JEFFERSON CITY – The Missouri Baptist Convention has just released a new resource for personal or group study titled What Every Christian Should Know About the Trinity.
Written by the MBC’s Rob Phillips, the 250-page book explores the biblical foundation of belief in one true and living God, who exists as three distinct, but inseparable, co-equal, co-eternal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Written for pastors and laypersons alike, the book features 12 lessons that conclude with probing questions, making this an ideal resource for personal or group study.
Noted Christian apologist and author Robert M. Bowman Jr. has written the book’s Foreword, in which he states, “This book does two things that are especially valuable for Christians seeking to live faithfully in this often-confusing world. First, it carefully explains how the doctrine of the Trinity intersects with other areas of Christian belief…. The other important thread running through this book is the contrast between the biblical, sound Christian doctrine of the Trinity and the false doctrines being taught by various religious groups today.”
For example, Bowman notes that Unitarians maintain Jesus did not exist in heaven before his human life on earth, but instead was created in the womb of the virgin Mary, lived as a perfect man, was raised from the dead, and was exalted to heaven as a semi-divine being.
Mormonism teaches that Christ is the first spirit son of a heavenly Father and a heavenly mother, who were our spiritual parents in heaven before we were born as physical beings on earth.
And Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus Christ was originally Michael the archangel, a super-angel that God created and later sent as a perfect man – but no more than that – to die and then become re-created as an angel.
“By explaining the differences between these (and other) false doctrines and what the Bible teaches, this book brings into focus why the doctrine of the Trinity matters,” writes Bowman.
“I highly recommend this book to Missouri Baptists in general and to MBC church leaders in particular as a church-wide or small-group study this fall or in 2020,” said John Yeats, MBC executive director. “The doctrine of the Trinity distinguishes orthodox Christianity from counterfeit forms of the faith, and sets Christianity apart from other monotheistic religions such as Judaism and Islam. Even so, many Christians struggle to understand and explain this non-negotiable doctrine. A careful study of the Trinity helps build confidence in the Word of God and alerts us to many false teachings about our great God and Savior.”
What Every Christian Should Know About the Trinity is available in print at mobaptist.org/apologetics. Print and Kindle editions also may be purchased from Amazon.com.
Yeats remarked that this resource is so relevant and timely that the MBC is offering churches the deeply discounted price of $5 per copy, plus shipping, when ordering five copies or more through the convention office.
For more information, or to place an order, send an email to cdowell@mobaptist.org.