This Week in Housekeeping

A recently updated Theological Term of the Week:

Trinity

• Added links to two talks by J. I. Packer: The Trinity - Part 1, The Trinity - Part 2 (mp3s). (I recently listened to these and highly recommend them. They are the impetus behind my two recent lists:  Reading Romans 8 As a Trinitarian and Reading Ephesians 1 As a Trinitarian.)
• Updated the links to Wayne Grudem’s Sunday school lessons: The Doctrine of the Trinity: part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4 (mp3s)
• Added related terms: economic Trinity; ontological Trinity; hypostatic union; person; being.

Thankful Thursday

It’s cold out there again, so I’m thankful, once again, for a warm house. I’m thankful for a good furnace and draft-free windows. I’m thankful for the things that make my home a pleasant place in which to spend cold days: the two dogs and one cat, the blankets on the couch, the stocked fridge and cupboards, the books, the candles, the teapot, Kellogg’s Brown Sugar Flavour Mini-Wheats, and a jigsaw puzzle waiting to be started.

Can I say, too, that I’m thankful that January is almost half over?

I’m also thankful that my car is finally fixed properly. I’m thankful that the garage reduced my entire labour cost for the fix to $20 because I had to bring the car in so many times before they found out what was really wrong with it. (The whole deal, if you remember, started a week before Christmas.) I’m thankful that the fix, in the end, was an inexpensive one.

I’m thankful that God is in control of the big things and the small things. I’m thankful that God uses my circumstances, the joyful ones, the tragic ones, and the annoying ones (like cold weather and broken car and January) to conform me to the image of Christ.

I’m thankful for the Trinity. My reconciliation to God depends on God being Three-in-One.

Throughout this year I’m planning to post a few thoughts of thanksgiving each Thursday along with Kim at the Upward Call and others.

She's Making a List: Reading Ephesians 1 As a Trinitatian

Ephesians 1:3-14 (ESV):

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Last week I made a list of what the last half of  Romans 8 tells us about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here’s a list drawn from this passage in Ephesians:

The Father

• blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing (v 3).
• chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world (v 4).
• predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ (v 5); predestined us according to his purpose (v 11).
• blessed us with his grace in the Beloved (Christ) (v 6); lavished his grace upon us (v 8).
• made known the mystery of his will to us (v 9).
• planned to unite all things in Christ (v 10).
• work all things according to the counsel of his will. (v 11).

The Son

• we receive every spiritual blessing in him (v 3).
• we are chosen in him (v 4).
• we are adopted as sons through him (v 5).
• we are blessed with God’s grace in him (v 6).
• we have redemption, forgiveness of trespasses through his blood (v 7).
• all things are united in him (v 10).
• we obtained an inheritance in him (v 11).
• we hope and believe in him (v 13).

The Holy Spirit

• seals us (v 13).
• guarantees our inheritance (v 14).

This is yet another passage in which the Trinity is implicit. Each person of the Trinity has a role in our salvation: Out of his grace, the Father plans to save and bring his plan to pass; the Son is the “in” and “through” of salvation, providing the grounds for it; the Holy Spirit applies salvation to us.