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Being Trinitarian

Being Trinitarian does not simply mean, “Hey, I believe in the doctrine of the Trinity.”  It is not some sort of mathmatic equation like 1 + 1 + 1 = 1, or anything like that.  There are many people who believe in the “doctrine of the Trinity” and regulate it to some sort of “mystery” that you have to believe, but it doesn’t really mean much.

Being Trinitarian means that understanding that our theology, our ministry, our interpretation of scripture, our life together as a church – all flow from God’s self-revelation as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Even more so, it means being “Jesus Centered,” as Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God’s character, nature, or DNA if you will.  It means understanding that we BEST know the character of God via the incarnation of Jesus, the Eternal Son of the Father.

Jesus says, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”

John wrote, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

The writer of Hebrews says, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Here’ a good and basic primer on Trinitarian theolgy, pointed out to me by friends in the “Grace Communion International” fellowship.  This denominational body use to reject the entire doctrine of the Trinity, back in the day when its was the “World Wide Church of God,” but God brought them back to the biblical and hitorical theology of the church.

Find the info when you click this link http://www.gci.org/theology

 

Ministry in the Image of God: The Trinitarian Shape of Christian Service
by: Stephen Seamands
publisher: IVP Books, published: 2005-12-16
ASIN: 0830833382
EAN: 9780830833382
sales rank: 70209
price: $5.00 (new), $4.03 (used)

Merit winner in the 2006 Book Awards!

“As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

Those of us called to Christian ministry are commissioned and sent by Jesus, just as he himself was called and sent by the Father. Thus we naturally pattern our ministries after Christ’s example. But distinctively Christian service involves the Spirit as well, just as Jesus himself accomplished his ministry in the power of the Spirit. Thus the whole Trinity–Father, Son and Holy Spirit–gives shape to truly authentic Christian ministry.

Though as Christians we all affirm the doctrine of the Trinity, many of us might struggle to explain how understanding the Trinity could actually shape our ministry. Stephen Seamands demonstrates how a fully orbed theology of the Trinity transforms our perception and practice of vocational ministry. Theological concepts like relationality and perichoresis have direct relevance to pastoral life and work, especially in unfolding a trinitarian approach to relationships, service and mission. A thoroughly trinitarian outlook provides the fuel for our ministry ” Jesus Christ, the Father, the Holy Spirit, on behalf of the church and the world.”

Essential reading for pastors, parachurch workers, counselors, missionaries, youth ministers and all who are called to any vocation of Christian ministry.

Retrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine
by: Khaled Anatolios
publisher: Baker Academic, published: 2011-10-01
ASIN: 080103132X
EAN: 9780801031328
sales rank: 320133
price: $22.40 (new), $19.10 (used)

Khaled Anatolios, a noted expert on the development of Nicene theology, offers a historically informed theological study of the development of the doctrine of the Trinity, showing its relevance to Christian life and thought today. According to Anatolios, the development of trinitarian doctrine involved a global interpretation of Christian faith as a whole. Consequently, the meaning of trinitarian doctrine is to be found in a reappropriation of the process of this development, such that the entirety of Christian existence is interpreted in a trinitarian manner. The book provides essential resources for this reappropriation by identifying the network of theological issues that comprise the “systematic scope” of Nicene theology, focusing especially on the trinitarian perspectives of three major theologians: Athanasius, Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine. It includes a foreword by Brian E. Daley.

 


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