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Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 2
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Chapter 6: The Holy Trinity (weeks 17-22)
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He bears the name "Father" in the unique sense that he is the Father of the Son—a relationship existing from eternity (John 1:14; 8:38; 17:5, 24). Athanasius observed, "The Father was always Father. Unlike human fathers, it belongs to his very nature to be Father… Just as one cannot conceive of the sun apart from its light, nor of a spring apart from its water, so one cannot conceive of the Father apart from the Son" (p. 286); this is why the generation of the Son has to be eternal and without beginning (p. 308). Moreover, he is called "Father" in the general sense that he is the creator (Num. 16:22; Matt. 7:11; Luke 3:38; John 4:21; Acts 17:28; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 3:15; Heb. 12:9) and preserver (Deut. 32:6; Isa. 63:16; 64:8; Mal. 1:6; 2:10; Jer. 3:19; 31:9; Ps. 103:13; Rom. 9:4). He is also referred to as "Father" because he cares for his children (Matt. 6:4, 8-9; Rom. 8:15). (p. 272).
Moreover, the Father bears the name "God" in a special sense. He occupies first place in the divine economy (pp. 272-273). "His is the purpose (Acts 4:28; Eph. 1:11), the good pleasure (Matt. 11:26; Eph. 1:9), the initiative in creation and re-creation (Ps. 33:6; John 3:16), the kingdom and the power (Matt. 6:13; Rom. 1:20; Eph. 1:19), the righteousness (Gen. 18:25; Deut. 32:4; John 17:25; Rom. 3:26; 2 Tim. 4:8), the goodness, wisdom, immortality, [and] unapproachable light (Matt. 19:17; Rom. 16:27; 1 Tim. 6:16)" (p. 272).
6. God the Son: The second person in the Godhead is the Son. He is called the Son because he is eternally begotten of the Father. His personal property is filiation (sonship, generation). When we think of fatherhood and sonship in the human realm, we can gain some insights into the relationship between Father and Son. As humans, when we beget children, we pass on certain characteristics to them (e.g., physical appearance, personality traits, likes-and-dislikes, talents, weaknesses, etc). However, we can never produce a perfect and complete replica of ourselves. In contrast, the Son is begotten of the Father and is a perfect representation of him (Heb. 1:3). The Son was not brought forth in time. Instead he is generated out of the being of the Father in eternity (p. 309). If we challenge the idea of eternal generation, then the Son is not eternal, and by implication, the Father is not eternal either. "Hence, rejection of the eternal generation of the Son involves not only a failure to do justice to the deity of the Son, but also to that of the Father… [it] deprives him of the eternity of his fatherhood" (p. 310).
The Father's nature is fully communicated to the Son (cf. Jn. 14:7, 9-10). "For God to beget is to speak, and his speaking is eternal" (p. 310) for "just as it is natural for the sun to shine and for a spring to pour out water, so it is natural for the Father to generate the Son" (p. 310). This is why the second person of the Godhead is called the "Logos" (Word); he is the perfect expression of the Father; he perfectly reveals the Father. It is by the Logos that God brings about creation and re-creation (John 1:3, 14). He has always been the Logos from eternity. He was God and with God (John 1:1-2). He has always been the object of God's love and self-communication (John 5:26-27; 17:23-26). "He [is] fully able to reveal the Father because from all eternity he participated in his divine nature, his divine life, his divine love, and so on, and was by nature Logos. Since God communicated himself to the Logos, the Logos could communicate himself to us. The Logos is the absolute revelation of God… [and] all his fullness" (p. 274).
He is the "Son of God." He was never adopted, but is the Son by eternal generation (pp. 274-275). He has a unique relationship with God (Matt. 11:27). "He is the beloved Son in whom the Father is well-pleased (Matt. 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22; 9:35), the only begotten Son (John 1:18; 3:16; 1 John 4:9ff), God's own Son (Rom. 8:32), the eternal Son (John 17:5, 24; Heb 1:5ff; 5:5-6) whom the Father gave to have life in himself (John 5:26); he is equal to the Father in knowledge (Matt. 11:27), honour (John 5:23), creative and re-creative power (John 1:3; 5:21, 27), activity (John 10:28-30), and dominion (Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22; 22:29; John 16:15; 17:10)" (p. 275). Although during his earthly ministry, Christ stated "the Father is greater than I" (John 14:28; cf. John 10:28-30), this refers to his relation to the Father during his state of humiliation (p. 276). "The case is this: in his essence and nature he is equal to the Father, though in his position and office he [was] less than the Father. He is not a creature, but is and was and remains God, who is per all, blessed forever (John 1:1; 20:28; Rom 9:5; Heb. 1:8-9; 2 Pet. 3:18; 1 John 5:20; Rev. 1:8, 17-18)" (p. 276). As such, the Son is properly called God because he participates in the Father's divine nature.
