Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith

Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith IVP Academic 2012 By Michael Reeves Reviewed by Jack Kettler Bio: Michael Reeves, (PhD, King's College) is an author, theologian, historian and professor who teaches at Wales Evangelical School of Theology (WEST) and is the director of Union, a WEST initiative that puts the theological academy back in the local church context. He previously served as theological adviser for the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship in the United Kingdom where he oversaw the Theology Network, a theological resources website. He was also associate minister at All Souls Church, Langham Place. Reeves is the author of books such as Delighting in the Trinity, The Unquenchable Flame, Discovering the Heart of the Reformation, The Breeze of the Centuries, On Giants Shoulders and The Good God. What others are saying: “Even many Christians find the Trinity confusing, but Delighting in the Trinity is the clearest and best written explanation I've ever read.” (Marvin Olasky, World Magazine, June 29, 2013) “Michael Reeves's Delighting in the Trinity is an enjoyable introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity. . . . [It's] a great read. . . . This book would be useful for working with non-Christians seeking to understand Christianity. It would also serve the Christian who wants a better understanding of why the Trinity was not the invention of 'bored monks on rainy afternoons.'” (New Horizons, April 2013) “Michael Reeves . . . has produced a powerful and concise treatment of the trinity in Delighting in the Trinity. One of the strengths of this volume is its practicality and accessiblity. One of the most exciting aspects of this book is Reeves' skill in helping readers understand what it means to enjoy God and understand the doctrine of the trinity to be a demonstration of 'the beauty, the overflowing kindness, the heart-grabbing loveliness of God.'" (R. Albert Mohler Jr., Preaching, March/April 2013) “It's not often one reads a book on trinitarian theology that is deeply insightful and wonderfully witty at the same time, but this is such a volume. Filled with careful thought and wise application, Reeves provides a most accessible book for those who are trying to understand what difference it makes that we are trinitarian.” (Kelly M. Kapic, Covenant College) “The Trinity is often regarded as an esoteric and intimidating doctrine, over the heads of rank-and-file Christians. What are laypeople and students to make of the theologians' unfathomable utterances about how the Father, Son and Spirit constitute one God? The answer: Start by reading this book. Michael Reeves unpacks the significance of the Trinity for Christian life with a straight-shooting, conversational style honed by years of student ministry. But don't let the panache fool you. There is substance here that outweighs that of books much harder to understand. Read this book. Look up all the Bible passages it quotes. Let the Spirit use it to help you to see the Scriptures―and most of all, to see God the Trinity―in a new way. I cannot recommend it highly enough.” (Donald Fairbairn, Robert E. Cooley Professor of Early Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and author of Life in the Trinity) My Thoughts: First off, this is how the introduction and chapter layout look: Chapter layout Introduction: Here Be Dragons? 1. What Was God Doing Before Creation? 2. Creation: The Father’s Love Overflows 3. Salvation: The Son Shares What Is His 4. The Christian Life: The Spirit Beautifies 5. “Who Among the Gods Is Like You, O Lord? Conclusion: No Other Choice To start, this work is nothing short of extraordinary! It is has both a devotional aspect and powerful apologetic combined! The apologetic value of the book for Muslims and Arians is enormous. From the Introduction we read: “You see it in the Bible, where the Lord God of Israel, Baal, Dagon, Molech and Artemis are completely different. Or take, for example, how the Qur’an explicitly and sharply distinguishes Allah from the God described by Jesus: “Say not ‘Trinity.’ Desist; it will be better for you: for God is one God. Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son.” (Surah 4.1710). “Say: ‘He, Allah, is One. Allah is He on Whom all depend. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And none is like Him.’” (Surah 112). “In other words, Allah is a single-person God. In no sense is he a Father (“he begets not”), and in no sense does he have a Son (“nor is he begotten”). He is one person, and not three. Allah, then, is an utterly different sort of being to the God who is Father, Son and Spirit. And it is not just incompatibly different numbers we are dealing with here: that difference, as we will see, is going to mean that Allah exists and functions in a completely different way from the Father, Son and Spirit. All that being the case, it would be madness to settle for any presupposed idea of God. Without being specific about which God is God, which God will we worship? Which God will we ever call others to worship? Given all the different preconceptions people have about “God,” it simply will not do for us to speak abstractly about some general “God.” And where would doing so leave us? If we content ourselves with being mere monotheists, and speak of God only in terms so vague they could apply to Allah as much as the Trinity, then we will never enjoy or share what is so fundamentally and delightfully