Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 16:1 (Spring 2012)
Article: Christian Worship And "Taxis" Within The Trinity
Author: Bruce A. Ware

SBJT 16:1 (Spring 2012) p. 28

Christian Worship And Taxis Within The Trinity

Bruce A. Ware

Bruce A. Ware is Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Prior to this, he taught at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary, and Bethel Theological Seminary. Dr. Ware has written numerous articles, book chapters, and reviews. He is the author of God’s Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism (Crossway, 2000), God’s Greater Glory: The Exalted God of Scripture and the Christian Faith (Crossway, 2004), Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance (Crossway, 2005), Big Truths for Young Hearts: Teaching and Learning the Greatness of God (Crossway, 2009), and the forthcoming book, The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ (Crossway).

Introduction: Twin Pillars Of Trinitarian Doctrine

Trinitarian doctrine is built upon the twin pillars of the oneness of the divine essence and

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the threeness of the divine persons. Or, one might say that these twin pillars are those of identity (essence) and distinction (persons), or of equality (essence) and difference (persons). Each pillar is necessary, and only together (and rightly understood) are they sufficient to uphold the doctrine of the Trinity.

T he oneness of God expresses the truth that there is one and only one true and living God and hence, one and only one unified and undivided divine essence possessing intrinsically and eternally every perfection or quality in infinite measure. The oneness of God, then, explains why Father, Son, and Holy Spirit cannot rightly be conceived as three gods, for each possesses eternally and fully this one and undivided divine essence.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equally God, for in essence they are identical. The equality of the divine persons, then, is the strongest kind of equality possible and is, in fact, sui generis (in a class of its own). Consider for a moment other kinds of equality in comparison to the supreme equality that exists among the three divine persons. The equality that exists, for example, among three evenly sliced pieces of pie is an equality of proportionality. Each piece of pie is equal to each other piece because each is the same proportion of the total pie, i.e., each is equally one-third of the pie. But the persons of the Trinity, though they possess an equality of proportionality—each possesses 100% of the divine nature—have attached to them an even stronger kind of equality than merely an equality of proportionality. Or again, the equality that exists among creatures is, at<...