Divine Simplicity

I very intentionally omitted one Essential Attribute of God in the last section (and yes I did so with fear and trembling). Divine Simplicity states that “God's nature is not composed of parts [Bounds].” At first glance this was not problematic to me, I understand Divine Oneness, making Divine Simplicity an easy pill to swallow... However, I saved the discussion of Divine Simplicity because I believe it to be inseparably linked to the Doctrine of the Trinity. The Doctrine of the Trinity was alluded to throughout all of the Old Testament, but it was never realized by the Jews. In an effort to establish God as One, they neglected the leadings toward the Doctrine of the Trinity. In Christ we gain the fullness of the Doctrine. Directly preceding the assent Christ says, in Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit [NIV].” This statement is loaded with significance. It says that the disciples are to baptize in the name: a singular noun, implying that there is one God – Divine Oneness. He then goes on to say “of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit [NIV].” There is then, only one God, but we begin to understand that He exists in three persons. Divine Simplicity has its life in this; God exists in three persons, not three parts. How can God be one, but be three persons? The tension of these two statements, while originally problematic, has served as a source of wonder for me as I have continued to explore this fundamental doctrine.

There are two analogies that I have bought into that do fantastic justice to my understanding of the Trinity. My favorite one, and the easiest for my mind to understand is the Tree analogy. The Godhead is like a tree; The Father is analogous to the Roots, the Son analogous to the trunk, and the Spirit analogous to the leaves and branches. This analogy shows the unity of the Godhead, but it does not do justice to the distinction of the persons. The second one, which is very difficult for my mind, is the analogy of the Apostles. This view does great justice to the distinction of the Persons while not giving adequate unity to the Godhead. We are left with a problem, how do we rationalize these two analogies, and arrive at a full understanding of God? I must sadly postpone the continuation of this topic until I get to the topic of God as Trinity; this is merely a preliminary discussion to add depth to the Doctrine of Divine Simplicity.