Making Sense Of The Trinity: Crucial Questions By J. Erickson

Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Making Sense of the Trinity: Three Crucial Questions by Millard J. Erickson The Holy Trinity The debate on the holy trinity is one that is as old as the bible and one that brings out some of the heated conversations. This is relative to the fact that, most of the people will simply assume that they know the basics while others are completely objected to the idea. Others simply have a vague idea of the same. It is for this reason that in his book, Making Sense of the Trinity: Three crucial questions, Millard J. Erickson, bring to the light the concept with a rather simplistic approach. This is a crucial read and one that sets the stage for the future of any debates on the topic. What is more appealing is the way that the author is able to argue out the concept with subtle simplicity even for those that are not avid readers. He simplifies the concept into three main questions; is the doctrine of the trinity biblical? Does the doctrine of the trinity make sense? And lastly does the doctrine of the trinity make any difference? Erickson on the Trinity Erickson as a theologian has made significant contribution to the way that people understand the holy trinity. This is a concept that relates to Christians believing the idea that there is God the father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. For most people this a topic that draws some element of confusion and it this that Erickson, elaborates in his book. One of the basic element of faith, is that it requires the subjects to believe in what they have not seen (Erickson, pg. 18). As young Christians, followers are required to follow the doctrine without question. However, as is most common, this is hardly the case. We live in an age where people are used to scientific method of questioning even basic element such as air they breathe. People want to know why they are required to believe in certain concept and it all means to them and ways it impacts their lives (Pritchard). It is this elements that, Erickson seeks to address in his book to make sure that readers are fully aware of the concept and how it applies to faith and their lives. For starters the theologian is very clear on what is acceptable relative to the first question, where he refers to the bible. If a doctrine according to theologian is mentioned and taught in the bible, then this means that is the truth and should be accepted as so (Erickson, pg. 17). To ensure that readers understand the golden standard that he sets, he brings out the biblical foundations upon which the argument is based on (Erickson, pg. 17). He clear on the fact that, it is not just the Old Testament that brings out the concept of the holy trinity but also the New Testament. He refers to the baptism of Jesus when, the latter mentions that He is also God and this is a message that carried on within the Gospel of John. He seen to come to the conclusion that there is one supreme God and there are other two persons that is the son and the Holy Spirit, who make the holy trinity (Erickson, pg. 42). After making the argument for the biblical foundation of the holy trinity, he brings the readers to the second question which relates to the element of the doctrine making sense. This is one of the most sensitive part of the debate as form most people, they will point out to the fact that it does not make sense to them. According to the theologian, there are those that approach the concept from one God and try explain the three persons and there are those that try to take the three persons and try to explain the one God (Pritchard). As such, at this stage, for most believers, this is a confusing concept taking on the egg and the hen analogy. Instead of the monotheist or the tritheism approach, the author uses a perichoresis approach. This is to mean that each of the lives and spirits of the three Gods are interconnected as they run through one another. This is better explained by approaching the concept in a way that indicates that the three are a society that are interconnected. This is connected to the concept of love which relates to expressing it through another person. For love to be genuine it has to be expressed through another person; where it is expressed from one person then there is a problem. In the case of whether the argument makes a different, in the fact that, Christianity is different from other Judaism religion in the sense that none has a doctrine quite like what is found in the holy trinity (Erickson, pg. 76). Without the concept of the holy trinity, there is no element of subordination which is functional. All Christians are called to serve and submit and this is explicitly reflected in the holy trinity. T...