Апологетика — Вікіпедія
There are different types of images that reflect this. So, I'm not particular to these two

Still the point is made that you can see visually.
This makes it simple for you to see how the Trinity exists and why we also believe there is only One God.
They have existed eternally. Which Bible verses have been posted throughout this and other threads on the Trinity.
I'm trying to find something visual that shows how you see it, and God the Father, Son of God, Holy Spirit. Now how that might show visually if I had a graphics program, I might be able to make one that would show what I am assuming you see as God the Father, with the Son, and Holy Spirit as outliers. With the rest of Creation as outliers to the Son, and Holy Spirit.
Since you all like reason, and you don't see this (Trinity) as being reasonable. If God the Father pre-existed both the Son & Holy Spirit, to my thinking He could not be God the Father, but just God. Then to become God the Father, the essence of God would have had to been separated to the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, their existence at that time then is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, because the essence is the same, and eternal, unless you believe that there is a separate God, from the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit that exists as well. I have no issue with the hierarchy, and some would say authority being God the Father, Son of God, & Holy Spirit. It does not remove the Godhead/Divinity from existing equally for all three.
You are welcome to take a look at the Heidelberg Catechism - Zacharias Ursinus that addresses many issues, on the Divinity of Christ start on page 326. Try to save you a rather long read of 1023 pages which is a translation from the original Latin!
However, just in case you are interested which I might have stated before on my belief/understanding in the hierarchy of the Trinity was not founded upon this document or others that are out there on the subject, since I didn't even know of their existence before doing a bit of searching about a month ago. lol I did this because some who will remain unnamed by me thought me to be a liar/idiot/consciously/unconsciously or all of them, because I had no confirmed truth of the Trinity yeah/nay from reading scripture.
What the person failed to understand was that I could see many of the concepts being bandied about from a variety of people, but none so convincingly to hitch myself to a particular wagon of said belief, Trinity included. As I believe it should be, all in God's time, it will be made known to me/anyone, if He wills it to be so. Perhaps it is patience or simply my simple-minded nature, but it was not until the Holy Spirit said "Hierarchy" while I was reading Scripture in search of something, and repeated it twice when I paused, that I thought to myself, "Huh." lol The second time it just clicked. All the concepts of God, with the variety of Scripture now made sense. It all came together, and I've not doubted it ever since, which would be between 5-7 years ago!!! Meaning I was in my 60''s after having been drawn by the Holy Spirit on 19 December 1979 in a small Baptist Church in Germany. Of all places for a Spanish kid from Bklyn NY to come to the Lord! Anyway, I digress.
Now you can accept my testimony/understanding on this or not, and think its wrongheaded, without reason, etc. Like I've said, you would not be the first to insinuate/question my sanity or reasoning, but there you have it. I remember how you said you came to see the unreasonableness of the Trinity after a time of reading through Scripture. To me I just don't see how one could come by that, when so many of the concepts being bandied about (expression of the day it appears), could just as easily be justified as being correct, but I'm not you or know the struggle you went through to come to the understanding you hold to. No matter the scripture, you point to (within context) it speaks to the Divinity/Godhead, hierarchy of positional authority, that makes God = God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, since Eternity. Enjoy the read! \o/
With the Love of Christ Jesus.
YBIC
Nick
\o/
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But the passage explicitly states that the one God is the Father. If Paul believed in a Trinity, one would not expect him to make a distinction between God and Jesus, yet he does.
It seems this hierarchy teaching is yet another addition to the Trinity doctrine. That in itself is a problem. How does a Biblical doctrine evolve? the Trinity doctrine as it was codified states this,
So likewise the Father is almighty, the Son almighty, and the Holy Ghost almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty.
and this,
And
in this Trinity none is before or after other; none is greater or less than another; But t
he whole three Persons are coeternal together and coequal, so that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped.
It seems to me that the original teaching states plainly that there is no hierarchy. None of the three comes before or after any of the others. So, it must follow then that this hierarchy in the Godhead is yet another variation from the original teaching. This is a common occurrence with other Christian doctrines also but that's another thread.
You said,
"Since you all like reason, and you don't see this (Trinity) as being reasonable. If God the Father pre-existed both the Son & Holy Spirit, to my thinking He could not be God the Father, but just God. Then to become God the Father, the essence of God would have had to been separated to the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, their existence at that time then is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, because the essence is the same, and eternal, unless you believe that there is a separate God, from the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit that exists as well. "
I agree that He wouldn't have been God the Father. He wouldn't even have been God. The problem is that people equivocate when it comes to the word god. The word god simply means a ruler. It's not an essence. It's a title. A ruler needs a people and/or a kingdom to rule over. Before creation, as far as we know, there was nothing to rule over. Therefore, there was no ruler or god. Since the first thing God did in creation was to beget a Son that would then make Him Father. It would also make Him a ruler or God because there was now another being to ruler over. Because God is a title and not an essence, His offspring is not necessarily going to be God. His offspring will be of the same essence as the being we call God. Consider a father and Son. If the father is president of the US his son is of the same essence, however, the son is not president of the US. The word president, like god, is a title not an essence.