different about Christianity.” (pp. 17, 18 introduction) This short selection from the introduction is amplified and the implications developed and expanded many times over throughout the book. For example, consider some more gems from this book in the next three quotes: “Just so, the Father would not be the Father without his Son (whom he loves through the Spirit). And the Son would not be the Son without his Father. He has his very being from the Father. And so we see that the Father, Son and Spirit, while distinct persons, are absolutely inseparable from each other. Not confused, but undividable. They are who they are together. They always are together, and thus they always work together. That means that the Father is not “more” God than the Son or the Spirit, as if he had once existed or could exist without them. His very identity and being is about giving out his own fullness to the Son. He is inseparable from him. It also means there is no “God” behind and before Father, Son and Spirit.” (34) “Therein lies the problem: how can a solitary God be eternally and essentially loving when love involves loving another? In the fourth century B.C., the Athenian philosopher Aristotle wrestled with a very similar question: how can God be eternally and essentially good when goodness involves being good to another? His answer was that God is, eternally, the uncaused cause. That is who God is. Therefore he must eternally cause the creation to exist, meaning that the universe is eternal. This way God can be truly and eternally good, for the universe eternally exists alongside him and eternally he gives his goodness to it. In other words, God is eternally self-giving and good because he is eternally self-giving and good to the universe. It was, as always with Aristotle, ingenious. However, once again it means that for God to be himself, he needs the world. He is, essentially, dependent on it to be who he is. And, even though technically “good,” Aristotle’s god is hardly kind or loving. He does not freely choose to create a world that he might bless; it is more that the universe just oozes out of hi.” (40-41) “The seventeenth-century Puritan theologian John Owen wrote that the Father’s love for the Son is “the fountain and prototype of all love. . . . And all love in the creation was introduced from this fountain, to give a shadow and resemblance of it.” Indeed, in the triune God is the love behind all love, the life behind all life, the music behind all music, the beauty behind all beauty and the joy behind all joy. In other words, in the triune God is a God we can heartily enjoy—and enjoy in and through his creation.” (62) In closing: From the final chapter: “Who Among the Gods Is Like You, O Lord?” “For the last two hundred years or so, atheism in the West has been marching forward with ever more confidence and power. Its cries have not only heartened the person on the street who would simply rather do without God and religion; they have also inspired a new, ultra-aggressive squad of “antitheists.” (109) This final chapter along with Reeves’ closing comments are extremely valuable in dealing with atheistic mistaken beliefs about the triune God. Bibliophiles, this book is for you.

This is a wonderful book! I would put it easily in the top 5 of all Christian books I've read. Wonderful for new believers and mature believers. I think the Lord has blessed brother Reeves with an insight and a gift in describing a beautiful vein of Gospel truth. He brings out the truth of who God is in a beautiful and biblical way, One God who is three beautiful persons dwelling in an eternal blessed fellowship of love, unity, and holiness. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Too often I think of God and His attributes in abstract and unpersonal ways. But the true God is the Living God who created us in His image and He is beautiful, personal, outgoing, loving and righteous. One of Satan's biggest attacks upon God is to in some way slander and misrepresent the character of God to us. He loves to paint God in dark, horrible, unpersonal and malicious ways. This book is a very helpful antidote against that. I recently noticed in the Gospel of John just how many times Jesus referred to God as His Father. This book helps bring out the beauty of that reality. Our sins are great because we sin against a God who is soo good, wonderful, kind and full of love. We have not loved the God who is love and therefore only Christ and His blood and cross can redeem us from such sin. If God were a singular being he could not love and he would be a cold, self absorbed, miserly tyrant who would demand and take all that we and creation could give just because he would need it and sin against such a being would be no great sin at all. But the One True God is worthy of our love and devotion because He is Three Persons who are Soo full of unconditional love for and delight in one another and are so kind, generous and good. And they created the universe that all creation might behold, enjoy and join in with this holy and beautiful truine fellowship. This book brings to light what a wonderful thing it is to become a Christian. The Father, Son and Spirit in unconditional love are calling and drawing lost utterly unworthy hell deserving sinners through the Gospel to enter into knowing and enjoying the Son Jesus Christ and the Father who sent Him and to receive the Spirit of truth and love from Christ who baptizes with the Spirit. Salvation is not only about being forgiven for