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Delighting in the Trinity
How can there be three Gods and yet only one God?
Have you ever groaned inwardly at a question like this? Many of us find the doctrine of the Trinity that God is three persons sharing one nature difficult to get our heads round, and frankly a bit embarrassing. What is more, we seem to get by without thinking about it too deeply.
But in reality, the Trinity is at the heart of all that Christians believe. The nature of God as a Trinity gives shape to all Christian truth, and to the gospel that we believe and proclaim. And rather than be a source of embarrassment, properly understood, it should fill us with joy.
This book aims to help you see how the Trinity is fantastically good news. Because the trinity means that God is not remote and uninvolved quite the opposite. God sent His Son and His Spirit into our world to draw us into a wonderful relationship with Himself. This is the God who gives meaning and joy to our lives.
And along the way we discover that the Trinity answers other big How can we know God? What happened at the cross? What does it mean to be human? How can people live together with all their differences? What does mission look like in a fragmented world?
Tim Chester will take us deeper into understanding the thrilling triune nature of God. In short accessible chapters he takes us through the Bibles teaching on the Trinity; gives us an overview of the important arguments over the trinity that have taken place throughout Christian history; and lays out the practical implications for our Christian lives.
Have you ever groaned inwardly at a question like this? Many of us find the doctrine of the Trinity that God is three persons sharing one nature difficult to get our heads round, and frankly a bit embarrassing. What is more, we seem to get by without thinking about it too deeply.
But in reality, the Trinity is at the heart of all that Christians believe. The nature of God as a Trinity gives shape to all Christian truth, and to the gospel that we believe and proclaim. And rather than be a source of embarrassment, properly understood, it should fill us with joy.
This book aims to help you see how the Trinity is fantastically good news. Because the trinity means that God is not remote and uninvolved quite the opposite. God sent His Son and His Spirit into our world to draw us into a wonderful relationship with Himself. This is the God who gives meaning and joy to our lives.
And along the way we discover that the Trinity answers other big How can we know God? What happened at the cross? What does it mean to be human? How can people live together with all their differences? What does mission look like in a fragmented world?
Tim Chester will take us deeper into understanding the thrilling triune nature of God. In short accessible chapters he takes us through the Bibles teaching on the Trinity; gives us an overview of the important arguments over the trinity that have taken place throughout Christian history; and lays out the practical implications for our Christian lives.
192 pages, Perfect Paperback
First published October 3, 2011
34 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Tim Chester
149 books186 followersDr Tim Chester is involved in The Crowded House, a church planting initiative in Sheffield, UK. He was previously Research & Policy Director for Tearfund UK, and has been published widely on prayer, mission, social issues and theology. He is married to Helen and has two daughters.
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November 18, 2025This is a good, accessible introduction to the trinity, although I find myself in disagreement with some of the points made by Chester.
In particular, Chester's coverage of revelation in this book is sometimes puzzling and occasionally seems at risk of committing to all-out fideism. For example, at one point he emphatically asserts that God cannot be known apart from Jesus. While this may be theologically true in the sense that Jesus is involved in all forms of revelation, it seems incredible to claim that humans don't really know God if they don't know about Jesus (which I think is what Chester is saying). Under this view, how did the patriarchs or any OT figures know God?
Chester also seems to commit himself to fideism later in the book by asserting "The arguments for God's existence only 'work' if they confirm what is already accepted on the basis of faith". This, as with any fideism, doesn't strike me as a responsible epistemology. Moreover, while Chester doesn't explicitly state this, his discussion of revelation seems to imply a false dichotomy between fideism and rationalistic enlightenment deism. He barely references evidence-based epistemologies that retain the Trinitarian heart of Christianity (he only seems to mention Aquinas in this space, and only then as part of the trajectory to rationalism).
Chester's survey of OT views on deity seem to downplay the supernatural worldview presented in the OT. He explicitly rejects the idea that there are any real powers behind the ancient nations and their idols, which seems pretty anachronistic based on some of the scholarship I've encountered recently.
What's good about the book, aside from it being brief and accessible, is how generous and charitable Chester is to views outside of his own tradition. Sometimes popular-level reformed evangelical books only reference John Calvin and C S Lewis, but Chester positively engages with a lot of historic writers, including the Church Fathers, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theologians and (admittedly briefly) liberation and feminist theologians.
Chester's argument for how the trinity is at the heart of Christian belief and profoundly good (though neglected among evangelicals) is persuasive. The applications he draws out regarding how the trinity transforms our view of human societies are profoundly thought-provoking. It's encouraged me to be less embarrassed and more proud of the Trinitarian basis of Christian theology.
In particular, Chester's coverage of revelation in this book is sometimes puzzling and occasionally seems at risk of committing to all-out fideism. For example, at one point he emphatically asserts that God cannot be known apart from Jesus. While this may be theologically true in the sense that Jesus is involved in all forms of revelation, it seems incredible to claim that humans don't really know God if they don't know about Jesus (which I think is what Chester is saying). Under this view, how did the patriarchs or any OT figures know God?
Chester also seems to commit himself to fideism later in the book by asserting "The arguments for God's existence only 'work' if they confirm what is already accepted on the basis of faith". This, as with any fideism, doesn't strike me as a responsible epistemology. Moreover, while Chester doesn't explicitly state this, his discussion of revelation seems to imply a false dichotomy between fideism and rationalistic enlightenment deism. He barely references evidence-based epistemologies that retain the Trinitarian heart of Christianity (he only seems to mention Aquinas in this space, and only then as part of the trajectory to rationalism).
Chester's survey of OT views on deity seem to downplay the supernatural worldview presented in the OT. He explicitly rejects the idea that there are any real powers behind the ancient nations and their idols, which seems pretty anachronistic based on some of the scholarship I've encountered recently.
What's good about the book, aside from it being brief and accessible, is how generous and charitable Chester is to views outside of his own tradition. Sometimes popular-level reformed evangelical books only reference John Calvin and C S Lewis, but Chester positively engages with a lot of historic writers, including the Church Fathers, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theologians and (admittedly briefly) liberation and feminist theologians.
