John Feinberg: No One Like Him

 

No One Like Him is a comprehensive work that consists of 16 chapters. It is divided into three parts. Part One deals with the concepts of God. It covers such topics as the idea of God, what happens to God in contemporary thought and process theology. Part Two covers the being and nature of God. It features chapters on the existence and being of God, the attributes of God, the non-moral divine attributes, the moral attributes of God, God as He relates to time and eternity, and the Trinity. Part Three addresses the acts of God. It covers the decree of God, the doctrine of creation, divine providence and human freedom, the sovereignty of God, freedom and foreknowledge, and divine providence and evil.

The entire volume should be of interest to Pentecostals, as it goes beyond simple answers and weak illustrations about the nature of God. It also goes beyond Scripture, in a legitimate way, by analyzing modern concepts about God in the context of history. Included is a dissection and critical analysis of different viewpoints on controversial teachings. With the emphasis on prosperity in many churches today, the biblical view of God is often distorted. However, Feinberg offers an antidote to this distortion

One section that should prove especially relevant to Pentecostals is the chapter on the Trinity. Fienberg argues for the importance of the doctrine and notes the sad implications for those who dismiss it as insignificant. “This is a most significant doctrine theologically,” he writes. “If Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not coequally God and not of the same essence, there are serious problems, for example, for the doctrine of salvation” (p. 440).

According to Fienberg, the average Christian has a faulty view of the Trinity. For the most part, they assent to the doctrine, he writes. However, “few really understand what it says, and many actually live as practical tritheists. That is, in the minds of many, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are divine, but they often think of them and relate to them as though they were three separate Gods” (p. 439).

Fienberg makes a strong case for the traditional view of the Trinity, which is a uniquely Christian doctrine. The doctrine holds that God is one as to essence and three as to persons. As opposed to the “Oneness” or “Jesus Only” teachings, the doctrine of the Trinity claims that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one but three separate and distinct persons. “Any Christians who think it important to understand who and what their God is must recognize that the Christian God is triune,” Fienberg writes (p. 439).

As he does with other topics, Fienberg traces the doctrine to the Bible and through history. He presents the various positions held throughout history and makes a case for view that is typically held by conservative Evangelicals.

 

Tags: feinberg, john

Category: In Depth, Summer 2008