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The Practical Doctrine of the Trinity

Kevin DeYoung’s The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16^th Century Catechism is a wonderfully pastoral yet theologically rigorous exposition and application of the Heidelberg Catechism for the church in the 21^st century.  Perhaps it is because we are of the same cohort, but I really enjoy Kevin’s subtle wit and humor, and his willingness to say (or write) what we believe to be true but didn’t think anyone else noticed it.  I’ll be honest; I was not expecting to find an application of doctrine of the Trinity to the perennial problem of the one-and-the-many or unity-diversity as I worked through this book.  With great clarity Kevin makes just such an application and shows its relevance to our contemporary culture.    

The Trinity matters for evangelism and cultural engagement.  I’ve heard it said that the two main rivals to a Christian worldview at present are Islam and postmodernism.  Islam emphasizes unity—unity of language, culture, and expression—without allowing much variance for diversity.  Postmodernism, on the other hand, emphasizes diversity—diversity of opinion, beliefs, and background—without attempting to see things in any kind of meta-unity.  Christianity, with its understanding of God as three in one, allows for diversity and unity.  If God exists in three distinct persons who all share the same essence, then it is possible to hope that God’s creation may exhibit stunning variety and individuality while still holding together in a genuine oneness (p. 52).

In this, Kevin is faithful to his Dutch Reformed heritage and the apologetic that flowed from it, not least in Cornelius Van Til’s thought.  In Common Grace & the Gospel Van Til stressed the importance of this application of the doctrine of the Trinity for apologetics. 

The God that the philosophers of the ages have been looking for, a God in whom unity and diversity are equally ultimate, the “Unknown God,” is known to us by grace (p. 9).

In the ontological trinity there is complete harmony between an equally ultimate one and many.  The persons of the trinity are mutually exhaustive of one another and of God’s nature.  It is the absolute equality in point of ultimacy that requires all the emphasis we can give it.  Involved in this absolute equality is complete interdependence; God is our concrete universal (p. 8).

Again, in The Defense of the Faith Van Til says,

Of the whole matter we may say that the unity and the diversity in God are equally basic and mutually dependent upon one another.  The importance of this doctrine for apologetics may be seen from the fact that the whole problem of philosophy may be summed up in the question of the relation of unity to diversity; the so-called problem of the one and the many receives a definite answer from the doctrine of the simplicity of God (p. 10).   

So, thanks to Pastor DeYoung for showing us a very relevant application of this most holy doctrine of ours!

The Incarnation and Christ's Solidarity with Us

One thing that I think we too often miss during the Advent season is that the incarnation revealed Jesus’ incredible solidarity with man.  In the incarnation Christ left his abode in eternal glory, “who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man” (Nicene Creed; cf. Phil. 2:5ff; Heb. 2:6—18).  The divine Word took to himself our human nature and a reasonable soul and dwelt, or better, tabernacle among us (Jn. 1:14).  Indeed, in Christ we have the one and only Immanuel, that is, “God with us” (Matt. 1:23).  Additionally, because of the incarnation, and Christ’s solidarity with us therein, the reverse is also true, “that we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that he, as the head, will also take up to himself, us, his members” (Heidelberg Catechism, Q 49). 

Christ assuming human nature was necessary for several reasons.  For one, “By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3).  It was man that rebelled against God, so it was in man that the just punishment for sin must be meted out.  “Because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which has sinned, should likewise make satisfaction for sin” (HC, Q 16).  Secondly, his assuming our nature made Jesus a most gracious, empathetic High Priest, mediating on behalf of us his people; and, because he stands as our Advocate before the Father, we may approach the throne of grace with assurance and confidence (Heb. 4:15—16; 1 Jn. 2:1).  In a word, Christ, by taking on our nature, became our faithful Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5).  Thus, by means of his humiliation in the incarnation, Christ Jesus is the “one who is very man, perfectly righteous; and yet more powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is also very God” (HC, Q 14).  In Christ, we have our God and our Man, and the perfect union of these two; thus, in him, the solidarity between God and man is perfected! 

