Robert Letham > Quotes

“As the Father is fountain and the Son is river, we are said to drink the Spirit.”
― Robert Letham, The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship, Revised and Expanded

“Christ is God (Rom. 9:5). Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9, 12-13; 14:5-9; 2 Cor. 4:5; 12:8-10; Phil. 2:9-11 [expressly after the Resurrection]; Col. 2:6; 1 Tim. 6:3; Titus 2:13 [where he is called God and Savior]; Heb. 1:3-14). Christ is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15), in the form of God (Phil. 2:5). The fullness of God dwells in him (Col. 1:19; 2:9). He is in God (Col. 3:3). God and Christ are often coupled together (2 Cor. 10:4-6; Col. 2:2; 1 Tim. 5:21; 2 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 13:20), as is the Lord Jesus Christ with our God and Father (Rom. 15:5-7, 8; 1 Cor. 8:6;2 2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 3:11, 13; 5:23; 2 Thess. 1:5-10; 2:16; 3:5).”
― Robert Letham

“Christ is God (Rom. 9:5). Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9, 12-13; 14:5-9; 2 Cor. 4:5; 12:8-10; Phil. 2:9-11 [expressly after the Resurrection]; Col. 2:6; 1 Tim. 6:3; Titus 2:13 [where he is called God and Savior]; Heb. 1:3-14). Christ is the image of God (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15), in the form of God (Phil. 2:5). The fullness of God dwells in him (Col. 1:19; 2:9). He is in God (Col. 3:3). God and Christ are often coupled together (2 Cor. 10:4-6; Col. 2:2; 1 Tim. 5:21; 2 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 13:20), as is the Lord Jesus Christ with our God and Father (Rom. 15:5-7, 8; 1 Cor. 8:6;2 2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess.
3:11, 13; 5:23; 2 Thess. 1:5-10; 2:16; 3:5).”
― Robert Letham

“Union with Christ is right at the center of the Christian doctrine of salvation. The whole of our relationship with God can be summed up in such terms. John Calvin agreed when he wrote: “For we await salvation from him not because he appears to us afar off, but because he makes us, ingrafted into his body, participants not only in all his benefits but also in himself.”1”
― Robert Letham, Union with Christ: In Scripture, History, and Theology

“Union with Christ is the foundational basis for sanctification and the dynamic force that empowers it.”
― Robert Letham, Union with Christ: In Scripture, History, and Theology

“The incarnation is the indispensable basis for union with Christ.”
― Robert Letham, Union with Christ: In Scripture, History, and Theology

“In turn, when the Spirit enlightens us, Christ in him enlightens us. As the Father is the fountain and the Son is called a river, we are said to drink the Spirit. When we drink the Spirit, we drink of Christ. Since Christ is true Son, when we receive the Spirit we are made sons. When the Spirit is given to us, God is in us. When God is in us, the Son is in us. When we are quickened by the Spirit, Christ lives in us.75 The perichoretic relations of the three persons underlie their inseparable involvement in the one work of God for our salvation. The Spirit is never apart from the Word, the Son—a point that Athanasius repeats time and time again.76”
― Robert Letham, The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, History, Theology, and Worship

“The mission of the church to spread the gospel also requires the practice of love, of self-effacement, of looking to the interests of others. Without it, our preaching will be undermined. With it, it is reinforced. We have only to recall the comments of the primitive church's contemporaries, as recorded in Acts - "See how they love one another" - to understand that this is a powerful reinforcement of the gospel message on a human level, and that the lack of it is the greatest single barrier to its advance.”
― Robert Letham