TRINITY: A CONTRADICTION?

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Two of the most common arguments raised by critics of the Trinity are: (1) the word Trinity never appears in the Bible, and (2) the idea that God is both one and three is logically contradictory. They claim that God must be either one or three—He cannot be both at the same time. The first objection is easy to refute (you can handle that one!), but the second makes you stop and think. So today, let’s focus on the second.

Does the doctrine of the Trinity violate the law of non-contradiction?

Before we answer, how do we know when two ideas truly contradict each other? Propositions are contradictory when they both affirm and deny the same thing, at the same time, and in the same sense or relationship. Got it? For example, the phrase “married bachelor” is a logical contradiction because a man cannot be married and unmarried (a bachelor) at the same time and in the same sense. Once a man is married, he is no longer a bachelor.

The doctrine of the Trinity does not claim that we have “three Gods” and “one God” in the same sense—that would indeed be contradictory. Instead, it teaches that there are three persons in one essence. As Dr. Ron Rhodes explains: “The doctrine of the Trinity, however, does not affirm that God is both one and three in the same sense or relationship. Rather, it affirms that God is one and only one in His essence, but He is three in His persons. Therefore, the Trinity is not contradictory. ‘Person’ and ‘essence’ are different. ‘Person’ reveals who He is, and ‘essence’ refers to what He is.”

The claim that the Trinity is illogical rests on a misunderstanding of basic logic and a misrepresentation of what the doctrine actually teaches. Many who reject the Trinity insist there is only one God—unaware that Trinitarians believe exactly the same thing. God’s being three in persons does not deny the truth that there is only one God.

This reality is difficult to fully comprehend, but that does not make it unreasonable to believe. The Trinity goes beyond human logic, but it never goes against it. Stay Curious.

Source and Study:

Rhodes R. (2010). Is the Trinity a Logical Contradiction? . In 5 Minute Apologetics for Today. Harvest House Publishers.

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