Apologetics · FaithLogic
"One God Cannot Be Three" — The Islamic Trinity Objection, Answered
A well-known line of Islamic argument presents four objections to the Trinity aimed at Western audiences. This section answers each on its own terms.
On the Trinity — "One God Cannot Be Three"
The Four Objections
The objections:
(1) "1+1+1=3, not 1 — the Trinity is mathematical nonsense"
(2) "No verse in the Bible says 'God is a Trinity' or 'Jesus is the second person of the Trinity'"
(3) "The Trinity was invented at Nicaea — it is not in the original teaching of Jesus"
(4) "Jesus prayed to God — you cannot pray to yourself"
Response 1 — The mathematics objection:
The 1+1+1=3 objection assumes the Trinity means three separate divine beings added together. This is tritheism — which the church has always condemned. The Trinity is 1×1×1=1 — one divine substance expressed in three persons. The relevant question is not mathematical addition but whether one divine nature can be expressed in three eternal personal relations. The answer is demonstrated from the NT — not derived from mathematics.
Analogy: a human person has one nature expressed in three inseparable aspects — mind, word, and love (Augustine). These three are one person, not three. The Trinity is structurally analogous at the divine level.
Response 2 — "No verse says Trinity":
The word "Trinity" is not in the Bible — but neither is the word "monotheism," "Tawhid," or "prophethood." The absence of a word does not mean the concept is absent. Matthew 28:19 puts Father, Son, and Spirit in one baptismal formula under ONE NAME (singular). 2 Corinthians 13:14: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit." 1 Corinthians 8:6: one God the Father AND one Lord Jesus Christ — both within the Shema. The evidence for Trinitarian theology is throughout the NT — the label "Trinity" was coined to summarize what was already there.
Response 3 — "Trinity invented at Nicaea":
Already fully addressed in the Pre-Nicaea section. Ignatius (107 AD) calls Jesus "our God." Irenaeus (180 AD) teaches eternal pre-existence of the Son. Tertullian (210 AD) coins "Trinitas." These are 115-218 years before Nicaea.
Response 4 — "Jesus prayed to God — you cannot pray to yourself":
Correct — Jesus prayed to the Father, not to himself. This is exactly what the Trinity teaches: Father and Son are distinct persons, so the Son genuinely prays to the Father. The prayer proves there are two distinct persons. The question is whether those two distinct persons share one divine nature — and the NT says yes (John 10:30: "I and the Father are one"; John 17:5: "the glory I had with you before the world existed").
(1) "1+1+1=3, not 1 — the Trinity is mathematical nonsense"
(2) "No verse in the Bible says 'God is a Trinity' or 'Jesus is the second person of the Trinity'"
(3) "The Trinity was invented at Nicaea — it is not in the original teaching of Jesus"
(4) "Jesus prayed to God — you cannot pray to yourself"
Response 1 — The mathematics objection:
The 1+1+1=3 objection assumes the Trinity means three separate divine beings added together. This is tritheism — which the church has always condemned. The Trinity is 1×1×1=1 — one divine substance expressed in three persons. The relevant question is not mathematical addition but whether one divine nature can be expressed in three eternal personal relations. The answer is demonstrated from the NT — not derived from mathematics.
Analogy: a human person has one nature expressed in three inseparable aspects — mind, word, and love (Augustine). These three are one person, not three. The Trinity is structurally analogous at the divine level.
Response 2 — "No verse says Trinity":
The word "Trinity" is not in the Bible — but neither is the word "monotheism," "Tawhid," or "prophethood." The absence of a word does not mean the concept is absent. Matthew 28:19 puts Father, Son, and Spirit in one baptismal formula under ONE NAME (singular). 2 Corinthians 13:14: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit." 1 Corinthians 8:6: one God the Father AND one Lord Jesus Christ — both within the Shema. The evidence for Trinitarian theology is throughout the NT — the label "Trinity" was coined to summarize what was already there.
Response 3 — "Trinity invented at Nicaea":
Already fully addressed in the Pre-Nicaea section. Ignatius (107 AD) calls Jesus "our God." Irenaeus (180 AD) teaches eternal pre-existence of the Son. Tertullian (210 AD) coins "Trinitas." These are 115-218 years before Nicaea.
Response 4 — "Jesus prayed to God — you cannot pray to yourself":
Correct — Jesus prayed to the Father, not to himself. This is exactly what the Trinity teaches: Father and Son are distinct persons, so the Son genuinely prays to the Father. The prayer proves there are two distinct persons. The question is whether those two distinct persons share one divine nature — and the NT says yes (John 10:30: "I and the Father are one"; John 17:5: "the glory I had with you before the world existed").
💡 Summary(1) 1+1+1=3 misunderstands the Trinity as three separate divine beings — the Trinity is one divine nature in three persons, not three gods added together. (2) "Trinity not in the Bible": the word is absent but the concept is present throughout — Matthew 28:19 (one name, three persons), 1 Corinthians 8:6 (Jesus inside the Shema), John 17 (an eternal pre-existent love relationship). (3) Nicaea: Ignatius calls Jesus "our God" in 107 AD — 218 years before Nicaea. (4) Jesus prayed to the Father: correct, and this proves distinct persons, not distinct gods. The question is whether they share one divine nature — and John 10:30 and John 17:5 answer yes.
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