The Implications of God's Love and the Doctrine of the Trinity

The emphasis theologians place on certain aspects of God's nature is influenced by their theological traditions. Richard the Scot, belonging to the Augustinian Order of Monks, focused on the love of God. He believed that if God is love, then God must be three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This belief stemmed from the understanding that love is not self-absorbed and that God, as a loving being, naturally expresses love within the Trinity. Richard found beauty in the doctrine of the Trinity, contrasting it with the concept of a Unitarian God who, lacking others to love, would be self-absorbed and incomplete.