God the Trinity: Biblical Portraits

Publisher Description

Is the Trinity biblical? Must we affirm God as three persons in one being? Despite a renewed interest in the Trinity in recent years, many Christians, including most evangelicals, relegate the Son of God to creaturely status or repudiate the personhood of the Holy Spirit. In addition, many scholars affirm the Trinity is derived from but not directly revealed in Scripture, with some arguing it is thus unnecessary. Drawing on hermeneutics and biblical and historical theology, Malcolm Yarnell crafts a careful response to these issues through exegesis of pivotal texts from both testaments. He meticulously examines the foundational Hebrew confession known as the Shema, Matthew's great commission, the divine relations in the Gospel of John, Paul's Corinthian benediction, the opening hymn of Ephesians, and the throne room vision of the Apocalypse. Also considered are the relationships of language to revelation and history to metaphysics, along with recent appeals to recover patristic exegesis and the Christian imagination. The author amicably yet steadfastly challenges us to discern the implications of the Trinity for personal salvation as well as corporate worship.