our sins and justified through Christ and saved from God's wrath. It most certainly is that. But it is also being brought into a relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is being adopted by God and becoming His child and enjoying fellowship and union in Jesus Christ. When we believe upon Christ we are spiritually immersed into Christ. Christ as the Son of God has for eternity enjoyed the benefits and blessings of being the Son of the Father. He knows the Father intimately. When we first are converted we are put into Christ and begin to be blessed with and experience the very same blessings in Christ. His Father becomes our Father too! Through Christ we begin to share in the blessings of being children with the same Father. No I'm not saying that we become God or equal with Christ. But we do enter into knowing and loving the Father through and as the Son and we also begin to join in with the Father in loving and enjoying His Son Jesus Christ. And the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth and love who works out this glorious salvation within us and continues to glorify Christ who is the exact image of His Father. The Spirit works in us to purify and to cause our love to abound to the Father and Son. Thus true believers because they know they are soo loved and redeemed by this God will hate and forsake their sins and seek to live righteously in this life. Because they now love God they mourn over their sins and desire to be free from all that grieves His heart. This is eternal life that we may know Him! Wonderful wonderful book!

The overwhelmingly positive reviews testify to the popularity of this book. Popularity in itself is not a safe measure to determine its orthodoxy obviously, but it does demonstrate the effect this book has had on people. I can relate to the experience of others. This most certainly was a great book. I found the book valuable because it turned something I had previously perceived as a technical point of doctrine, very much interesting, but not as a fundamental part of my faith. God is a Trinity. This has radical implications for my relationship with Him as well as my relationship with others. The Trinity is entirely practical to every aspect of my life. Reeves reminds us Westerners that we often adopt Western assumptions when trying to develop an understanding of God. Therefore, conversations about the nature of God become very awkward as we try to fit in an additional two people in the godhead. Often, erroneous (and ultimately heretical) analogies are given in an effort to try to explain this tri-unity. Three forms of water. A clover. All very much modalistic which fail miserably to help one actually understand the Trinity. Reeves offers this helpful reminder, "...Deuteronomy 6.4 really doesn't convey 'mathematical singularity [The Lord our God is one]...The word [one] is also used, for example, in Genesis 2.24, where Adam and Eve-two persons-are said to be one." A theme developed early on in the book is that the Trinity makes Christianity absolutely distinct in the identity of God over any other religious system. Here is how he demonstrates this uniqueness. God is love (1John 4.8) and His love does not depend upon His creation. In other words, God's love existed before His creation (in the Son) and therefore God does not depend upon His creation in order to be love (if there was no one to love, how could God be a God of love?) "Now, God could not be love if there were nobody to love. He could not be a Father without a child." (p. 26) Reeves then makes the contrast with others systems, such as Islam. One of Allah's 99 names is "The Loving", but Reeves asks, how can Allah be loving if there was nothing else in existence that he could love? If Allah needs his creation to be loving, then Allah is therefore dependent upon that creation. But the Koran teaches Allah is not dependent upon anything. Aristotle saw the same problem. How can God be good if there is nothing else in creation to be good toward? Goodness requires something other. Therefore Aristotle postulated the eternal nature of creation. However, Aristotle's god still remains dependent upon his creation in order to be considered good. At this point I thought, well couldn't Aristotle or Muslims counter with the same charge? Doesn't God being a savior depend on a fallen creation that needs to be saved and with no fallen creation, God could not be a savior? Though this question isn't itself raised in the book, I think Reeves answers the charge. He says, "It is unsurprising that such a God should create. And that we should then be created in the image of God and destined to conformed into the likeness of Christ." But why? Because, "...the Father so enjoyed his fellowship with his Son that he wanted to have the goodness of it spread out and communicated or shared with others." Our salvation is an outpouring of God's love. Salvation is simply a part of God's love that has existed from all eternity and before creation. Quoting puritan Richard Sibbes, "Such a goodness is in God as in a fountain..." That illustration led me to think of the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in John 4. John 4:13,14 "Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." This identifies (at least in part) what it means to be created in God's image. "The Father's love is primary. The Father is the loving head. That then means that in his love he will send and direct the Son, whereas the Son never sends or directs the Father." (p.28) "...as