Chester's argument for how the trinity is at the heart of Christian belief and profoundly good (though neglected among evangelicals) is persuasive. The applications he draws out regarding how the trinity transforms our view of human societies are profoundly thought-provoking. It's encouraged me to be less embarrassed and more proud of the Trinitarian basis of Christian theology.
November 7, 2017
This book does a good job on tackling a subject that pretty much every Christian struggles to understand and explain - the Trinity, God three-in-one.
It's not really an explanation so much.
The book looks at why the doctrine of the Trinity is so important, the way beliefs have changed about the Trinity over time, the role of the Trinity in our salvation & the way the Trinity should affect our everyday lives.
I got a little bogged down in the history part - it was dry & hard to follow.
But there were lots of good points I hadn't considered- such as the fact we need relationship because the Trinity are in a loving relationship- have been for eternity.
Would recommend- you just need to persevere through the middle part
It's not really an explanation so much.
The book looks at why the doctrine of the Trinity is so important, the way beliefs have changed about the Trinity over time, the role of the Trinity in our salvation & the way the Trinity should affect our everyday lives.
I got a little bogged down in the history part - it was dry & hard to follow.
But there were lots of good points I hadn't considered- such as the fact we need relationship because the Trinity are in a loving relationship- have been for eternity.
Would recommend- you just need to persevere through the middle part
September 12, 2017
Trindade não é um assunto fácil... Mas Tim Chester apresenta como um assunto acolhedor. Acredito ser uma excelente introdução à Doutrina da Trindade, pois ele mostra a importância desse tema para a vida cristã. O livro tem um boa defesa da divindade de Cristo e até uma boa defesa da Trindade em detrimento da compreensão do Islã. O autor busca vocabulários comuns, por mais que seja difícil (palavras como pericórese insistem em aparecer). Recomendo a leitura!
July 6, 2024
Excelente!
August 7, 2016
If someone were purposely to set out to undermine their own work, this book is what it would look like. I read the good reviews, and all I can say is, “Maybe they read a different edition?” The first chapter, while rather simplistic at times, is good. Many evangelicals, sadly, have never been exposed to a Biblical presentation of the doctrine of the Trinity. And the book’s thesis is correct: The Trinity is at the heart of the Christian faith. Indeed, there is no Christian faith without it. But, sadly, the book breaks down after the first chapter. The author mildly chides his readers for not celebrating the doctrine of the Trinity, for avoiding discussions about the Trinity, and for not thinking about it in general. Then he goes into a revisionist presentation of Church History that all but asserts that no one got the doctrine right until the Reformation. But it gets worse. He then presents a mishmash of later thought on the doctrine from Liberal and Neo-orthodox (a.k.a. heterodox) thinkers and the presentation makes no value statement as to which view is really correct and why. It just basically presents a handful of various approaches to the doctrine, some of which are mutually exclusive, and says, “See, Christians have been delighting in the Trinity for centuries!” How can you delight in an ill-defined doctrine? How can you delight in something whose definition is apparently this fluid? And more importantly, how can we determine, on these grounds, that it is Biblical when so many differing views are presented and then just left hanging as if they are all equally valid? If you want a simple, but thoroughly Biblical presentation of the Trinity written for the layman and not a scholar, read Bickersteth’s.
December 24, 2013
Though it can be difficult to comprehend, the doctrine of the Trinity is far from a tangential issue—it is the very core of the Christian faith. Chester traces the major developments of this doctrine throughout Scripture and church history, with a final emphasis on how our day-to-day lives are affected by this reality. The book bogs down a bit in the historical section, and fails to achieve sustainable depth. A sound introduction, if nothing more.
October 29, 2018
What exactly is the Trinity? What does the Trinity tell us about God? How does the Trinity affect what we believe as non-Christians and as Christians? How is it relevant in our lives as Christians? What does the Trinity tell us about the nature of Christianity?
To my non-Christian friends reading this review, the doctrine of the Trinity is a doctrine unique to Christianity. Essentially, it is the belief that God exists as three distinct persons (Father, Spirit, Son) but as one divine being.
I really enjoyed reading this book for a variety of reasons. For starters, it was structured rather appropriately: Chester begins by fleshing out what the Bible has to say about the Trinity before moving on to speak about how the early Western and Eastern church developed their understanding of this doctrine. Finally, Chester moves on to write about how the Trinity affects our everyday lives i.e. how it shapes Christian beliefs, how the lack of it shapes other beliefs and how it speaks into the way we relate to other people whether they are Christians or not.
I also really appreciated the humility in which Chester wrote the chapters on the developing of the doctrine of the Trinity in the early church. Not only that, Chester is clear in the way he writes: he is straight to the point and he uses simple English. I find this impressive given that some chapters were rather heavy in content i.e. the bits on early church history. His forwardness and clarity also proved helpful in explaining the practical implications of the Trinity in our lives.
I would very highly recommend this book to anybody really, especially people who cannot accept that Jesus is both man and God at the same time!
To my non-Christian friends reading this review, the doctrine of the Trinity is a doctrine unique to Christianity. Essentially, it is the belief that God exists as three distinct persons (Father, Spirit, Son) but as one divine being.
I really enjoyed reading this book for a variety of reasons. For starters, it was structured rather appropriately: Chester begins by fleshing out what the Bible has to say about the Trinity before moving on to speak about how the early Western and Eastern church developed their understanding of this doctrine. Finally, Chester moves on to write about how the Trinity affects our everyday lives i.e. how it shapes Christian beliefs, how the lack of it shapes other beliefs and how it speaks into the way we relate to other people whether they are Christians or not.
I also really appreciated the humility in which Chester wrote the chapters on the developing of the doctrine of the Trinity in the early church. Not only that, Chester is clear in the way he writes: he is straight to the point and he uses simple English. I find this impressive given that some chapters were rather heavy in content i.e. the bits on early church history. His forwardness and clarity also proved helpful in explaining the practical implications of the Trinity in our lives.
