God Wasn't Lonely, He was Love

Why Love Is Central to Morality: The Necessity of the Trinity

In our last discussion, we explored why morality needs a foundation beyond the material world—a foundation rooted in the very nature of God. Today, we’ll take that idea further by showing how the Christian concept of God as Trinity uniquely supports the foundation of morality. God was never a lonely old man wishing he had someone to love, and this is why He is big enough, and loving enough, to be the foundation of morality.

Why Love Matters

At the heart of Christian morality is love. God, as a Triune being, has existed eternally in a relationship of love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This eternal, self-giving love forms the foundation for moral truth. Love is not a concept God learned after creating the world; it’s who He is. Because we are created in His image, we are designed for love—love for God and love for others. This explains why love resonates so deeply as the core of morality.

A God Big Enough for Morality

A single-person deity or an impersonal force cannot account for morality in the same way. If God were not relational, love would not be part of His essence. A solitary god might be powerful or just, but love requires relationship. Without relationships, love becomes an afterthought rather than a fundamental aspect of existence. And if God were merely a distant, impersonal force, moral standards would lose their grounding in a personal, loving nature.

If love is a central part of life—and it is—it seems that love would need to be a central part of the Creator. But if the Creator was just a monotonous, solitary god, then what would that god love? That kind of god would NEED creation in order to be his true self. If god needs creation, then he isn't much of a god.

The Christian God is different. In the Trinity, we see a God who has always been relational. The Father loves the Son, the Son loves the Father, and this love is expressed and shared in the Holy Spirit. Because God is love, His nature provides the foundation for moral obligations. We are called to love because we reflect a God who is love.

The Euthyphro Dilemma Resolved

This idea also answers a common philosophical question known as the Euthyphro dilemma, which asks: Is something good because God commands it, or does God command it because it’s good? The Christian answer is neither—and both. Goodness isn’t external to God or something He decides arbitrarily. Goodness is God’s nature, and His commands show us who He is.

A Path to Understanding and Living Morality

The Trinity not only explains the foundation of morality but also offers a way to live it. God revealed His moral nature to us through His commands and, most profoundly, through the life of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, we see perfect love and moral goodness in action. His self-sacrificial love—rooted in the eternal love of the Trinity—provides both the model and the means for us to live out God’s moral truth.

In our next post, we’ll explore how this moral framework addresses the brokenness of the world and how God’s revelation offers a path to redemption and restoration.