The Trinity: Is God a united family?
Graham Shearer
There is an increasing awareness amongst evangelical Christians that the doctrine of the Trinity is foundational to what it means to be a Christian. One way that can be discerned is in the evangelistic materials produced in recent years. Rather than beginning with an affirmation of God as creator and ruler, as evangelistic tracts of old may have done, many evangelistic resources now begin with the triune nature of the Christian God as a key distinctive of the Christian message.
This is, in the main, a very welcome development. Since we are baptised into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, it is clear that God’s triunity is basic to Christian discipleship and teaching. Yet, precisely because the triune nature of God is foundational, it is important to make sure we are being accurate and faithful in the way we think about it and express it. A mistake made in the foundations can lead to the whole building collapsing in the future.