I would very highly recommend this book to anybody really, especially people who cannot accept that Jesus is both man and God at the same time!
January 29, 2018
"Tente entender a Trindade e você perderá a cabeça; negue-a, e você perderá sua alma." Após a leitura desse pequeno livro, posso dizer que pelo menos metade desse antigo adágio é parcialmente exagerado (a primeira, pelo amor de Deus!). Claro que é-nos impossível conhecer a Deus exaustivamente; afinal, como pode uma mente finita apreender o infinito? Mas, no decorrer da leitura, Tim Chester nos mostra habilmente como o mistério da Trindade não é de todo insondável.
Abordando o assunto tanto de forma bíblica, quanto histórica e prática, o autor nos leva à uma jornada em busca dos primeiros indícios da revelação da Trindade entre o povo israelita, bem como o seu desenvolvimento ao longo da história da Igreja, para então finalizar com capítulos (de tirar o fôlego!) cheios de aplicações para os dias atuais. Meus capítulos favoritos são, inclusive, aqueles referentes ao desenvolvimento histórico da doutrina e suas aplicações práticas.
Para Tim, a Trindade não é uma realidade periférica à fé cristã; para muito além disso, a Trindade é a pedra angular sobre a qual todo o edifício da fé cristã está construído. E a impressão que fica é esta mesmo: se o Deus judaico-cristão não é de fato trino, todo as doutrinas basilares do Cristianismo, seus Pilares, estão fadadas a ruir, derrubando junto com elas todo o edifício que elas sustentam.
Abordando o assunto tanto de forma bíblica, quanto histórica e prática, o autor nos leva à uma jornada em busca dos primeiros indícios da revelação da Trindade entre o povo israelita, bem como o seu desenvolvimento ao longo da história da Igreja, para então finalizar com capítulos (de tirar o fôlego!) cheios de aplicações para os dias atuais. Meus capítulos favoritos são, inclusive, aqueles referentes ao desenvolvimento histórico da doutrina e suas aplicações práticas.
Para Tim, a Trindade não é uma realidade periférica à fé cristã; para muito além disso, a Trindade é a pedra angular sobre a qual todo o edifício da fé cristã está construído. E a impressão que fica é esta mesmo: se o Deus judaico-cristão não é de fato trino, todo as doutrinas basilares do Cristianismo, seus Pilares, estão fadadas a ruir, derrubando junto com elas todo o edifício que elas sustentam.
June 12, 2025
Tim Chester is surely right, and summarises his entire book, when he says that, "Many of us find the doctrine of the Trinity - that God is three persons sharing one nature - difficult to get our heads round and frankly a bit embarrassing. What is more, we seem to get by without it. But in reality the Trinity is at the heart of all we believe. The Trinity gives shape to Christian truth. Many people claim to believe in God, but have no time for Him. That is because their "god" is remote and uninvolved. The triune God sent His Son into human history so that we could know Him as our Father, and He sends His Spirit to accompany us in the struggles of life. To find out more about this God is a wonderful adventure."
To outline the book even more briefly, we could say that the triune God revealed in the Bible is good news, and so the Trinity must be good news; while the doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery, it is not an absurdity.
Tim goes on to consider the twin themes of the unity and the plurality of God as portrayed in the Bible. Beginning with God's unity, he reminds us that at the heart of Israelite faith was the so-called Shema: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one". It affirms the uniqueness and oneness of God as well as His identity as the God of Israel. The New Testament weaves Jesus into the Shema, identifying Him as the Lord without compromising the oneness of God. God is one, undivided and singular. Father, Son and Spirit speak with one voice because they are one. God's words are always consistent, and Yahweh has a unity of will and a constancy of character. With regard to God's plurality, there are signs in the Old Testament that the one God is also in some sense plural. The coming of Jesus fully illuminates the trinitarian nature of God, and the doctrine of the Trinity developed as a way of summarising what we discover in the story of salvation. Jesus is the definitive hermeneutic of both the Old and the New Testaments, and renders compelling the evidence for God's plurality.
God's unity and plurality are seen most clearly at the cross. We need the Trinity to make sense of the cross, and we cannot understand the cross without both the unity and the plurality of God. The cross shows us that there are distinctions within God, as God can be forsaken by God. Equally, if God is not one, then the cross becomes a cruel and vindictive act with an angry Father punishing an unwilling Son or a loving Son placating an unwilling Father. Only if God is one can the cross be for us reconciliation and inclusion within the divine community. The cross reveals God, and God is a Trinity of Father, Son and Spirit.
Tim then goes on to sketch out the development of the doctrine of the Trinity throughout church history:
- 2nd–4th Centuries AD: The Trinity expresses God's actions versus the Trinity expresses God's being. The first Christian theologians thought about the Trinity as an expression of God's actions towards His creation, so God became the Trinity in history. But soon theologians began to recognise that God's actions must reflect His eternal being. Father, Son and Spirit were not different modes of God's activity, but three eternal persons sharing one divine substance.
- 5th–16th Centuries AD: Starting with the threeness of God versus starting with the oneness of God. The division between East and West created two different trajectories in trinitarian theology. The East started with the threeness of God, seeing the Father as the fountainhead of the Trinity, with the Son and Spirit deriving their divinity from Him. The Western tradition started with the One God, defining the three persons by their eternal relations. From a Western perspective, the danger of Eastern trinitarianism has been a tendency towards subordination (making the Son and Spirit inferior to the Father) or even tritheism. On the other hand, Western theology has tended toward modalism, in which the unity of God obscures the threeness of God.
- 17th–20th Centuries AD: The Trinity at the margins of theology versus the Trinity at the centre of theology. The Protestant Reformers had a vision of God which was fundamentally different from anything which had gone before, or which has appeared since. The great issues of Reformation theology - justification by faith, election, assurance of salvation - can be properly understood only against the background of a Trinitarian theology which gave these matters their peculiar importance. The Enlightenment, with its emphasis on what could be known through human reason, had little time for the Trinity. It either thought of God as a remote deity or regarded the Trinity as of marginal significance, and so the Trinity has been pushed to the edge of the theology of our liberal mainline denominations.
