The Holy Trinity

In the three persons of the Holy Trinity--- Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there is a definite distinction, but never separation. All three persons have the same will, and the same energy. Not one person of the Trinity ever acts on his own behalf, but always in conjunction with the other two. There is only one God, not three. The distinction between the three persons is to be regarded as an eternal distinction existing within the nature of God Himself, and does not apply merely to the external world. God is not a set of three masks which He uses whenever He sees fit. God is three coeternal and coequal persons. This is a very difficult concept to grasp. According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, the explanation of the Trinity is a riddle--- Three in One, One in Three. "The doctrine of the Trinity is paradoxical, and lies beyond words and understanding. It is something revealed to us by God, not demonstrated to us by our own reason."

God the Father is the fountain of the Godhead, and the other two members are defined in terms of their relationship to the Father. The Son is begotten from the Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father. The Father is the sole source of unity in the Godhead. What is exactly the difference between generation and procession? St. John Damascus states, "We have been told that there is a difference between generation and procession, but what is the nature of this difference, we do not understand at all." If St. John Damascus confessed himself baffled, then so may we. Acording to St. Basil the Great, "Our reasoning brain is weak, and our tongue is weaker still. it is easier to measure the entire sea with a tiny cup than to grasp God's ineffable greatness with the human mind."