Fingerprints of the Trinity

Our Lord crafted the universe with great precision — complete with finely tuned laws governing biology, gravity, thermodynamics, energy, motion, magnetism, light, sound, and all other aspects of creation. NASA planetary scientist John O’Keefe wrote, “We are, by astronomical standards, a pampered, cosseted, cherished group of creatures…. If the universe had not been made with the most exacting precision we could never have come into existence. It is my view that…the universe was created for man to live in."

The universe was not only created with genius and precision; it was created to demonstrate great beauty. It was fashioned by God with characteristics to correspond to our senses of sight, sound, smell, touch, and taste. Creation teaches us about the glory and goodness of God. Even the Psalms tell us that “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Ps. 19:1). Our triune God teaches us about Himself through the wonders of creation.

Thus, we should not be surprised that the Trinity has expressed an affinity for tripartite designs in the universe.

Our entire universe has been defined by three components — space, time, and matter. And each of these components can be further broken into three divisions. Space has three dimensions — length, width, and height. Time can be summarized as the past, present, and future. All matter exists in one of three states — solids, liquids, and gases. The entire exterior of our world is dominated by earth, sea, and sky.

The smallest of atoms features three microscopic components — protons, neutrons, and electrons. The nucleotides of the human genetic code are each identified by three individual codes (i.e., “triplet codons”). Sir Isaac Newton discovered three laws of motion. All of the various colors of the spectrum stem from just three primary colors — red, blue, and yellow.

Likewise, human actions can be summarized in terms of thought, word, and deed. A liberal arts education is often presented according to the famous medieval Trivium — grammar, logic, and rhetoric. Grammar is broken down into threes — three forms of nouns, three persons of verbal use, and three degrees of adjectives. Aristotle proposed three laws of logic — the laws of identity, non-contradiction, and excluded middle. He also identified three components of quality rhetoric — ethos (character), pathos (emotion), and logos (reason).

Indeed, there are many tripartite structures reflected in the designs of our triune God.