The Joy of the Trinity: One God, Three Persons

by Tara-Leigh Cobble

It's hard to know a God we don't understand, and it's hard to love a God we don't know.

But our God wants to be known and loved, and He’s told us a lot about Himself in the pages of His Word—particularly that He is a “three-in-one” God. Although it is a crucial and classic Christian teaching, understanding the Trinity can be intimidating at first. But it doesn’t have to be!

Join bestselling author, Bible teacher, and podcaster Tara-Leigh Cobble as she walks you through the triune nature of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As you turn each page, you’ll discover a beautiful, foundational view of the Trinity that will not only inform how you relate to God but give you deeper intimacy and greater joy in knowing Him!

Genres: Christian, Christianity, Christian Living, Faith, Theology

224 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 2024

Reviews

[Amber Thiessen · Rating 4 out of 5]

{full review posted here: https://www.amberthiessen.com/post/th...}

What do you know about the Trinity?

What do you believe about who God is?

These are fundamental questions to our Christian faith.

Consider this statement:
There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Would you agree or disagree?

In the 2022 report on the State of Theology, they found only 54% of professing evangelical Christians strongly agreed with this statement—just over half!

Tara-Leigh Cobble asserts that, “without the Trinity as the core of our beliefs, every other doctrine of our faith starts to come unglued and unhinged." Our belief about the nature of God’s oneness and threeness is essential and she writes The Joy of the Trinity: One God, Three Persons to teach us about it.

Read more on the blog, including summary, my take and some extra resources.

*A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review!

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good, quick overview on the topic. Touching on the subject of God being a relational God from eternity past and how every Person in the Trinity took part in the salvation plan.

[Chelsea Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good! I am trying to understand the trinity better, and while a lot is still over my head, I know more now than I did before reading haha. Also TLC is the best and helps me make heart connections instead of just head info. I appreciate that!

[Gretchen Bredemeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read lots of books trying to find a good in-depth, yet accessible book on the Trinity. Of the 9 or so I considered, this is absolutely the best. I use it for the mentorship course at my church.

[Jana Nethers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book diving into a deeper understanding of the Trinity and the role God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit play in my creation, salvation, and redemption!

[Kayley Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did the audiobook. Anything read by TLC is going to be great. Her enthusiasm just oozes out.

[Shayla Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good, but I much preferred her explanation of the Trinity in Candace Cameron’s podcast!

[Kenzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So helpful in seeing God for who He really is! I recommend!

[Theresa LeBlanc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book!

I understand much more about the Trinity thanks to Tara-Leigh! I’m not saying I grasp it all 100%, but I’ve learned a lot.

[Ashlee Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, just wow! ✨

I slowly took this book in & I am so grateful that I did. The unraveling of learning about the triune God I serve was a breath taking experience. I highly recommend this book to everyone willing to read it.

Personally, I will be reading this one again.

“Since many professing believers know very little about the three Persons of the Trinity, we have failed terribly at obeying Jesus’s command in our lives and in our churches. It’s vital that the doctrine of the Trinity not be glassed over but be widely taught and understood among professing Christians.” -Tara-Leigh Cobble

“Despite the spotlight being on Christ in the moment, our salvation and redemption would have never been attainable without all three distinct Persons of God being involved in the process. Jesus saves—and He saves not only through His finished work on the cross but in a partnership with the initiating power of the Father and the sustaining power of the spirit.” -Tara-Leigh Cobble.

[Hannah Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I can hear Tara-Leigh Cobble saying, “He’s where the joy is!” at the end of every chapter. Her writing style is simple and she brings new perspective to Bible passages you’ve read over and over. It has deepened my level of reading Scripture and solidified some basic knowledge of the faith. I think the Spirit is sometimes the most difficult part of the Trinity to understand, but Cobble makes it easy.

Favorite quote:
“If God were uni-personal instead of triune, He couldn’t be love in His essence. It would be something He does, not something He is because He wouldn’t have been capable of love until He created something to love. Love requires an “other.” That means He would’ve been Creator before He was Love, and His love would be attached to His accomplishments. But since He has always been a community of love within Himself, then love is at the core of who He is.” 🩷

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book diving into learning about the trinity. If you are familiar with Tara-Leigh Cobble's Bible Recap, this is similar, and I did enjoy it. There are many scripture references, and I love how she looks back into the Old Testament, showing that God's character has not changed.

