The Trinity is the heartbeat of the Christian faith, as Herman Bavinck reminds us.¹ If this doctrine is indeed about pumping blood through our spiritual veins, then it must not be blockaded only into the academy halls and books inaccessible to ordinary Christians. It must be declared and heralded to God’s people. We need to know the God who made us and redeemed us. That God is Father, Son, and Spirit, whose triune life is of infinite majesty and worth our reflection.

Matthew Barrett, Ronni Kurtz, Sam Parkison, and Joseph Lanier have in differing ways done academic work focused on the retrieval of the classical doctrine of God. Of course, a major part of that effort has involved recovering traditional categories for explaining the Trinity. They know that this endeavor must include serious study of the church’s history, exegetical methods, and theological categories. Hard academic work cannot be avoided in this matter. These four also know that all that study, done rightly, is supposed to benefit God’s people.

This book is a collection of reflections on the Trinity that grew out of a sermon series aimed to teach Trinitarian doctrine to the church where they were at one point all pastoring together. Although I think the work seems successful, the introduction reads almost as if this was an experiment among them to see if you can put deep Trinitarian doctrine in front of a congregation and get it to work. This book, in some measure, shows that it can be done.

The material works through big picture Trinitarian categories, such as simplicity, eternal generation, spiration, and inseparable operations. Clearly, some arguments have been beefed up for publication compared to what would work in the pulpit. Nevertheless, the discussions all provide exemplary models for introducing heavy doctrinal content with a view to incorporating it into the life of the church.

On that note, one of the inclinations that preachers have to fight is the impulse to jam really big doctrines into a side note of an exegetical sermon. We often attempt to drop huge truths into a small amount of space within our sermons. When we handle doctrinal teaching that way, is it any wonder that our people struggle to hold onto it?

This book shows us the need to slow down and open up these doctrinal categories at length. Some Reformed churches follow a catechetical tradition of evening sermons that work through doctrinal preaching. Whether we use that model or not, this book shows us how to take our time to help people digest doctrinal truth. Of course, that means working these truths into the church’s life. In this case, their (right) argument is to implement the creeds in our church’s worship.

I do wish that this book had included some more illustration. It is full of accessible explanation. It has lots of good, gospel-centered application. I often wished for some sections that showed me the truth that they were telling me.

Two caveats on that desire. First, I know Trinitarian illustrations are notoriously hard. I totally understand why they did not aim to illustrate the Trinity itself. That said, I think there is likely a place for illustrations, not about the Trinity itself, but concerning some of the explanatory concepts for the Trinity. For example, the section about divine appropriations explains the idea of a work being executed by the whole Trinity but terminating on one person. We might well be able to come up with something to help demonstrate how this distinction works in a more relatable and concrete application without trying to illustrate God’s incomprehensible life directly.

Second, I also admit that I wish for those illustrations because I am a preacher longing to get more of this doctrine in front of my church. My desire for these extra helps likely owes to wishing that these men did the work for me as I may try to take this into the pulpit.

A few standout strengths mark this book. The chapter on the Trinitarian shape of the gospel is incredible. The Trinity is not disconnected from our other fundamental doctrines. We must hold the gospel and the Trinity together. I have more frequently heard as of recent the question, “Are we supposed to prioritize the gospel or the doctrine of God?” I have always flinched at the question because I deny the premise that we can choose between them. This book brings the right answer to bear: the Trinity and the gospel are inextricably related doctrines.

Second, a few of the exegetical sections show some really incredible examples of theological exegesis. Especially as I ramp up to preach Psalms 15–24 in the next stretch of sermon series, the reflections on Psalms 22–24, focusing on the Trinitarian teaching of Psalm 24, are as rich as it gets. The material on Psalm 17 as pointing to the beatific vision helpfully demonstrates the need to build theologically upon the grammatical-historical first layer of interpretation.

This book is a reminder that theology is for the church. Although not everything can be taken into the pulpit, we should not shy away from getting the deep things of God in front of our people. These chapters have resources to get you started in teaching this at your church if you are a pastor. Beyond that, it is also a non-overwhelming yet unsuperficial introductory work on heavier matters of Trinitarian theology. It is, most of all, a refresher on why it is so important that we proclaim the truth of who God is, even when it takes careful planning and thoughtful diligence to execute that instruction.

Note

1. Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend, 4 vol. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003–8), 2:333.

©Harrison Perkins. All Rights Reserved.

Matthew Barrett, Ronni Kurtz, Samuel G. Parkison, and Joseph Lanier, Proclaiming the Triune God: The Doctrine of the Trinity in the Life of the Church (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2024).

RESOURCES

• Subscribe To The Heidelblog!
• Download the HeidelApp on Apple App Store or Google Play
• The Heidelblog Resource Page
• Heidelmedia Resources
• The Ecumenical Creeds
• The Reformed Confessions
• The Heidelberg Catechism
• The Heidelberg Catechism: A Historical, Theological, & Pastoral Commentary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2025)
• Recovering the Reformed Confession (Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008)
• Why I Am A Christian
• What Must A Christian Believe?
• Heidelblog Contributors
• Support Heidelmedia: use the donate button or send a check to

Heidelberg Reformation Association
1637 E. Valley Parkway #391
Escondido CA 92027
USA
The HRA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

Post authored by:

• Harrison Perkins

  

  Harrison Perkins (PhD, Queen’s University Belfast; MDiv, Westminster Seminary California) is pastor of Oakland Hills Community Church (OPC), a member of the of the Heidelberg Reformation Association, a Senior Research Fellow at the Craig Center for the Study of the Westminster Standards, associate online instructor in church history at Westminster Theological Seminary, a visiting lecturer in systematic theology at Edinburgh Theological Seminary, and author of Reformed Covenant Theology: A Systematic Introduction.

  More by Harrison Perkins ›