The Biblical Foundations of the Doctrine of the Trinity

The casual reader of Scripture will discern a mere two verses in the entire Bible which seem, at first glance, to be capable of a Trinitarian interpretation: Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:13. Both these verses have become deeply rooted in the Christian consciousness, the former on account of its baptismal associations, and the latter through the common use of the formula in Christian prayer and devotion. Yet, these two verses, taken together or in isolation, can hardly be thought of as constituting a doctrine of the Trinity.

Happily, the ultimate grounds of the doctrine are not to be sought exclusively in these two verses. Rather, the foundations of the doctrine of the Trinity are to be found in the pervasive pattern of divine activity to which the New Testament bears witness. The Father is revealed in Christ through the Spirit. There is the closest of connections between the Father, Son, and Spirit in the New Testament writings. Time after time, passages link these three elements as part of a greater whole. The totality of God's saving presence and power can only, it would seem, be expressed by involving all three elements (for example, see 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 1:21-2; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 2:20-2; 2 Thessalonians 2:1314; Titus 3:4-6; 1 Peter 1:2).

The same Trinitarian structure can be seen in the Old Testament. Three major "personifications" of God can be discerned within its pages, which naturally lead on to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity. These are:

Human Beings on Earth, Living on the Head of a Pin: A Lectionary Reflection on Psalm 8

Psalm 8

Ever since I was a boy, I have been fascinated by the universe. I would gaze up at the stars at night and wonder what it might be like to walk on the moon. I was seven years old when the crew of Apollo 11 made their historic voyage. How I wished I could walk with Neil Armstrong and "Buzz" Aldrin in the Sea of Tranquility.

It is understandable that when the psalmist looks to the heavens and considers the wonder and the vastness and the mystery of creation, he wonders about the place of humanity-- its insignificance, its smallness in the seemingly endless expanse of the universe-- he asks why his life even matters. We human beings live at most only a handful of decades upon this earth and then we return to the elements from which we came decades before. Some theologians in the past, who lost their way in trivial theological reflection, debated how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. That humanity lives on the head of a pin called Earth seems all too appropriate as we ponder the marginal nature of our existence in this ever-expanding universe.

The Trinity Is Not an Appendix to the Christian Doctrine of God

This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, which is appropriately observed after Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit. It is important that we not treat the Trinity as an appendix to the Christian doctrine of God, which is the unfortunate legacy of too much twentieth century theology. The Trinity IS the Christian doctrine of God. Classically when Christians say "God" they mean, "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Please consider the following:

1) The doctrine of the Trinity is the logical result of the the New Testament witness about God. As Tom Wright says somewhere, if the Trinity hadn't existed, the church would have had to invent it. The Trinity is the only way to make sense of what the New Testament writers claim about Jesus (the Son) and the Holy Spirit, and the relationship of the Son to the Father.

Scriptures and Prayer for Pentecost

Old Testament: Genesis 11:1-9

Epistle: Acts 2:1-21

Gospel: John 14:8-17, 25-27
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Holy God, you spoke the world into being. Pour your Spirit to the ends of the earth, that your children may return from exile as citizens of your commonwealth, and our divisions may be healed by your word of love and righteousness. Amen.

Saturday at the Cinema: Citizens of Heaven

Stanley Hauerwas on what it means to be such a citizen.

The Caffeine Connection

HT: Scot McKnight

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction: Would You Like Fries with My Stolen Car?

McDonald's Employee Finds Stolen Car At Restaurant's Drive-Thru

KENNEWICK, Wash. (CBS Seattle) — A McDonald's employee found her own stolen car in the fast food restaurant's drive-thru.

Kennewick authorities tell KEPR-TV that 22-year-old Katherine York was driving Virginia Maiden's stolen Toyota SUV while going through the McDonald's drive-thru Tuesday.

Maiden told police that her vehicle was stolen from her apartment complex Tuesday morning.

After Maiden spotted her car, she called Kennewick police who responded to the scene as York was pulling out of the drive-thru. York and a male passenger were detained, but the unidentified man was later released.

Police found stolen clothes from Sears and JC Penney in the vehicle.

York was charged with possession of a stolen vehicle as the investigation into the shoplifting continues. She was booked into the Benton County Jail.

What Happened Between John Wesley and His Wife-- It's Complicated

Ted Campbell, Methodist History:
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During the period of the Seven Years War (1756-1763), John Wesley's two most intimate relationships fell apart. His relationship to his brother Charles had been on rocky ground since 1748 when Charles intervened to prohibit John's marriage to Grace Murray. John Wesley's 1751 marriage to Mary Vazeile "née Goldhawk" is widely recognized to have ended badly within a few years, but John's own culpability in the dissolution of this relationship has been scarcely acknowledged. The fact that both of these intimate disconnections occurred within a few years' time, and during the period of the Seven Years War, also needs to be recognized.

 

The dissolution of John Wesley's intimate relationships during the Seven Years War followed some earlier strains in his relationship with Charles....

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The entire article can be read here.

 

HT: The United Methodist Reporter

The Burial of a Terrorist

Tamarlan Tsarnaev, the Boston Marathon bomber who was killed in a shootout with police, was buried secretly a few days after his death. Outside the funeral home where his body was kept, protesters stood outside across the street shouting, "feed him to the sharks!" A plot which was donated in the Al-Barzakh Cemetery in Doswell, Virginia has upset some families who have relatives buried there.

Martha Mullen, a United Methodist helped arrange for the burial and did so based on her Christian convictions. "Jesus tells us to love our enemies, not hate them after they're dead," said Martha Mullen, in a phone interview. "That's why I kind of got this ball rolling."