How does the Holy Trinity cooperate to work in us?

In one divine essence of the Holy Trinity and three distinct Hypostases, all of God’s work expresses His boundless love for humanity; yet it is the cooperative work of the Holy Trinity. As Pope Athanasius says, “ The Father does all things through the Word in the Holy Spirit. Thus the unity of the holy Triad is preserved .”⁶⁷³ All divine works are divine gifts granted by the Father, through His Only Begotten Son, by His Holy Spirit.

St. Cyril of Alexandria says, “For the Son does not say that God the Father works separately and by Himself regarding things that are, and that He Himself again likewise works apart from the Father … for so the Creator would be two and not One, if Either work apart and separately … if it were possible that Either should work apart and separately with regard to things that are, as we said before, … the Son will not be speaking the truth, when He says, I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John 14:10).”⁶⁷⁴

St. Ambrose says, “Because you have been baptized in the name of the Trinity, in all that we have done the mystery of the Trinity has been preserved. Everywhere the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one operation, one sanctification … How? God [the Father], who

672 On the specific meaning of “economy” here, see the footnote to the title of section 293.

673 St. Athanasius of Alexandria, The Letters of Saint Athanasius Concerning the Holy Spirit to Bishop Serapion, trans. C. R. B. Shapland (Epworth Press, 1951) 1.28: p. 135 (PG 26:596A).

674 St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of St. John, Volume 1 1.5 (LFHCC 43:53) amended.

anointed you, and the Lord sealed you, and placed the Holy Spirit in your heart. Therefore, you have received the Holy Spirit in your heart.”⁶⁷⁵

St. John Chrysostom says, “Do you see this love surpassing all expression, all conception? Who was the aggrieved one? Himself. Who first sought the reconciliation? Himself. ‘And yet,’ says one, ‘He sent the Son, He did not come Himself.’ The Son indeed it was He sent; still not He alone entreated, but both with Him and by Him the Father; therefore he said, that, ‘God was reconciling the world unto Himself in Christ’ (2 Cor. 5:19): that is, by Christ.”⁶⁷⁶

We can say with St. Basil the Great , that the divine work or God’s love for humanity is manifested in three types of creation that complement each other, performed by the Holy Trinity: “We find three creations mentioned in the Scripture; the first, the transition from non-existence into existence; the second, the change from worse to better; and the third, the resurrection of the dead. In these you will find the Holy Spirit co-operating with the Father and the Son … Now, man is created a second time through baptism, ‘for if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature’ (2 Cor. 5:17).”⁶⁷⁷