More Information
ISBN: 9781783687121
Imprint: Langham Global Library
Format: Paperback
Dimensions (mm): 229 x 152 x 23.5
Publication Date: 31/10/2019
Pages: 458
Language: English

God With Us and Without Us, Volume Two

The Beauty and Power of Oneness in Trinity

£22.99

While volume 1 stressed the inevitability of Oneness in Trinity, this second volume of God With Us and Without Us demonstrates the beauty and life-transforming power of Oneness in Trinity. The nature of the eternal relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit stands in contrast with the nature of God in Absolute Oneness. Dr Imad N. Shehadeh elucidates through careful argumentation and detailed critical thinking, why Oneness in Trinity is to be prized and what God would look like if He were not triune.

By addressing the beauty and power of Oneness in Trinity, this book deepens our understanding of the Trinity as the solid foundation of all other doctrines. Dr Shehadeh explains the eternal activity of God outside creation, i.e., without us, as the stimulus of His activity within creation, i.e., with us. Dr Shehadeh also addresses the theological debate concerning the eternal generation of the Son and the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit. Most importantly however, this book convinces us of, and magnifies for us, the life-transforming power of the triune God.

Endorsements

Imad Shehadeh has provided a thorough biblical, theological, and philosophical presentation of the nature and attributes of God. The two volumes reflect careful scholarship as well as a well-reasoned presentation. He is both fair and faithful in setting forth the God of the Bible.

Mark L. Bailey, PhD
Senior Professor of Bible Exposition
President, Dallas Theological Seminary,
Dallas, Texas, USA


This is a must-read and deserves re-reading and serious study of all its pages. It will impose a mandatory study by any Christian theologian. This work deserves to be a model for influential theological research in its surroundings. Indeed, according to the author’s introductory word, it is “a journey of reflection and discovery of the true and eternal nature of God.”

Milad Dagher, PhD
Director,
Christian Alliance Institute of Theology,
Beirut, Lebanon


The appeal of this work to the believer in Oneness in Trinity is to cease from viewing the Trinity as a problem to be solved. This is a call to see the Trinity as a beauty to be continually discovered and enjoyed. The appeal of this book to adherents of Absolute Oneness is to begin the journey of trust in the perfection, equality and harmony of all God’s attributes. This is a very valuable work. People interacting with “Absolute Oneness” need to rejoice in the Trinity rather than to fear trying to explain it. This will greatly help many people, and will bring much glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit!

Ida Glaser, PhD
International Academic Coordinator,
The Centre for Muslim-Christian Studies, Oxford, UK


Imad Shehadeh has written an excellent primer on perhaps the most misunderstood teaching of the Christian faith – the biblical doctrine of the trinity. What does it mean to say that the one God is triune? How does this unique understanding of God’s very nature differ from other monotheistic views? Why is it vital to grasp the difference? For Christians, Dr Shehadeh’s readable and thoroughly biblical treatment will deepen and inspire them, not to mention alert them to and guard them from, all too common errors. For non-Christians, this book will usher them to the wondrous beauty and power of the triune vision of God that is the beating heart of the Christian faith.

Duane Litfin, PhD
President Emeritus,
Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, USA


God With Us and Without Us is a foundation stone added to theological research known by Dr Imad Shehadeh. Although much has been written in this area over the years, what distinguishes this work is that it exposes the predicament of non-trinitarian systems in comprehensiveness of research, accuracy of exegesis, use of the original languages of the Bible, and richness of illustrations and tables that aid learner and teacher to address the doctrine of the Trinity. It also reveals the beauty and power of Trinity that leads to a deeper worship of the true God.

Tony Maalouf, PhD
Distinguished Professor of World Christianity and Middle Eastern Studies,
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas, USA


Rev Dr Imad Shehadeh continues to enrich the Arab-Christian theological library. He discusses in the pages of this work a “life and death” issue in Christian theology – the nature of God. This work confirms that, without knowing God’s Trinitarian nature, there is no true knowledge of God. I highly recommend this great work.

Wageeh Mikhail, PhD
Secretary General,
The Center for Middle Eastern Christianity,
Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, Egypt


Beautiful, biblical, and balanced are rarely used antiphons when studying a multipart, theological work. And yet, the beauty of the topic in itself, while privileging the biblical text, along with a conviction to serve his ministry context, demands Dr Imad Shehadeh’s clarifying exposition of the Mystery which decisively and definitively distinguishes the God of the Bible. My worship and understanding of the Trinity are greatly enhanced by this experienced, thoughtful and studied expression.

