Why does the Trinity doctrine not conflict with the doctrine of divine simplicity?

Question

On one hand, those who believe that God is triune say that he is simple or not composed of parts. Conversely, the Trinity doctrine (while denying that God has parts) seems to bring in the notion of a complex God. How can God be triune and simple or uncompounded? Maybe those who affirm this doctrine can resolve the apparent conflict.

Hank,

The Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states:

"According to the classical theism of Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas and their adherents, God is radically unlike creatures in that he is devoid of any complexity or composition, whether physical or metaphysical. Besides lacking spatial and temporal parts, God is free of matter/form composition, potency/act composition, and existence/essence composition. There is also no real distinction between God as subject of his attributes and his attributes. God is thus in a sense requiring clarification identical to each of his attributes, which implies that each attribute is identical to every other one. God is omniscient, then, not in virtue of instantiating or exemplifying omniscience — which would imply a real distinction between God and the property of omniscience — but by being omniscience. And the same holds for each of the divine omni-attributes: God is what he has. "

Deutsch and friend,

You appear to sidestep the question by appealing to mystery or transrational factors. But rational theology (of which I am a proponent in many respects) adheres to the canons of reason. Even if a doctrine is of supernatural origin, it seems that it should not conflict with reason or the basic principles of logic.

Answer 1

One of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith is that of the Trinity. From Scripture we learn that God, by nature is a Triune Being or Trinity. The subject of the Trinity is holy ground because it discusses the nature of the one, true, God. Consequently we should approach the subject with all humility and reverence.

All Doctrine Must Be Derived From The Bible

At the outset we must state that any belief about the Trinity must come from the Bible and the Bible alone. It is the only authoritative source to discover answers about God and His nature. The Bible, by itself, must answer the question as to whether or not there is such a thing as a Trinity. Tradition or the pronouncements of some church authority does not make the doctrine true.

The Trinity Is Only Known By Revelation
In addition, the doctrine of the Trinity could only be known by divine revelation- it cannot be known by human reason. The only way in which the inner working of God could be known is that God revealed it to humanity. The Bible says the mind of the Lord is unknown to humanity.

For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

The Trinity is a doctrine that God has revealed to humankind through the Scriptures. It is not the result of human reasoning.

Answer 2

The doctrine of the Trinity is the result of continuous exploration by the church of the biblical data, thrashed out in debate and treatises, eventually formulated at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD in a way they believe is consistent with the biblical witness, and further refined in later councils and writings.

The Britannica Encyclopedia's Trinity article states: "Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4)."

It is an invention of early Christian church fathers, such as Tertullian.

The scriptural support for the doctrine is implicit at best.

The scripture contradicts the doctrine, such as when Jesus states that the Father is greater than he is.

It is paradoxical and therefore not in line with reason.

It reflects the influence of pagan religions, some of which have divine triads of their own.

It does not follow the strict monotheism found in Judaism and the Old Testament, of which Jesus claimed to have fulfilled.

The doctrine relies almost entirely on non-Biblical terminology.

Answer 3

What? Can you simplify your question? What is the doctrine of divine simplicity? Never heard of that one...

I see God like a corporation... You have the corporation as a whole (Trinity), the founder of the corporation (God the Father), human resources (Jesus the Son) and the mail room (Holy Spirit). Its still one corporation, but it has different parts.

Answer 4

No conflict He lives in a different dimension than we do, so we don't understand that dimension because we do not know enough about it. He has given us what we need to know about him.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

"But as many as received him (Jesus), TO THEM he gave the power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe in his name, which were born.... not of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but were born of God"- (John 1:12)

Answer 5

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