the Father is the lover and the Son is the beloved, so Christ becomes the lover and the church the beloved. That means Christ loves the church first and foremost: his love is not a response, given only when the church loves him; his love comes first, and we only love him because he first loved us (1Jn 4.19). That dynamic is also to be replicated in marriages, husbands being the heads of their wives, loving them as Christ the Head loves his bride, the church. He is the lover, she is the beloved. Like the church, then, wives are not left to earn the love of their husbands; they can enjoy it as something lavished on them freely, unconditionally and maximally." (p.28) God is love and we have been created in His image. We are created to be love. To love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and to love our neighbor as ourself. Quoting Richard Sibbes, "We become like what we worship." (p.47). Therefore, the contrast between the devil and the triune God. "But the contrast between the devil and the triune God could hardly be starker: the first is empty, hungry, grasping, envious; the second is superabundant, generous, radiant and self-giving." (p.46) This is all very practical. Being created in the image of God and redeemed by the blood of Christ, I am sanctified by the Spirit to be generous, radiant, and self-giving. Simply, a lover of others. The contrary then is demonic. There is such more to be taken from this book. It is a very quick read, but rich in practical wisdom. It would be appropriate for any level of maturity in the church, but would most certainly be invaluable for new believers to begin their journey with a greater appreciation for the Trinity.

I don't know Michael Reeves, but I picture him as outgoing, personable, and winsome - a gift of grace to us. He wants this book to be “about growing in our enjoyment of God and seeing how God's triune being makes all his ways beautiful. It is a chance to taste and see that the Lord is good, to have your heart won and yourself refreshed” (p. 9), which, of course, are great goals. Towards this end, he writes with a wider audience in mind than theologians like Barth or Volf, but Reeves's gifts are properly suited to his task at hand, and he’s able to make the thoughts of these major theologians digestible to the common person. He approaches his goal, as a scholar, teacher, and historian; however, he writes Delighting in the Trinity primarily a preacher and exhorter, attacking his thesis from every angle, and repeatedly so. He’s sometimes brilliant, witty and humorous, and able to take complex concepts and bring them into every day life, igniting the reader's soul in the process towards living for Christ. All these things are the sign a good teacher and preacher. Further, this book's concepts would be easily digestible by many Christians, hungry enough to learn about the Trinity, and contains ideas that are foundational to the faith of all Christians, hence the subtitle: an Introduction to the Christian Faith. His mystical, relational, Spirit filled Christian life may be foreign to some, but his thoughts in this area are refreshing, balanced, and properly nuanced and not often enough written about by those within his stream of theology. I did find him, at times, however, to be a bit too pedantic, dry, or basic. But, he really worked hard not to be so and my “lethargic moments” in the book may have been due to having read similar thoughts before or that time I read this book after a long day and a full meal. The book would have been better with an index, but having to reread a few sections over again, when in search of a recently read point, wasn’t so bad. This pastor can easily recommend M. Reeves’s book; it would especially be a helpful for you, if you: • Desire an introduction to Trinitarian theology. • Delight in Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections, etc. but are uncomfortable with the over arching tones of the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” • Want another reason for going to the mission field, other than God is sending heathen to Hell, unless I do something. • Are a preacher, whose sermons are stuck on do, do some more, and then do it again. • Are a believer, who needs to be reminded that God is working to complete his love in you and won’t quit until you are fully in his arms. Reeves, takes several of the heroes of Reformed theology – Calvin, Edwards, Spurgeon et al – and quotes from their works but consistently declares throughout the entire book: “God's innermost being (hypostatis) is an outgoing, loving, life-giving being … He is not a God who hoards his life, but one who gives it away, as he would show in that supreme moment of his self-revelation on the cross.” (45) If sin is “love turned in on itself,” then God is entirely other than this characteristic; he’s the One whom love of the other is central to his being, an eternal self-existent love that was before creation and intrinsically part of the Triune relationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” (Gal 5:6; 1 John 4:16)