Side note: Jesus Christ is the "image of God" (Col. 1:15; 2 Cor. 4:4; Heb. 1:3) because he is the exact imprint of the Father's nature (cf. Jn. 14:9). Although we were created in (a finite representation of) the image of God (Gen. 1:26), when Adam and Eve sinned against God, this image was marred (cf. Eccl. 7:29). However, in God's work of new-creation, as believers turn to God, they "are being transformed" into the restored image (2 Cor. 3:16, 18; Phil. 3:21). This process has already begun as we are conformed into the likeness of Christ (Rom. 8:29; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10) and it will be completed at the final consummation of history (1 Cor. 15:49; 1 Jn. 3:1-2).
7. God the Holy Spirit: The third person in the Trinity is the Holy Spirit. "The Holy Spirit 'by himself fully completes the all-praised and blessed Trinity.' The Trinity can neither be augmented nor diminished: it is complete" (p. 313). His personal property is "procession" (or "spiration"). He proceeds from (or is "breathed out" by) both the Father and the Son. The name "Spirit" can also be understood as "wind" or "breath" (p. 313). It is by the Spirit that God gives life to his creation. "For that reason he is called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, and the Spirit of the Father (Gen. 1:2; Isa. 11:2; Matt. 10:20), as well as the Spirit of Christ, [and] the Spirit of the Son (Rom. 8:2, 9; 1 Cor. 2:4-16; 2 Cor. 3:17-18; Phil. 1:19; Gal 3:2; 4:6; 1 Pet 1:11)" (p. 277). He is often referred to as proceeding from God; "we are told that the Spirit is given by God or by Christ (Num. 11:29; Neh. 9:20; Isa. 42:1; Ezek. 36:27; John 3:34; 1 John 3:24; 4:13), sent or sent forth (Ps. 104:30; John 14:26; 15:26; 16:27; Gal. 4:6; Rev. 5:6), poured out (Isa. 32:15; 44:3; Joel 2:28-29; Zech. 12:10; Acts 2:17-18), came down from God (Matt. 3:16), was put in the midst of Israel (Isa. 63:11; Hag. 2:5), or put on someone (Matt. 12:18), or breathed upon persons (John 20:22), and so on" (p. 277).
He is involved in the works of creation (Gen. 1:2; Ps. 33:6; Job 33:4; Ps. 104:30) and re-creation by granting regeneration (John 3:3), conviction of sin (John 16:8-11), adoption (Rom. 8:15), renewal (Titus 3:5), God's love (Rom. 5:5), spiritual fruit (Gal. 5:22-23), sealing of the saints (Rom. 8:23; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13; 4:30), and resurrection (Rom. 8:10-11). Therefore, "the Holy Spirit is the subjective principle of all salvation, of regeneration, faith, conversion, repentance, sanctification, and so on; in other words… there is no communion with the Father and the Son except in and through the Holy Spirit" (p. 312).
He is not merely a passive Spirit. We are not to grieve him (Isa. 63:10; Eph. 4:30). He is referred to as the Paraclete (Helper, Counsellor, Advocate; see John 14:16, 15:26, and 1 John 2:1) and engages in personal activities (John 14:26; 15:26; Acts 13:2; 15:29; Rom. 8:27; 1 Cor 2:10-11; 12:11; John 16:13; Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 14:13; 22:17) which are coordinated with the Father and Son (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 12:4-6; 2 Cor. 13:13; Rev. 1:4) (p. 278). He possesses divine attributes such as eternity (Heb. 9:14), omnipresence (Ps. 139:7), omniscience (1 Cor. 2:10-11), and omnipotence (1 Cor. 12:4-6). It is clear that the Spirit is also God (pp. 278-279).
