The Surprising God

If all people are included already in Jesus, why be involved in evangelism? The GCI  Ministry Development Team  addresses this question in a seminar titled,  Relational Evangelism . The subtitle speaks to our trinitarian focus: "Sharing with Jesus in relating with non-believers." Evangelism from this perspective is not about bringing Jesus to people as though he were absent . Rather it sees evangelism in light of the truth that Jesus is present - including non-believers in his life, and relating to them in the Spirit, expressing the Father's love and grace. Evangelism is about participating with Jesus in that relating. By doing so we declare   the good news (which is the biblical definition of evangelism), by being the good news and then verbally sharing our own experience of Jesus (who is the good news). In short, we help people identify and come to know the Jesus who is already present in their lives. And we invite them to participate active...

Craig Kuhlman submitted the following questions related to our personal participation in the salvation we have in Jesus. I encourage your reply to his questions via "comments." How can we maintain engagement (in face-to-face relationship with Jesus) without ebb and flow?  How do we continue to live in that relationship and bear spiritual fruit without becoming formulaic, or something "that must be done" by ourselves, when all was done by Him?  How can we maintain the Spirit's active regeneration that comes from face-to-face relationship with Jesus and yet avoid the impression we must "do" the spiritual disciplines, when Jesus has already done it all?  What is "our part," if any? And is it fair to say, that if there is any "our part," isn't that part initiated by Him to begin with?  If we have a part now, why didn't we have it from the beginning when we were dead in sin?

Some wonder if trinitarian theology leads to inactivity (if all are included already, why bother with ministry?).  I address this question in a recently posted  You're Included  interview with Mike Feazell. Click here  to watch online.

I'm reading Like, Father, Like Son, the Trinity Imaged in Our Humanity by Tom Smail (pictured left) who presently serves as senior visiting research fellow at Kings College in London. I think Smail does an excellent job of exegeting from a trinitarian perspective the scriptural teaching concerning humankind created in God's image. In short, his thesis is this: the image that humankind is given in creation and that is restored in redemption is the image of the Father, Son and Spirit - the tri -personal God revealed to us in Jesus. He notes that we image God in two ways: in God's oneness (which is his three in oneness in perichoretic relatedness); and in God's threeness (the distinctive qualities and roles of each person of the triune God). Smail then explores the implications of this triune image of God as it is expressed in and through various aspects of our humanity. Concerning the imaging of the Holy Spirit in our humanity (inclusive of human culture) he...

John Eldredge (pictured right) of Ransomed Heart Ministries, is a popular evangelical Christian author of such books at "Sacred Romance" and "Wild at Heart." A reader of this blog offers in this post a critique of Eldredge's book "Walking With God." Though this critique is not intended to discount the positive benefits some have derived from Eldredge's books, it does object to some of the premises of "Walking with God" that seem in conflict with a trinitarian / incarnational understanding of the gospel. See what you think. And feel free to send to The Surprising God critiques (positive and negative) of this or other books as we reason together in the light of Jesus. -Ted Johnston moderator, The Surprising God It seems to me that "Walking with God" [ WWG ] espouses a form of magical thinking by implying that God can be manipulated by human activity. Through a highly individualistic approach to Scripture (where every verse...

A key concept of trinitarian Christ-centered theology is that the incarnation encompasses all the created order. In the incarnation of the Son of God, the agent of creation, all the cosmos (not just humanity) is included in God's work of redemption - re-creation. This view of the incarnation is expressed by Robert Webber (pictured right) in his book  Who Gets to Narrate the World? The book is cited in the September 1 issue of Preaching Now , noting that Webber (now deceased) attributes much of the secularization of Western culture to the church's shift away from this comprehensive view of the incarnation. According to Webber... "God, in the incarnation, took up unto himself the entire creation, so that the creation redeemed by God himself is now to be once again, as in the Garden, the theater of his glory. The ancient church understood the impact of creation, incarnation and re-creation on all of creation, and that is why Christians were the leaders in the arts...