This book can be read by age-16 and up. It is a very straight-forward historical presentation of the Trinity that unpacks the roles of each person of the Godhead in an interesting way that makes it easy to read. If you are looking for a very simple, rich, and practical book that can be utilized for teaching Sunday school classes, then I highly recommend `Delighting in the Trinity.' To be blunt: this is an orthodox and basic book meant for new followers of Christ or believers that do not read theology, including historical theology. Although this book is only 120 pages, it is packed full of historical and theological facts, and Reeves offers interesting insights on how the Trinity touches on all other issues in the Christian worldview (e.g., salvation). Reeves offers numerous inserts throughout this book (e.g., a one-page essay on Pelagius [page 67]) much like one would find in a study Bible. For example, after laying a basic theological foundation regarding obtaining knowledge ("relational knowledge") of God, Reeves states, ". . . in revealing himself, not only does the Father send his Son in the power of the Spirit; together the Father and the Son send the Spirit to make the Son known. The Son makes the Father known; the Spirit makes the Son known" (page 81). This statement is a conclusion to a very Biblically based argument that is unpacked in the chapter. If you are unfamiliar with a basic understanding of the importance of the Trinity, I would highly recommend this book. Although one could raise the criticism that the contents of this book could be subsumed in a different book on the same topic, this would ultimately undermine the utility of Reeves' book and its ability to be used in a church seminar or Sunday school class setting. Many times new believers need a sense of learning step-by-step, and having them purchase a lengthy book (e.g., Wayne Grudem's `Systematic Theology') is usually overwhelming--although I do recommend one ought to have Grudem's book in their private library. For those that have with a much more in-depth knowledge base, I would not recommend purchasing this book. Reeves has not written a book for scholars or apologists/philosophers entrenched in theology proper, or who study the attributes of God. You will not find a long and drawn out defense of the logical coherence of the Trinity. For those looking for a defense of the concept of God and the Trinity at an academic level, I recommend Feinberg's `No One Like Him,' the `Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology,' edited by JP Moreland and William Craig, or the Oxford handbook of `Philosophical Theology' edited by Thomas Flint and Michael Rea. These suggestions are not for new believers/followers. However, for the new believer reading this review, these books represent the level of learning in which you ought to aspire.

I am ashamed to say it, but I often end up feeling closer to my family than to God. I never question whether my family life is real or meaningful, but, sometimes, my Christian life feels like going through the motions. This all changed when I read "Delighting in the Trinity" by Michael Reeves. Before reading this book, I had little grasp on the impact of the doctrine of the Trinity. Three persons that are one God?...why does that even matter? It just seemed kind of irrelevant or even 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." In "Delighting in the Trinity", Reeves opened my eyes to the practical implications of the doctrine of the Trinity, and it made my relationship with God come alive again. Because God is a Trinity the whole story is about Love. One of my main takeaways from the book was that, because God is a Trinity, the whole story of creation, fall, and redemption is about love. Why? Because for all eternity, the Father, Son, and Spirit have been loving each other. The following quote from the book gives a sample of this idea: "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....Since God is, before all things, a Father, and not primarily Creator or Ruler, all his ways are beautifully fatherly. It is not that this God “does” being Father as a day job, only to kick back in the evenings as plain old “God.” It is not that he has a nice blob of fatherly icing on top. He is Father. All the way down. Thus all that he does he does as Father." Isn't this beautiful! God is not just some distant, abstract perfection. God is a family of three persons who have been overflowing with love for each other throughout all eternity! Once this hit home it made so many scriptures come alive. For example, when I used to read " God is Love" (1 John 4:8) it didn't have much meaning to me; it seemed abstract. But, now I see that this verse is talking about real, joy-filled love of God the Father, Son, and Spirit. It is love like my family love. Now, I see that this love explains God's motivation for the whole story of life. Reeves explains that God must be a Trinity for us to have a real, loving, relationship with him. How could we ever love someone who was essentially just a ruler or creator? Do you love your local police force or politicians? You may be grateful to them, but you don't love them, not like you love your family. Another consistent emphasis of the book was a contrast between the true God and the single person gods of other religions, such as Allah of Islam. Reeves shows that Allah exists and functions in a completely different way from the Father, Son and Spirit. I found this contrast really encouraging, and I think that it would be really helpful in apologetic discussions. The only minor negative that I have about the book is that the structure of the book was a little too loose for my taste. I got a little lost at times. With that said, "Delighting in the Trinity" was the best book that I have read in years. Reeves' writing style is clear and concise and really funny in certain parts. I would strongly recommend it to Christians of all walks!

