Fountain of Salvation: Trinity and Soteriology

by Fred Sanders

A trinitarian exposition of Christian soteriology   The relation of God and salvation is not primarily a problem to be solved. Rather, it is the blazing core of Christian doctrine, where the triune nature of God and the truth of the gospel come together.  Accordingly, a healthy Christian theology must confess the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of salvation as closely related, mutually illuminating, and strictly ordered. When the two doctrines are left unconnected, both suffer. The doctrine of the Trinity begins to seem altogether irrelevant to salvation history and Christian experience, while soteriology meanwhile becomes naturalized, losing its transcendent reference. If they are connected too tightly, on the other hand, human salvation seems inherent to the divine reality itself. Deftly navigating this tension,  Fountain of Salvation  relates them by expounding the doctrine of eternal processions and temporal missions, ultimately showing how they inherently belong together.

The theological vision expounded here by Fred Sanders is one in which the holy Trinity is the source of salvation in a direct and personal way, as the Father sends the Son and the Holy Spirit to enact an economy of revelation and redemption. Individual chapters show how this vision informs the doctrines of atonement, ecclesiology, Christology, and pneumatology—all while directly engaging with major modern interpreters of the doctrine of the Trinity. As Sanders affirms throughout this in-depth theological treatise, the triune God is the fountain from which all other doctrine flows—and no understanding of salvation is complete that does not begin there.

Genres: Theology, Christian

231 pages, Paperback

Published September 2, 2021

About the author

Fred Sanders is professor of theology at Biola University's Torrey Honors College.

Reviews

[Samuel G. Parkison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A master class on classical retrieval for modern theology.

[Isaiah Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book was like expecting to jump into a 6 foot pool but realizing it’s actually a 20 foot pool.

[Scott Bielinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sanders' new book helps us to see the rich texture of theology when we see it trinitarian-ly. Sanders is at his most Websterian, using his Thomistic principle to structure his discussion: that theology is "first the immanent Trinity in its eternal relations of origin, and then the external works of the triune God in salvation" (8-9). The majority of the book examines theological subsets of soteriology (ecclesiology, atonement, the Christian life) and then closes with two chapters on theological retrieval in light of modern trinitarian developments. In Chapter 9, he briefly sketches how these modern developments are reinterpretations of the Trinity according to three "Romantic ideas: world history, human experience, and the retrieval of the past" (156). An insight like that deserves an entire book.

Sanders is a clear writer and brilliant thinker. He also generously sprinkles jokes and puns throughout. While chastising the academy/those who fancy themselves "academics," he says, "But profsplaining to the saints as if they were not immersed in trinitarian life is not the way forward. Of course, we ought to have even more reason for self-doubt if we have a book to sell, which has all the answers in it" (133). Hysterically, he cites his own book, The Triune God, as the book that has all the answers in it. (Which, to be fair, at least in my estimation, it has the benefit of having many of the answers!)

Sanders mixes his humor with sincerity and sincere warning. He is obviously pleased with much of the trinitarian theology being done these days. No doubt looking at the eager up-and-coming theologians, he warns: "Too often when theologians think they can fix what ails the church, they do so not because they are impressed by the bigness of the Trinity, but impressed with themselves, or with the superiority of academic discourse to ecclesial discourse" (132). This is a subtle rebuke to the theologian today who lambasts modern Trinitarians for projecting their own ideas onto the Trinity, while also projecting their own sense of bigness onto the Trinity, using it for their own self-aggrandizement. Sanders the pastor comes out in shining moments like this where, learned theologian he is, looks right at you and says, "Who are you trying to impress?" If we try to impress others with our knowledge of the Trinity, we neglect how the Trinity has impressed itself upon us. He reminds us, "One thing we know for certain as we speak of divinity: the Trinity is big. God's triunity is why there is a gospel of grace" (153). The Trinity's work, the gospel of grace, frees you and me from that pressure to impress others. That's not why the Lord has given us theology. It's for worship.

All in all: another wonderful evangelical contribution to the ever-growing work on the Trinity. May God be praised.

[Emma Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book we read for Trinity class in the spring. We only had a few chapters left after the semester was over so I decided to finish it over the summer. Overall, I really enjoyed it - definitely above my typical reading difficulty level but class discussion helped sort out confusion. Spurred interesting thoughts regarding how soteriology is interpreted through a trinitarian lens.

[Emily Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book cited some female thinkers and theologians, which is the closest I've come to reading the thoughts of a woman in over a year of seminary education. I'd give it 5 stars just for that, but I have to be honest, so I'm docking a star.