The understanding that God is Trinity, tells us not only who God is, but also what God does. The good news is that God, who is relational love in his being, is relationally loving in his doing. Thus to know God as Trinity is to know the God who as love, and in love, saves us. To know God as Trinity is to know that God is for us! This stunning truth is revealed in the person of Jesus, the incarnate Son of God who as one of us, is God with us and for us. This vital point is made well by Martin Davis in a recent post on his blog . Martin (pictured right) provides a careful analysis of the development of thought concerning God within Western Christianity - a development that, sadly, lost much understanding concerning God's triune being and relating. Thanks Martin for your contributions to this conversation.

Click here to view a Speaking of Life program with Dr. Joseph Tkach (pictured left) that helpfully summarizes the trinitarian theology discussed in this blog. For a listing of other Speaking of Life programs, click here .

A reader of this blog submitted the following question: Since salvation in Jesus comes through faith and this faith is God's gift, why does it seem that God is not giving this gift to everyone at this time? Here is my reply: I agree that the faith needed for salvation is, like salvation itself, God's gift - it's all of grace! Moreover, I understand from Scripture that this faith unto salvation is not our own - rather it is our sharing in the faith of the God-man Jesus who believes on our behalf, and shares his saving faith with us (see the KJV translation of Gal. 2:20, which rightly translates "faith in Jesus Christ" as "faith of Jesus Christ"). It is the faith of Jesus, the vicarious (representative - substitute) human, that unites humankind to God. Both Calvinism and Arminianism (two dominant evangelical Protestant theologies) assert that the faith that leads to salvation is, indeed, God's gift and thus not to be viewed as a m...

Among contemporary evangelical (including trinitarian ) theologians, much (often heated) discussion continues concerning whether or not the idea of "penal substitution" is a valid way to characterize the atonement . Some sweep it aside as hopelessly flawed. Others assert its validity even if they object to certain ideas attached to its use. An influential theologian in the second camp is I. Howard Marshall (at left), who argues for penal substitution, but against certain biblically indefensible ideas that have come to be attached to the concept. In "The Theology of the Atonement" ( click here to download), Marshall does a good job of surveying the issue from the perspectives of the Bible and contemporary theological literature. He places the issue in a trinitarian context without sweeping it aside. See what you think of his viewpoints. I think it would have been helpful if he had said more about the incarnation (Jesus' vicarious humanity), and the NT m...

Warren Wilson sent the Surprising God Blog the following questions: I've recently read some articles on the Internet that said that since Jesus had a fallen human nature but was able to completely avoid sin through the power of the Holy Spirit, that we who also have the Spirit should be able to become completely sin free in this life. That seems to overstate things to me and ignores that Jesus' situation and ours is not exactly the same. Am I correct in that? Also, I've never seen anything written about the question of whether Jesus continues to have a fallen human nature in heaven? In other words, what effect does glorification have on fallen human nature? Are we doomed to continue to have fallen human nature for eternity, even after we're glorified? Thanks Warren for your questions. I agree that the human nature assumed by the Son of God through his incarnation in the person of Jesus is the *fallen* nature we all have. By taking on our nature, Jesus ...

When it comes to the topic of the final judgment, many have formed opinions based on what I feel is an inaccurate reading of Revelation, leading them to conclude (in error) that when God comes to earth at the end of time he comes as an angry, hostile and vengeful God. But through a careful reading of Revelation, we are introduced to the Lord, the God of covenant grace, who in the person of the God-man Jesus, returns to earth as the one he truly is - the Savior of all mankind. This Jesus who returns is the same one we met in the Gospels who walked the roads of Galilee as a "friend of sinners"; who died on Calvary's cross to save sinners; and who cared for his doubting disciples after his resurrection, promising to be with them "always, unto the very end of the age" (Mat. 28:20) as they reach out with Jesus' love to all the world. It is this Jesus, God's Lamb, who in Revelation comes to earth not to destroy , but to save , and his personal pre...