Finally, the incarnation is the grounding for Jesus’ resurrection.  And, of course, if Christ be not raised, then our hope and faith and gospel ministry is a sham (1 Cor. 15:14).  Jesus is that man through whom the resurrection of the dead comes (vv. 20—23).  “The resurrection of Christ is a sure pledge of our blessed resurrection” (HC, Q 45), that is, “the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:23).  Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (2 Cor. 9:15). 

The Apostle's Creed and Its Scriptural Foundation

The Apostle’s Creed

The Scriptural Basis

We believe in God,1 the Father Almighty,        Maker of Heaven and Earth,2   And in Jesus Christ,3        His only Son,4        our Lord,5        who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,6        born of the Virgin7 Mary,        suffered under Pontius Pilate,8        was crucified,9        dead10        and buried.11        He descended into Hell/Hades.a        The third day12        He arose from the dead,13        He ascended into Heaven14        and is seated at the right hand        of God, the Father Almighty.15        From thence He shall come        to judge the quick and the dead.16   I believe in the Holy Spirit,17        the catholic church,18        the communion of saints,19        the forgiveness of sins,20        the resurrection of the body,21        and life everlasting.22    Amen.

1.  Is. 44:6; 45:5   2.  Gen. 1:1; Jn. 1:1-3; Acts 14:15   3.  Lk. 2:11; Jn. 20:28   4.  Mt. 16:16; Jn. 1:49; 3:16   5.  Jn. 20:28; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:5   6.  Mt. 1:18, 20; Lk. 1:35   7.  Is. 7:14; Mt. 1:23-27; Lk. 1:27   8.  Mt. 27:26; Lk. 23:23-25; 1 Tim. 6:13   9.  Jn. 19:20 (cf. parallels); Acts 4:10   10. 1 Cor. 15:3   11. 1 Cor. 15:4    a. 1 Pet. 3:18; Lk. 23:43 (likely not original)   12. 1 Cor. 15:4   13. Lk. 24:7; 1 Cor. 15:4   14. Mk. 16:19; Lk. 24:51, Acts 1:11; Eph. 4:10   15. Ps. 110:1; Mk. 16:19; Acts 2:33; Heb. 1:3   16. Jn. 5:22; Acts 10:42; 2 Tim. 4:1; 1 Pet. 4:5   17. Jn. 15:26; 16:7-8, 13-14; Acts 5:3-4; 13:2    18. (i.e., universal church); Gal. 3:26-29   19. 1 Cor. 12:12-20; Heb. 10:25; Rev. 19:14   20. Mt. 26:28; Lk. 7:48; 24:47   21. Jn. 6:39;1 Thess. 4:16   22. Jn. 3:16; 10:28; 17:2-3

HEIDELBERG CATECHISM Q & A 1

Q. What is your only comfort
in life and in death?

A. That I am not my own,
but belong—

body and soul,
in life and in death—

to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.

He also watches over me in such a way
that not a hair can fall from my head
without the will of my Father in heaven;
in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him,
Christ, by his Holy Spirit,
assures me of eternal life
and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready
from now on to live for him.

Kim Riddlebarger has a brief but penetrating article on the opening question of the Heidelberg, which is undoubtedly one of the richest and certainly warmest symbols to come out of the Reformation.  Read Kim’s short exposition over at Ligonier Ministries.  And if you don’t own a copy, you can read more from this wonderful catechism at the Christian Reformed Church’s resource page. 

Presuppositional Primer by Martin Jones

For anyone wanting to more capably and confidently defend the Christian worldview and commend the saving faith of Christ, I would recommend Martin Jones’ “The Futility of Non-Christian Thought.”  It is a great primer on the faithful apologetical approach of presuppositionalism, which posits Christ’s self-attesting Word as the final criterion of knowledge in all spheres of human experience.  Here is the opening paragraph.

Biblical Christianity, properly defined in terms of classical Protestantism, offers a radical philosophical critique of non-Christian thought. This Christian critique is radical in the sense that it challenges the very core of non-Christian pretensions and demonstrates that non-Christian thought, whether atheistic, agnostic, or religious, ultimately destroys rationality, science, ethics, and every other aspect of human experience. Continue reading...here.