Is Dead Bob Still There?
How would you explain what a cone is to a 2 dimensional person?
You’d probably say something like… It’s a triangle. And also a circle. A triangular circle, or a circular triangle. Like 2 things combined together. Does that make sense?
1 + 1 = 1?
To us 3 dimensional beings, this totally makes sense. Circle + triangle = cone. Just like how you might say circle + circle = sphere. Or square + square = cube.
So when we say hey, Father + Son + Spirit = God, suddenly all hell breaks loose.
It’s Closer To You Than You Might Imagine
Now, consider the human being, a complex entity that can be seen as having three distinct components: the body, the personality, and the will. Each of these elements can act independently but together represent the whole individual.
Body: The physical aspect, seen and interacted with by others. It’s the tangible representation of our being.
Personality: This is the unique set of traits and behaviours that distinguishes each person. It’s how others perceive and interact with us on a psychological level.
Will: The driving force behind our actions, decisions, and beliefs. It’s the unseen yet powerful aspect that guides our behaviour.
Let’s consider Bob. A typical human, going through a few scenarios where we can see how these elements act independently, yet collectively define Bob:
Dead Bob: At Bob’s funeral, you might say, “Bob’s gone…” or “Bob is no longer with us”, all this while looking directly at his body. Yet, his body IS him right? When someone might ask, “Who’s in that coffin?” You would say, “Bob is.”
Salsa Bob: Bob is someone who is usually very quiet and reserved. Today, he said, “Hey everyone! I want to dance SALSA!” With a mischievous glint in his eye, Bob turns on spicy salsa music and bursts into an astonishing display of fancy footwork. Colleagues, mouths agape, nudge each other and whisper in disbelief, “My goodness, is this guy Bob? This can’t be the same guy who quietly crunches numbers behind his desk!” Bob is the same body, but yet, his colleagues could not recognise him.
The Willful Decision: Bob is a manager who is in charge of maintaining the power supply at the office. One day, he goes off on holiday, and then told his staff, “When I’m away, cut off the power supply.” His staff obeys him. When the big boss comes to office, he is furious and he asks, “Who did this?!” his staff say, “Bob. Bob did this.” But wait. Didn’t the staff do it? Bob is only holiday, so how can he possibly have done this? Nevertheless, we would all agree that this was all Bob’s doing.
In the above examples, you can see how Bob isn’t just his body or just his personality or just his will. Bob is 3 in 1! These human components beautifully illustrate the concept of the Trinity. In Christian theology:
Jesus (the Body): Jesus Christ represents the tangible, physical manifestation of God on Earth.
The Holy Spirit (the Personality and Power): Like our personality, the Holy Spirit is the part of God that dwells within believers, guiding, comforting, and influencing. You can also see how the fruit of the spirit are elements that would describe a person – loving, joyous, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled.
The Father (the Will): The Father is the overarching will and purpose behind everything, the unseen yet omnipotent force.
Each is distinct, yet together, they form the complete entity of God.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
The trinity isn’t as obscured or as far-fetched a concept as you might think! Just open your eyes, and perceive the world around you. All creation declares the glory of God! Amen!