In " Christian Preaching: A Trinitarian Theology of Proclamation ," Michael Pasquarello writes, "Perhaps the most offensive and scandalous aspect of speaking the Word of God in our time may be the notion of grace, which announces that from beginning to end our human lives are not of our own making, management, or control. In learning to confess that we are sinful creatures of a gracious God, we discover that our lives are constituted as gifts rather than possessions, whose purpose is to know and love our Creator. "In Christian worship, then, we acknowledge our grateful dependence according to the particular wisdom displayed in the self-giving of Christ, through which the Spirit evokes responsiveness and receptivity to the God who speaks both creation and salvation. Thus, in a time that calls for a strong, robust message of faith, hope, and love, there is no 'deeply felt need' more urgent than proclaiming the 'foolishness' of the cross - the power a...

In a post last March, I mentioned the insights of theologian and musician Jeremie Begbie, who explores the interplay of theology and music. In a new video , Begbie discusses the interplay of theology and the arts - music in particular. Begbie understands that the creativity expressed in composing and playing music, is a way in which we share in the free yet ordered (perichoretic) communion of the Father-Son-Spirit. God shares this communion with us in and through the Son of God incarnate, Jesus Christ, who in his own person is the union of our humanity with God's divinity. This permanent union opens to us, through the indwelling Spirit, the opportunity for our participation in what Jesus, the God-man, is doing in the Spirit within our world. Music is one of his masterful, creative tools. It is our joy to join with him, and in so doing to learn more about the harmonies of his union with all the cosmos. Play on!

Mention the word theology and some people yawn while others run for the door. For many, theology is "ivory tower" stuff with little relevance to "real life." How sad, for true theology (God knowledge) speaks directly to the ultimate "real life," which is the triune communion of the Father-Son-Spirit that they are sharing with all humanity in and through their union with all people (indeed the whole cosmos) in the person of the God-man, Jesus Christ. Trinitarian, incarnational theology addresses this abiding union of grace, which is the "truth of all truths." It is the "logic" - the "reality" by which we rightly address all other issues/truths including the nature of humanity (anthropology), the nature of the church (ecclesiology) and the nature of Christian mission (missiology): 1. Anthropology . We understand that humankind is united to the triune God through the incarnation of the Son of God in the person of th...

We are saddened to learn that Professor Ray Anderson died on Father's Day (June 21). As a trinitarian-incarnational minister, theologian and professor, Anderson made many important contributions to our understanding of the life and love of our triune God into which we are adopted in Jesus. To read an obituary on the Faith and Theology blog, click here . To view a tribute video, click here . To listen to two "You're Included" interviews with Anderson click here for interview #1 and here for interview #2.

In Rom. 8:9, Paul writes: "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ." How does this statement square with many biblical statements that testify to the present inclusion of ALL humanity in God's love and life through the representative - substitutionary (vicarious) humanity of Jesus? Also, what does Paul mean by "have" the Spirit? And, can a person be included in Jesus, yet not "have the Spirit"? The reality presented in Scripture (and I am indebted here to helpful comments from Dr. Joseph Tkach and Dr. Gary Deddo), is that the Spirit is always working with everyone (believers and non-believers alike). However, it is believers who are both aware of and receptive to the Spirit's work. While all people have been reconciled to the Father through Jesus' vicarious humanity, not all believe - and thus not all actively participate in God's new creation of humanity in Jesus. Thus there is a difference be...