The procession (spiration) of the Holy Spirit, like generation, "has to be conceived as the eternal communication of the same essence" (p. 313). While there is admittedly a difference between "generation" and "spiration," it is still unclear what exactly this difference is because Scripture is silent on this matter (pp. 313-314). Nonetheless, we can cryptically say that "the Son proceeds only from the Father, but the Holy Spirit from both the Father and the Son… [and] the Spirit proceeds from the Father and Son, as given by both, not as born from both" (p. 313).
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It appears as though the difference between how the East and the West understood the procession of the Spirit fundamentally stems from a difference in how the doctrine of the Trinity was derived. In the West, theologians like Tertullian and Augustine deduced the doctrine of the Trinity by starting with the very being of God, whereas in the East, the doctrine of the Trinity started with the person of the Father. At its core, the East and the West had a different doctrine of God (pp. 316-317).
The Western church viewed the three persons as relations in the one single Godhead, and therefore understood the Holy Spirit was related not only to the Father but also to the Son (p. 316). It concluded that "the Father and the Son are the one single principium of the Spirit" (p. 316). "The Son… received from the Father the role of causing the Spirit to proceed from him along with the Father; for the Son cannot differ in any way from the Father other than in his being the Son" (p. 316). Thus, the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Father and the Son.
The Eastern church, on the other hand, taught that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and through the Son. "For the Eastern church the unity of the divine essence and the Trinity of persons does not arise from the divine nature as such but from the person of the Father. He is the sole originating principle. The three persons, according to the [Eastern] Orthodox, are not three relations within the one being… rather, it is the Father who communicates himself to the Son and the Spirit. From this it follows, however, that now the Son and Spirit… both have their originating principle in the Father" (p. 317). As a result, the Eastern church's doctrine means that the "Son does not reveal the Father in and through the Spirit; the Spirit does not lead [believers] to the Father through the Son. The [Son and Holy Spirit] are more or less independent of each other" (p. 317). Ultimately, the Eastern church's doctrine of God has led to its own problems.
9. Unity and Distinction Within the Trinity: The Trinity is mysterious. There is unity in the Trinity. All three persons of the Godhead—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are one God. "The persons, though distinct, are not separate. They are the same in essence, one in essence, and the same being… They all share in the same divine nature and perfections. It is one and the same divine nature that exists in each person individually and in all of them collectively. Consequently, there is in God but one eternal, omnipotent, and omniscient being, having one mind, one will, and one power" (p. 300). All of the divine perfections that we recently studied in chapters 4 and 5 can be ascribed to all three persons in the Trinity (e.g., the Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, the Holy Spirit is eternal; the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent, the Holy Spirit is omnipotent; etc).
Although the Bible is rigorously monotheistic, it nonetheless teaches that there is a distinction between the three person in the Trinity. The distinction between the individual persons arises from the so-called "personal properties" that they each possess: (1) to the Father is ascribed unbegottenness (paternity, fatherhood), active generation, and active spiration; (2) to the Son is ascribed sonship (filiation), passive generation, and active spiration; (3) and to the Holy Spirit is ascribed procession or passive spiration (p. 305; also Turretin, Francis. Institutes of Elenctic Theology / Volume 1. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Pub., 1992. p. 281). In other words, these personal properties arise from the unique relationships within the Trinity—namely, the Father is neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and the Son (refer to the Belgic Confession, article 8; and Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 2, paragraph 3). Accordingly, these personal properties are incommunicable and not shared between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (i.e., the Son is not begotten of the Holy Spirit, neither does the Father proceed from the Son, etc).
All three persons of the Godhead fully share every divine perfection, yet each person possesses personal properties unique to himself. There is only one essence, but three persons. The essence is absolute, but the persons are relative. The divine essence is communicable, but the personal properties are not. As such, the relative names of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reflect distinctions in their interpersonal relations, not in their essence. These personal properties do not add anything substantial to the divine essence as there are no accidents in God's substance (p. 292; also Turretin, Francis. Institutes of Elenctic Theology / Volume 1. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Pub., 1992. pp. 278, 281). We can conclude, therefore, that in God there is "absolute unity as well as absolute diversity" (p. 332). "This results in the most perfect kind of community, a community of the same beings; at the same time it results in the most perfect diversity, a diversity of divine persons" (p. 332).
