Experiencing the Trinity [Paperback]

Darrell Johnson's Experiencing the Trinity is exactly what the title says: when a Christian believes in the Triune God, it automatically will affect his life. Unfortunately, as Johnson states in the first chapter, not everyone understands how God is One God, Three Persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No lay Christian can properly explain it without hopelessly confusing himself or others, and when pastors or priests or theologians explain it, sometimes it gets even harder to understand. However, once one learns about the very basics of the doctrine, it is hard not to be flabbergasted by the implications of believing in the Triune God. For belief will surely affect one's life. This is how it was for Johnson, and this is how it should ideally be with every Christian who wants to know what's the use of believing in a Triune God and why do we have to study it when we already believe it. Johnson's chapter on "Understanding the Trinity" (ch. 2) is a very good simplification of the doctrine. He lists down 3 things to keep in mind when studying/discussing the Trinity and included a very good diagram to help you remember. As long as you keep these 3 things in mind, you can never be in danger of falling into the 3 main heresies against Trinitarian doctrine that have been with us since the doctrine's inception and which Johnson also explains. The diagram and the 3 points he wrote are easy to remember/memorize, so that you can actually explain simply the doctrine to other lay Christians. These can also serve as an excellent guide to further studies you may want to do with regard to the Trinity.

Majority of the book after ch. 2 is about the implications in our lives of belief in the Triune God. The purpose of the book is actually summarized in the opening statement of ch. 2: "At the center of the universe is a relationship." This implies the Trinity is open to community. When you believe in the Triune God, you realize that all of us, all of humanity, are connected through Him; we are called to join the community of Love that God is (God is Love: 1 John 4:16). Once we enter that community, there is no area or aspect or nook and cranny of our lives that God (who is Love) will not permeate. (And this, if you ask me, is how we are slowly made into the image of Jesus--because God in our lives and us in him allows him to slowly transform us into the righteousness of his Son.) That is the essence and summary and the whole point of Johnson's book. Nothing in our lives is ever the same when we experience for real a Trinitarian life, so to speak. There is no separation of secular and Christian (or spiritual and physical) in our lives anymore because everything is spiritual. We don't look at other people, Christian or not, in the same way because everyone else is our brother and sister. We don't pray the same way anymore nor worship the same way. This book is all about how to "practically apply" the belief of the Trinity in our lives--though I would rather call it the changes that come in our lives when one truly believes in the Triune God.

If you are beginning to explore the doctrine of the Trinity, this is a great starting point. Johnson draws together historical, biblical and personal insights into a wonderfully written, short book on the Trinity. It is a quick read and Johnson's passion for the triune God is contagious. This book has excited my desire to both experience the Trinity and continue with my theological pursuit of the doctrine.

This book is awesome. If you have a hard time following in the beginning, just keep reading. By the time you get to the end, you will be glad you kept pushing through the book. I will read and re-read it; as a matter of fact, I loved it more the second time through.

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