In about A.D. 180, Irenaeus (pictured at right) wrote the statement below concerning the triune nature of God. Here we find the basic elements of the doctrine of the Trinity. Note, in particular, the distinct role of each member of the Godhead and its relationship to all of humanity. This is the rule of our faith, the foundation of the building, and what gives support to our behavior. God the Father uncreated, who is uncontained , invisible, one God, creator of the universe; this is the first article of our faith. And the second is: The Word of God , the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who appeared to the prophets according to their way of prophesying and according to the dispensation of the Father. Through h im all things were created. Furthermore, in the fullness of time, in order to gather all things to himself , he became a human being amongst human beings, capable of being seen and touched, to destroy death, bring life, and restore fellowship between God an...

Sadly, some theologies present a Godhead that is divided in mind and heart. On the one hand, Jesus is presented as the "friend of sinners." But on the other, God the Father is presented as angry with sinners - so "holy" in fact, that he refuses to be in their presence. But trinitarian, Christ-centered theology declares the gospel to be the truly  good news that it is  for both believers and non-believers. This good news is  grounded in the truth that the Father, Son and Spirit are of one mind and heart in their unconditional love for all humanity.  I think it was TF Torrance who wrote, "There is no other God behind the back of Jesus."  The point is that there is not another God who is unlike Jesus. God the Father, just like Jesus, loves and embraces all humanity, having acted in love (in and through Jesus' incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension), to include us all in his life. Sadly, many people (non-Christians and Christia...

In The Call to Discipleship , trinitarian theologian Karl Barth (pictured at left) addresses the topic of Christian discipleship. In doing so, he interacts with Scripture (particularly Jesus' Sermon on the Mount) and related views set forth by his friend and colleague Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Bonhoeffer's classic book, The Cost of Discipleship  (published originally as Discipleship ). Following are selected quotes from Barth's short, but helpful book (Fortress Press edition, 2003). 'Follow me' is [Jesus' call] to discipleship... Easily the best that has been written on this subject is to be found in Discipleship , by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. (pp. 1-2) Following [Jesus] as [his first disciples] practiced it... had both an inward and an outward limit... They [accompanied] him wholeheartedly and constantly, sharing his life and destiny at the expense of all other engagements and commitments, attaching themselves to him, placing themselves in his service, ...

Though often minimized, the doctrine of Jesus' bodily ascension is of great importance. It proclaims that the ascended Jesus remains fully God and fully human (now glorified human). When Jesus ascended, he did not shed his humanity, but ascended bodily into heaven (where he remains until he returns bodily at the end of the age).  In his ongoing humanity, Jesus continues to be our representative and substitute (the One for the many; the many in the One). Thus Paul can declare that when Jesus ascended, all humanity ascended with and in him: " It is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus..." (Eph. 2:5b-6).  You may be asking, Where does Scripture say that Jesus remains human? Note the following verses: "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1Tim. 2:5, emphasis added). "For he has set a day when he will judge the ...

The topic of family relations is vital in life (including Christian ministry). Our calling in the Spirit is to think and act out of the truth of the gospel, which is that all humanity is united to God (and one another) in the person of the incarnate, crucified, risen and ascended God-man Jesus. To inform our thinking along these lines, I recommend the following biblically-based resources: Gary Deddo on trinitarian family relations ( click here ) Gary Deddo on why we're gendered beings ( click here ) Gary Deddo on sexual identity ( click here ) Tom Smail on "Perichoretic Parenting" ( click here ) Andrew Root on "Revisiting Relational Youth Ministry" ( click here )

Sadly, salvation is often viewed as a mere transaction by which w e exchange our repentance and faith for God's gift of salvation. Though bearing some truth, this truncated view of salvation is quite incomplete and thus full of potential for error.  Rather than a transaction , Scripture presents salvation as re-creation .  In Jesus, who is fully God and fully human (and in his humanity the representative and substitute for all humanity), ALL humanity is re-created—reconciled, redeemed, justified and saved because Jesus has included ALL humanity in who he is and what he has done through his incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension.  Jesus did all this FOR us and TO us by doing it WITH us and IN us (as one of us). Jesus is the One for the many—the many in the One.  Thus, we understand from Scripture that… When Jesus died, all humanity died with him When Jesus rose, all humanity rose to new life with him When Jesus ascended, all humanity...