Tara-leigh Cobble once said in her podcast you wouldn't marry someone and say, "I love you, but I don't want to know anything about you." That hit me real good because I hadn't really felt the need to understand God's character anymore deeply.

This is a good jumping off point for knowledge of the trinity, though I still can't wrap my head around everything perfectly, which I guess isn't expected or required. At the end of the book, she lists pastors/authors who have helped guide as well as some other books for more deep dives. I'm adding them to my want to read list to hopefully learn more and better understand.

[Cheri Swalwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book. I loved how she explained the trinity, which is something that is VERY hard to explain. I ended up feeling closer to God, the Son, and the Holy Spirit as a result of this book, and that was the reason why I wanted to read it in the first place, so the author was able to help me achieve that goal. It's told in an intellectual way (meaning the author really researched and took her time figuring out how to explain things to the reader) but in a conversational tone so I didn't feel lost or overwhelmed with big words or concepts that I couldn't grasp. Definitely a great book for a book club so you can talk about each section with someone before moving on to the next section.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book by netgalley and under no obligation to leave a review. All opinions are strictly mine.

[Julie Buxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The three-star rating is being generous. I wanted to like this book. But ... I had to start it twice. The first time, I just couldn't read it. The second time I forced myself to stay with it. It's not very well written. The author repeats herself A LOT. The book would've been a pamphlet if she hadn't repeated herself so frequently.

There is good information in the book. It would probably be good for someone who is questioning the Christian faith. It will lead you to a relationship with God.

Do I understand the Trinity any better now? No. But, maybe we're not really meant to understand the Trinity fully this side of Heaven.

[Abbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good basic theology on the Trinity. There wasn’t anything really wrong with this book, it just didn’t do much for me / add much to my current understanding. (I listened to the audiobook.)

One thing did stand out near the beginning - if not for the Trinity, love would only be something God does not something God is.

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our ladies Sunday School class worked through this book and loved it so much! Many questions were answered and we realized how much there is left to learn. Perfect for small groups, Sunday School or just personal growth.

[Aly Beaird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara Leigh Cobble is a fantastic writer. This was a detailed study on the trinity and I felt closer to God after reading it. I gained a better understand of the trinity which is the foundation of my Christian faith that doesn’t get enough attention

[Alie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ I really like TLC and am grateful for her Bible Recap, but reading this book felt like a chore. Did I gain some insight on the trinity? Yes. Would I recommend this book to a friend? Probably not.

[Randy Tramp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Tara does a wonderful job in explaining the Bible. Bible Recap Podcast - so good.

[Tabby Conn · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Audiobook* I devoured this in one day!! So, So good!!

[Hannah Rosenkrans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly thought provoking, and a bit convicting, but wonderfully laid out too. A topic that can never be fully understood but one that we can grow our knowledge in.

[Brooke Hester · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful guide to understanding the Trinity and how the Trinity affects how we encounter God and how we live our lives.

[Misty Sauls · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Bible Recap with Tara Leigh. I didn't love this book. Maybe it's one of those books you have to put your eyes on. I listened to the audio book and felt lost sometimes

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant work. Truly inspiring. Learned a lot and deepened my faith

[Noah Lykins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple, short, based.

[Ally Soderdahl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned so much! The trinity is so much deeper and profound than I ever imagined (I know…duhh) This book gave great, scripture based and applicable examples of the trinity

[Ashley Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice overview of the Trinity and written to help understand the Trinity. Recommend if interested in learning more about this.

[Book Lover · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will leave you gobsmacked! It will leave you in awe, blessed, convicted, dumbfounded … I learned SO MUCH! 🎧

[Kristen Emerick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I can't believe that I took so long to open this book up. I listened to this on audio. While it was so great to listen to Tara Leigh read this, I also think that I need a physical copy to continue to reference. I also kept thinking while going through this book how I wanted to open this (and the Word) with so many groups of people, as I think the content is just so good for learning more about the Trinity and to fall more in love with the one true God. While it is a book and not a study, I would recommend going through it with someone too and talking along the way. Thank you, TLC, for your insight and your desire to share with others.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our God wants to be known and loved, and He's told us a lot about Himself in the pages of His Word. He is a "three-in-one" God and understanding the Trinity can be intimidating at first but this book makes it easy to understand. Tara-Leigh knows how to engage someone concerning the Bible or Biblical topics. I strongly recommend this book as it's a great teaching and learning tool.