10. Trinitarian Works Ad Intra: God works inside himself ad intra (inward) and also displays his works outside of himself ad extra (outward). His works ad extra include his creation, preservation, governance, and re-creation. "Working is integral to his being; the drive and the need to work is ever present in him. 'My Father,' said Jesus, 'is always at his work' (John 5:17 NIV)" (p. 342). God's works are from everlasting to everlasting. "The Father eternally gives to the Son, and with him to the Spirit, to have life in himself (John 5:26). And the community of being that exists among the three persons is a life of absolute activity… God does not need the world for his own perfection. He does not need the work of creation and preservation in order not to be unemployed. He is absolute activity within himself" (p. 342). Before creation, God was already at work ad intra; his eternal activity included the eternal generation of the Son and the eternal procession of the Spirit. God's intratrinitarian work did not have a beginning but have always been active for all eternity. As Athanasius observed, "In God there are no nonessential features; God does not become anything; he is what he is eternally. As [the Trinity] always was, so it is and remains; and in it the Father, the Son, and the Spirit" (p. 286). Properly understanding the active, vibrant, and eternal relationships between the Father, Son, and Spirit enriches our appreciation for God's aseity! God is fully satisfied with a vibrancy of activity and fellowship in himself. "It belongs to God's very essence to be triune" (p. 303).
11. Trinitarian Works Ad Extra: All of God's outward works (ad extra) are common to the three persons. Yet we find that there are "economic" divisions in these works. "The Father works of himself through the Son in the Spirit" (p. 319). This distinction does not imply inequality between the person, but merely shows us there are differences in their activity. "All the works of God ad extra have on single Author (principium), namely, God. But they come into being through the cooperation of the three person, each of whom plays a special role and fulfills a special task… All things proceed from the Father, are accomplished by the Son, and are completed in the Holy Spirit" (p. 319). While all the works ad extra are ascribed to the Trinity as a whole, in an "economic" sense, the work of creation is more specifically assigned to the Father, redemption to the Son, and sanctification to the Holy Spirit (p. 320).
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Into the second century, Justin Martyr continued to defend the deity of Christ against the rise of Gnosticism. From Scripture, Justin Martyr defended Christ as Logos, his Sonship, his preexistence and generation by the Father, and his role as Creator. However, Justin Martyr "still [had] a defective understanding of the Trinity. Some of the views he held—the hiddenness of the Father by contrast to the Son; the generation of the Son by the will of the Father with a [goal] to creation; the Son's subordination to the Father" were errors in his thinking" (pp. 281-282). The doctrine of the Trinity was still not fully developed.
From the mid-second century to the third century, three men emerged who continued to develop the doctrine of the Trinity in a significant way: Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Origen. First, Irenaeus (who is traditionally believed to be taught by Polycarp, who was in turn a disciple of the Apostle John) strongly affirmed the deity of Christ. "Irenaeus very clearly enunciates the unity of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. He emphatically maintains their divine nature and repeatedly mentioned them in the same breath… The generation of the Son did not occur in time; the Son had no beginning, but existed eternally with God" (p. 283). Next, Tertullian (who is credited as the one who first introduced the term "Trinity") clearly defined the unity within the Trinity. "As a sun ray is also sun, so there are various aspects, forms, images, and units in the one undivided substance. The three persons, accordingly, are one but not identical. The Son is distinct from the Father and the Spirit is distinct from both, but they have the name 'God' and 'Lord' in common. Together they are one God and inseparable" (p. 284). Finally, Origen taught that the eternal generation of the Son is an eternal process that occurs within the divine being itself. "Just as it is the very nature of light to shine so that it cannot exist without shining, so the Father cannot exist without the Son… There was no time when the Son did not exist… It is not alongside but in God that we worship the Son" (p. 284).
By 325 AD, the first ecumenical council was held at Nicaea, and the issue of the deity of Christ was finally settled. "Nicaea proclaimed the existence of distinctions in God and taught that the Father and the Son (and the Spirit) together were God" (p. 285). It is from this council that we now have the Nicene Creed (which the Belgic Confession recognizes in Article 9).
Subsequently, the church turned its attention to betterdefining the relationship of the three persons in the Trinity. Athanasius greatly contributed to our understanding of the Trinity by clarifying that the "three persons are truly distinct; they are not three parts of a single whole, or three names for one and the same being. The Father alone is Father; the Son alone is Son; the Spirit alone is Spirit" (p. 286); yet he also maintained the unity within the Trinity, stating that "all three are the same in essence and one substance and have the same attributes… the Father is the first principle and the fountainhead of the Trinity… and the three persons exist in each other… and are united in their working" (p. 286). The distinction between the three persons of the Godhead was clarified.
