Forgotten Trinity

R. White James

Description

While many of us struggle to understand it, the Trinity is one of the most important teachings of the Christian faith. It defines God's very essence and describes how he relates to us. And while it can be a difficult concept to get our heads around, it is crucial for believers to understand how God explains his triune nature in his Word. In this book, James R. White offers a concise, understandable explanation of what the Trinity is and why it matters. While refuting the distortions of God presented by various cults, Dr. White shows how understanding this teaching leads to renewed worship and a deeper understanding of what it means to be a Christian. And amid today's emphasis on the renewing work of the Holy Spirit, The Forgotten Trinity is a balanced look at all three persons of the Trinity. May this book deepen your understanding of this important doctrine while also drawing you closer to the triune God himself.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 05 novembre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493427994
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Endorsements
“No doctrine is more fundamental to the Faith than the Trinity. And there is no more brief, clear, biblical, and practical explanation of the Trinity than in these pages.”
—Dr. Norman L. Geisler, Christian apologist and author of Systematic Theology
“James White has a remarkable ability to say important and complex things in readable ways. He has done it again in The Forgotten Trinity , a vital look at a doctrine ‘forgotten’ in evangelical churches.”
—Dr. John H. Armstrong, president, Reformation & Revival Ministries, Inc.
“ The Forgotten Trinity maps a well-lit route toward an intimate relating to the Trinity. The book steers readers away from Trinity as an abstract notion and intelligently chauffeurs us to the book’s destination, which is worship: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy! . . . God in three persons, blessed Trinity!’”
—Kerry D. McRoberts, senior pastor of Kings Circle Assembly of God and author of “The Holy Trinity” in Systematic Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective
“White’s clear argument demonstrates that the historic Christian doctrine of the Trinity is fully and inescapably biblical. The refutation of Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons is very helpful.”
—Dr. J. I. Packer, retired professor, Regent College
“The Trinity is a doctrine where error is especially deadly. James White superbly establishes the biblical basis of trinitarianism, examining its nuances and its place in church history. His lucid presentation will help layperson and pastor alike. Highly recommended.”
—Dr. John MacArthur, senior pastor, Grace Community Church
“Dr. James White is to be congratulated for his thorough and meticulous refutation of the teachings of the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
—Dr. Gleason L. Archer, retired professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, Trinity International University
Books by James R. White
The Forgotten Trinity
The God Who Justifies
Grieving: Our Path Back to Peace
Is the Mormon My Brother?
The King James Only Controversy
Letters to a Mormon Elder
Mary—Another Redeemer?
The Roman Catholic Controversy
The Same Sex Controversy*
Scripture Alone
What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur’an
*with Jeffrey Niell
For more information about Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Roman Catholicism, and General Apologetics, as well as listings of debates, tapes, tracts, etc., visit our Alpha and Omega Ministries Web page at www.aomin.org .
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 1998 by James White
Published by Bethany House Publishers
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of
Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
Revised edition 2019
Ebook edition created 2019
Ebook corrections 12.09.2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-2799-4
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scripture quotations identified ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016
Scripture quotations identified NEB are from the New English Bible, copyright © Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press 1961, 1970. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
Scripture quotations identified NKJV are from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified TEV are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version-Second Edition. Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations identified KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Cover design by Studio Gearbox
Dedication
Christian fellowship comprises a little taste of heaven here on earth. Close brothers in the Lord are a treasure not to be taken lightly. One such brother in Christ who has come to mean so much to me and my family is Chris Arnzen. It is with joy that I dedicate this work to a man of God, a brother in the Lord, a true “son of encouragement,” a friend who is precious to me. Thank you, Chris, for being a Christian man who loves the Lord and has allowed that love to flow into my life.
Epigraph
And yet I will exert special effort to the end that they who lend ready and open ears to God’s Word may have a firm standing ground. Here, indeed, if anywhere in the secret mysteries of Scripture, we ought to play the philosopher soberly and with great moderation; let us use great caution that neither our thoughts nor our speech go beyond the limits to which the Word of God itself extends. For how can the human mind measure off the measureless essence of God according to its own little measure, a mind as yet unable to establish for certain the nature of the sun’s body, though men’s eyes daily gaze upon it? Indeed, how can the mind by its own leading come to search out God’s essence when it cannot even get to its own? Let us then willingly leave to God the knowledge of himself. For, as Hilary (of Poitiers) says, he is the one fit witness to himself, and is not known except through himself. But we shall be “leaving it to him” if we conceive him to be as he reveals himself to us, without inquiring about him elsewhere than from his Word.
John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion , I XIII:21.
Contents
Cover 1
Endorsements 2
Books by James R. White 3
Title Page 4
Copyright Page 5
Dedication 6
Epigraph 7
1. Why the “Forgotten” Trinity? 9
2. What Is the Trinity? 20
3. God: A Brief Introduction 30
4. A Masterpiece: The Prologue of John 43
5. Jesus Christ: God in Human Flesh 62
6. I Am He 94
7. Creator of All Things 105
8. Carmen Christi: The Hymn to Christ as God 119
9. Jehovah of Hosts 131
10. Grieve Not the Holy Spirit 140
11. Three Persons 153
12. A Closer Look 162
13. From the Mists of Time: The Trinity and Church History 176
14. Does It Really Matter? Christian Devotion and the Trinity 192
Notes 197
Subject Index 219
Scripture Index 227
About the Author 233
Back Ad 235
Back Cover 236
CHAPTER 1 Why the “Forgotten” Trinity?
I love the Trinity. Does that sound strange to you? For most people, it should sound strange. Think about it: when was the last time you heard anyone say such a thing? We often hear “I love Jesus” or “I love God,” but how often does anyone say, “I love the Trinity”? You even hear “I love the cross” or “I love the Bible,” but you don’t hear “I love the Trinity.” Why not?
Someone might say, “Well, the Trinity is a doctrine, and you don’t love doctrines.” But in fact we do. “I love justification” or “I love the second coming of Christ” would make perfect sense. What’s more, the Trinity isn’t just a doctrine any more than saying “I love the deity of Christ” makes Christ just a doctrine.
So why don’t we talk about loving the Trinity? Most Christians do not understand what the term means and have only a vague idea of the reality it represents. We don’t love things that we consider very complicated, obtuse, or just downright difficult. We are more comfortable saying “I love the old rugged cross” because we think we have a firm handle on what that actually means and represents. But we confess how little we understand about the Trinity by how little we talk about it and how little emotion it evokes in our hearts.
Yet we seem rather confused at this point because most Christians take a firm stand on the Trinity and the fundamental issues that lead to it (the deity of Christ, the person of the Holy Spirit). We withhold fellowship from groups like the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses because they reject the Trinity and replace it with another concept. We hang a person’s very salvation upon the acceptance of the doctrine, yet if we are honest with ourselves, we really aren’t sure exactly why .
It’s the topic we won’t talk about: no one dares question the Trinity for fear of being branded a “heretic,” yet we have all sorts of questions about it, and we aren’t sure who we can ask. Many believers have asked questions of those they thought were more mature in the faith and have often been confused by the contradictory answers they received. Deciding it is best to remain confused rather than have one’s orthodoxy questioned, many simply leave the topic for that mythical future day “when I have more time.” And in the process, we have lost out on a tremendous blessing.
The Blessing of the Trinity
A true and accurate knowledge of the Trinity is a blessing in and of itself. Any revelation of God’s truth is an a