Ramesh Richard, ThD, PhD
President, Ramesh Richard Evangelism and Church Health
Professor, Global Theological Engagement & Pastoral Ministries,
Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas, USA


Dr Imad Shehadeh has journeyed in an expedition through the pages of the Bible to gather everything he could in order to draw a clear picture of the magnificence, awe, and uniqueness of God’s Oneness in Trinity, and produced this precious work.

Maher Samuel, MD
Psychiatrist, Apologist, Lecturer and Author
Middle East Representative, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries


Dr Imad Shehadeh’s magnum opus God With Us and Without Us presents a clear understanding and beauty of Oneness in Trinity. More than simply an introduction to the doctrine of the Trinity, his well-written, thoroughly researched, logically presented work opens a fresh explanation of the life-transforming power of Trinity. With his Middle Eastern scholarly background, he exposes the weakness of Absolute Oneness and expounds the benefits of Oneness in Trinity especially as related to the attributes of God. It is the best work to date on the doctrine of Trinity. Beginners as well as experts in theological studies will definitely benefit and find this work thought provoking.

Joseph Shao, PhD
4th General Secretary, Asia Theological Association
President Emeritus, Biblical Seminary of the Philippines,
Metro Manila, Philippines

Table of Contents

  1. Frequently Asked Questions
  2. Biblical Passages Studied
  3. Foreword
  4. Introduction: More Passion for the Trinity
    1. The Appeal of This Volume
    2. How to Benefit from This Volume
  5. 9 The Difference between Old Testament Oneness and Absolute Oneness
    1. Introduction
    2. 1. God’s Desire to Be Known
      1. God’s Revelation of His Attributes
      2. God’s Promise of Knowing Him
      3. The Use of Anthropomorphisms to Describe God
      4. Contrast with Absolute Oneness
    3. 2. God’s Trustworthiness
      1. The Covenant with Abraham
      2. The Covenant with David
      3. The Covenant with Moses
      4. The New Covenant
      5. Contrast with Absolute Oneness
    4. 3. God’s Initiative to Save Human Beings from Their Fallen Condition
      1. The Worth of Human Beings
      2. The Nature of Human Beings
      3. God’s Dealings with Human Beings
      4. Contrast with Absolute Oneness
    5. 4. The Nature of the Activity of God’s Attributes Continual Activity
      1. Perfection, Equality and Concurrence
      2. Interpenetration
      3. Contrast with Absolute Oneness
    6. 5. God’s Activity With Us Stemming from His Activity Without Us
      1. The Revelation of the New Testament
      2. Moses’s Question about the Name of God
      3. God’s Response to Moses’s Question about His Name
      4. God’s Revelation of His Attributes
      5. Contrast with Absolute Oneness
    7. 6. God’s Revelation of Plurality within His Oneness
      1. In the Meaning of “One”
      2. In the Names and Titles of God
      3. In Divine Conversations
      4. In the Appearance of the Angel of the LORD
      5. In the Use of Anthropomorphisms
      6. In the Variety of the Revelation about the Spirit of God
      7. Contrast with Absolute Oneness
    8. Conclusion
  6. 10 The Activity of the Attributes of God Without Us
    1. Introduction
      1. The Reality of the Activity of God’s Attributes Without Us
      2. 1. God Has Revealed His Desire to Be Known and Trusted
      3. 2. The Danger of Separating God’s Acts from God’s Nature
      4. 3. God Has Revealed an Eternal Relationship in Himself
      5. 4. The Uniqueness of the Attributes of God in Christianity
    2. Classification of the Attributes of God
      1. The Method of Classifying God’s Attributes
      2. The General Classification of God’s Attributes
      3. A Special Perspective of the Relational Attributes of God Without Us
    3. Eight Themes of the Activity of God’s Attributes Without Us
      1. 1. Fatherhood and Sonship Without Us
      2. 2. Shared Knowledge Without Us
      3. 3. Complementary Work Without Us
      4. 4. Shared Truth Without Us
      5. 5. Inevitable Relationship Without Us
      6. 6. Mutual Indwelling Without Us
      7. 7. Shared Glory Without Us
      8. 8. Perfect Intimacy Without Us
    4. Conclusion
  7. 11 The Activity of the Attributes of God With Us
    1. Introduction
      1. A Special Perspective of the Relational Attributes of God With Us
