The divine attribute of simplicity means that God is not composed of parts. Whatever attributes God has, God is. God simply is: God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” (Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬) God is perfectly possessed of all riches. Whatever He is, He is perfectly—never less, never more. To confess God’s simplicity in the context of the Trinity, is to say that each Person of the Godhead possesses all of the same divine attributes in their perfection. In other words, whatever can be truly said of God, can be said of each person of the Trinity.

Lesson from the Creed

What quality the Father has, the Son has, and the Holy Spirit has.

Athanasian Creed, Line 7

Exposition from Scripture

Whatever attributes can be ascribed to any Person of the Godhead, are ascribed to them all.

God the Father is infinite, and thus omnipresent (everywhere present). Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord (Jeremiah‬ ‭23‬:‭24‬). ‬‬

God the Son, as God, is likewise infinite and omnipresent. This is why He can promise His Church: And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭20‬). He is equally with His saints scattered across the earth, in every place and time.

God the Holy Spirit is likewise infinite and therefore omnipresent. So David marvels: Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? (Psalm‬ ‭139‬:‭7‬)

The Father is eternal, outside of time: To our God and Father be glory forever and ever (Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭20‬). The Son is also eternal, and so He prays: And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed (John‬ ‭17‬:‭5‬). Before time began, the Father and the Son were coequal and coeternal in glory. Likewise, Hebrews 9:14 refers to the Holy Spirit as the eternal Spirit.

God the Father is immutable, meaning without change: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change (James‬ ‭1‬:‭17). ‬ ‭And then, in Hebrews 13:8, we read: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. The immutability (being without change) of God is recognized in the Son. One way we know Jesus is God is that He is eternally the same. Likewise, God tells His people not to fear because, My Spirit remains in your midst (Haggai 2:5). The Holy Spirit does not flit in and out, but remains a constant, consistent, steadfast presence among the people of God because, like the Father and the Son, He does not change.

All that is in God, is in all three Persons, perfectly. Whether it be power, knowledge, wisdom, holiness, righteousness, or goodness. And there is no difference in the attributes between them. The Father is not more powerful than the Son [1] The Son is not more loving than the Father.

So in line 7, the Creed is underscoring the equality of all three Persons of the Trinity. The Son is not “God, Jr.” The Spirit is not, “God, Third Class.” Each is fully God, so the perfections of God are perfectly in each.

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[1] What of passages like John 14:28, where Jesus says: the Father is greater than I? This must be understood in the context of Christ’s Incarnation and work as the Mediator for humans. He is speaking here in terms of His humanity, not His divinity. Remember, in eternity the Father and the Son are coequal in glory and majesty (John 17:5).