Wayne Grudem- Bible Doctrine

The other day I was thinking about a book I have been reading that was given to my husband and I a few years ago as a gift. It is a book called Bible doctrine by Wayne Grudem and it came highly recommended to us. I have to admit that when I first read a few chapters of the book a few years ago, I didn't remember much about what I read. It wasn't until recently that I finally sat down to read it again and I have been amazed at how the Lord has been working in me and I really feel filled with the Holy Spirit when I do...that is such a great feeling!!!!

I should also start by saying that every Friday I want to write about my devotions from scripture and Bible doctrine and also encourage anyone reading this post to get this book and check it out! There are some amazing things that Wayne Grudem mentions such as, "The Authority and Inerrancy of the Bible", "Creation", and "The Character of God." There are 34 chapters in this book and yes, have only mentioned just 3, so that is why you should check it out if you ever get the chance.

Right now I am reading the chapter on Creation, but want to focus my post on a recent chapter I completed about the Trinity, Chapter 6. I have had Bible studies before that have taught about the Trinity but like I said, it wasn't until recently that I have felt the Holy Spirit work in me to help me understand it a little bit better. This is why I want to focus on this particular subject today as opposed to a project I have done around the house. It may seem a little bit random that suddenly I want every Friday's post to be about this book, but it really isn't random at all. I have been wanting to do something like this for a month or so now and feel like now is the time to do that.

Now I can go on and on about the topic of the Trinity and quote so much from Bible doctrine, but I won't.  :) There are about 20 pages dedicated to talking about the Trinity, but this post won't be that long, of course!  :)

In my Christian walk with Christ, I have really come to realize and understand that it is extremely important to understand what the Bible teaches about the Trinity. There are 3 main points that Wayne Grudem keeps referring to when learning about the Trinity.

1. God is three persons.

2. Each person is fully God.

3. There is one God.

These 3 statements, according to Grudem, summarize the Biblical teaching. These points may be confusing to some, but the chapter talks cleary about each of these three points and much more.

It is amazing to me to know and understand the works of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and yet still know that they are all fully God!! John 1:1-2 tells us: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." Who/what is this Word talked about in the scriptures? It is Christ which is mentioned in verses 9-18. God has always existed as three distinct persons...the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I really liked when Wayne Grudem mentions that the "only distinction between the members of the Trinity are the way in which they relate to each other and the creation." It can be confusing to some people when learning about the Trinity and I still have a hard time understanding it all, but we do not need to understand it all in this earthly body. There are things about the Trinity which will remain a mystery to us on Earth, but the Bible is clear that God is three persons, each is fully God, and there is ONE God.  :)

Grudem also mentions that we need to be cautious about how we try and define the Trinity. There have been many "errors" about this in the past because some try and simplify the Trinity and that just can't be done. The Bible does teach us what we need to know about Him and God is far greater than we can ever imagine. To quote from Bible doctrine, "It is something we do not understand, and it is therefore a mystery or a paradox, but that shouldn't trouble us as long as the different aspects of the mystery are clearly taught by Scripture, for as long as we are finite creatures and not omniscient deity, there will always (for all eternity) be things that we do not fully understand." 

Well said, Mr. Grudem!!

I also love how Grudem relates the Trinity to a marriage between a husband and a wife. We can get a good picture of how the Father relates to the Son through marriage. 

For example, I Corinthians 11:3 says, "But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God." The husband's role in a marriage is parallel to God the Father and the wife's role is parallel to God the Son. He also mentions something I never really thought much about.  "Just as the Father and Son are equal in deity, importance, personhood, so the husband and wife are equal with humanity, importance, and personhood.  

"Though we will never fully comprehend the mystery of the Trinity, we can worship God for who he is both in our songs of praise, and in our words and actions as they reflect something of his excellent character."   (Taken from the last paragraph of Chapter 6).

My family and I take comfort in the Lord and all He does for us and all that He will continue to do for us. We have found a church body where we can worship God and hear His word preached and are involved in a small group that helps us grow closer to Him as we fellowship with other believers. God is so good!

 

Thanks for stopping by!