Finally, the doctrine of the Trinity reached maturity with Augustine. Most of the earlier theologians derived their understanding of the Trinity by beginning with the person of the Father—and as a result, often relegated the Son and Spirit to subordinate roles. In contrast, Augustine deduced the Trinity from the one, simple, uncompounded essence of God. "Every person is as great as the entire Trinity… Present in each person is the entire self-same divine being, so that there are not three Gods, three Almighties, and so forth, but only one God…" (p. 287). Consequently, Augustine was able to thoroughly reject all subordination. The essence of God is equally present in all three persons. The three persons are one God, equal in power and glory.
Side note: Dr. Carl Trueman's book The Creedal Imperative contains a short but really well-written summary of how the systematized doctrine of the Trinity was developed step-by-step and formalized by the early church councils.
13. Trinitarian Errors: It cannot be overemphasized how important the doctrine of the Trinity really is. It is the "heartbeat of the Christian religion: every error results from, or upon deeper reflection is traceable to, a departure in the doctrine of the Trinity" (p. 288). Errors have arisen by incorrectly overemphasizing the distinctions or unity within the Trinity. Both set of errors depart from true Christianity.
Over the centuries, there have been those that have been guilty of teaching the subordination of the Son to the Father. The Ebionites in the first century and the Arians in the second and third centuries acknowledged Christ's humanity, but denied his preexistence and deity (p. 289). "The essence of Arianism is its denial of the Son's consubstantiality with the Father; in other words, its assertion that the Father alone and in an absolute sense is the one true God. It follows, of course, that the Son is a being of inferior rank; that he does not share in the divine nature. Arianism places the Son somewhere between God and the created universe" (pp. 290-291). Consequently, God the Father is not the Father from eternity, but only by creation. One the modern forms of this false teaching is Unitarianism where it is taught that "God is one and Jesus is an ordinary—though a great—human being" (p. 292).
On the other extreme is Sabellianism which also emerged in the second and third centuries. Unlike Arianism, Sabellianism overemphasizes the oneness within God and eliminates the distinctions between the three persons in the Godhead, an error called modalism. The personal properties of the three persons are denied, and the Father, Son, and Spirit are said to be the same person and being. It is incorrectly taught that the "Father," "Son," and "Holy Spirit" are names for the same person; "God consisted first of all in the… mode of the Father, namely, as Creator and Lawgiver; next, in the person of the Son as Redeemer from the time of his incarnation to the moment of his ascension, and finally in the person of the Holy Spirit as the Vivifier" (p. 290). Today, this error is found in groups such as the Oneness Pentecostals.
14. Trinitarian Analogies: As interesting as it is, I won't spend much time summarizing this section. But, it is noteworthy that the "church and theology as a rule assumed a very reserved attitude toward these philosophical construals of the doctrine of the Trinity… the Trinity was considered a mystery that far surpassed the reach of nature and reason and could only be known from special revelation" (p. 329). "We owe our knowledge of this doctrine solely to God's special revelation. Scripture alone is the final ground for the doctrine of the Trinity" (p. 329).
15. The Importance of the Trinity: The doctrine of the Trinity discloses to us the vibrancy of God. He is truly living and has fullness in himself. There is perfect community and fellowship within the triune God. The doctrine of the Trinity also explains (in part) why God creates, governs, and preserves his creation; "if the divine being were not productive and could not communicate himself inwardly (ad intra), then neither could there by any revelation of God ad extra, that is, any communication of God in and to his creatures" (p. 332). What the Bible teaches is that "God can reveal himself in an absolute sense to the Son and the Spirit, and hence, in a relative sense also to the world… the self-communication that takes place within the divine being is archetypal for God's work in creation" (p. 333).
"The entire Christian belief system, all of special revelation, stands or falls with the confession of the Trinity. It is the core of the Christian faith, the root of all its dogmas, the basic content of the new covenant… At stake [is]… the essence of the Christian religion itself… Every blessing, both spiritual and material, comes to us from the triune God… to that name we will forever bring thanksgiving and honour; in that name we find rest for our souls and peace for our conscience… Our salvation, both in this life and in the life to come, is bound up with the doctrine of the Trinity" (pp. 333-334).