[Tim Callicutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fred Sanders engages in classical retrieval in relation to the Trinity. He essentially centers classical theism, and makes a decent claim that despite some significant digressions and theologians claim to the contrary, the doctrine never really disappeared. He begins by setting up a careful equilibrium between the immanent and economic Trinities (that is, the eternal aspect of God we can never truly understand and the historical aspect that drives salvation history), pointing to both as necessary pieces of the fuller doctrine. From there, he argues that the Trinity, being the very Doctrine of God, is wide-ranging enough that it should be the playing field for all other theological ventures, which provides a jumping off point for him to explore what Trinitarian-informed theology looks like for key topics like atonement, ecclesiology, etc.

Sanders has written a great, relatively brief book on the Trinity and has included a number of insights that will affect how approach other theological topics. As someone who is not fully embedded in theology proper, this was an enlightening book of still the equivalent of jumping in the deep end. I particularly appreciate his impulse that the Trinity has a great deal to offer the church writ large, and his general thesis that it undergirds salvation through and through. I found his historical exploration of the doctrine interesting at the end as well.

At times, this one was beyond me. Semi-technical biblical studies is my bread and butter, but this is unabashedly a technical theological tome, even if the difficulties are balanced by Sanders winsome style and relative brevity. As a result, most of my critiques are probably unfair and doubtless Sanders would have a good answer for them. Perhaps the biggest one is the largest issue I have with theological writing in general - it often seems so untethered from the biblical evidence that it becomes difficult to judge in light of it. Sanders talks a lot about the biblical evidence for such and such, but rarely enumerates, kind of expecting us to take his word for it. For what it’s worth, I’m not against all theological ventures, and I adhere to classical Trinitarianism, perhaps with some waffling related to the impassibility of God, but because of my own interests Sanders explorations just weren’t as interesting to me.

However if you’re of a more theological bent and want a good work on Trinitarian retrieval, this one’s for you!

[Troy Nevitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A deep, helpful, but difficult book on the Trinity and God's relation in the Trinity to Soteriology. This is not an easy book. This fits on the mid level of academia, in a topic as complex as the Trinity and God's salvation. It's pretty exhaustive for the topic, so it may be worth reading individual chapter if the concepts are familiar to you.

[Gwilym Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is excellent - tremendously helpful. I particularly enjoyed the essays on the economy, the Spirit, the modern Trinity, and retrieval. The thing that I particularly appreciate about Sanders is his solid generosity. Four stars rather than five because it's a collection of previously published essays (a fact that's curiously left unstated until the very end) - and it has that feel: the occasional recycled quote, slightly uneven style (depending, I suppose, on the constraints of the journal the material was previously published for), a less than entirely linear argument, a slight tendency in some chapters (for example, the one on atonement) to set the parameters of the debate masterfully, but then leave the content a little under developed (which, again, makes more sense in a journal article than a book). But make no mistake: when Sanders writes more, I'll read more.

[Joseph Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Sanders is a gift to the church. This is my first encounter with his writing, but the way he utilizes historical and systematic theology as he builds a case for the importance of the Trinity is unparalleled. Connecting Eternal Generation/Procession, Ecclesiology, Atonement, the Christian Life to the Trinity is not easy for most people, but Sanders shows the importance of doing so.

This is NOT an introduction, however, and I am grateful that I read Swain’s “The Trinity” and others that helped to build my Trinitarian understanding and terminology prior to reading this. Having a knowledge of the terms and key players is necessary for grasping the deeper points in this book.

All together, Sanders is fantastic. I look forward to reading more of his works!

[Landon Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to some of Sanders' other works on the Trinity, this book is more academic and more challenging. There is a good bit of historical theology. While this historical theology is important to understanding the development of the doctrine of the Trinity, it can prove challenging for those who are not already familiar with the source material. In spite of the challenges, and likely because I am a pastor, I found chapter eight to be worth the effort of the book - "Trinitarian Theology, Gospel Ministry, and Theological Education."

[Noah Gwinn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw someone had previously reviewed this book saying, "Reading this book was like expecting to jump into a 6 foot pool but realizing it’s actually a 20 foot pool." Couldn't agree more. Solid content. Dry as a bone.

[Judd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Remember as a kid when your parents would have conversations and you would listen in even though you didn't really understand what they were talking about? You would just listen for words you recognized? That's kinda how I felt reading this book.
This book assumes a lot of doctrines (that I agree with) rather than explain them or defend them biblically. Reminds me why I prefer biblical theology to systematics.