    2. The Reality of God’s Attributes With Us
      1. The Source of God’s Attributes Active in Creation
      2. The Attributes Stemming from God in Dealing with Sin in Creation
    3. Eight Themes of the Activity of God’s Attributes With Us
      1. 1. Fatherhood and Sonship With Us
      2. 2. Shared Knowledge With Us
      3. 3. Complementary Work With Us
      4. 4. Shared Truth With Us
      5. 5. Inevitable Relationship With Us
      6. 6. Mutual Indwelling With Us
      7. 7. Shared Glory With Us
      8. 8. Perfect Intimacy With Us
    4. Conclusion
  8. 12 The Significance of the Name “Father” and the Name “Son”
    1. Introduction
    2. The Importance of Names in the Bible
      1. The Name as Related to Human Beings
      2. The Name as Related to Deity
      3. The Name as Related to the Great Commission
    3. Sonship in God is Superior to Human Sonship
      1. 1. The Only Eternal Sonship
      2. 2. Sonship in Unique Intimacy
    4. Sonship in God is the Source of Human Sonship
      1. Humanity’s Resemblance to Other Creatures
      2. Humanity’s Distinction from Other Creatures
      3. The Meaning of Humankind Being in the Image of God
      4. The Gift of Sonship Like God’s
      5. The Gift of Sonship to God
      6. The Gift of Sonship with God
  9. 13 Eternal Generation or Eternal Sonship?
    1. Introduction
    2. Support for Eternal Generation
      1. 1. Viewing Generation as Included in the Title “Son”
      2. 2. The Meaning of Μονογενής
      3. 3. The Expression “Today I Have Begotten You”
      4. 4. The Expression “Gave to the Son Also to Have Life in Himself ”
      5. 5. Distinction within the Trinity
    3. Other Difficulties with Eternal Generation
      1. 1. Overdependence on the Evidences
      2. 2. The Preponderance of Qualifications
      3. 3. Emphasis on Eternity Past
      4. 4. The Consistent Use of Παρὰ
      5. 5. The Initiative of the Son
      6. 6. The Danger of Drifting to Elements of Absolute Oneness
      7. 7. The Supremacy of Divine Sonship over Human Sonship
      8. 8. The Danger of Questioning the Origin of God
    4. Conclusion
  10. 14 The Significance of the Name “Holy Spirit”
    1. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament
      1. General Statistics
      2. The Use of “Spirit” in the OT for Other than God’s Spirit
      3. The Use of “Spirit” in the OT to Refer to the Spirit of God
      4. Summary of the Use of “Spirit” in the OT
    2. The Holy Spirit in the New Testament
      1. General Statistics
      2. The Use of “Spirit” in the NT to Refer to Other than God’s Spirit
      3. The Use of “Spirit” in the NT to Refer to the Spirit of God
      4. Summary of the Use of “Spirit” in the NT
    3. Synthesis: The Significance of the Name “Holy Spirit”
      1. The Development of the Use of “Spirit” from the OT to the NT
      2. The Importance of the Word “Spirit”
      3. The Association of the Attributes of Perfection with the Spirit
      4. Association of the Father–Son Activity with the Holy Spirit
      5. The Importance to the Trinity of the Personhood of the Holy Spirit
      6. The Meaning of “the Seven Spirits of God”
      7. The Presence of the Holy Spirit When Not Directly Mentioned
      8. Overflow of Father–Son Activity to Believers through the Spirit
  11. 15 The Procession of the Holy Spirit: Single or Double?
    1. Introduction
    2. Historical Background
    3. Arguments for Single Procession
      1. Historical Considerations
      2. Theological Considerations
      3. Biblical Considerations
    4. Arguments for Double Procession
      1. Historical Considerations
      2. Theological Considerations
      3. Biblical Considerations
    5. Another Biblical Look at the Procession of the Holy Spirit
      1. 1. The Naming of the Holy Spirit
      2. 2. The Use of the Preposition Παρὰ
      3. 3. The Initiative of the Son and Spirit to Come Forth
      4. 4. Eternal Relationship Being the Basis for Temporal Activity
      5. 5. Correspondence of the Son’s Work with the Spirit’s Work
      6. 6. Equality of What the Spirit Takes of the Father and of the Son
      7. 7. Christ’s Sending of the Spirit and the Spirit’s Testifying to Him
      8. 8. The Necessity of Defining the Identity of the Holy Spirit
      9. 9. The Conviction of the Holy Spirit
      10. 10. The Baptism and Fullness in the Holy Spirit
