God is diversity and unity

The one Triune Covenant God is differentiated and there is diversity within the unity. The Father, Son, and the Spirit are different from each other, and in the one Covenant God they differentiate themselves from each other. Teachers of the Bible will often use the two words, “generation” and “procession” to describe the movement within the one God. “Generation” is used to differentiate the Father and the Son. The Father is the one who generates the Son. The Son is the only begotten Son, as he is eternally generated by the Father. “Procession” is used to differentiate the Spirit from the Father and from the Son. The Spirit is the one who proceeds from the Father (and from the Son).

Each of the three Trinitarian members fulfils a specific role in the one divine program. The Father functions as the ground of the universe and of the divine plan or purpose for humanity. The Son functions as the revealer of God, the exemplar and spokesman of the Father’s will for creation, and the redeemer of humanity. The Spirit functions as the personal divine power active in the world, the very completer of the divine plan and purpose.

The one God of the Bible is in other words a unity. The three persons of the Trinity comprise a unity which entails diversity. Even though they have different functions in the one divine program, all are involved in every area of God’s working in the world. The divine activity is characterized by cooperation. They always work together, never independent from each other or on their own, as the words spoken at the creation of humanity show: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness” (Genesis 1:26).