That God May Be All in All: A Paterology Demonstrating That the Father Is the Initiator of All Divine Activity

by Ryan L. Rippee, Bruce A. Ware (Foreword)

Christology and Pneumatology have long been major preoccupations for theologians, and rightly so, but the work of God the Father has been surprisingly neglected.

Through a biblical and exegetical study of the Father's person and work (Paterology), this book argues that, among the persons of the Trinity, the Father is the initiator of all divine activity. Furthermore, it is in the context of a loving eternal relationship with the Son and Spirit that the Father has planned and purposed all things, creating through the Son and by the Spirit, promising and accomplishing redemption through the sending of the Son and the Spirit, and perfecting salvation by bringing about a new heavens and new earth through his Son and Spirit. The only proper response is a Trinitarian-shaped life of worship that worships our Triune God.

"'Paterology' may be an unfamiliar term to many readers. Here it designates a study of God the Father, as distinct from the Son and the Spirit as Trinitarian persons. I like Rippee's approach very much, because he goes directly and deeply into the scriptures, which are certainly our only ultimate source for teaching about the Trinity. There are many books on the Trinity today. Some of them disturbingly dismiss the biblical representations as figurative while presenting as literal certain philosophical speculations. The fact that Rippee avoids this approach is a strong recommendation for his book. But a greater recommendation is the comfort one gains from Scripture's reassurance that our Heavenly Father is the one who initiates everything in Heaven and on Earth.
--John M. Frame, Professor, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando, Florida

Ryan L. Rippee is a professor at The Cornerstone Bible College and Seminary in Vallejo, CA

445 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 12, 2018

Reviews

[Susan Kendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not an easy read and assumed a level of familiarity with Biblical Hebrew and Greek that I will probably never attain. However, it was enjoyable simply as a meditation on God the Father and His role in the Trinitarian plan of salvation. I don’t know that I’d recommend it just because it was super intellectual, but if that doesn’t deter you, I would say go for it. I recommend a pace of half a chapter to a chapter per day. The headings within each chapter are helpful, and he summarizes each chapter with a conclusion which was also helpful. So yeah, worth a read if you don’t mind slogging through the big and/or unfamiliar words.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author seeks to correct the lack of attention given to the first person of the Trinity, God the Father. In his thorough treatment of and focus on God the Father, he demonstrates that God is the initiating authority in the Trinity. He is careful to make plain to the reader that this does not undermine the equality that exists between each person of the Trinity, but that the Father's unique role supports the taxis that exists among the three persons, with the Father as the head. Worth reading for any serious student of Trinitarian theology.