Unity Without Separation

Gemini_Generated_Image_6pj03q6pj03q6pj0

          One of the arguments that Muslims raise against the Trinity is that there is a problem with unity and distinction. The argument goes like this. In the Trinity, each person (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) has identical essence (divinity) and identical attributes (holiness, omniscience, omnipresence, etc.). Therefore, each person is identical to the other in both essence and attributes. If each person is identical to the other in essence and attributes, then there is no distinction. If there is no distinction, then the Trinity is false since it states that there are three distinct persons. This argument fails in two ways. 

    1. Unity and Distinction can coexist in the same object (explained below).

    1. It fails to understand that the persons of the Trinity share the same divine essence, but their distinction is due to their relationship, not ontology.

Defining Terms

What is the Trinity?

          “The term “trinity” is the doctrine that God exists as a unity of three distinct, simultaneous persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Each of the persons is distinct from the other in relation (Economic Trinity), yet each is identical in essence (Ontological Trinity). The Trinity is not composed of parts – as in the three persons being three parts of God. Instead, there is one being: God. We call this Divine Simplicity. God is one thing, one substance, one essence.  Therefore, because there is only one God, there is only one will. Yet, from Scripture, we perceive the Trinity as three simultaneous and distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the distinction of the persons is due to their relational properties (e.g., the Father begets the Son (John 1:14), the Son is begotten (John 3:16), and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father (John 15:26)

Unity And Distinction Together

          In metaphysics (the study of being), we can distinguish between different properties of an object, whether that object is concrete or abstract.

    1. Concrete objects are physical things, such as chairs and trees, that have specific locations in space and time.

    1. Abstract objects lack physical location in space and time but exist as a type of thing. Examples would be numbers, concepts, and universals like redness.

          An example of unity and distinction coexisting in objects, in this case an abstract object, would be with time: the progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future. Time is one thing where the past, present, and future all exhibit identical properties in that they all share the nature of time—a conceptual progression of existence. Yet, they are distinct in their relation to one another. The past has occurred. The present is occurring. The future will occur. Relationally, the past precedes the present and future. The present is after the past and before the future. The future is after the past and present. So, we can see that the unity of essence and distinction in relationships can coexist without logical violation.

          So, in the Trinity (an abstract object), we have the teaching that God is one divinely simple being who is not composed of parts. This is called Divine Simplicity—Unity. The one substance of God is a Trinity, which teaches that God is three distinct, simultaneous, and co-eternal persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Additionally, in the Trinity, the essence of the three persons is identical, but their relationships to each other are not (e.g., the Father begets the Son, the Son is begotten, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son). Therefore, there is both unity and distinction simultaneously within the Trinity.

Conclusion

          The argument against the Trinity using unity and distinction fails because unity and distinction can coexist within objects (even the abstract object known as the Trinity). The three persons of the Trinity share the same divine essence (holiness, omniscience, omnipresence, etc.) but exist in distinction in their relationship to each other: the Father begets the Son, the Son is begotten, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. So, in the Trinity, the essence of the three persons is identical, but their relationships to each other are not. There is no contradiction.

The Is Of Identity And The Is of Predication

          One of the arguments that critics (Muslims, Unitarians, etc.) raise against the Trinity deals with the “Is of Identity” and the “Is of Predication.” It states that if the three persons are all identity in nature (Is of Identity) and in all attributes (Is of Predication), then there is no distinction, and the Trinity is false. This argument is virtually identical to another criticism that deals with unity and distinction. Basically, it asserts that the Trinity is impossible because one cannot have a unity of persons who are identical in nature and attributes but are also distinct. That particular criticism is answered in the article The Trinity and Unity in Distinction without Separation.
          The answer to this criticism is simple. The three persons of the Trinity share the same divine essence (Is of Identity) but exist in distinction as they relate to one another (Is of Predication). The relationship is found in Scripture, which states that the Father is the One who begets the Son (John 1:14). The Son is the one Who is begotten (John 3:16). The Holy Spirit is the one that proceeds from the Father (John 15:26) (See the Article on the Filioque Controversy). Their distinction is due to their relationship. So they can have the same identity (ontology) and the same predication (attributes) yet retain distinction in their relationship to one another (see Ontological and Economic Trinity). Let’s go a little more in-depth. Is of Identity and Is of Predication. The “Is of Identity” deals with how things are identical. For example, “Clark Kent is Superman.” One is identical to the other. “Fluffy is my cat” would be another example. The “Is of Predication” deals with a quality or attribute of something, for example. “Clark Kent is strong” is ascribing an attribute to Clark Kent: strength. “Fluffy is white” ascribes an attribute to my cat: white. In each case, a quality is assigned to something.
Conclusion
          To continue, the “is of predication” infers that the three persons are distinct and separate since each person has predication; that is, attributes of holiness, omniscience, omnipresence, etc. Each person has identical attributes, so each person is identical to the other. If each person is identical to the other, then there is no distinction. If there is no distinction, therefore, the Trinity is false. If God is a Trinity that is one essence (Identity), He cannot also be three distinct persons with identical attributes (predication) because identity (essence) and predication (attributes) are not the same thing.
          True, they are not. But that doesn’t mean that the Trinity is false. The Trinity is one Being with three distinct persons who are expressed in their relationship to each other (the Father is the One who begets the Son (John 1:14). The Son is the one Who is begotten (John 3:16). The Holy Spirit is the one that proceeds from the Father (John 15:26). Furthermore, the statement “God is a Trinity” is both the “Is of Identity” and the “Is of Predication.” It is the “Is of Identity” in that it shows what God is, by nature, a Trinity (identity). It also shows that God is Trinitarian and has the characteristics of three persons (predication). The three persons are distinct in their relationship but not their essence or attributes. Therefore, there is no contradiction.