Eternal Relations of Origin

So, given the absolute oneness of God, what distinguishes the Father from the Son and the Spirit?

The theologian Thomas Oden summarizes, "Father, Son, and Spirit are one in every way except that of being unbegotten, of filiation, and of procession."

That is, God the Father is unbegotten. God the Son is eternally begotten of the Father. God the Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son. But these three distinct persons are one God.

In his book, The Same God Who Works All Things, Adonis Vidu, a professor at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, states the same idea:

"The only attributes that are properly to be attributed to the persons are relational attributes, such as being unbegotten, begotten, and spirated. This rule must be strictly observed if one wishes to retain the unity of the divine substance."

But that does not mean there is nothing else to say about the Father, the Son, or the Spirit. Vidu elaborates:

"While it is true that the only properties exclusive to the persons are those indicating origin, what is to be known and believed about the persons, what can and must be contemplated about them, is in fact endless. For the Son is not simply 'begottenness' but 'begotten wisdom,' 'begotten power,' and so on. The Spirit, in turn, is not simply 'spiration,' but 'spirating wisdom,' and 'spirating power.'"

He goes on to provide an analogy that I love:

"It is more like recognizing a certain note in the unitary taste of a glass of wine. It is experiential and not discursive knowledge. To experience the Son in his personal property, then, is to know God; to experience the Holy Spirit in his personal property is to love God."

Think about it this way.

Why do we say the Father sends the Son? Because the Father is unbegotten and the Son is begotten.

And therefore, both by revelation and theological reflection, it is appropriate to speak of the Father sending the Son.

Yet, as we contemplate the Father sending the Son by the Spirit, we state this, always remembering that we are considering the action of one God, who has one will.

Gregory of Nyssa states it like this, "Every activity which pervades from God to creation and is named according to our manifold design starts off from the Father, proceeds through the Son, and is completed by the Holy Spirit."