    6. Summary and Conclusion
  12. 16 The Manifestation of the Trinity in Christ’s Submission to God
    1. Introduction
    2. General Principles Related to God Without Us
      1. 1. An Expression of the Humility of God
      2. 2. An Expression of the Unity of God
      3. 3. The Negation of Modalism
      4. 4. Revelation of the Meaning of God’s Attributes
    3. General Principles Related to God With Us
      1. 1. A Challenge to Examine the Whole Bible
      2. 2. A Caution to Not Ignore Either of the Two Natures
      3. 3. A Revelation of the Various Uses of “God”
      4. 4. An Expression That Each of the Natures Preserves Its Traits
      5. 5. A Fulfilment of Prophecy
      6. 6. Presenting Christ as the Only Qualified Redeemer
      7. 7. Fulfilling the Required Pain to Accomplish Salvation
      8. 8. A Revelation of the Only Perfect Example for Humankind
      9. 9. A Revelation of the Meaning of God’s Attributes
    4. Special Cases
      1. General Giving from the Father to the Son
      2. “You Are My Son; Today I Have Begotten You”
      3. The Father’s Giving to the Son to Have Life in Himself
      4. The Father’s Sending of the Son
      5. “The Father Is Greater Than I” and “My Father and Your Father”
      6. “My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?”
      7. No One Is Good but God
      8. The Son’s Lack of Knowledge
      9. “The Son Himself Also Will Be Subjected to the One Who Subjected All Things to Him”
    5. Conclusion on the Submission of Christ to God
  13. 17 The Purpose of God in Coming to Us in the Flesh
    1. Introduction
      1. The Uniqueness of the Gospel of John
      2. The Role of the Prologue to the Gospel of John
      3. The Text Under Study
      4. Notes on the Text
    2. 1. The Reality of Absolute Beginning
      1. The Nature of the Beginning
      2. The Identity of the Logos
    3. 2. God’s Relational Nature
      1. Parallel Titles
      2. Parallel Descriptions
      3. Parallel Affections
    4. 3. God’s Resulting Creation
      1. Love Prior to Creation
      2. Preserving Creation
    5. 4. God’s Continual Light
      1. The Need for the Light
      2. The Resistance of Darkness to the Light
      3. The Coming of the Light
    6. 5. God’s Genuine Invitation
      1. Those Who Reject the Light
      2. Those Who Accept the Light
    7. 6. The Earned Sonship to God
      1. Spiritual Birth
      2. The Centrality of Fatherhood and Sonship
    8. 7. God’s Humble Work
      1. The Incarnation
      2. The Dwelling
    9. 8. God’s Rich Grace
      1. The Vision of the Apostles
      2. The Richness of Attributes
      3. The Testimony of John the Baptist
      4. Replacing the Law with Grace
    10. 9. The Promised Vision of God
      1. Good News and Bad News
      2. Searching for a Solution
      3. Temporary Prohibition
      4. The Climactic Interpretation
    11. Conclusion on John’s Prologue
  14. 18 The Humility of God in Coming to Us in the Flesh
    1. Introduction
    2. The Reason for Adopting the Thinking of Christ
    3. The Method of Communicating the Humility of God
      1. The Nature of the Text
      2. The Meaning of the Key Verb in the Text
      3. The Outline of the Text
    4. Christ’s Self-Emptying
      1. The Mind of Christ before His Self-Emptying
      2. The Act of Christ’s Self-Emptying
      3. The Purpose of Christ’s Self-Emptying
    5. Summary and Conclusion
  15. 19 The Life-Transforming Power of the Trinity
    1. Introduction
      1. The Importance of the Subject
      2. The Approach to the Subject
    2. The Life-Transforming Power of the Trinity in Humanity’s Relationship to God
      1. 1. The Trinity Reveals the Way God Deals with Human Beings
      2. 2. The Trinity Reveals the Centrality of the Eternal Relationship
      3. 3. The Trinity Guarantees Humanity’s Relationship with God
      4. 4. The Trinity Guides Worship in the Most Important Relationship
    3. The Life-Transforming Power of the Trinity in Humanity’s Relationship to Their Fellow Human Beings
      1. 1. The Trinity Reveals the Centrality of Human Relationships
      2. 2. The Trinity Is the Spring for Intimacy in Human Relationships
      3. 3. The Trinity Guards the Perfection of Attributes through Oneness
    4. The Power behind the Life-Transforming Power of the Trinity
  16. Bibliography
  17. Complete Scripture Index

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