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3 Yet 1
The creation account of Genesis 1 shows this world has three parts – heaven (or, sky), land, and sea. Then Genesis 2 pictures the divisions as outside Eden, Eden, then the garden. The ark of the flood has three stories, lower, middle, and top. The Tabernacle and Temple have outside the holy place, holy place, and holy of holies. Paul says in 2 Corinthians he was caught up to the 3rd heaven, implying two others which combined are our sky, the universe, and God’s dwelling place. Temporal reality has the past, present, and future, again three in number. Spatial reality has height, width, and depth. Religious history has three time periods – Patriarchal, Mosaical, and Christian. Light is three primary colors of red, green, and blue. Atoms are protons, neutrons, and electrons. Humans are each 3 yet 1. A human is tripartite with body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). I wonder how many more could be added!?
The oracles of God continuously reveal the same pattern. The earth is 3 yet 1 in various forms and descriptions. The ark is 3 yet 1. The worship places under Moses are 3 yet 1. All of reality, temporal and spatial, is 3 yet 1. Religious history is 3 yet 1.
And then the New Testament reveals the Trinity, the Tri-unity of God, Yahweh (singular) the Elohim (plural) of the Old Testament as… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Jesus Himself embodies the Anointed One called the Christ or Messiah, who is prophet, priest, and king.
People say monotheism can’t mean God is 3 yet 1. Considering how often God has used the concept of 3 yet 1, God has been explaining His reality to us repeatedly as preparation for His fuller revelation of Self through the gospel.
Our realities echo His reality of being 3 yet 1. The precedent has been set forth. Three yet one is not an invention of man, but is a revelation by God of God. While no metaphor or example is a perfect reproduction, they can be instructive reflections –
Romans 1:20 (CSB) For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made….
The one God’s triune nature, the Trinity, has been revealed through history, time, science, and nature. God is 3 yet 1.
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