature in general. To me, all this is a visible testimony confirming the truth of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, offering practical evidence that unity can indeed occur within plurality.
The Holy Trinity in the Worship of Heavenly Beings
Another powerful and conclusive testimony is found in the pattern of heavenly worship. The declarations made by heavenly beings reveal clearly the foundation of God’s Triune nature:
Revelation 4:8
“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within; and they do not rest day or night, saying:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,
Who was and is and is to come.”
This passage reveals that heavenly worship explicitly affirms God’s Triune reality. They say Holy three times—Holy, Holy, Holy—Lord God Almighty, Who was, and Who is, and Who is to come.
Not only do they say “Holy” three times, but they also describe the attributes of the One being worshipped:
– Who was
– Who is
– Who is to come
These attributes align with the three persons of God:
“Who was” – directed to God the Father
“Who is” – directed to the Holy Spirit, who reigns now
“Who is to come” – directed to Jesus, whom the world awaits at His second coming, and whom heaven also awaits after He finishes His work of high-priestly mediation in the heavenly sanctuary and returns with the redeemed.
May God bless you as you rebuild your understanding through this foundational explanation drawn from the testimony of God’s Word.
Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute
