My first statement is on bibliology. Here is the second in my series on personal statements in the themes of systematic theology
Theology Proper
Where does one begin in formulating a short statement of belief about God? Could I just hand you the Bible and say this? “Here you go this is what I believe about God. The Bible’s core subject is God. God is the Hero of this Book. This is His Word gloriously unveiling Himself to us.”
Undoubtedly, the ultimate treasure of bibliology is not anthropology; the radiant glory of the Book is theology. When one opens up a Hebrew Bible, one comes face to face with the sovereign (Dan. 4:35, Job. 23:14, Rom. 8:28-29), omnipresent (Ps. 139), omnipotent (Is. 40), omniscient (Ps. 147:4-5) [1], eternal (Gen. 21:33, Ps. 90:2), immutable (Mal. 3:6, James 1:17), infinite (I Ki. 8:27), holy (Is. 6:3), just ( [2], righteous (Ps. 11:7), love (I John 4:8), compassionate, merciful, gracious, longsuffering, and good (Ps. 86:15) [3] Yahweh. And just how an all-loving and all-powerful God can be reconciled with the present evil on our earth? I don’t have all the answers. I recognize my miniscule, finite mind. I submit myself to the Lord (Rom. 11:34). For me, it comes down to biblically reasoned trust and faith. I do know the end of the story told by God. I have confident expectation that the eternal purposes of God cannot be thwarted (Is. 46:10). He creates [4]. He redeems. He will take care of evil. He will make all things brand new. And He does it all for His glory.
Yet not only are the ways of God often mysterious to my limited understanding, so is His being. God is one. Biblical data declares only one Yahweh. “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one” (Deut. 6:4). This one God is wholly set apart from all the gods conceived and declared in early Jewish/Pagan/polytheistic syncretism – God is God among the divine council of gods [5]. God is unique, for God knows no other like God (Is. 41:22; 43:9, 45:21). Yahweh is in a species all of His own. Therefore, all worship goes to Yahweh alone.
But in considering monotheism, the Bible does not let us swing into the serious error of modalism. Stunningly, God is gloriously three: Father, Son, and Spirit (Matt. 28:19) [6]. The Son is distinct from the Father. The Spirit is distinct from the Son. Don’t ask me to explain this, except to say God’s people see God as one Being in three Persons. As I peer into the divine revelation, the Spirit shows me, today, what the Church Fathers saw in ancient times. Most definitely, God is in loving, dancing Trinitarian intercommunion. I am in awe. The Triune God is no sole tyrant. As the finite creature, I bow down and worship before the eternal, loving fellowship of the Trinity. This God is heaven.
[1] I am not in the camp of open theists. Bruce A. Ware edited a book, entitled Perspectives on the Doctrine of God: 4 Views (B&H Academic, 2008). Among the four contributors, Paul Helm (Classical Calvinistic Persective), Bruce A. Ware (Modified Calvinist Perspective), Roger E. Olson (Classical Arminian Perspective), and John Sanders (Open Theist Perspective), I agree the most with Bruce Ware.
[2] God is just. In God’s love, He does show wrath. I separate myself from the unclear American evangelical Rob Bell and his interpretation of God and what he presents in his latest book, Love Wins (2011).
[3] God is good –all the time. All the time, God is good. I recommend to you the book, If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil (Multnomah Books, 2009) by Randy Alcorn.
[4] I am a young earth creationist. And despite the critique of scientists, secularists, and theologians, I personally enjoy the ministries of such groups like Answers in Genesis.
[5] There is compelling conservative, biblical exegesis for other elohim and the divine council. See Michael Heiser.
[6] Once again, Bruce Ware has written an elegant book, Father, Son, & Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, & Relevance (2005) for your consideration. But to all lay Christians, please pick up a copy of The Deep Things of God: How the Trinity Changes Everything (Crossway, 2010) by Fred Sanders.
I agree with your recommendation of Fred Sanders book, but also must add Robert Letham’s The Holy Trinity to that, and would highly recommend it to you if you haven’t read it.
Blessings from Moscow.
Moscow, Idaho, that is.
It is a stellar book. I took a highlighter all through my copy.
Moscow, eh?
Almost exactly three years ago, I wrote about what would be for me a glorious campout, involving Trinitarian worship. See here-
http://heartissuesforlds.wordpress.com/2008/03/15/trinitarian-idaho-experience-and-worship/
Jeremy, Dr. Leithart, in your neck of the woods, is one of the most gifted communicators in Idaho for writing on the Trinity.
Blessings to you from Idaho Falls.
Leithart is great on the Trinity, and I’ll refrain from making you jealous of the several opportunities I’ve had to chat theology with him.
Another book on the Trinity, in case you haven’t heard of it, that is highly recommended by the guys up here in Moscow is Trinity & Reality by Ralph Smith. It is written well for teenagers on up, and has been used in youth groups and Bible studies. It’s not theology lite by any means, but is still accessible for less mature minds.
blessings,
Jeremy