16. Let's Praise God! "… the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. The Father is God as Father; the Son is God as Son; the Holy Spirit is God as Holy Spirit. And inasmuch as all three are God, they all partake of one single divine nature. Hence, there is but one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May he be praised forever!" (p. 306).
Bonus Material: For those who are interested, Jonathan Edwards wrote a (famous) essay on the Trinity. This particular piece had a profound impact on me when I first seriously studied the doctrine of the Trinity.
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I look forward to the reading group meeting on Friday night, God willing. While this Friday we hope yet to focus on God's attributes, His so called communicable attributes, you have whetted our appetites already for the meeting afterwards, in April, God willing.
What an inexhaustible subject we have to reflect on and ponder, thinking of God as the Triune God. I read the essay you referenced from JE and was struck with this comment from him:
“I am far from pretending to explaining the Trinity so as to render it no longer a mystery. I think it to be the highest and deepest of all Divine mysteries still, notwithstanding anything that I have said or conceived about it. I don’t intend to explain the Trinity. But Scripture with reason may lead to say something further of it than has been wont to be said, tho there are still left many things pertaining to it incomprehensible.”
Here is a quote I so appreciate too from Stuart Olyott in his layman’s booklet on the Trinity entitled, The Three are One.
“The doctrine of the Trinity was not revealed as a series of sentences or propositions. It was God’s work of salvation which finally made it clear.”
In a Catechism lesson (and sermon) from some years back I had five points about God being Triune.
1. The EXISTENCE of the Trinity is INDISPUTABLE! (without doubt as unfolded in Scripture)
2. The EXPLANATION of the Trinity is IMPOSSIBLE! (as stated also by Jonathan Edwards and Herman Bavinck)
3. The EMPHASIS on the Trinity is always IMPORTANT! (“Opera ad extra Trinitatis indivisa sum: All the external acts of God are acts of all three persons.”—Dr. D. Thomas as per Mark DuPreez)
4. The EXPERIENCE of the Trinity is INDISPENSABLE! (most necessary in our hearts and lives)
5. The EXALTATION of the Trinity is something INEXHAUSTIBLE! (in all eternity, imagine!)
and now I’m adding this sixth point,
6. The ENJOYMENT of the Trinity is something INFINITE (within the Trinity and for God’s people their portion by God’s grace, to delight in forevermore!)
Question: Can anyone explain further in II Peter 1:4 "that by these [the exceeding great and precious promises] ye might be made partakers of the divine nature...." It is easier I think to say what it doesn't mean clearly, then to tell what it clearly and fully does mean.
Who will take the bait?
With brotherly regards to all,
pho
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“….The ‘threeness’ derives from, exists in, and serves the ‘oneness.’ The unfolding of the divine being occurs within that being, thus leaving the oneness and simplicity of that being undiminished. Furthermore, although the three persons do not differ in essence, they are distinct subjects, hypostases, or subsistences, which precisely for that reason bring about within the being of God the complete unfolding of that being. Finally, the three persons are, by generation and spiration, related to each other in an absolute manner; their personal distinctness as subjects completely coincides with their immanent interpersonal relationships. The Father is only and eternally Father; the Son is only and eternally Son; the Spirit is only and eternally Spirit. And inasmuch as each person is himself in an eternal, simple, and absolute manner, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. The Father is God as Father; the Son is God as Son; the Holy Spirit is God as Holy Spirit. And inasmuch as all three are God, they all partake of one single divine nature. Hence, there is but one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May he be praised forever!”
When I read the above on page 306 I was lost in wonder and my mind and heart went to Psalter 306 based on Psalm 113—entitled in the Psalter, “The Glory and Condescension of God” And to think and realize I am baptized in His Triune Name--WOW! Amazing grace and mercy and favour, having the whole Trinity pledge Himself with signed and sealed promise to be my God and Saviour, and that of our children! "O LORD, work with Your Spirit that all respond in faith and repentance and holy submission to all Your Word, in Jesus' Name, Amen. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! pho
Praise God, ye servants of the Lord,
O praise His Name with one accord;
Bless ye the Lord, His Name adore
From this time forth forevermore,
From this time forth forevermore.
From rising unto setting sun
Praised be the Lord, the Mighty One;
He reigns o’er all, supreme in might,
Above the heavens in glory bright,
Above the heavens in glory bright.
On whom but God can we rely,
The Lord our God Who reigns on high,
Who condescends to see and know
The things of heaven and earth below,
The things of heaven and earth below?