Finally, Tim ends his book by reflecting on the implications of the Trinity on some key themes:
- The Trinity and revelation: God can be known personally because He is a Trinity of persons in relationship. He has revealed Himself in His Son and enables us to recognise this revelation by His Spirit.
- The Trinity and salvation: At its heart, salvation is a transaction within the Trinity. The Son offers Himself to the Father as our substitute. God both judges and is judged. And the Spirit applies this transaction to our lives.
- The Trinity and humanity: We were made in the image of the triune God. We find our identity through relationships. Just as there is both unity and plurality in God, so communal identity should not suppress individual identity, and individual identity should not neglect communal identity. The church should be a community of unity without uniformity and diversity without division.
- The Trinity and mission: The Trinity is a missionary community. The Father sent His Son and His Spirit into the world to redeem His people, so the Trinity is good news. God does not assert His identity against ours, but invites us to find true identity by sharing His community. The ultimate apologetic for the Trinity is the Christian community.
This is a fine and very readable introduction to and overview of the doctrine of the Trinity. Tim Chester puts this crucial doctrine firmly where it belongs, at the core of our belief and practice.
To outline the book even more briefly, we could say that the triune God revealed in the Bible is good news, and so the Trinity must be good news; while the doctrine of the Trinity is a mystery, it is not an absurdity.
Tim goes on to consider the twin themes of the unity and the plurality of God as portrayed in the Bible. Beginning with God's unity, he reminds us that at the heart of Israelite faith was the so-called Shema: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one". It affirms the uniqueness and oneness of God as well as His identity as the God of Israel. The New Testament weaves Jesus into the Shema, identifying Him as the Lord without compromising the oneness of God. God is one, undivided and singular. Father, Son and Spirit speak with one voice because they are one. God's words are always consistent, and Yahweh has a unity of will and a constancy of character. With regard to God's plurality, there are signs in the Old Testament that the one God is also in some sense plural. The coming of Jesus fully illuminates the trinitarian nature of God, and the doctrine of the Trinity developed as a way of summarising what we discover in the story of salvation. Jesus is the definitive hermeneutic of both the Old and the New Testaments, and renders compelling the evidence for God's plurality.
God's unity and plurality are seen most clearly at the cross. We need the Trinity to make sense of the cross, and we cannot understand the cross without both the unity and the plurality of God. The cross shows us that there are distinctions within God, as God can be forsaken by God. Equally, if God is not one, then the cross becomes a cruel and vindictive act with an angry Father punishing an unwilling Son or a loving Son placating an unwilling Father. Only if God is one can the cross be for us reconciliation and inclusion within the divine community. The cross reveals God, and God is a Trinity of Father, Son and Spirit.
Tim then goes on to sketch out the development of the doctrine of the Trinity throughout church history:
- 2nd–4th Centuries AD: The Trinity expresses God's actions versus the Trinity expresses God's being. The first Christian theologians thought about the Trinity as an expression of God's actions towards His creation, so God became the Trinity in history. But soon theologians began to recognise that God's actions must reflect His eternal being. Father, Son and Spirit were not different modes of God's activity, but three eternal persons sharing one divine substance.
- 5th–16th Centuries AD: Starting with the threeness of God versus starting with the oneness of God. The division between East and West created two different trajectories in trinitarian theology. The East started with the threeness of God, seeing the Father as the fountainhead of the Trinity, with the Son and Spirit deriving their divinity from Him. The Western tradition started with the One God, defining the three persons by their eternal relations. From a Western perspective, the danger of Eastern trinitarianism has been a tendency towards subordination (making the Son and Spirit inferior to the Father) or even tritheism. On the other hand, Western theology has tended toward modalism, in which the unity of God obscures the threeness of God.
- 17th–20th Centuries AD: The Trinity at the margins of theology versus the Trinity at the centre of theology. The Protestant Reformers had a vision of God which was fundamentally different from anything which had gone before, or which has appeared since. The great issues of Reformation theology - justification by faith, election, assurance of salvation - can be properly understood only against the background of a Trinitarian theology which gave these matters their peculiar importance. The Enlightenment, with its emphasis on what could be known through human reason, had little time for the Trinity. It either thought of God as a remote deity or regarded the Trinity as of marginal significance, and so the Trinity has been pushed to the edge of the theology of our liberal mainline denominations.
Finally, Tim ends his book by reflecting on the implications of the Trinity on some key themes:
- The Trinity and revelation: God can be known personally because He is a Trinity of persons in relationship. He has revealed Himself in His Son and enables us to recognise this revelation by His Spirit.
- The Trinity and salvation: At its heart, salvation is a transaction within the Trinity. The Son offers Himself to the Father as our substitute. God both judges and is judged. And the Spirit applies this transaction to our lives.
- The Trinity and humanity: We were made in the image of the triune God. We find our identity through relationships. Just as there is both unity and plurality in God, so communal identity should not suppress individual identity, and individual identity should not neglect communal identity. The church should be a community of unity without uniformity and diversity without division.
- The Trinity and mission: The Trinity is a missionary community. The Father sent His Son and His Spirit into the world to redeem His people, so the Trinity is good news. God does not assert His identity against ours, but invites us to find true identity by sharing His community. The ultimate apologetic for the Trinity is the Christian community.
This is a fine and very readable introduction to and overview of the doctrine of the Trinity. Tim Chester puts this crucial doctrine firmly where it belongs, at the core of our belief and practice.
December 30, 2021
A decent read of the Trinity. Nothing to find fault in with the content, but it was quite tough to understand the flow of the book, and who this book is meant for.
Let me elaborate.
1) I didn’t understand why the center of the book had a lengthy segment of the historical developments of how theologians understood the Trinity. It appears to be better placed in the Annex, to allow for better reasons. But perhaps, it was included in, since it was a lengthy writeup.
