What pronouns make most sense when referencing the Trinity?
Upvote:-2
For example: "I love God. They are my salvation."
Compare that (non-biblical) example with "I love my family. It is what keeps me going.".
Except for unitarians, when speaking of "God" in general, one is talking about a collective entity, like "family", which is singular. When Jesus is speaking of "my Father", then two persons within "God" are distinguished, just as if I talked about "my wife and me" (plural).
Even in Hebrew, the name "elohim" is plural in form, but when referring to God it is treated as a singular noun (uni-plural).
"God" is a singular noun (regardless of whether one is Trinitarian, binitarian, or unitarian).
It's a matter of Greek grammar, not of doctrine.
Upvote:5
The doctrine of the Trinity means that there is one God subsisting in 3 Persons. God is not 3 beings (tritheism) nor are Father, Son and Holy Spirit descriptions of mode/role (modalism) where there is no real distinction between them.
The Persons are plural; the essence/being is one; thus according to Trinitarianism, plural pronouns can be used when referencing the persons as in the verse cited above. For example
The Father and the Son are both glorified
But when referring to God essentially, singular would be use.
God alone is good.
In other words, there are no special grammar rules. God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit are all singular masculine nouns and thus, he, him and his may all be used according to the sentence. They, their or them could be used only when 2 or 3 persons are explicitly referred to:
The Father and Son sent their Spirit into the world
The term "God" (as discussed elsewhere) signifies either the Divine essence (singular) or could be used in reference to a single person (e.g. God the Father) hence singular. The term "God" never stands in for a plurality of persons and so you never would say "God are" nor "They are my salvation"
To use a sentence like "They are my salvation" with "they" referring to God would hint at a form of trithesim in that it would suggest that God means a collective of divine beings and that they are separate enough to not be one.
In so far as the Trinity or the Essence is referred rather than a particular person (that is, unqualified uses of "God"), masculine pronouns are used because the divinity is separate from his creation (so not feminine) and he has an intellect and will, that is, he is not an impersonal force (as the Philosopher's God would be). Each Person is co-equal and co-eternal hence equally God; thus, we must be cautious about thinking of the essence as though it is something extra to the persons, which is what the suggestion of using "it" for the essence would suggest. That would lead to sentences like "The Son loves God and it loves him"
Ultimately though, the question of pronouns only becomes challenging when one doesn't understand the terms person and essence as used in Trinitarian theology.
Jesus uses plural personified pronouns when referencing himself and his Father.
Trinitarians use pronouns exactly as Jesus does and as grammar suggests. The fact that quantity can be said of a thing doesn't make it plural absolutely, simply nor grammatically.
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