God’s Goodness: The Trinity
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Introduction
God is a fellowship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so God is a communion of love. From eternity, God is fundamentally love, relational, personal, communal, friendship, family. God took on secondary attributes when God created the universe: God is creator, holy (as in “separate and distinct” from creation), sovereign (as in “ruler” of creation), etc. God took on tertiary attributes when humans corrupted human nature: just, wrathful, merciful, redeeming, purifying, etc. But God’s secondary and tertiary attributes must be understood as activities of His love, not as fundamental attributes equal and opposite to love. Also, since God made human beings “in the image of God,” we are called to receive and share the divine love, by participation. Since we do not generate love, we must depend on God, and grow in love in relationship with the Triune God.
God’s Goodness: Topics:
Here’s how to navigate this section on God’s Goodness. The Introduction focuses on the biblical presentation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and the implications. Human Becoming and God’s Goodness spotlights creation and humanity, especially how God made humans as human beings and human becomings. Israel and God’s Goodness tackles big questions about God taking human life to protect Israel, and even why God created an Israel in the first place. Jesus and God’s Goodness explains God revealing Himself fully in Jesus, and addresses Protestant notions of limited atonement and double predestination as incompatible with God’s Triune character of love. Holy Spirit and God’s Goodness explores the divine person of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. Human Destiny and God’s Goodness explains how desire and development are part of the outworking of human becoming, destiny, and God’s goodness. Fire and God’s Goodness explains why the portrayal of divine fire in Scripture is always God’s call to participate in refinement and purification. Human Evil and God’s Goodness explains why God is good by solving the problem of human evil in a loving way. Human Suffering and God’s Goodness explains why God is good because He suffers with us since the fall, and heals the deepest suffering behind the suffering.
