John 14:8-17 is a slightly odd text for Pentecost — until the end it says very little about the coming of the Spirit. But as with all of John 13-17, it is theologically rich. John 14:8-17 It’s a great text on the Trinity and on the purpose of the Incarnation — plus, if you sneak […]
6 Key Things to Know About the Holy Spirit
A week ago was Pentecost. This week was Trinity Sunday. A great time to continue blogging about the Holy Spirit. It took a while for Christians to become clear that the Holy Spirit is really and truly God. Father? Check. Son? Check. Spirit? Some ambiguity — for centuries actually. Once that was clear, though, we joyfully proclaimed and […]
Who Do You Say He Is? Christ the Mediator
One of the most important questions Jesus ever asked was “But who do you say that I am?” In Matthew, Mark and Luke this is his follow-up after asking his disciples what the crowds said about him. Everyone who tries to figure out what to do about Christianity has to ask this same question. We […]
The Trinity: Is It Really All About You?
I spent a whole blog post just ramping up to talk about Gregory of Nazianzus’ way of dealing with the Trinity. Let’s see if I can be on topic by making one brief comparison. For most people today the Trinity is discussed in relation to US. I’m not thinking of academic theology but ordinary conversation. Correct […]
Vocabulary Lesson: “Trinity,” “Council”
A couple of weeks ago when I wrote about Gregory of Nazianzus I noted that his approach to the Trinity was radically different from most of what is said on the topic today. “I could say more — just ask me!” I quipped. My dear friend Jack Craft said he’d like to hear more. Here […]