2) many of the points made in later chapters were a repeat from earlier chapters. While I understand the need for emphasis, at times, it came across as circular and a lack of new thought.
3) I also question who the intended audience is. Is it meant for new Christians or for theological students? Cos, it appears to partially meet the needs of both, but none meeting them fully. So it is quite a mix bag for me.
Overall, it is a good premier to the Trinity and its importance. But I will recommend other recent books if you are interested (eg Michael Reeves’ Delighting in the Trinity”)
Let me elaborate.
1) I didn’t understand why the center of the book had a lengthy segment of the historical developments of how theologians understood the Trinity. It appears to be better placed in the Annex, to allow for better reasons. But perhaps, it was included in, since it was a lengthy writeup.
2) many of the points made in later chapters were a repeat from earlier chapters. While I understand the need for emphasis, at times, it came across as circular and a lack of new thought.
3) I also question who the intended audience is. Is it meant for new Christians or for theological students? Cos, it appears to partially meet the needs of both, but none meeting them fully. So it is quite a mix bag for me.
Overall, it is a good premier to the Trinity and its importance. But I will recommend other recent books if you are interested (eg Michael Reeves’ Delighting in the Trinity”)
March 20, 2025
The Trinity has always been a topic that many of us ignore, due to the lack of comprehension. And indeed, I think no one will ever fully understand it. As Tim Chester points out, not fully grasping the Trinity is a good thing because it shows how the living God we worship is much greater than us.
There are several things I like about this book :
- The analogy of a dim lit room to describe the doctrine of the Trinity in the Old Testament, and how Christ, the light, reveals how God is inherently trinitarian in the New Testament
- I love how Chester underlines how relational God is, and how a God of love can only be trinitarian. Fascinating.
Critiques : There are some sections in the book that were unnecessary to me. Chester, a lot of times, did not go straight to the point (ex: chapter about the different doctrines of the Trinity through time).
There are several things I like about this book :
- The analogy of a dim lit room to describe the doctrine of the Trinity in the Old Testament, and how Christ, the light, reveals how God is inherently trinitarian in the New Testament
- I love how Chester underlines how relational God is, and how a God of love can only be trinitarian. Fascinating.
Critiques : There are some sections in the book that were unnecessary to me. Chester, a lot of times, did not go straight to the point (ex: chapter about the different doctrines of the Trinity through time).
June 29, 2024
After I finished Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith by Michael Reeves Amazon recommended this one to me. So, since I still felt like I wanted more on the topic, I launched into this one immediately. I liked the overall approach Chester took with this. He overviews the different beliefs about the Trinity and gives you the history and theology surrounding each. Then he breaks down what he believes and gives you all the reasons it makes the most sense and why it matters to our faith. I liked this book on the Trinity much better than the other one, so if you only want one book on the Trinity, this is the one I would recommend. **Remember that these are the only two I've read so far. There may be other, better resources out there.
May 28, 2025
It's been interesting reading three books on the Trinity in recent weeks and seeing how each author has structured their work differently. What I really appreciated about Tim Chester's book was the section on Historical developments, especially for his help in seeing the contrasting views of the Eastern church and the Western church, and how each "side" has a risk of leaning towards either the oneness (monotheism) or the threeness (tritheism).
He also does a great job of comparing the Christian understanding of God as Triune, with the Islamic understanding of God as unitary (or unicity). Chester shows that the fact that we are individual persons and relational really only makes sense if God is both plurality and unity.
Well worth a read.
He also does a great job of comparing the Christian understanding of God as Triune, with the Islamic understanding of God as unitary (or unicity). Chester shows that the fact that we are individual persons and relational really only makes sense if God is both plurality and unity.
Well worth a read.
April 30, 2018
This book packs a lot of complicated material into a short and relatively accessible book. Some of it is still rather confusing (perhaps sometimes because parts of the logic are presented so briefly) but in general it does a good job of presenting it clearly. Personally I felt that some of the implications of the doctrines were a bit overblown (eg saying that the Trinity is *necessary* for God to be personal and knowable) but perhaps I just feel that because the explanation is so short and has to gloss over intervening chains in the logic. But in general the explanations of the implications are helpful and the history is very interesting.
October 13, 2013
Great read. I enjoyed this topic which is not easy to tackle. The author does a great job by providing a biblical treatment of the Trinity. Tim Chester opens up this book with a brief account of two friends who happened to be Muslims. His two friends who would visit him faithfully each week would come over to have a cup of tea and discuss a passage of Scripture. Many of their questions were about the Trinity. They wouldn’t ask, “How can God have a son? How can there be three Gods and one God?” Chester went on to explain how he even tempted to move the conversation to a different area because he was embarrassed by the doctrine of the Trinity. But upon reflecting upon that, he realized that being embarrassed about the doctrine of the Trinity is to be embarrassed about God. He goes on to say, “The triune God revealed in the Bible is good news and so the Trinity must be good news. And so I thought on. How is the doctrine of the Trinity good news? This book is my answer to that question.”
Chester also admits that he has written a number of books, but this book on the Trinity is the most enjoyable one to write. In order to show that the doctrine is not irrelevant or embarrassing, Chester stays true to the book’s titles. What made this book delighting was his foundational framework that made the less than 200 page book enjoyable to read. The framework consisted of three parts.
Part one consisted of biblical foundations that covered the unity of God in the Bible, the plurality of God in the Bible, and the unity and plurality at the cross. He he goes over some major passages such as Deuteronomy 6:4 and 1 Corinthians 8:6. He does a comparison of the two passages in order to reveal that both the OT and NT point to the same God.
