The Coequal and Coeternal Relationships in the Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity posits that God exists as three coequal and coeternal persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. This fundamental belief is articulated in ecumenical creeds, such as the Nicene Creed, which affirms belief "in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father" [4]. The Nicene Creed also affirms the Holy Spirit as "the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified" [4]. The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, an Anglican confession, states that the Nicene Creed, along with the Athanasian and Apostles' Creeds, "ought thoroughly to be received and believed: for they may be proved by most certain warrants of holy Scripture" [6].
The coequality of the divine persons means that each person of the Trinity possesses the fullness of the divine nature, without any being greater or lesser than the others in terms of deity. Augustine of Hippo emphasized this equality, noting that the "Highest Trinity itself is three persons, yet that Trinity of three persons is more indivisible than this of one. For that [Trinity], in the nature of the Divinity, or perhaps better Deity, is that which it is, and is mutually and always unchangeably equal" [7]. This concept is supported by biblical passages that speak of communion with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, implying their shared divine essence [1]. For instance, 1 John 1:3 speaks of communion with the Father and the Son, while 2 Corinthians 13:14 refers to the "communion of the Holy Spirit" [1].
The coeternality of the divine persons means that all three persons have existed eternally, without beginning or end. The Son is described in the Nicene Creed as "begotten of the Father before all worlds," indicating an eternal generation rather than a temporal creation [4]. This eternal generation is a key aspect of the relationship between the Father and the Son, distinguishing the Son from created beings. Thomas Aquinas, a scholastic theologian, discussed the real distinction of relations within God, noting that "the idea of relation, however, necessarily means regard of one to another, according as one is relatively opposed to another. So as in God there is a real relation...there must also be a real opposition" [5]. These relations, such as paternity and filiation, are eternal and intrinsic to the divine being.
While the persons are coequal and coeternal, they are distinct in their relational properties and roles within the Godhead and in salvation history. The Father is unbegotten, the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father (and, in Western theology, from the Son). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that God "wants to communicate his own divine life to the men he freely created, in order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son" [8]. This highlights the distinct roles in the divine economy, where the Father sends the Son, and the Son and Father send the Spirit.
Some theological traditions emphasize the concept of "imitation of God" as a practical outworking of understanding the divine nature. Early Christian writers like Ignatius of Antioch encouraged believers to be "imitators of God" [3]. Similarly, Paul urged believers to "imitate me" as he imitated Christ [2]. This imitation, however, does not imply a blurring of the distinct roles or equality within the Godhead, but rather a reflection of divine attributes in human conduct.
The doctrine of the Trinity, with its emphasis on coequality and coeternality, distinguishes Christian monotheism from other monotheistic faiths. It affirms one God in three persons, each fully God, yet distinct in their relationships and operations.
Sources
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Communion With God — Is communion with the Father -- 1Jo 1:3. Is communion with the Son -- 1Co 1:9; 1Jo 1:3; Re 3:20. Is communion with the Holy Spirit -- 1Co 12:13; 2Co 13:14; Php 2:1. Reconciliation must precede -- Am 3:3. Holiness essential to -- 2Co 6:14-16. Promised to the obedient -- Joh 14:23. Saints Desire. -- Ps 42:1; Php 1:23. Have, in meditation. -- Ps 63:5,6. Have, in prayer. -- Php 4:6; Heb 4:16. Have, in the Lord's supper. -- 1Co 10:16. Should always enjoy. -- Ps 16:8; Joh 14:16-18. Exemplified Enoch. -- Ge 5:24. Noah. -- Ge 6:9. Abraham. -- Ge 18:33. J”
- 1 Corinthians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Corinthians 11:1: 11:1 imitate me: Cp. 4:16; Phil 3:17.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 1: Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus — CHAP. I.: INASMUCH as your name. which is greatly beloved, is acceptable to me in God, [your name] which ye have acquired by nature, through a right and just will, and also by the faith and love of Jesus Christ our Saviour, and ye are imitators of God, and are fervent in the blood of God, and have speedily completed a work congenial to you · [for] when ye heard that I was bound,(3) so as to be able to do nothing for the sake of the common name and hope (and I hope, through your prayers, that I may be devoured b”
- Nicene Creed (Ecumenical) “Nicene Creed (Ecumenical, 325/381 AD), Section 2: And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), The Divine Relations, Art. 3: Article: Whether the relations in God are really distinguished from each other? I answer that, The attributing of anything to another involves the attribution likewise of whatever is contained in it. So when "man" is attributed to anyone, a rational nature is likewise attributed to him. The idea of relation, however, necessarily means regard of one to another, according as one is relatively opposed to another. So as in God there is a real relation (Article [1]), there must also be a real opposition. The very natu”
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), Section 223: The Three Creeds, Nicene Creed, Athanasius's Creed, and that which is commonly called the Apostles' Creed, ought thoroughly to be received and believed: for they may be proved by most certain warrants of holy Scripture.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 23.--AUGUSTIN DWELLS STILL FURTHER ON THE DISPARITY BETWEEN THE TRINITY WHICH IS IN MAN, AND THE TRINITY WHICH IS GOD. THE TRINITY IS NOW SEEN THROUGH A GLASS BY THE HELP OF FAITH, THAT IT MAY H (part 2): ineffably wonderful, that while this image of the Trinity is one person, but the Highest Trinity itself is three persons, yet that Trinity of three persons is more indivisible than this of one. For that [Trinity], in the nature of the Divinity, or perhaps better Deity, is that which it is, and is mutually and always unchangeably equal: and ”
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (Catholic) “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Article 1 (part 1): Article 1 THE REVELATION OF GOD I. God Reveals His "Plan of Loving Goodness" 51 "It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his will. His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature."2 52 God, who "dwells in unapproachable light", wants to communicate his own divine life to the men he freely created, in order to adopt them as his sons in his only-begotten Son.3 By revealing himself”