Math can be tough, I know.

To be fair, I don't think the nature of God can be perfectly explained with simple math, or any math at all really. I'm not really sure if this is *criticizing* the doctrine of the Trinity, or if it's just a funny little meme, though frankly I've seen other people use this kind of explanation as an objection so I'm led to believe the former.

You could say God's three persons and one being. That's really the simplest way to put it, though even then I'm not sure that's so simple. But let's consider it like this: I'm one person in one being. One person with one mind and one heart and one soul, all encapsulated in one being. God is not like this. God is three persons, but one being. That's weird, yeah, and again a very simple look at it. But I don't think it's really the point to understand God. We can't. It's not within our ability. The point of life isn't to understand God, it's to know and be known by God, and we don't have to understand how God works to be in a relationship with Him, as much as we'd like to. But we're very limited beings, whereas God is unlimited. I think when you really look at all Jesus said and how everything fits together, the idea of the Trinity really isn't very implausible. I don't imagine we'd be getting baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit if only the Father was God. Why are we getting baptized in the name of these lesser spiritual beings? That's wacky. Why are we worshipping Jesus if He's not God? That's wacky. Why did Jesus never deny such attempts at worship but instead accept them? Because He deserves and is worthy of worship. Why? Because He's God. Besides, if Jesus isn't God, we can ignore the opening of John:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." (John 1:1-5)

I'm not really looking for a debate, because frankly I'm not prepared for anything like that at the moment I write, but I'm just offering up some of the thoughts I've had and received during my walk. Maybe it's insightful, or maybe we disagree. That's OK. Just bringing them up for consideration. God bless.

P.S. I'm sorry I never wrote the response that I said I would in that one thread. I've worked on it, and if you'd still like to talk about it, I still can, but at this point it's been almost two months, and life is probably pretty busy for the both of us, so maybe it's for the best we leave it be now, even if you and I disagree (on the main subject of the conversation, at least).

Besides, Imgflip has an annoying threshold for how many comments it can have on one line before it stops letting you reply to a particular part, and we've reached well past that threshold at this point, so adding more comments to it makes the timeline of the conversation very confusing.

Thanks for your patience anyway. 'Twas a good talk and got me thinking in the end. May we continue to be blessed in our respective walks with the Lord.

Hey, how are you doing? I hope things are well with you. I understand you were busy, and life is not very predictable sometimes, so that's fine. If you have something to still share though, thats just great.

I hear you loud and clear, and your definition is the same Ive believed all my life until I quit listening to pastors and experts blow smoke, and searched it out in depth myself.

So, ill explain my own findings which you might find intriguing. Its all logic and scripture, so you can check it out yourself.

This is the best way I used to describe the Trinity to nonbelievers:
Regarding the math, it is explained in scripture. ONE God. Now, I believe that meaning of "God" is descriptive of a 'being' or entity—like 'human' is descriptive of a type of being or entity.

Yahweh is a God being, I am a human being. There is only one type of 'human being' with billions of different persons sharing that same 'being'. Similarly, there is one 'God being' with but three different persons sharing that same 'Being.'

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That is how I explained the Trinity, however, until I realized that humans are all of equal spiritual value and authority before God the Father—rich or poor, young, old, man or woman. We have different earthly roles in the family and political spheres, but hold the same VALUE as long as we faithfully carry out our roles. etc...

Jesus, on the other hand, does NOT hold the same spiritual value and authority as his Father. He is subordinate in all things, therefore he cannot have equal supremacy with God the Father:
Col 1:15 NLT - 15 Christ is the visible IMAGE (eikon) of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation"

An image is, by definition, a copy, icon, or a replica. If Jesus is a copy, he cannot be the original. There is one true God.

Jhn 17:3 NLT - 3 And this is the way to have eternal life--to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth

John 1:1 saying the Word "was God" and "with God" is mistranslated and contradictory. Can anyone simultaneously 'be themselves' and 'with themselves'? Its incoherent.

John 1:1 should have been translated this way:
"the Word was with God and the Word was FROM God", for that is 100% consistent with the rest of John and especially the words of Jesus:

Jhn 7:16 NLT - 16 So Jesus told them, "My message is not my own; it comes FROM God who sent me.

Jhn 8:40, 42 NLT - 40 Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard FROM God. Abraham never did such a thing. ... 42 Jesus told them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you FROM God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.

Jhn 9:33 NLT - 33 If this man were not FROM God, he couldn't have done it."

Jhn 11:27 NLT - 27 "Yes, Lord," she told him. "I have always believed you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who has come into the world FROM God."

Jhn 13:3 NLT - 3 Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come FROM God and would return to God.

Jhn 16:27, 30 NLT - 27 for the Father himself loves you dearly because you love me and believe that I came FROM God. ... 30 Now we understand that you know everything, and there's no need to question you. From this we believe that you came FROM God."

As another point, Jesus had nothing of his own without the Father, so this tells us that, although Jesus was Gods perfect express image-bearing Son, he is NOT EVER to be held in equal power and authority as the Father God:

Jesus also does not have his own Love, Power, or Words. He simply borrows them in obedience to his Father:

Jhn 15:10 NKJV - 10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.

Jhn 14:28, 31 NLT - 28b I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. ... 31 but I will do what the Father requires of me, so that the world will know that I love the Father. Come, let's be going.

Jhn 12:49 NLT - 49 I don't speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it.