Are there analogies to the Trinity? If so, what? Sometimes when people talk about analogies for the Trinity, they are exploring analogies from within the world that might help them better to understand the Trinity, or at least to illustrate the...
Pneumatology is the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of this article is to offer some terms and concepts associated with the Holy Spirit, which will help in constructing a biblical pneumatology. This article is not complete or exhaustive but...
Saint Photini, so named in the Orthodox tradition, was an especially blessed woman. You may know her simply as “the woman at the well” from John 4. Her story tends to be remembered for two reasons: her shockingly high number of marriages, and Jesus’...
I have watched with great interest, growing understanding, and deepening concern the debate between classical theism and—for lack of a better descriptor—Framean biblical personalism.
What is the role of the Holy Spirit in worship? I often tell my students that my default answer to theological questions is, “It’s more complicated than you think.” A guiding framework for me in that regard is Gregory the Great, who describes the...
Regarding the two “sides” in the fifth-century Christological controversies, R. V. Sellers observed, So intent was each upon securing for itself the victory, that it would not stop to enquire whether its opponents did not after all believe what they...
The elderly gentleman who confronted me after my adult catechesis class did not look particularly happy with me. He asked what I meant when I said the Trinity isn’t in the Bible, opening his well-worn King James Bible to 1 John 5:7–8 and stabbing a...
Sometimes theology can appear daunting. That is especially the case when it comes to the doctrine of the Trinity. Many of us—even those who have studied the Trinity for years—appeal far more often to mystery when it comes to knowing and delighting...
Understanding the Trinity—one God in three persons (Father, Son, and Spirit)—takes us into deep theological waters, where the simplest math fails us: 1 + 1 + 1 = 1. Even though the word “Trinity” never appears in any Bible verses, God reveals...
It’s hard not to feel embarrassed for the poor flummoxed pastors who throw up their hands and confess they can’t explain how God is three in one. It’s a kind of ritual incantation at the beginning of many sermons I’ve heard. If you attend a church...
The Trinity—three in one—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While it sounds simple on the surface, the doctrine is quite complex. How do the members of the Godhead interact with one another? What do each of their roles entail? Is it even proper to say...
Can we, or can we not, pray to the Holy Spirit? Augustine (354–430) composed this prayer to the Holy Spirit: Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy; Act in me O Holy Spirit that my works, too, may be holy; Draw my heart O Holy...
Is it wrong to call the Holy Spirit an “it”? Contemporary English speakers use the words “it” and “he” in distinctly different ways. As a general rule, a person is a “who,” and a thing is an “it.” A spoon is an “it.” Your mom is a “she.” A spoon is...
Most everyone knows the Great Commission by heart: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 28:19). But why make disciples, and why baptize using that...
Centuries of focused concentration by the church have distilled language for discussing the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, and the person of the Son of God. Contributors to Jesus in Trinitarian Perspective: An Intermediate Christology, edited...
What does the Bible say about friendship? A great deal. Below are some Bible verses that discuss the topic or are relevant to it. They’re organized according to some themes you may find helpful. Living in community We were created to live in...
Every Wednesday, my family and I gather at our church for midweek Bible study. During that time, I joyfully teach some of the littlest members of our congregation, the four and five year olds. One aspect of our time together involves catechizing. A...
Even on a first reading of the Lord’s Prayer, it’s striking that Jesus views himself as distinct from the Father who is hearing his prayer. How is it possible for the Son to communicate and interact with the Father unless the Son is distinct from...
What is the Trinity? We can define the “Trinity” or “Triune God” in this way: There is only one God. The Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are three distinct persons. When we see these...
Is the Trinity a holy hierarchy, a triarchy, with God the Father as the boss, Jesus as his deputy, and the Holy Spirit as the Son’s assistant or delegate? The short answer is no. Historical Christianity—whether Catholic, Orthodox, or Protestant—has...
The sixth interview in our series on the OUP Handbooks is with Matthew Levering, co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of the Trinity. Some of the best of the Oxford Handbooks series are entering the Logos digital library, and they are currently...
"Grudem’s new chapter deserves a full response, and particularly one which presses in on the coherence of his affirmation of eternal generation with his reaffirmation of eternal functional subordination and with his view of the divine will"
"The reason that the work of Barth on the Word of God is so important for the evangelical church today is because it is essentially (and practically) where it already stands."
There is no shortage of writings on the nature of human wisdom. But what of divine wisdom, the wisdom that is unique and specific to the triune life of God? This, after all, is the source of any other reality we might call wisdom. Philosophical and...
In the below excerpt from N. T. Wright, the esteemed professor draws a connection between the Great Commission, 2 Corinthians 13:1–13, and portions of Isaiah 40. It’s taken from Twelve Months of Sundays: Reflections on Bible Readings, Year A. The...
More resources on the Trinity? Haven’t we (collectively) said all there is to say about Trinitarianism? We’ll let Dr. Fred Sanders answer that. Sanders is the author of several books and teaches theology at Biola University. He recently recorded a...
I had the great pleasure recently of reading Jamie Davies’ Paul Among the Apocalypses?: An Evaluation of the “Apocalyptic Paul” in the Context of Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic Literature, his contribution to T&T...
by Hans Madueme | Covenant College Extraterrestrial life is standard fare in science-fiction literature. Michel Faber’s The Book of Strange New Things is a fine example, a tale about a Christian missionary who journeys to another planet in order...
The Trinity can sometimes be a because of its relationship to discussions about gender (see 1 Cor 11:3) and its place in the perennial back-and-forth between more confessionalist and more biblicist strains of evangelical faith. Recently I attended...
The doctrine of the Trinity came under intense scrutiny last summer (2016), but it wasn’t from unbelieving philosophers or Jehovah’s Witnesses. A debate raged for the better part of three months amongst evangelical theologians, concentrating within...