The Trinity (16)

To the question “Who are you?” each of the three persons of the Trinity would give His own answer, Father or Son or Holy Spirit. But to the question “What are you?” each can only respond, “God,” because each totally possesses the one same divine nature, and nature decides what a being is. Because each possesses the divine nature, each can do all that goes with being God.

It is necessary to be accurate upon two points here. 

First, the three Persons do not share the divine Nature; it is utterly simple and cannot be divided up; it can be possessed only in its totality. 

Second, the three Persons are distinct, but not separate. They are distinct, because each is Himself; but they cannot be separated, for each is what He is solely by possessing the one same nature; apart from that one nature, no one of the persons could exist at all.

Nature answers the question—what we are; Person answers the question—who we are. Every being has a nature; of every being we may properly ask, What is it? But not every being is a person: only rational beings are persons. We could not properly ask of a stone or a potato or an oyster, Who is it?By our nature, then, we are what we are. It follows that by our nature we do what we do: for every being acts according to what it is; according to its nature. 

In Christ, Ken.