The Week's Answers: The Trinity

The Trinity is an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. While there are many doctrines that are articulated in distinctly Christian ways, the doctrine of Trinity is one that is found solely in Christianity. Yet this doctrine seems nigh neglected in our modern era, at least in the hearts and minds of most people in the pew. And perhaps the reason for this neglect lies in the extreme complexity of the doctrine, for how can we articulate the Trinity in a way that is not offensive to the modern scientific mind? It is there that we should rely on the grace of God as poured out in the pages of Scripture. I cannot give an adequate philosophical answer that gives proper weight to the Trinity, but I can believe with certainty that it is so based on the authority of Scripture. Here are a few things that we must assert about the Trinity.

1. God is One.
Yes, this might very well seem like a poor place to start in a conversation about the Trinity, but I believe that this is essential. It is what Moses proclaimed in Deuteronomy 6:4, which is enshrined today in the Hebrew prayer, the Shema. We do not serve three separate Gods, but One God.

2. God is in Three Persons.
"God in three persons, blessed Trinity." So ends the great hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy." We cannot escape the fact that God reveals himself throughout Scripture in three distinct and yet unified persons, more commonly known as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As seen in the illustration above, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and they are One. Yet at the same time, the Father is not the Son, nor the Son the Holy Spirit. There are distinct roles (as some would put it) that are carried out by the different persons of the Trinity. So while it is improper to speak about three Gods, it is not improper to speak about Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in terms that are somewhat separate.

3. Trinity is Not Simply a Characteristic of God.
Most systematic theology books will clump Trinity right alongside the attributes of God, such as goodness, justice, independence, etc. I am not convinced that this is the best way to think about this doctrine. If I wanted to describe Laura, I would not list "my wife" as a characteristic along with beautiful, kind, or brilliant. The fact that she is my wife is not just a characteristic, but a point of definition, an identity if you will. In the same way, Trinity is much more than a characteristic attached to God. It is essential to His very Nature.

4. When it comes down to it, there is a whole lot of mystery here.
Do not be afraid to say, "I don't know." Sometimes that is a cop out for a lazy mind, one that chooses not to think about hard things and stretch itself. But there are times when we must realize that our minds are not God, and are therefore not competent enough to fully understand God. Too many times we decide that we should be able to comprehend every nook and cranny of who God is, of his will, or of any number of other things. But we must realize that it is God who reveals himself to us. We cannot simply put him on a pedestal and turn him around until we think we have seen it all. We can study Scripture and know what is revealed, but what he has not revealed to us can only be conjectured. So while there are some things I can say with relative certainty, there are many more that I can say with a shrug and the admission that I could be wrong.

Mile-High Peanut Butter-Brownie Pie

Another recipe post! Ryan and I had some friends over last weekend for dessert so I decided to try something new, I have no idea why I always try new things with guests, but it turned out great!  It was a Pillsbury.com recipe, from one of their "Bake-off" contestants.  It was delicious, so here it is...

Mile-High Peanut Butter-Brownie Pie

A creamy peanut butter filling tops a brownie layer, all in a flaky pie crust.

Debbi Bracker 

Carl Junction, MO

Bake-Off® Contest 44, 2010

Prep Time: 20 Min
Total Time: 2 Hr 50 Min
Makes: 10 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
1 box (15.5 oz) Pillsbury® Chocolate Chunk Brownie Mix
1/4 cup Reese's® peanut butter chips
1/3 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
3 tablespoons water
1 EGGLAND’S BEST egg
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup Jif® Creamy Peanut Butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 container (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 tablespoons Fisher® Party Peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons Hershey’s® mini chips semi-sweet chocolate

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll pie crust; place in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate as directed on box for One-Crust Filled Pie; flute edge.
2. In medium bowl, stir brownie mix, peanut butter chips, oil, water and egg 50 strokes with spoon. Pour batter into crust-lined pie plate.
3. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, covering edge of crust with strips of foil after 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown and center of brownie is set. Cool slightly, about 20 minutes. Refrigerate 1 hour or until completely cooled.
4. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese, peanut butter and powdered sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spread mixture over brownie. Sprinkle with peanuts and chocolate chips. Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving. Store covered in refrigerator.

The Man in the Arena

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Teddy Roosevelt, from his speech "Citizenship in a Republic"

Today's My Favorite Things

1. Bedtime: Clinic makes me tired!  Enough said.

2. 97.7 The Peach FM:  Ryan introduced me to this station a couple weeks ago and I must admit I was a skeptic.  I loved my normal 106.9 and wasn't sure I could change. but he was right.  The music makes me smile. Definitely a favorite, at least for today. (I can be fickle with my music, just ask Ryan!)

3. Teachers who remember I am a junior: this is a shout out to those teachers who are helping us juniors wade into clinic instead of pushing us into the deep end!

