I’ve been studying theology to prepare for serving overseas in a Muslim context.
How do I answer my friends’ questions about the gospel? These objections are theological, revolving around Jesus, his incarnation and the Trinity. After all, they say, the word ‘Trinity’ isn’t even in the Bible.
We might retort that nowhere in the Qur’an do we find the word tawhid – that key Islamic doctrine of Allah’s utter oneness. But we must face the more fundamental issue: the relationship between God’s inspired Scripture and the doctrines we profess. Let’s start by making the problem worse. Not only is ‘Trinity’ absent, but so are ‘Bible’, ‘discipleship’, ‘substitution’… . John Piper, in his upcoming magnum opus Providence, will point out that though the title of his book also cannot be found, we encounter its reality on every single page of Scripture.
Step 1, then, is distinguishing between a word, which might be absent, and its concept, which by contrast can be seen everywhere.
Step 2 requires digging deeper into what prompted trinitarian theology in the first place. What is this concept meant to explain and where did it come from? Answer: from Justin Martyr and Tertullian to Gregory of Nazianzus and Augustine, this doctrine emerged out of their Bible studies. The history of theology is the history of Biblical exegesis, and nowhere is that truer than with the Trinity. These theologians noticed many texts in which there were distinct voices/ persons, with seemingly divine authority and titles, addressing one another. Yet how could this fit with that central affirmation: ‘The LORD is one’ (Deut. 6:4)?
The answer is found in the New Testament use of the Old. The most quoted book of the OT is the Psalms, and the favourite is Psalm 110. It opens: ‘The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool”.’ Jesus was the first to make this connection. To His interlocutors who claim that the Messiah is merely the son of David, He asks: ‘David himself calls him Lord. So how is he his son?’ (Mark 12:37; Matt. 22:45; Luke 20:44). This (Step 3) is a fruitful place to go to with Muslims, who believe that both David’s Zebur (Psalms) and Jesus’ Incil (Gospel) were revealed by God. We can ask: “Whose son do you think Jesus is? How would you answer Jesus’ question?”
Step 4: With our noses in the Psalms, the key question is: ‘Who is speaking to whom here?’ This question is a profound technique which the NT actually uses far more than typology. Why not start using it in your Bible reading? Whose voices do you hear in Psalms 2, 16, or 22? The NT leaves us in no doubt. How are Psalms 3, 69, or (glory!) Psalm 88 illumined when placed in Jesus’ mouth at the cross?
Applying it here, David is writing but adopts the persona of ‘the LORD’ (YHWH), who is speaking to David’s Lord (Adonai). What’s going on? In an extraordinary moment, heaven is torn open and David listens in on a conversation between God the Father and God the Son! Ushered into eternity past, he sees the Son eternally begotten and generated by His Father (Ps.110:3). In Psalm 2:7, speaking of a time before the OT in God’s eternity, the Son says: ‘The LORD said to me, “You are my Son; Today I have begotten you”.’ We hear these trinitarian voices everywhere when our ears are attuned. So open Scripture’s pages and hear the whispers of Father, Son and Spirit.
Step 5? Revel in your union with Christ. Because when you pray, ushered into highest heaven, you get to join in.
