The doctrine of the Trinity is a conundrum. So it should be no surprise that discourse about the triune God is itself a minefield of potential error and ambiguity. Consider, for example, the matter of divine reference: how does one refer to the triune God? I often encounter people referring to the triune God with the singular personal pronoun he. To be sure, sometimes the referent is, in fact, God the Father. And other times the referent is ambiguous. But in still other cases, the referent is indeed the Triune God.
So here’s the question: is it proper to refer to the Trinity with a singular personal pronoun? Consider:
(1) If it is proper to refer to an individual with a singular personal pronoun then that individual is a distinct person.
(2) It is proper to refer to the Father, Son, and Spirit each with a singular personal pronoun.
(3) Therefore, the Father, Son, and Spirit are each a distinct person.
(4) It is proper to refer to the Trinity with a singular personal pronoun.
(5) Therefore, the Trinity is a distinct person.
(6) The Trinity is not the Father, Son, or Spirit.
(7) Therefore, the Father, Son, Spirit, and Trinity are four persons.
(8) Therefore, God is four persons.
(9) The doctrine of the Trinity states that God is three persons.
(10) Therefore, the doctrine of the Trinity is false.
Clearly, (8) and (10) are unacceptable for a Christian. So how should one respond? I see two basic options.
Idiomatic Position: Reject Premise 1
The Position: Continue to use singular personal pronouns when referring to the triune God whilst stipulating that the pronoun is being used differently when referring to the triune God (i.e. idiomatic) than it is when referring to the three distinct persons.
The Upside: Retains the established and natural standards of divine reference. Avoids (8) and (10).
The Downside: Avoids the problems with triune reference by a misleading and arguably idiosyncratic use of personal pronouns.
Revisionist Position: Reject Premise 4
The Position: Eschew the use of singular personal pronouns when referring to the triune God in favor of (1) the singular impersonal pronoun “it” or (2) plural personal pronouns (e.g. “they”).
The Upside: Retains a consistent and natural use of pronouns when referring to the divine persons and the Trinity. Avoids (8) and (10).
The Downside: Rejects the established and natural standards of divine reference. In addition, the use of the singular impersonal pronoun “it” suggests that the Trinity is an impersonal collection/set/group of three personal beings. The use of plural personal pronouns is suggestive of polytheism at the expense of explicitly monotheistic discourse.