A question I'm frequently asked concerning trinitarian theology goes something like this: If all humanity is reconciled to God through Jesus, then why is there a final judgment and hell? To answer this question, we must begin with the biblical answer to the question that takes us to the foundation of all truth, namely, Who is Jesus ?   Scripture declares Jesus to be fully God and fully human. As the unique God-man he is both the Judge and the one in whom all are judged; the Savior and the one in whom all are saved. Through his vicarious (representative and substitutionary ) humanity, Jesus stood in, and still stands in for us all. When Jesus, who bore all our sin, was judged, we were all judged. When he died to pay for all our sin, we all died. When he rose victorious from death, we all rose. And when he ascended to the Father's side, we all ascended with him and in him (2Cor. 5:14, Eph . 2:4-10). In his dual role as both our Savior and our Judge, Jesus does no...

Ministries grounded in a theology of separation tend to conceptualize ministry as a means to influence people toward a particular goal. For example, youth ministry is seen as developing relationships with teens in order to influence them toward Jesus and his lifestyle. Ministry strategies and programs are means to develop and leverage such relationships. Thus youth ministry is often referred to as "relational youth ministry." The same can be said about all sorts of ministries. While I applaud the move to ministries that are more relational than the ones they replaced, I suggest that there is a better way - ministry that is grounded in and flows from a trinitarian theology of incarnation. Call it incarnational ministry .  At first blush, this may seem no different than relational ministry (isn't the incarnation about relationship?). But if we look deeper, we see that the relational ministry model is about using relationships as means to other ends.  In contr...

You may find interesting two recent posts from Tony Jones on The N ew Christians  blog (at Beliefnet).  Tony presents a trinitarian perspective on Jesus' death ( click here ) and resurrection ( click here ). This perspective is presented in contrast to a view of these events seen through the the lens of the "penal substitution" theory of the atonement.  I think Jones' arguments are worth considering.

On its website, Grace Communion International addresses the topic of creation and evolution . The article explores alternative ways for harmonizing the Biblical creation accounts with the evidence of science. The primary option addressed in the article is  theistic evolution . It notes that Scripture (as we understand it) allows for the idea that God created the cosmos a very long time ago, and thus does not demand a young earth - young universe view of creation.  Moreover, it notes that Scripture does not specify the  method  by which God created, and thus allows that God may have used evolutionary processes as a "tool" in his creating. The article also notes that there is a big difference between evolution as a worldview/philosophy and evolution as a scientific explanation of the development of life as we know it. For many years, GCI has noted these things in its literature. These are not new ideas to us, though they are helpfully articula...

Click here  to watch a YouTube video on the relationship between music and theology from Jeremy Begbie, professor at Duke and Cambridge Universities. Begbie asserts that time is one component of the Gospel that is better understood through the arts in general and music specifically. Because music unfolds in time, it implicitly affirms the biblical understanding of time as good, which is contrary to philosophies that scorn time and activities that take time.

Gary Deddo put me on to the book The Renewal of Trinitarian Theology: Themes, Patterns & Explorations  by Roderick T. Leupp (IVP 2008).  It's a helpful compendium of ideas from various sources concerning trinitarian theology. Following are representative quotes (see the book for sources). Trinitarian theology "The Christian calling is not to ingenious speculation about how God can be three and yet one, one and yet three, but is rather a firm adherence to the truth of the incarnation, and a glad acceptance of the benefits of the Father's eternal Word appearing in flesh in Jesus Christ, and a sturdy resolve to transform the world in the power of the Holy Spirit" (p. 10). "The doctrine of the Trinity is that wherein all Christian teaching finds its reason to be" (p. 13). "If the whole of Christian theology can be likened to an archery target, round in shape with concentric rings drawing every-tighter circles toward the center, trinita...