If we say that god is an essence, then we must accept the idea that all of the pagan gods are of the same essence as the Father. I think most of us would find that idea absurd. We know that is not the case. Thus, the word god cannot denote an essence but rather must be a title. I'm in agreement that the Son is of the same essence as the Father. However, that essence doesn't make the Son God. In order to be called God the Son must have a kingdom and people over which He rules. That begs the question, is there a time when the Son has a kingdom and people over which He rules? If He does, then at that time He can be called God.
1 My heart is inditing a good matter:
I speak of the things which I have made touching the king:
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
2 Thou art fairer than the children of men:
Grace is poured into thy lips:
Therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty,
With thy glory and thy majesty.
4 And in thy majesty hride prosperously
Because of truth and meekness and righteousness;
And thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
5 Thine arrows are sharp
In the heart of the king’s enemies;
Whereby the people fall under thee.
6
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:
The sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness:
Therefore mGod, thy God, hath anointed thee
With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
King James Ps 45:1–7.
Here we have a prophecy of Christ. Notice He is called God in reference to a kingdom. He has a throne, a scepter, and a kingdom, and He is called God here.
Now consider the words of Jesus.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Holy Bible: Mt 28:17–18.
After His resurrection Jesus was given all power. God the Father handed over all power and authority to Christ to rule over creation, thus Jesus now has the title of God. He is the ruler at this present time. Consider Pau's words.
1 GOD, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6
And sagain, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7 And xof the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 10
Bible: King James Heb 1.
In this passage Paul quotes or alludes to several Old Testament passages. Here he says God has spoken to them through His Son. Note that regarding God's Son, Paul quotes Psalm 45:6-7. He quotes this when speaking of the excellency of Christ. Again, Jesus is called God in relation to His ruling in the Kingdom. It's a title.
However, notice what else Paul says. "
And sagain, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world." He's speaking of God bringing the firstborn into the world. The literal first born man was Cain. So, what Paul is saying is that Jesus was literally the firstborn. He was begotten out of the Father. If He was born, then He had a beginning and thus could not be eternal. We see in proverbs 8 that Jesus was the first born.
The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways,
for the sake of his works.
23
Before the present age he founded me,
in the beginning.
24 Before he made the earth and before he made the depths,
before he brought forth the springs of the waters,
25 before the mountains were established
and before all the hills,
he begets me.
26 The Lord made countries and uninhabited spaces
and the habitable heights of that beneath the sky.
27 When he prepared the sky,
I was present with him,
and when he marked out his own throne on the winds.
28 When he made strong the clouds above
and when he made secure the springs beneath the sky,
29 when he made strong the foundations of the earth,
30
I was beside him, fitting together;
it is I who was the one in whom he took delight.
And each day I was glad in his presence at every moment,
31 when he rejoiced after he had completed the world
and rejoiced among the sons of men.
Albert Pietersma and Benjamin G. Wright, eds., “Proverbs,” in A New English Translation of the Septuagint (Primary Texts), trans. Johann Cook (New York; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), Pr 8:22–31
In verse 22 the word created isn't the best translation. The Greek word literally means to bring into existence. God did bring Christ into existence by begetting Him as a Son. Notice it says he was brought forth unto the works. The works of creation. Who was it that created all things? It was the Son, or Jesus. Verse 25 says, "he begets me." 27 says "I was present with Him." Notice verse 30, it says, "I was beside him, fitting together." That's the Son. And notice that it was Him that God took delight in. Now lets consider Jesus words.
39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham. 40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. 42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth
and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
King James Jn 8:39–42.
The word from, bolded above is the Greek word "ek." It literally means to come out of. The literal translation is that Jesus proceeded forth and came out of God. Let's consider more.
25 They said therefore to him: Who art thou? Jesus said to them:
The beginning, who also speak unto you.
Holy Bible, Jn 8:25.
When the Jews asked Jesus who He was He answered, "the beginning." What did verse 22 say? the Lord created me as the beginning of His ways.
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness,
the beginning of the creation of God;
Bible: King James Re 3:14.
Here again we see Jesus referred to as the beginning Just like we saw in Proverbs 8. Notice in verse 30 where He speaks of being the one in whom God delighted. What do we find in Scripture?
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying,
This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
King James Mt 3:16–17.
Literally, it is "was well pleased" Again, we can see the clear reference back to Proverbs 8. We also see God making this statement When Peter, James, and John were with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. It's clear that this passage in Proverbs 8 is speaking of the Son and the Son was begotten out of God