4. Netflix: Ryan and I started our Netflix account about 2 months ago, and we love it!  One low price for unlimited streaming online, or through our Wii, and we can have one DVD at our home as well.  We have been enjoying about 2 movies a week.  We have watched new ones, oldies, classics, Indies... it is awesome!

5. My husband and my family:  (Disclaimer: Ryan and my family are always my favorite, they just especially are today!)  My family and Ryan have been wonderful the last several days as I have been preparing for my first week in clinic.  They are so encouraging and I love being able to share with them my day.  Ryan was so sweet Monday afternoon, he knew I was tired so he took me out to Newk's (another favorite of mine) for dinner.  So to my family: I love you so much and thank you for your love and support!

On Being Manly

I love a good blog. There are plenty out there, but for every good blog you find, there are probably 100 cruddy blogs. Most of the blogs that I frequent are either those of friends or typically aggregate blogs with links to interesting or important news.

Recently, I decided that I was going to learn how to change my car's oil. I had always taken it to Express Oil Change or Wal-Mart and paid the $30-40 for them to take care of it. This resulted in two problems. One, I hated paying that much for something so routine. My frugal nature (read, "I'm cheap") led to the second problem, neglecting to take my car for an oil change until well after the 3,000 miles suggested. I was ending up changing oil around every 6,000 miles, which was not so good.

So I began my search on how to accomplish the manly task of changing my own oil. I watched a youtube video, figured out what stuff I needed, etc. After looking at some basic car websites, I found a link to a blog with an article on how to change your oil. It looked kind of hokey at first, but the more I looked, the more I was genuinely intrigued. Thus began the present love affair with The Art of Manliness.

Would you like to know how to dress for success? There's an article for that. How about some stirring speeches by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, or Ronald Reagan? There's an article for that. Want to cook a meal over a campfire? There's an article for that. Do yourself a favor and check out The Art of Manliness. But be warned, you might get addicted and find yourself reading every last article, drinking up the goodness of being a man (or being married to one).

Question of the Week: The Trinity

Honestly, I was going to ask a good easy question, one that didn't take much thought and might be a really fun, lighthearted conversation. But that was sidetracked from our small group this morning. Laura was teaching on Romans 1-3 and the Gospel. When we finished, one bright young guy who is going to be a freshman at Auburn (so of course he is bright) asked, "So, are Jesus and God the same thing or person or however you want to say it?"

I don't know if you have ever taught a Bible study or not, but that is one of those questions that you are almost always ill-prepared to talk about. I think he wanted a two minute answer. He got a twenty minute dissertation on the difficulties of adequately describing the Trinity. I do think it was a helpful discussion that we had, but I think it is something that the church should be prepared to discuss and defend. So I ask you the same question: Are Jesus and God the same thing? How about the Holy Spirit? How do you explain the Trinity?

The Week's Answers: The Lord's Supper

Eucharist. Communion. The Lord's Supper. There are almost as many names for the meal instituted by Christ on the night before he was crucified as there are different views concerning the meal. Here are a few things I think are very important to acknowledge in the Lord's Supper along with an unresolved point that I am still thinking over.

1. The Lord's Supper is a memorial to remember Christ's sacrifice.
The call to do this in remembrance of Christ is still true. When we gather together to partake of this meal, we call to mind again the redemption that cost Christ his life.

2. The Lord's Supper is a reminder of Christ's second coming.
We look forward to the day when we will not eat with the church only, but also with our King. There is coming a day of feasting that will be everlasting, the consummation of our redemption. The Supper brings that day to the forefront, giving rise to a deep yearning that we should have.

3. The Lord's Supper is a proclamation of the victory of Christ.
This has several implications. One is that the Lord's Supper is a proclamation. It is a physical retelling of the gospel, that Christ became flesh and died that he might reconcile men to God. Because it is a physical sign, it will need some explanation, but we must not relegate the Supper to a mere dramatic act with no ties to the gospel. Secondly, the Lord's Supper should be joyful. How many times have I taken the Lord's Supper in such a somber way that people would think that I was at a funeral. Yes, we must take seriously the call to examine our lives when we take of the Supper, but in confessing sin we should be reminded all the more of the victory of Christ. How can we not rejoice when we think on that! Another practical implication regards the frequency of the Lord's Supper. There are churches who practice this weekly. Many would argue that doing it weekly would make it lose its power and it would no longer have the effect it does now. I completely disagree. I hope that I never tire of hearing the gospel, be that through the verbal proclamation or the dramatic representation found in the Supper.

4. Here is the question: Is there something that happens in the present, during the Lord's Supper?
This is where it gets difficult for me. Yes, we look back and forward, which spurs us on and perhaps increases our religious fervor or piety. But is there more to it? Is it right and proper to speak about the real presence of Christ in the Supper? I'm not speaking primarily of a Roman Catholic or even Lutheran understanding, but one like Calvin, where we are said to be spiritually feasting on Christ's flesh and therefore being given a present grace of sorts. It is all a little confusing to me, but worth thinking over.