What would you say if you were asked to answer the question: "Who is God?" When it comes to the Christian faith, the doctrine of the Trinity is as crucial as any because it describes the identity of the God who is at its center. Ultimately, this is what makes Christianity perfectly unique in comparison to the rest of the world's religions. This is what Michael Reeves argues for in his short work, Delighting In The Trinity. For all of the complex theological cacophonies that tend to result in our conversations over the Trinity, Reeves moves with ease and great wit as he introduces his readers to a deeply accessible doctrine that is not meant to be far off, but intimately near; not mind-numblingly convoluted, but swiftly refreshing to the soul. Admittedly, this doctrine is shrouded in divine mystery and cannot be properly constrained by human reason, but God has revealed Himself as Triune and given us His Word as a means for understanding how the great King of the Universe has functioned in such a remarkable manner before the outset of history as we know it. Reeves opens his work by seeking to answer the question I posed at the beginning of this entry - "Who is God?" Or more specifically, "What was God doing before Creation?" From there, he presents his readers to the Loving, Life-Giving Father of the Bible who, because of His infinite love for His Son, created the world and all its inhabitants out of the overflow of His heart and is pleased to share His love for the Son with all creation through His Holy Spirit. Reeves tactfully highlights each member of the Trinity with balance and care, showing their equal distinction and perfect unity with one another. Page after page reads of the God who creates without need for anything; who has eternally existed in intimate, loving community; who stoops and comes down from His rightful place in Heaven to enter into His creation in order to redeem His people. Before you know it, as the truths of the Trinity leap from each paragraph, you will find yourself drawn into deep worship for the God of the Bible. The strength of Reeves' Delighting In The Trinity is its highly-readable content. He has made what has often been relegated to "scholarly minds" a more than tangible reality for anyone who picks up the book. This work is a must read for anyone not well-acquainted with the beautiful truths of the Trinitarian God. Many throughout history have toiled, sweat, and bled to preserve the doctrine of the Trinity because it is a sweet and powerful reality underlying the intimate presence of God in His creation.

There are some helpful 4-star reviews. I have been growing in my own delight in the Trinity over that past several years and Reeve's book was a timely edition (other helpful books include "The Deep Things of God" by Fred Sanders, the (out-of-print) "The Magnificent Three" by Nicky Cruz, and "Sex, Food, and God" by David Eckman. It is said one should not to judge a book by its cover, but I purchased "Delighting in the Trinity" specifically because of the title. The divine community of love as revealed in through the life and teaching of Jesus is a relational reality to experience daily, not simply a item on a doctrinal statement. Reeve's book delivers on the claim of its title. I have now read through the book approximately 7 times in concert with other individuals and groups and with each reading I have gained additional delight in the "Magnificent Three". My preferred way to discuss the book is through reading out loud with another person, discussing as we go. Once, when I had been recommending the book, someone asked me: "Is it practical?" Anticipating this question, Reeves writes: "Nonetheless, getting to know God better does actually make for far more profound and practical changes as well. Knowing the love of God is the very thing that makes us loving…it makes for happier marriages, warmer dealings with others, better church life; it gives Christians assurance, shapes holiness and transforms the very way we look at the world around us. No exaggeration: the knowledge of this God turns lives around. Some of the reviews for the book may give the impression that this book is merely introductory, that other, more deeply theological works may follow. I stridently disagree. I have read books* with more footnotes and an though many of them are excellent, none have moved me to deeper wonder, awe and joy, energized my life in Christ, or been of greater practical application than this one. It is a great distillation of historical Christian thought (incorporating a range of Christian writings over the millennial) and reveals the breath-taking truth: "Neither a problem nor a technicality, the triune being of God is the vital oxygen of Christian life and joy." *If you are interested in a book-by-book study of the Trinity in scripture, I recommend the anthology, "The Essential Trinity: New Foundations and Practical Relevance" ed. Brandon D. Crowe & Carl R. Trueman.