The Trinity in John: The Divine Drama of Redemption

I was working on a sermon about the Trinity in John's Gospel and just don't have enough Sundays to preach it. This was going to be my basic outline:

The Trinity in John’s Gospel:

1. The Father gave His people to the Son whom He has sent into the world.
-The Father is the Grand Architect, the Wise Designer of redemption.
-John 6:37-40; 10:29; 17:2, 6, 9, 24.
-Jesus as “sent” by the Father about 36 times in John (i.e. John 3:16).

2. The Son obeyed the Father by giving life to those given to Him by the Father.
-People (sheep) were not the only thing given to the Son by the Father (the cup – 18:11).
-Jesus’ relentless passion to please the Father (for more see this post).
-Jesus will continue to obey the Father by protecting His people.

3. The Spirit is given by the Father and Son in order to guide His people into the truth.
-The Spirit serves the church by guiding her to the truth and glorifying Jesus.
-For more on the Sprit in John see this post.

The progression of redemption:
-The Father has chosen a group of people.
-The Father sent the Son and entrusted His people to the Son.
-The Son obeyed the Father by redeeming His people.
-The Son will continue to obey the Father by protecting His people.
-The Father and Son sent the Spirit in order to guide His people into the truth.
-His people are to live fruitful lives awaiting Christ’s return for the glory of God.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by Bruce Ware

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance by Bruce Ware.

Put this one on your wishlist and include it on your reading schedule. This is not a book that you must rush to get, but one that you should read at some point. This book is well-written and engaging. It is the best modern book on the Trinity that I am aware of. Ware does an exceptional job of showing how vital it is to know God as Trinity. He meditates on how appliable an understanding of the Trinity is to our lives.

The Wonder of Jesus' Words

I was blown away this afternoon by how Jesus characterizes His teaching in John 8:38:

ESV: "I speak of what I have seen with my Father..."

NIV: "I am telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence..."

When you listen to Jesus' words, you are hearing what the eternal Son experienced with His Father in the fellowship of the Trinity. The Word of Jesus is the disclosure of what the Father and the Son see together.

No wonder Jesus is so harsh on those who do not have a heart for His Word (8:37).

The Horror and The Glory

"The work of atonement took place in the presence of the God of heaven. Indeed, it involved a transaction within the fellowship of the persons of the eternal Trinity in their love for us: the Son was willing, with the aid of the Spirit, to experience the hiding of the Father's face...That is both the horror and the glory of our Great High Priest's ministry."

-In Christ Alone, p. 55.