He lifts the poor and makes them great,
With joy He fills the desolate;
Praise ye the Lord and bless His Name,
His mercy and His might proclaim,
His mercy and His might proclaim.
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[This union] is expressed in Scripture by the saints being made “partakers of divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4), and having God dwelling in them, and they in God... Not that the saints are made partakers of the essence of God, and so are “Godded” with God, and “Christed” with Christ, according to the abominable and blasphemous language and notions of some heretics; but, to use the Scripture phrase, they are made partakers of God’s fullness (Ephesians 3:17–19, John 1:16), that is, of God’s spiritual beauty and happiness [his holiness], according to the measure and capacity of a creature.
If you would like to listen to (or read) the full message, it's available here. (Michael Horton and Sinclair Ferguson also follow-up with two additional messages on the union with Christ at the same conference).
2. Thanks for the post, Pastor Overduin. Our God is truly amazing and incomprehensibly wonderful, deserving of all honor and praise!
1. Definitions and Terminology: As we proceed to learn about the Trinity, it is important that we appreciate and use certain historical terms correctly (p. 296). Throughout history, the church has developed specific expressions and terms to describe and clarify particular biblical teachings. Some of these terms are not found in the Bible directly (e.g., the word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible), but were later incorporated by the church to explain important concepts. This is not unique to the doctrine of the Trinity, but is found throughout all of theology. For example, the expressions "active and passive obedience," "original sin," "penal substitutionary atonement," etc. are full of meaning, carry with them very specific ideas, and are important for us to know—even though these expressions are not directly found in Scripture. Likewise, when we speak of the Trinity, we need to use the proper terms so that we can rightly understand each other, our creeds and confessions, as well as the Bible itself. Here are some of the key terms and concepts that we'll be using and referring to throughout this chapter (pp. 297ff; also Turretin, Francis. Institutes of Elenctic Theology / Volume 1. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Pub., 1992. pp. 253ff):
○ Being (Greek: ousia), essence (Latin: essentia), and substance (Latin: substantia) - These terms collectively refer to the "nature" and "whatness" of God. They refer to the entire Godhead as a whole. God is of one essence, one being, and of a single substance who exists in his own right. He subsists (exists independently) through and from himself. There is only one God. He is one unit. The "being," "essence," and "substance" of God is what God is as a whole.
○ Subsistence (Greek: hypostasis) - This term was introduced to clarify that three persons of the Trinity were not one substance with three revelatory modes (i.e., simply different manifestations of the same being). Rather the three persons each have their distinct existence within the Trinity. This term was used by the church to defend the self-existence of the three persons. Gradually, the term "subsistence" became equivalent to the word "person" in usage (see below).
○ Person (Greek: prosopon; Latin: persona) - "The distinctions within the divine being—which Scripture refers to by the names of Father, Son, and Spirit—are called 'persons'" (p. 300). Each person is distinguished from the others by "peculiar traits," "properties," "distinctive features," "signs," "marks," "characteristics," and "forms" (p. 297). Calvin defined a divine person as a "subsistence in the essence of God by which (related to others) he is distinguished by an incommunicable property." In other words, within the one, perfect essence of God, there exists three distinct persons, each of whom possess certain personal properties. Each person is independent with his own self-existence and self-consciousness.
○ Accidents - In theology (and philosophy), the word "accident" is the opposite of "substance." The way that this word is used in theology, it refers to a property that may be present (or absent) without affecting the essence of an object. Here is an example to illustrate the ideas of "substance" and "accident." There are many types of trees. There are tall trees, short trees, old trees, young trees, trees with green leaves, and trees with yellow leaves, etc. The essence of what a tree is (i.e., a perennial plant with a trunk and supporting branches) does not change whether the tree is tall or short, old or young, green or yellow, etc. A tree still remains a tree regardless of its size, age, or colour. A tree, therefore, is a "substance" as it exists by its nature. In contrast, the size of a tree, its age, colour, etc. are referred to as "accidents." They do not alter the fact that a tree is a really a tree. (A tall tree is just as appropriately called a tree as a short tree is called a tree). The size, age, colour, etc. of a tree can be changed without affecting its essence. In God, however, there are no "accidents." There is nothing that can be changed or altered in him; he has no variation. He is pure "substance" without "accidents."
