WHAT GOD IS NOT: God is
not an impersonal essence nor merely a "higher power." Neither are
God and
Trinity simply singular names for what would otherwise be considered three gods (i.e. terms which would hide polytheism).
WHAT GOD IS: Though the Trinity is a mystery beyond comprehension, two analogies are often used to help explain what
Trinity means. The first references the sun, and the second references man.
The Sun: The sun is characterized by three elements. (1) The ball of burning gas is the source of all (like the Father). (2) The light is visible to all (like the Son). (3) The heat is felt, but not seen (like the Holy Spirit or Comforter).
The sun has never been the sun without its light and heat, and the light and heat cannot exist without their source. In addition, while they may co-exist, they do not produce each other in and of themselves. (ex. You can’t read by the light of a heating pad, nor can you count on getting warm wherever it is bright.)
Man: It is said that each human has been made in the image of God, and as such each human bears similarities to our Trinitarian Lord and God: (1) Man's
nous (i.e. complete mind and heart; including intellect, creativity, feelings, morality, intuition, etc.) is like the Father. (2) Man's flesh (both tangible and a temple of the Holy Spirit), is akin to the Son who became incarnate and was filled with the Holy Spirit. (3) Man's life (or breath) is akin the Holy Spirit.
Man (any human) is all three. There is never a time that man has existed (or could exist) without all three. For a human nous cannot exist without a body and life, a human body does not exist--at least at the start--without a nous and life, and a human life cannot exist without a nous and body.
The benefit and limitation of analogies: Each of these analogies is good at expressing a three-ness and one-ness with no polytheism. However, according to Saint
Gregory the Theologian, trying to go further to comprehend
unbegotten-ness (Father),
begotten-ness (Son), or
procession (Holy Spirit) leads to insanity. Therefore the Church traditionally approaches God in divine mystery (and
apophatically), content to encounter Him rather than comprehend Him (for it is impossible for the created to comprehend the ineffable Creator).
Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in a
monotheistic conception of God (God is only one), which is both
transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from, the material universe) and
immanent (involved in the material universe).
[6] In discussing God's relationship to his creation, Eastern Orthodox theology
distinguishes between God's eternal essence, which is totally transcendent, and his
uncreated energies, which is how he reaches humanity.
[6] The God who is transcendent and the God who touches mankind are one and the same.
[6] That is, these energies are not something that proceed from God or that God produces, but rather they are God himself: distinct, yet inseparable from God's inner being.
[7]
Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in a single God who is both three and one (triune); the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, "one in essence and undivided".
[6] The
Trinity, three distinct, divine persons (
hypostases), without overlap or
modality among them, who each have one divine
essence (
ousia, Greek: οὐσία)—uncreated, immaterial, and
eternal.
[8] The
Father is eternal and not begotten and does not proceed from any, the
Son is eternal and begotten of the Father, and the
Holy Spirit is eternal and proceeds from the Father.
[6] Eastern Orthodox doctrine regarding the Trinity is summarised in the
Nicene Creed.
[9] The essence of God being that which is beyond human comprehension and cannot be defined or approached by human understanding.
[10]