Part two was about the historical developments of the Trinity that consists of three major periods. The first period covered God’s actions and God’s being (2nd-4th centuries AD). Here,Chester makes note of how the Trinity expresses God’s actions and God’s being. I am so thankful that Chester mentions God’s being and His actions because people in this world need to understand the details behind God’s being and they need to understand that He is not distant from His creation. As I contemplated this, it definetely provides a strak contrast from the god of deism and the god of Islam that seems to be distant from humanity. The first period does not end there, but also journeys into the Arian controversy and Athanasius’ (Bishop of Alexandria) exile. An exile hat was due to his acceptance of homoousios (“same substance”) and his denial of homoiousios (“similar substance”). The difference was over one Greek letter; and it was enough to have him exiled for over 16 years. For Athanasius, he understood that in the incarnation of Christ, the Son was subordinate to the Father, but ontologically, he was equal to the Father in essence and substance, not similar. In the second period, the book covered the importance of starting with the three, then the one, when explaining the Trinity (5th-16th centuries AD). The second period also dispenses a lot of material that covered the eastern and western’s views on the Trinity. Their views that were weighty enough to cause the churches in those geographical areas to split. Chester mentions, “To the east, western theology contained within it a tendency towards modalism–the equality of the three tending to become the sameness of the three. To the west, eastern theology involved a tendency towards subordination with the essence of God associated with the Father alone (although this tendency is mitigated by the idea of perichoresis.” There is more to say about the west and the east, but that was the jest of it. One of the biggest highlights of period two, was the book’s coverage of the Reformation period. The Reformation was the fork on the road. For example, guys like Calvin, from the Reformation period, saw the Trinity differently from the east and west. To Calvin, the Trinity in the Bible must be viewed as three persons that are co-equal in divinity. To Calvin, all three have distinctive roles, but they do not work separately. The God-head was involved in creation and redemption together. As for the third period, it was a period that covered the Enlightenment (18th-19th) and the twentieth century. The Enlightenment sought to perceive the Trinity from a more inductive reasoning process rather than deductive process. In the Enlightenment period, human reason was elevated and was the starting point for rationalists. Their rationalism and love for one’s reason portrayed their handling of the Trinity as a marginal matter rather than a vital matter. Also, in the twentieth century, the book highlights the renewed interest in the Trinity for human personhood and social interaction.
The last foundational framework, which is part three, covered the practical implications of the Trinity upon revelation, salvation, humanity, and mission. This was a very fascinating and heart-warming area. As a footnote, this past Sunday, I taught a group of young people on the topic of the Trinity. I was glad I read the book prior to teaching this topic because it caused me to stress the importance of not only assimilating correct knowledge of the Trinity, but the importance of seeing the implications that the Trinity has upon our relationships with one another and our worship to God.
Chester also admits that he has written a number of books, but this book on the Trinity is the most enjoyable one to write. In order to show that the doctrine is not irrelevant or embarrassing, Chester stays true to the book’s titles. What made this book delighting was his foundational framework that made the less than 200 page book enjoyable to read. The framework consisted of three parts.
Part one consisted of biblical foundations that covered the unity of God in the Bible, the plurality of God in the Bible, and the unity and plurality at the cross. He he goes over some major passages such as Deuteronomy 6:4 and 1 Corinthians 8:6. He does a comparison of the two passages in order to reveal that both the OT and NT point to the same God.
Part two was about the historical developments of the Trinity that consists of three major periods. The first period covered God’s actions and God’s being (2nd-4th centuries AD). Here,Chester makes note of how the Trinity expresses God’s actions and God’s being. I am so thankful that Chester mentions God’s being and His actions because people in this world need to understand the details behind God’s being and they need to understand that He is not distant from His creation. As I contemplated this, it definetely provides a strak contrast from the god of deism and the god of Islam that seems to be distant from humanity. The first period does not end there, but also journeys into the Arian controversy and Athanasius’ (Bishop of Alexandria) exile. An exile hat was due to his acceptance of homoousios (“same substance”) and his denial of homoiousios (“similar substance”). The difference was over one Greek letter; and it was enough to have him exiled for over 16 years. For Athanasius, he understood that in the incarnation of Christ, the Son was subordinate to the Father, but ontologically, he was equal to the Father in essence and substance, not similar. In the second period, the book covered the importance of starting with the three, then the one, when explaining the Trinity (5th-16th centuries AD). The second period also dispenses a lot of material that covered the eastern and western’s views on the Trinity. Their views that were weighty enough to cause the churches in those geographical areas to split. Chester mentions, “To the east, western theology contained within it a tendency towards modalism–the equality of the three tending to become the sameness of the three. To the west, eastern theology involved a tendency towards subordination with the essence of God associated with the Father alone (although this tendency is mitigated by the idea of perichoresis.” There is more to say about the west and the east, but that was the jest of it. One of the biggest highlights of period two, was the book’s coverage of the Reformation period. The Reformation was the fork on the road. For example, guys like Calvin, from the Reformation period, saw the Trinity differently from the east and west. To Calvin, the Trinity in the Bible must be viewed as three persons that are co-equal in divinity. To Calvin, all three have distinctive roles, but they do not work separately. The God-head was involved in creation and redemption together. As for the third period, it was a period that covered the Enlightenment (18th-19th) and the twentieth century. The Enlightenment sought to perceive the Trinity from a more inductive reasoning process rather than deductive process. In the Enlightenment period, human reason was elevated and was the starting point for rationalists. Their rationalism and love for one’s reason portrayed their handling of the Trinity as a marginal matter rather than a vital matter. Also, in the twentieth century, the book highlights the renewed interest in the Trinity for human personhood and social interaction.
The last foundational framework, which is part three, covered the practical implications of the Trinity upon revelation, salvation, humanity, and mission. This was a very fascinating and heart-warming area. As a footnote, this past Sunday, I taught a group of young people on the topic of the Trinity. I was glad I read the book prior to teaching this topic because it caused me to stress the importance of not only assimilating correct knowledge of the Trinity, but the importance of seeing the implications that the Trinity has upon our relationships with one another and our worship to God.
October 15, 2018
Este livro demonstra o relacionamento da trindade consigo mesma, e que é verdadeira a coexistência da diversidade na unidade. Este relacionamento de Deus Pai com o filho Jesus e o Espírito Santo deve ser o modelo para os nossos relacionamentos. Portanto, quando a igreja demonstra esse amor do Deus trino, o mundo vê o Deus verdadeiro por meio da ação do Espírito Santo na igreja. Excelente livro sem dúvidas, vale a leitura.
