Some Greek

Ok, so Clayton had asked me to tell you guys about the stuff on the trinity and incarnation I'd been thinking about last time we met, but I forgot. I have about 30 minutes before I leave for work, which wasn't enough time to stay for service, so I figured I would spend the time writing something productive.

The greek word used by the church fathers to describe the community found among the divine persons in the trinity was perichoresis (which in English can be roughly translated as interpenetration). Perichoresis exists in two forms - economic and ontological. Ontological perichoresis describes how the three persons of the trinity are made of the exact same substance and share the same being. The economic trinity refers to the fact that in everything that the persons of the trinity do, they act together. For example, consider creation. The Bible says Jesus created the world (John 1:1-3 “all things came into being through Him”, Colossians 1:16), it says the Father created the world (Genesis 1:1 “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth”, Isaiah 42:5), and it says the Holy Spirit created the world (Job 33:4 “the Spirit of God has made me”, Genesis 1:2). In all things the trinity acts together.

The greek word used by the church fathers to describe the church is koinonia (which in English is something between community and communion). The church is the gathering of believers that share everything in common (Acts 4:23), that have the unity that Jesus and the Father share (John 17), and that are joined into one body (1 Corinthians 12, among other examples).

What I have only recently discovered that I find amazing is that two words are used by the church fathers to describe the union of the divine and human nature in Christ: koinonia and perichoresis. In other words, in Christ there is an interpenetration and communion of divine and human. What this means is that in Christ human community (koinonia) and divine community (perichoresis) are united and come together. Throughout the NT there are examples where believers are said to be "in Christ" and "Christ in me." Because we are in Christ, we can now partake of the redeemed human nature and share in the community and unity of God. I am still struggling to understand the exact balance between economic and ontological perichoresis through what the church fathers call the communication of attributes - clearly we don't become God, but in Christ a new human nature spreads to all of humanity, one that allows for fellowship with God (Romans 5).

So what's the point? 1) We tend to think of salvation in terms of forgiveness, but restoration to fellowship, communion, and unity with God are equally important components. 2) We tend to think of the gospel as the passion narrative, but in the NT angels announce the gospel of the birth of the messiah to shepherds. We need to rethink and reclaim the full extent of the gospel: incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. FInally, 3) we need to recognize that we can share communion and interpenetration with God, feeling His real presence in our daily existence, and his real communication and interaction with the boy of believers. This should dramatically change our daily religious consciousness.

Ok, so that's a bit of greek and patristics for you. I'm discovering a lot of this by reading Martin Chemnitz's The Two Natures of Christ. It's dense, but you could read it for more information.