Mention the word “Trinity” or any other theology word and you’re likely to get some weird looks and even some question why you’re talking above people’s heads. The word Trinity conjures up for many people the idea that God of the Bible is three gods, and that idea to many people is unbearable. The fact is though the Christian Church has never taught that the Trinity was three persons, but rather that there is but one living and true God (Deut. 6:4; Is. 45:5-7; 1 Cor. 8:4), an infinite, all-knowing Spirit (John 4:24), perfect in all His attributes, one in essence, eternally existing in three Persons–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)–each equally deserving worship and obedience.
In his helpful new book Delighting In The Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith Michael Reeves has written an important primer on an often neglected topic. Mike wrote this book because as he looks out on Christianity today he sees much talk about how God is love, but how his aim in writing this book was to stop the madness of such focus and instead focus on the Trinity and how the truth that “God is love because God is Trinity” (10). Mike writes because he wants Christians to “grow in in our enjoyment of God and seeing how God’s triune being makes all his ways beautiful” (10).
At the heart of this book is the belief that “The Christian God is triune, the Trinity is the governing center of all Christian belief, the truth that shapes and beautifies all others. The Trinity is the cockpit of all Christian thinking” (16). The author contends that “the bedrock of our faith is nothing less than God himself, and every aspect of of the gospel—creation, revelation, salvation- is only Christian insofar as it is the creation, revelation and salvation of this God, the triune God” (16).
As the author takes us through what the Trinity is and its importance to Christianity he guides us through what the Bible teaches about God—who He is and what He is like in order to help us understand the Trinity’s relationship to the Gospel. The book is not only biblical though—it is loaded with insight into the Trinity from church history and also how the Trinity applies to the Christian life. Without Jesus, we cannot know that God is truly a loving Father. Without Jesus the Son, we cannot know Him as our loving Father. But as Luther discovered, through Jesus we may know that God is Father and “we may look into His fatherly heart and sense how boundlessly He loves us. That would warm our hearts, setting them aglow.”
This generation needs more Athanasius men who have been gripped by the God of the Bible who will stand fast against those who think of God without the Son of God Jesus Christ. Every generation has its battles for the Word of God and the Son of God Jesus Christ. Whether it’s a battle over who God is, the Word of God or any other doctrine—the truth of the Word and Jesus has gone on and will go on, because Christians have a Savior who died victoriously, and triumphed over the grave to give new life to His people and a new future with Him in heaven.
I recommend you read Delighting In The Trinity by Michael Reeves as it will help you to have a primer on what the Bible and church history has taught about the Trinity. This book will help you to understand the shape of the Gospel through the Trinity which will give you a greater understanding of just how big, how great, and how majestic the God of the Bible is. Whether you’re a new Christian or a seasoned Pastor, or scholar, I recommend you read this book by Michael Reeves to not only learn what the Trinity is but how the Trinity energizes our lives to the glory of God and for the spread of His fame to the nations.
Title: Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith
Author: Michael Reeves
Publisher: IVP Academic (2012)
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the IVP book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
