What does it mean that the Trinity is God in three Persons?

Answer

When we refer to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as “Persons,” we are not suggesting that they are human beings or similar to mankind in any way. However, in our everyday language, the term “person” is commonly used in that context, leading to some confusion regarding the three “Persons” of the Trinity.

When we speak of God, we use the term “Person” to indicate that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each possess individuality or personality. This means that each of them has intellect, emotion, and volition. Any entity with rationality, emotion, and a will can be classified as a person; therefore, human beings are persons, as are angelic beings and the Divine Being. The concept of personhood cannot be limited to physicality because human beings remain persons even after death. While a deceased person’s body may decay, their true self—personhood—continues to exist in either heaven or hell.

When we affirm that God exists in three Persons, we are stating that God’s existence consists of three distinct centers of intellect, emotion, and will. Each Person of the Trinity plays a unique role in creation and the redemption of mankind. The Holy Spirit is distinct and is neither the Father nor the Son; He proceeds from the Father and the Son (John 15:26). Similarly, the Father and the Son are distinct; when Jesus prayed to the Father, He was not praying to Himself (Luke 23:34). Each is God, yet each is a separate “Person.” The term “person” is one of the few ways our language has to articulate this concept.

The three Persons of the Trinity together form the one, perfectly unified God. They share the same nature and essence, and they are all the same God, but each individual Person of the Trinity is unique and distinct. The triune nature of God is significant for various reasons. For example, God is love, as stated in “He that loveth not knoweth n.”

ot God; for God is love. », (1 John 4:8). However, in eternity past, before God created any other being, could He have truly been love? That is, can love exist where there is no one to be loved? Because God exists in three co-equal, co-eternal Persons, love exists, too. Eternal love has been expressed eternally among the Persons of the Godhead. The Father, Son, and Spirit have always loved each other, and so love is eternal.

Once we set aside the notion that a “person” can only be a “human person,” we can more readily understand how God can correctly be said to exist in three “Persons.”

Below is the best symbol for the Trinity we are aware of (click to expand):