Delighting in the Trinity

        Introduction

The Trinity is one of the most important doctrines of the Christian faith. If we miss the meaning of the Trinity, we lose salvation and a correct view of God. The church has added to the confusion. Most churches do not address this doctrine because it is hard to explain. And if they do, it is with metaphors that take away from the personal aspect of the trinity. Reeves addresses this issue when he says “And one wonders why the world laughs. For whether the Trinity is compared to shrubbery, streaky bacon, the three states of  or a three headed giant, it begins to sound, well, bizarre, like some pointless and unsightly growth on our understanding of God, one that could surely be lopped off with no consequence other than a universal sigh of relief” (10). This is the general problem within the church and, consequently, it means that the Trinity is not displayed in a beautiful way. Reeves makes it clear that “what we assume would be a dull or peculiar irrelevance turns out to be the source of all that is good in Christianity” (18). He spends the rest of the book expounding upon this statement.

Summary

Reeves examines each person of the Trinity as he dutifully looks at what the Scripture says about Christ’s tri-unity. He first examines the Father. Reeves sets the stage for the Father, “Jesus tells us explicitly in John 17:24 ‘Father,’ he says, ‘you loved me before the creation of the world.’ And that is the God revealed by Jesus Christ. Before he ever created, before he ever ruled the world, before anything else, this God was a Father loving his Son.” (21). This is not just a random point. Reeves emphasizes God’s role as Father because, if he does not love his Son, there are endless repercussions. Yet that God is a father is one of the focal points of the Trinity, “he is the Father, loving and giving life to his Son in the fellowship of the Spirit… Having such a God happily changes everything” (38). It is such a focal point, that it even plays into his role as creator. The Father does everything out of love. He even creates out of love. Reeves sums this all up at the end of the chapter by saying, “So next time you look up at the sun, moon and stars and wonder, remember: they are there because God loves, because the Father’s love for the Son burst out that it might be enjoyed by many. And they remain there only because God does not stop loving” (62).

Secondly, Reeves examines the Son. In this study of the Son, the theme of love continues to be prevalent, especially as Reeves examines the Son’s role in salvation. Reeves notes in a lengthy explanation,

“For Christ was not bound against his will and dragged to a crucifixion he did not choose. Nobody could take his life from him, he said. ‘I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my father’ (Jn 10:18). Jesus’ self giving love is entirely unconstrained and free. It comes, not from any necessity, but entirely out of who he is, the glory of his Father. Through the cross we see a God who delights to give himself” (69).

This quote is packed with truth relevant to Reeves’ argument. Christ’s love for his Father gave him the willingness to lay down his life. And the most incredible part about this is that God is literally giving himself at the same time he is receiving glory. This is a testament to the complexity, wonder, and reality of the Trinity. The Father’s love for the Son is so real that the Son is willing to give himself willingly for the Father.

Thirdly and finally, Reeves expounds upon the role of the Spirit. The Spirit’s role is to beautify everything that the Father and the Son have created together. Therefore, the Spirit is also included in creation and salvation as previously explored while examining the entities of the Father and Son. Reeves mentions that “The life that the Spirit gives is not some abstract thing. In fact, it is not primarily some thing that he gives at all. The Spirit gives us his very self, that we might know and enjoy him and so enjoy his fellowship with the Father and the Son” (87). The Spirit is essential in the Father giving himself to believers.