Eram Sum Ero.

Oremus Mare.

I believe in you.

February 4, 2025

Introduction

At the heart of reality is Love—not as an emotion, but as the eternal act of willing the good of another. The Argument from Love shows that only the Trinitarian understanding of God sustains love—and all relational attributes—as eternal truths.

Non-Trinitarian frameworks like Oneness theology and Tawhid (Islamic monotheism) reduce these attributes to temporal or contingent realities, dependent on creation.

The eternal relationship within the Trinity allows Love, Jealousy, Justice, and Mercy to be eternal, while alternative theologies make this impossible.

1. Love as an Eternal Act

Love is, by its very nature, relational. To love is to will the good of another. In the Trinity, the Father eternally loves the Son (John 17:24), the Son glorifies the Father (John 17:1), and the Holy Spirit proceeds as the living bond of that love (John 15:26). This dynamic is not sequential or symbolic; it is eternal, simultaneous, and real.

In contrast, Oneness theology teaches that God is a single person manifesting in different modes—Father, Son, and Spirit. Some argue that God’s love could exist across these modes, but this fails to meet the full definition of love. Modes are not distinct persons; they are expressions of the same being. Loving oneself across different modes is not true relational love—it is self-reflection, not self-giving.

Tawhid, emphasizing absolute divine unity, faces the same issue: a solitary God cannot express love eternally without creation. In both cases, love is contingent upon something outside of God.

If God needed creation to love, He would be dependent on what He made, making love a temporal addition rather than an eternal essence.

2. Eternity of Jealousy, Justice, and Mercy

Love is not the only relational attribute at stake. Jealousy, Justice, and Mercy also require relationship to be real:

• Jealousy is not petty envy but the righteous protection of love. In the Trinity, jealousy exists as eternal vigilance—the unwavering commitment of the Father to the Son and the Spirit. It is the protective nature of perfect love, eternally safeguarding the bond within the Godhead. In Oneness or Tawhid, jealousy arises only after creation, making it a temporal reaction rather than an eternal attribute.
• Justice is the right ordering of relationships. The Father’s authority, the Son’s obedience, and the Spirit’s unity display eternal justice within the Godhead. Without relational diversity, justice has no eternal ground, as a solitary God has no internal relationship to rightly order.