Trinity

What Is The Trinity Debate About?

May 15, 2019 by wagraham 14 Comments

In 2016 a number of online articles debated the question of how the Son relates to the Father. These articles followed from previously published works which argued that the Son eternally submits to the Father. And now a number of subsequent books on the topic have reached the presses.

For all the bad that appears during debates like these, the theological benefit through blogging, publishing, and conversations has outweighed the negatives. Many Christians today have re-engaged the Trinity and re-enflamed their love for God through their newly found knowledge.

Yet some people have recently heard about the debate, having not tracked it and perhaps not having read the authors who participated. For that reason, it seems worthwhile to lay out the issues simply to help those who have recently heard about the discussion.

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5 Concepts Everyone Who Wants to Talk Theology Should Learn (or One Reason Why Some People Disagree over the Trinity)

May 14, 2019 by wagraham Leave a Comment

Evangelical Christians recently have endeavoured to understand how Christ’s life of obedience to God relates to theology. Has Christ, as God the Son, always submitted to the Father? Or did Christ obey according to his human nature to save the world?

Some argued the former, stating that the Son always functionally submitted to the Father in eternity while always retaining their equality in essence. The argument sometimes bases this relation in human marriage: like wives submit to husbands but remain equal in worth, so the Son eternally submits to the Father but remains equal to God.

Others held to the traditional understanding that the Son submitted to the Father in order to accomplish salvation; in God, no eternal submission exists between Son and Father.

Nowadays, most Christian leaders affirm the traditional view. But it is worth asking the question, How did this disagreement come about? Numerous reasons might be given. But one piece of the puzzle has to do with overlooking key theological tools that the Church has developed to help it know God in Scripture.

If we look back to the past, we discover theological resources that will contribute to our understanding of how Christ’s mission relates God’s essence. While only part of the puzzle, these five theological concepts, rooted in Reformed and early Christianity, help clarify how the Son relates to the Father.

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Why I Affirm Double Procession (the Spirit Proceeds from the Father and Son)

April 23, 2019 by wagraham 1 Comment

For some time, the single procession of the Spirit made good sense to me. In the monarchy of God, the right order seems to be: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is the sole principle who begets the Son and from whom the Spirit proceeds.

I found the phrase “the Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son” helpful because it mediated the two positions (single and double procession). Like single procession, the Spirit comes from the Father. And like double procession, the Spirit comes from the Father by coming through the Son.

I was satisfied. Then I read Thomas Aquinas and Gilles Emery. They forced me to reconsider what the Bible said and to re-reflect on my theology.

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Marriage and Family Existed before All Time

April 14, 2019 by wagraham 1 Comment

Christians often maintain that marriage and family constitute foundations for society. From a biblical point of view, the argument goes like this. God created humanity. He instituted marriage through Adam and Eve. And through marriage, God founds the institution of the family that make up the backbone of society.

While true, this summary omits key realities that lie behind the two institutions. It tells us of the history of marriage and family but not the thing to which these institutions point nor their origin. Marriage and family are not originally human institutions. They belong to God by essence (family) and by promise (marriage) from before all time.

Families have their origin in the Father. Since he is Father, we have families (Eph 3:15). And the idea of marriage existed before the world’s founding because God promised to marry divinity to humanity in Christ and by the Spirit before the world’s foundation (Eph 5).

Here is what I mean.

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Is Jesus God?

February 13, 2019 by wagraham 1 Comment

According to the Bible, Jesus is divine. More accurately, divinity and humanity unite in the person of Jesus. Jesus grew, lived, and still now lives as a true human. Yet he also has always been divine.

But don’t take my word for it. Take the Bible’s.

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A Short Dictionary on Trinity Words

January 25, 2019 by wagraham 7 Comments

Probably no area of Christian thinking has produced as much controversy as thinking on the doctrine of God. And this only makes sense. God is not like us. So we find it incredibly hard to speak about God.

But avoiding the discussion leads to more problems not less. In the first place, the doctrine of God is the primary foundation of Christianity. So not knowing how to talk about God places us in an awkward position. On top of that, most heresies start by talking about God in ways that conflict with the Bible’s meaning and right reflection on the Bible.

So we should know God and how to talk about God. For Christians, this means learning how to talk about the triune God. For the sake of knowing God, our faith, and avoiding error, consider then the following short dictionary of Trinity words.

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