May 17, 2020
Loved authors setting Biblical foundations of the trinity and its practical implications. The middle section on Historical developments was academic and a little harder to follow but showed honestly the twists and turns culture and events sometime shape thinking about the Trinity. Overall a good introduction to the Biblical development of God and the distinct persons of the a Trinity.
January 13, 2023
Overall I thought this book was pretty good. Started and ended well, with a bit of a lull in the middle. But really made me think more about how we teach on the trinity, how we sometimes disregard the doctrine of the trinity functionally in our churches and lives, and how we should be impacted by the trinity in every aspect as a foundational belief.
May 30, 2017
This is easiest and most practical book on the Trinity that I have read. It does give a brief summary of the theology and history but too much. The main aspect of the books is showing how this affects our everyday life.
May 22, 2019
This is a really helpful, brief introduction to the Trinity. Clear Biblical explanation, a concise historical overview of the doctrine and a great section on the practical implications. Would recommend as an introduction text.
January 4, 2020
Um livro necessário! Uma reafirmação de que a trindade não se trata apenas de discussão teológica, mas da base de nossa fé cristã. É a partir dessa doutrina que outras são estabelecidas e princípios são firmados. Bem profundo, mas incrivelmente bem escrito!
February 16, 2017
Um ótimo livro introdutório sobre aspectos históricos, práticos, eclesiológicos e missionais da Trindade. E com uma boa lista de indicações de leituras para quem quiser se aprofundar.
May 15, 2019
Accessible and helpful overall
September 7, 2020
O autor revela a unicidade da Trindade sem dissociá-la da unicidade de Deus, explicando de forma histórica como vertentes cristãs se moldaram.
September 30, 2016
Definitely not the best book I have ever read, but the content was undeniably some of the most eye-opening. I had not studied the trinity previously and regret that after reading Chester's book. The book is a great general overview of a subject that is infinitely important.
September 29, 2015
According to the back cover this book aims to show how the Trinity is “fantastically good news.” The book is divided into three parts with part one looking at the Biblical foundation for the Trinity, part two focuses on the historical developments of the Trinity throughout church history and part three concentrate on the practical implications. The part of the book that I most enjoyed was part one in which the author Tim Chester presented the Biblical proof for the Trinity. The part of the book that I, and most likely most readers will learn the most from is the historical theology section. Here in part two of the book Chester divided the church’s historical development into three parts which is roughly divided between the second through fourth century AD, the fifth through sixteenth century AD and finally the 17th through 20th century AD. I found Chester informative. However I do question Chester’s point that the 17th-20th Century has been about putting the Trinity at the margins and then again at the center of theology. I think seeing the Church as a whole, the doctrine of the Trinity has been at the center for much of the early part of Church history as a whole (just look at all the church councils and creeds). Chester is right that in Western Europe there was a marginalization of the Trinity due to the Enlightenment which had a tendency towards rationalism and Unitarianism. But I don’t know if we can say the Trinity was marginalized by the rest of the Church or elsewhere in the world. The part of the book that I was most looking forward to was the practical implications. It seems that there have been a recent revival among Evangelicals to study the Trinity and draw out its implication for the Christian life and faith. I thought that Chester could have been more explicit at times in this section of the book. That is, he could have been more explicit about how the Trinity applies to the Christian life; there were times in the book in which I wondered where was the Trinitarian implication. Maybe this is more a stylistic issue; for instance I felt the discussion about the Trinity and salvation spent a long time talking about different views of the atonement which is good and I agree with penal substitutionary atonement but he could have done a better job tying the Trinity into the subject matter. I felt the same criticism applies to his chapter on the Trinity and revelation. His strongest chapter in this section was on the Trinity and humanity. There is an excellent discussion of the problem of one and the many and society pitting the battle between the individual and society and how when we look at the Trinity we see the perfect pattern that has implication for the unity of the church and other spheres of humanity. Very good, I was surprised that Chester didn’t footnote anything here from Van Til or Rushdoony! Do read this book but also read other works on the Trinity as well.
June 21, 2018
I guess this wasn’t quite what I was expecting from the title. Tim Chester goes through the trinity in scripture, the history of the doctrine of the trinity and then why the trinity is so important. I found the history rather confusing and got a little lost in what the author was trying to say about what was actually true. I enjoyed the part about the implications of the doctrine in our lives. Well worth reading.
September 3, 2012
Delighting In The Trinity, by Tim Chester, is a very good book. The title made me break my book reviewing moratorium, and it mostly lived up to what I expected.
That being said, first of all I shall look at the good. The good is that the book gives a very good, though relatively concise overview of the doctrine of the Trinity. Chester surveys the biblical doctrine of the Trinity as well as the history of the doctrine. In doing so, I believe that he has been faithful in every respect. He is true to the Scriptures, and he is true to history.
Another way in which he is faithful is that he is true to the reader. Chester does not write for the academy, but for the average Joe. The book is accessible to anyone, especially those with no theological education. Though that is so, Chester has written the book well. It is both scholarly and accessible.
The book covers the doctrine of the Scripture quite well in that it presents God not only as one, but as three. Chester explains that God is neither monistic, nor tritheistic. He explains that Trinitarian theology speaks of God as one God in three persons. I believe that this is true, and appreciate Chester’s manner in explaining it.
I became very concerned later in the book as Chester began to speak about the atonement. My thought was that he had branched out too far, and would be getting in over his head. A few pages later, after seeing how he tied Trinitarian truth to the atonement, my reaction was one of pleasant amazement that he had tied it all together so easily and did such a good job of it.
The only thing that I can say that, to me, was a negative about the book is the fact that the title of the book presents us the idea that we are going to be directed to delight in the Trinity. I believe that the theme permeates the book, but I think that it should have stood out a bit more apparently than it does. Not only do we need our theology of God to be correct, but we need a correct doxology. A chapter about applying this to our lives in the matter of our thought life and our worship as matters of delighting in the LORD would have been very helpful. This small complaint of mine, however, cannot diminish the worth of this book to God’s people.
