Of Athanasius and Sensibility

Athanasius, who eventually became bishop of Alexandria, but who would also be exiled five times for his defense of Jesus’ divinity, did not consider Arius’s arguments as philosophical curiosities. Rather, he viewed them as daggers aimed at the very heart of the Christian message. His memorable treatise De Incarnatione (Of the incarnation) was written early in the dispute with Arius. It summarized as follows the case he would continue to... Read More

God Has Spoken

The first words in the actual commentary portion of F. F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, 44: ‘God has spoken.’ This initial affirmation is basic to the whole argument of this epistle, as indeed it is basic to Christian faith. Had God remained silent, enshrouded in thick darkness, the plight of mankind would have been desperate indeed; but now he has spoken his revealing, redeeming, and life-giving word, and in his light we see light. Praise... Read More

The Trinity is for Life, not Curiosity

Fred Sanders passes along this gem from Edmund Hill’s notes on Augustine’s De Trinitate: But the dramatic scope of the De Trinitate was not even suspected, and so its essential significance was lost on the Latin theology of succeeding ages. The work was indeed much copied and diligently mined…. But the central point was missed entirely, and that is that Augustine is proposing the quest for, or the exploration of, the mystery of the Trinity... Read More

In the Name of the Father, a Holy Creature, and an Impersonal Force

J. P. Meier, commenting on the Trinitarian nature of Mt. 28:19-20: “Certainly, one could hardly imagine a more forceful proclamation of Christ’s divinity – and incidentally, of the Spirit’s distinct personality – that this listing together, on a level of equality, of Father, Son, and Spirit. One does not baptize in the name of a divine person, a holy creature, and an impersonal force.” (HT: Michael Bird)  Read More

The Manner of Men George Whitefield Wanted

“And what manner of men will they be? Men mighty in the Scriptures, their lives dominated by a sense of the greatness, the majesty and holiness of God, and their minds and hearts aglow with the great truths of the doctrine of grace. They will be men who have learned what it is to die to self, to human aims and personal ambitions; men who are willing to be ‘fools for Christ’s sake’, who will be above reproach and falsehood,... Read More