Using these terms, the church has developed its understanding of who God is. The most concise and articulate definition of the Trinity that I am aware of is found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism (A.6): "There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory."
2. Progressive Revelation: The doctrine of the Trinity is progressively unfolded in the Holy Scriptures, beginning in the Book of Genesis and completed in the Book of Revelation. It is not a novel concept to the New Testament, or a strange doctrine introduced by the early church fathers. Rather we find the presence of the triune God even in the first few sentences of the Pentateuch. The entire Bible is unified in its teaching. "The progressive character of divine revelation is recognized in relation to all the great doctrines of the Bible… All that is in a full-grown tree was potentially in the seed. All that we find unfolded in the fulness of the gospel lies in a rudimentary form in the earliest books of the Bible. What at first is only obscurely intimated is gradually unfolded in subsequent parts of the sacred volume, until the truth is revealed in its fulness. This is true of the doctrines of redemption; of the person and work of the Messiah, the promised seed of the woman; of the nature and office of the Holy Spirit; and of a future state beyond the grave. And this is specially true of the doctrine of the Trinity" (Hodge, Charles. Systematic Theology / Volume 1: Theology. [Peabody, Mass.]: Hendrickson, 1999. p. 446). None of the teachings in the Bible change; but they simply become more vivid, rich, and clear with the progression of redemptive history.
3. The Trinity in the Old Testament: The teaching of the Trinity is already found (albeit incompletely developed) in the Old Testament. In various places, Scripture refers to the self-differentiation within God, suggesting plurality within his Oneness (e.g., Gen. 19:24; Ps. 33:6; 45:7; 110:1; Isa. 61:1; 63:9-12; Hosea 1:7; Haggai 2:5-6). As the Old Testament recounts God's work of creation, it is thoroughly trinitarian in nature. In the beginning, Elohim (the name of God the Creator), out of his fullness and abundance, created all things out of nothing through his spoken Word and by sending his life-giving Spirit (Gen. 1:2-3; Ps. 33:6). Remarkably, this threefold principle is also clearly present in God's work of re-creation (salvation). YHWH (the covenantal name of God) makes himself known to his people by his Word for their salvation (Ps. 107:20). He repeatedly reveals himself through the "angel of the Lord" to his people, and this angel is commonly presumed to be a theophany of the Logos (Word) himself (pp. 262-263). "Though distinct from YHWH, this angel bears the same name, exercises the same power, brings about the same deliverance, dispenses the same blessings, and receives the same adoration and honour as [YHWH]… (Job 33:23; Ps. 34:7; 35:5; Prov. 8:22ff; 30:3-4; Isa. 9:6; Hos. 12:4-5; Mic. 5:7; Zech. 1:8-14; 3:1ff; 12:8; Mal. 3:1)" (p. 263; see also Bavinck's Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 1, p. 329). YHWH likewise reveals himself through his Spirit by gifting and empowering his people in various ways in his work of new-creation (Judg. 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 1 Sam. 11:6; Exod. 28:3; 31:3-5; 35:31-35; 1 Chron. 28:12-19; Num. 11:17, 25; 1 Sam. 16:13; Job 32:8; Isa. 11:2; Ps. 51:12; etc). We see how the doctrine of the Trinity takes form even in the Old Testament.
4. The Trinity in the New Testament: The New Testament does not introduce anything new, but rather expands on the ideas already present in the Old Testament. The one true God reveals himself as Father, Son, and Spirit. "The Father… is the same as the Creator of all things (Matt. 7:11; Luke 3:38; John 4:21; Acts 17:28; 1 Cor. 8:6; Heb. 12:9). All things derive their existence from him (1 Cor. 8:6)" (p. 269). He is YHWH, Lord (kurios), and Father (pater). The Son is the Logos (Word) "through whom the Father created all things (John 1:3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:3)" (p. 269). It is through the Son that all the promises of the Old Testament are finally fulfilled (2 Cor. 1:20). The Holy Spirit is "the same Spirit who jointly with the Father and the Son beautifies and completes all things in the creation (Matt. 1:18; 4:1; Mark 1:2; Luke 1:35; 4:1, 14; Rom. 1:4)" (p. 269). As the Spirit is poured out, the promises of new-creation are fully realized (Acts 2:16ff; cf. Joel 2:28-29). Thus, the New Testament, like the Old, also teaches the threefold principle in the works of creation and new-creation.