All in all, this book remains worthy of four out of five stars. It is a book that I wish I would be able to convince all of the members of my flock to read.
This book was provided for review by the publisher, but there was no expectation of a positive review.
That being said, first of all I shall look at the good. The good is that the book gives a very good, though relatively concise overview of the doctrine of the Trinity. Chester surveys the biblical doctrine of the Trinity as well as the history of the doctrine. In doing so, I believe that he has been faithful in every respect. He is true to the Scriptures, and he is true to history.
Another way in which he is faithful is that he is true to the reader. Chester does not write for the academy, but for the average Joe. The book is accessible to anyone, especially those with no theological education. Though that is so, Chester has written the book well. It is both scholarly and accessible.
The book covers the doctrine of the Scripture quite well in that it presents God not only as one, but as three. Chester explains that God is neither monistic, nor tritheistic. He explains that Trinitarian theology speaks of God as one God in three persons. I believe that this is true, and appreciate Chester’s manner in explaining it.
I became very concerned later in the book as Chester began to speak about the atonement. My thought was that he had branched out too far, and would be getting in over his head. A few pages later, after seeing how he tied Trinitarian truth to the atonement, my reaction was one of pleasant amazement that he had tied it all together so easily and did such a good job of it.
The only thing that I can say that, to me, was a negative about the book is the fact that the title of the book presents us the idea that we are going to be directed to delight in the Trinity. I believe that the theme permeates the book, but I think that it should have stood out a bit more apparently than it does. Not only do we need our theology of God to be correct, but we need a correct doxology. A chapter about applying this to our lives in the matter of our thought life and our worship as matters of delighting in the LORD would have been very helpful. This small complaint of mine, however, cannot diminish the worth of this book to God’s people.
All in all, this book remains worthy of four out of five stars. It is a book that I wish I would be able to convince all of the members of my flock to read.
This book was provided for review by the publisher, but there was no expectation of a positive review.
August 31, 2012
Delighting in the Trinity: Why Father, Son and Spirit are good news
©2010 by Tim Chester
Published by The Good Book Company
192 pages
In the Old Testament God introduces Himself to His people by name. It’s His personal name, His covenant name. God’s name is Yahweh. He isn’t some generic “god.” He is the God named Yahweh. What is God’s name in the New Testament? “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19 ESV). Not the names of the Father, Son and Spirit, but the name. To put it another way “Trinity is the Christian name for God”(p. 14).
Tim Chester is a church planter in the UK, and co-director of The Porterbrook Network, which seeks to train people for church planting. He's the author of more than a dozen books. In what he calls his favorite of the books he has written, he takes on the daunting task of making the doctrine of the Trinity a delight instead of a quandary. He does an admirable job.
“The Bible is not a theological treatise. You cannot look under “G” to find out about God. It is a story: the story of salvation. The doctrine of the Trinity does not start life as a philosophical statement, but as a way of summarizing what we discover in the story of salvation” (p. 41). “It would be wrong to say that the New Testament contains a doctrine of the Trinity in the way that we now conceive it…But there are nevertheless, signs of a Trinitarian awareness” (p. 60). Part One of the book uncovers these moments of “Trinitarian awareness.”
He begins with an excellent discussion on the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) and how Jesus is not a contradiction but a further revelation of what was hinted at in the Old Testament. He concludes Part One with a theology of the Cross.
Part Two looks at historical developments. I found this section to very informative, but I would imagine some would not appreciate it as much.
Part Three gives some practical implications. Of particular value is how the Trinity helps us to understand the atonement (pp. 137-155).
Even “though we cannot know God fully, we can know Him truly” (p. 16), Chester helps us in that great lifelong endeavor.
This book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
©2010 by Tim Chester
Published by The Good Book Company
192 pages
In the Old Testament God introduces Himself to His people by name. It’s His personal name, His covenant name. God’s name is Yahweh. He isn’t some generic “god.” He is the God named Yahweh. What is God’s name in the New Testament? “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” (Matthew 28:19 ESV). Not the names of the Father, Son and Spirit, but the name. To put it another way “Trinity is the Christian name for God”(p. 14).
Tim Chester is a church planter in the UK, and co-director of The Porterbrook Network, which seeks to train people for church planting. He's the author of more than a dozen books. In what he calls his favorite of the books he has written, he takes on the daunting task of making the doctrine of the Trinity a delight instead of a quandary. He does an admirable job.
“The Bible is not a theological treatise. You cannot look under “G” to find out about God. It is a story: the story of salvation. The doctrine of the Trinity does not start life as a philosophical statement, but as a way of summarizing what we discover in the story of salvation” (p. 41). “It would be wrong to say that the New Testament contains a doctrine of the Trinity in the way that we now conceive it…But there are nevertheless, signs of a Trinitarian awareness” (p. 60). Part One of the book uncovers these moments of “Trinitarian awareness.”
He begins with an excellent discussion on the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4) and how Jesus is not a contradiction but a further revelation of what was hinted at in the Old Testament. He concludes Part One with a theology of the Cross.
Part Two looks at historical developments. I found this section to very informative, but I would imagine some would not appreciate it as much.
Part Three gives some practical implications. Of particular value is how the Trinity helps us to understand the atonement (pp. 137-155).
Even “though we cannot know God fully, we can know Him truly” (p. 16), Chester helps us in that great lifelong endeavor.
This book was provided by the publisher for review. The reviewer was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
May 1, 2014
The topic of Trinity is probably one of the most difficult concept to understand and I took up this book with many question marks. From Biblical foundation to practical implication, I greatly admire the clear logic behind the progression of each chapters and how the author made the abstract concept much easier to grasp, while also thoroughly convinced how critical the correct understanding of trinity can impact Christian walk. "We may never know God fully but we can know God truly". This quote from the author might be the best summary of this book.
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