Logical contradictions and the trinity

Question

This question may seem strange, but I believe it is valid. It is commonly understood that God cannot create logical contradictions, such as a square circle, or make 1+1=3. However, it seems that the trinity itself is a logical contradiction being three distinct persons but still only one God. Why can God not create logical contradictions when his own nature is a logical contradiction? I am a trinitarian, but I am unsure of how to answer this question.

Answer 1

1. Human Limits and the Incomprehensibility of God

As you mentioned, God is infinite, while human understanding is finite. Because God is the Creator and we are part of His creation, our language and concepts are inherently limited. A.W. Tozer captures this idea well in The Knowledge of the Holy:

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us... We must always keep in mind that God is wholly other, completely transcendent, and far beyond our full comprehension.”

The word "holy" itself helps us understand this distinction. Holiness means "set apart" or "completely other." God is holy not just in His moral perfection, but in the fullness of His being—He is utterly unique and unlike anything in creation. This is why attempts to describe God using human analogies or concepts inevitably fall short. The doctrine of the Trinity—one God in three persons—reflects this holiness. It transcends human categories but does not inherently violate logic.

2. Why the Trinity Is Not a Logical Contradiction

A logical contradiction occurs when two statements cannot both be true at the same time and in the same way (e.g., a square circle). The Trinity, however, does not meet these criteria. Here's why:

• The doctrine asserts one essence/substance and three persons. These are not the same category.
  • Essence (what God is): God is one in His being or substance.
  • Persons (who God is): The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct persons who share this one divine essence.

In other words, the Trinity is one "what" and three "whos." There is no contradiction because God is not simultaneously one essence and three essences, or one person and three persons. Instead, the Trinity operates in categories (essence and person) that coexist harmoniously.

Philosopher William Lane Craig explains this distinction well:

“The Trinity is mysterious, but not contradictory. It may surpass our understanding, but it does not violate reason.”

3. Logical Consistency in God's Nature

Because God’s nature is internally consistent, He cannot create true logical contradictions like a "square circle" or "1+1=3." Logical consistency is not an external standard imposed on God; rather, it flows from His own rational nature. God cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13), which includes acting contrary to His perfect rationality.

The Trinity, far from being a contradiction, reflects the richness and complexity of God's being, which we cannot fully grasp. The seeming paradox serves to point us toward God's transcendence rather than undermining His rationality.

4. Philosophical Analogy: Mystery vs. Contradiction

Think of it this way: a mystery is something we do not yet fully understand, while a contradiction is something we know cannot be true. The Trinity falls into the category of mystery, not contradiction. To reject the Trinity as "illogical" would require evidence that it violates the laws of logic, which it does not.

5. A Final Reminder: The Limits of Language

In discussing the Trinity, it's crucial to recognize that human language and understanding are limited. As A.W. Tozer also states in his book The Knowledge of the Holy:

“We learn by using what we already know as a bridge over which we pass to the unknown. No sooner, however, do we attempt to speak of God than we are conscious of our language breaking down under us. We use words to convey thoughts, and these words are symbols of things and ideas, and as long as they refer to things or ideas within our field of experience, they are accurate enough. But when we attempt to speak of that which lies beyond our field of experience, we find ourselves trying to describe the indescribable and to explain the unexplainable.”

I think this serves as a good reminder that while God has revealed Himself to us in Scripture—including the doctrine of the Trinity—our finite minds cannot fully grasp His infinite nature. Rather than seeing the Trinity as a contradiction, we should approach it with humility, recognizing that the mystery of God's being calls us to worship, not complete comprehension.

Answer 2

I heard a quote by some preacher or theologian who said, "Show me a worm that can understand a man, and I will show you a man that can understand the Triune God." That's a good point! I think it would be arrogant for us to assume that we can ever fully understand God, seeing how much higher He is than we are.

However, there is a difference between a lack of understanding and a contradiction. For the Trinity to be a logical contradiction, it would have to assert that something is both true and false in the same time and in the same way. Yet the Trinity does not do that. The way the Trinity is usually worded (e.g. in statements of faith) is that God is one essence, but three distinct Persons. That is, He is one in one way, and three in another way. As the Bible puts it, "there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one" (I John 5:7).

If a mathematician tries to explain the concept of a square root of a negative number ("imaginary numbers"), it might sound to the rest of us like nonsense, maybe even like a logical contradiction. But that is just because we don't have the understanding, experience, or knowledge to really grasp what is being said. God is 100% consistent and truthful (II Corinthians 1:20; II Timothy 2:13); yet my brain gets tired just trying to understand certain parts of books which represent a very small drop of the knowledge in a vast ocean of God's creation. And the One powerful enough to create all of this must Himself be even more wonderful. Wouldn't we expect there to be a lot of mystery, in our finite minds, regarding our understanding of Him? I would certainly say so!

Answer 3

The Trinity is one of the Doctrines a new Convert to [Traditional] Catholics often struggle to Believe by Faith.

Early on I decided it was referring to 'accidents' such as Theorized related to Forms; some perfect form of any object (like a Chair) that all have in common, with the Accidents are what makes any one chair different from others but still that Object. As water (H20) has 3 Accidents which it may shift between - Steam, liquid water, Ice (Holy Ghost, The Son, The Father)

And so, God has 3 Accidents.

More recently I have considered the Trinity as 'a Process' in some sense - for each of us to guide to God and Salvation. The Father as the Form that is Forked() or Split with the new version the Son which carries our soul(s), and the Holy Ghost is the Difference (in God math) between the Father and Son(with our soul(s)) Creating another Fork() containing all the possible Paths from this moment for us and Salvations and Union with God. .. Each Grave Sin would require a new Difference operation done and so a different updated Holy Ghost for our soul.

And so, one might contemplate the question - if this is true - In the Kingdom of God, for each soul so Blessed to be there, would not the Holy Ghost be mostly at rest as He was for Adam in the Garden of Eden?

It seems clear there are many ways here in this Jacob's Level reality that similar parallel 2 or more 'States' of objects can be similarly classed, and could you not be somewhatly classed - there is the studying version of you, the physically active version, the contemplative, ...?

Answer 4

Those who are critical of the Trinity do not accept the idea that God’s nature is illogical / contradictory. Or, at least, they don’t do so on the basis of a doctrine they find fishy at best. Rather, being illogical and contradictory are the “smell” of bad theology. Those who accept the Trinity despite its many issues are generally advised to accept it as a “mystery.”

Of course, God never told us to accept such a mystery - we invented it and then used this rhetoric to defend it.

A classic tale meant to illustrate this is Augustine and the Child by the Seashore. One day Augustine is walking by the seashore and contemplating the Trinity when he came across a child who had dug a whole in the sand and was busy going back and forth, dumping buckets of sea water into the hole. Augustine asked the child what he was doing. The child replied that he was attempting to empty the whole of the sea into his hole in the sand. Augustine remarked, “But that is impossible!” The child replied, “No more than you attempting to comprehend the Trinity!” The child suddenly disappears (implying the boy was actually an Angel).

EDIT: The above story can be found in a medieval work called the Legenda Aurea (The Golden Legend) written down by Jacobus de Voragine around 1275. It is a compilation of the lives of the saints; whether previously written down or else passed down orally. You can find modern translations available online if you are interested.