What is the doctrine of the trinity? Brandon Smith begins The Biblical Trinity with a good definition: “As the biblical story unfolds, we see that God is one being (Deut 6:4). That said, the Bible also affirms that God is somehow three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As we will see throughout this book, to speak of the one God of the Bible is to speak of the Father, Son, and Spirit—they are each God, but they are not each other.”
The doctrine of the Trinity is essential to Christianity because it tells us who God is. If we are wrong on the Trinity, we are idol worshippers, not Christian’s. That’s why I’m thankful for Brandon Smith’s short book The Biblical Trinity. In an sound and accessible book he lays out what the doctrine of the Trinity is, shows how we get this doctrine by logic and grammar of scripture, and finally teaches how to read the Bible with trinitarian eyes. It’s a book that will help you better understand and enjoy the doctrine of the trinity. But more than that, it will help you read the Bible better, seeing the true depth and beauty of God revealed in scripture. Here are a couple of quotes I highlighted:
If he really is able to forgive sins, then God’s promises really do find their “amen” and “yes” in him (2 Cor 1:20), because he is the God who made the promise and who keeps his promises. In fact, only God can keep God’s promises. If he is not God in the flesh, then God’s promise to deliver us and all of creation from the curse of sin is still a mystery. More than that, the religious leaders would be right: he is a blasphemer and a liar or lunatic of the evilest sort. A truly biblical understanding of the forgiveness of sins requires the doctrine of the Trinity—Jesus must be the eternal, divine Son of God in order to have the power and authority to forgive sins and redeem all things.
It is hard to fathom a more beautiful, majestic sight than looking upon the face of the almighty God of the universe, so it should knock the Corinthians (and us!) off our feet to think that this glorious Lord has revealed himself so clearly through the incarnation of the Son and the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
When we see the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit in Scripture, we see the triune God who is the I AM, the God of Israel, the one whose name is the foundation for our confession of faith and our baptism into the family of God.
The book is not cheap, almost $30.00 Canadian on Amazon. But it would not be a waste of money or time.