Based on the revelation of the Bible, Bible teachers throughout the centuries have used the noun Trinity and the adjective Triune. Since human language is based on human culture, if there is no culture, words will not be produced to match it. For example, two hundred years ago there was no telephone; thus, the word telephone did not exist. With the invention of the telephone, a word was produced. In recent years the culture of computers has pervaded society, and as a result, many terms associated with computers were created to express and transmit this culture. In the same way, much progress has been made in studying the truths in the Bible; therefore, there is a need to create new terms to express these truths.
On the one hand, the Bible shows that God is one; on the other hand, the Bible shows the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Are the Father, the Son, and the Spirit three persons? This is truly not easy to explain, because the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are distinct but inseparable. If we separate Them, we have three Gods. This is the teaching of tritheism.
The Father, the Son, and the Spirit cannot be separated. Isaiah 9:6 says, “A child is born to us, / A Son is given to us; /...His name will be called / Wonderful Counselor, / Mighty God, / Eternal Father.” The child who was born to us is the Mighty God, and the Son who was given to us is the Eternal Father. First Corinthians 15:45 says that Christ the Son, who passed through death and resurrection, is the last Adam who became the life-giving Spirit. Second Corinthians 3:17 also says that the Lord is the Spirit. By putting these verses together, we see that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one.
Some people overstress the aspect of God being three and deny the aspect of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit being one. Hence, they fall into the error of tritheism. Orthodox theologians have seen that God is one and yet has the aspect of being three. Hence, they invented the term Trinity. The Trinity is a mystery which no one can clearly explain. Bible scholars and theologians over the centuries all agree that God is one, but there is indeed the aspect of His being three. Although they have spent a great deal of time to study the Trinity, they cannot clearly differentiate between His being one and His being three, but they all admit that God is one yet three.
The three of the Triune God are distinct but inseparable. On the one hand, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are distinct, but on the other hand, the Son is the Father, and the Son is also the Spirit; the three are inseparable. The Lord Jesus said, “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me” (John 14:10). He also said, “I and the Father are one” (10:30). Although the Son and the Father are one, there is still a distinction of “I” and “the Father.” There is a distinction between the Father and the Son, but we cannot separate the two, because the two are one and cannot be separated. How are the Father and the Son distinct? And to what extent are They distinct? It is difficult to explain clearly. Orthodox theologians only say that God is three and yet one, and that there is a distinction between the three. If we say that there is no distinction between the three, we will fall into the error of modalism.
With regard to the essential aspect of the Triune God, He is revealed as one, and with regard to the economical aspect, He is revealed as three. Economically, the Father and the Son are distinct, but essentially, the Father and the Son are one. The essential aspect refers to His existence, whereas the economical aspect refers to His move. Based on the verses that we quoted from the Scriptures, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one. The Son is the Father, and the Son is the Spirit. In essence the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one.
Tritheists stress the aspect of God being three but neglect the aspect of God being one. They quote verses such as Matthew 3:16-17 and John 17:1 to prove that the Father and the Son are distinct and separate. However, these verses refer to the economical aspect of the Triune God. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are economically distinct but essentially one.
On the Lord’s Day we break bread to remember the Lord, and we follow the Son to worship the Father. This is economical. Are the Father, the Son, or the Spirit in us? The answer is that all three are in us, but the three are one. This is essential. As we worship the Father, we are following the Son, the firstborn Son of God, who is leading many sons to worship the Father; this is economical. When we worship, there is a distinction between the Son and the Father. This is not a matter of essence; it is related to God in His economy. After we remember the Lord, we follow Him to worship the Father. This is not with regard to the essential Trinity but with regard to His move in His economy. In God’s move there is a distinction between the Father and the Son. The Son was crucified on the cross, because crucifixion is a move in God’s economy. However, according to His existence, the Son is not merely the Son; the Son is also the Father and the Spirit (Col. 1:19; 2:9). Economically, the One who was crucified was the Son; essentially, however, the Triune God was crucified.