FAQ

Faith in the Triune God is the central and, indeed, the most difficult tenet of Christianity. For its understanding, it is fundamentally important to keep in mind the inability of human language to express that which pertains to the incomprehensible nature of God other than by symbolic, figurative means. Furthermore, it is essential to recognize that Christianity and its doctrine are paradoxical. If one refuses to accept paradoxical logic (as Jehovah's Witnesses do) - it is, strictly speaking, impossible to explain anything. According to Christian belief, God is One and Three simultaneously; this is not a logical contradiction, but a paradox. The affirmation of God's unity and the affirmation of His triunity are both simultaneously true. The Three Persons of the Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - are one in Their divine nature. The relationship between the Persons within the Trinity is, of course, an unfathomable mystery for humanity; these relationships are characterized by equality and distinction simultaneously. Moreover, the theological terminology established in profound antiquity allows us to speak of the unoriginate nature of the Father, the begetting of the Son from the Father, and the procession of the Holy Spirit also from the Father. However, these terms are mere analogies; it is obvious that they cannot be understood entirely literally, especially since the nature of God is inconceivable to us. It is extremely significant that the life of God exists outside of time, in eternity. Therefore, for example, questions as to "when and how" the Father begets the Son or "when and how" the Spirit proceeds, are inappropriate. In practice, the doctrine of the Trinity means for a person that the encounter with the Heavenly Father occurs through the incarnate Son, and unity with Him is a gift of the Holy Spirit to humanity. One might envision God's relationship to the world, for instance, in this way: the Father is the unoriginate Creator of the world, the source of its existence, containing being and life within Himself. The Son, fully equal to the Father, is the creative Word (the perfect expression of the Father's will) directed towards the world. The Spirit, however, is God acting within creation. It is important to note that all Three Persons of the Trinity are persons with whom communion is possible. Yet, it is impossible to discern with certainty with which of the Persons of the Trinity one is communing "at a given moment," because all Three, by virtue of Their unity, participate equally in all things. Theological concepts, which emerged from human attempts to comprehend the Revelation of the Trinity, have many limitations due to the fact that our language and system of thought are too weak and flat to comprehend and express the mystery of God.