The Trinitarian God

2/7/2020

Here's a little something about the Triune God which we Catholics believe in!

  • What is God? A divine being, essentially God ✨
  • Who is God? God is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit

The nature of God is what unites the Trinity. The personhood is what distinct them. Each divine person has their own unique personal property but performs common work (CCC 258). Divinity cannot be divided, it is always one. The concept of one God can be found in both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament: Dt 6:4, Gen 1:26, Gen 11:7, Gen 18:2, The Annunciation in Lk 1:26-38, Baptism of Jesus in Mt 3:16-17, The Transfiguration in Mt 17:5, and the Commissioning of the Disciples in Mt 28:19

A term to best describe the Trinity by the early Church fathers is perichoresis, which is essentially a dance of love which is so intertwined, harmonious and in sync that it looks like one, somewhat like a tango but not quite too.

The Relationship of the 'Lover – Beloved – Love' and Where Do We Fit In
Our goal in life is to be a part of the divinity of God, to "enter into the perfect unity of the Trinity" (CCC 260). This can be known as divinization, deification or theosis. Divinization is not possessing divinity. We don't become another god, we don't lose our humanity. We remain creatures and it is not by nature, but by grace that we are partaking/sharers in the divinity of the Trinity.

This process of deification is only made possible because of Christ's sacrifice. Because of the Fall, the image and likeness in which we have been made is somewhat broken and imperfect. That is why we go through the process of sanctification throughout our lives (and beyond in purgatory) so that we can be a perfect reflection of God when we enter heaven.

Unlike the idea that Protestants have, it is not as simple as once saved, always saved. Through baptism, we receive sanctifying grace in which we become children of God but it can be broken if we commit mortal sin. Hence, we are still being saved and will finally be saved when we are reunited with God. We cooperate with God's plan of salvation for us through continuous transformation and sanctification in our lives. In Christ, we too are able to become the beloved.

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