this very phrase found in the Gospel—which they claim was handed down from the Messiah—is itself the object of divergent explanations among them. Many of them say that the Father is Existence, the Son the Word, and the Holy Spirit Life. Others contend, rather, that the Father is Existence, the Son the Word, and the Holy Spirit Power. Still others declare that the three persons are Generous, Wise, and Powerful: the Father, they say, is the Generous; the Son, the Wise; and the Holy Spirit, the Powerful, and they maintain that every divine attribute can be subsumed under these three.
They add, “We inferred His existence from His bringing things out of non-existence into being, and that act proceeds from His generosity.”
I have found all of these formulations—and more besides—in Christian writings. Some express “the Word” as “knowledge,” and thus speak of God as “existent, living, knowing,” or “existent, knowing, powerful.” Others add the attribute “speaking.” Some describe Him as “existent, living, wise,” while others say “self-subsistent, living, wise.”
Yet they all agree that the entity united with Christ and indwelling in him is the person of the Word—the one they call the Son, as distinct from the Father. Those among them who repudiate indwelling and union, such as the Arians, assert that Christ—peace be upon him—is a servant and messenger like the rest of the messengers, Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them all. Such groups accept the terms “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” but do not interpret them in the sense of indwelling and union espoused by their opponents.