Ty Gibson - The heavenly trio

The HEAVENLY TRIO

Exploring the Views of Ellen White and

the Adventist Pioneers Regarding the Trinity

Designed by Brandon Schroeder

Copyright © 2020 by Ty Gibson

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Unless otherwise noted all Scriptures are from The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

NIV indicates The Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright © 1978 by The New York International Bible Society.

Phi indicates Phillips New Testament in Modern English. Copyright © by Macmillan Publishing Company.

KJV indicates King James Version.

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ISBN: 978-84-7208-863-4

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or reproduced in any form or by any means,electronic

or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

For my girls, Amber and Leah

Being your dad is a triune wonder:

1. awe-inspiring—to think that you exist, part mom, part me, and all you, these uniquely beautiful beings of wild freedom constrained by love, just blows my mind

2. gratifying—the fact that you are all grown up and still want to hang out with me simply because you love me and like me, is the paramount honor of life

3. hilarious—my goodness you two are funny, with such a whacky, witty, weird humor that I am endlessly entertained

I love you with all my heart, and that is an extreme understatement

Endorsements

As usual, Ty Gibson has done a superb job.

Woody Whidden, Retired Professor of Theology, Theological Seminary, Andrews University

Ty Gibson has written a superb study of the doctrine of God as it was perceived by Ellen White and the early Adventists, sensitive to their real concern for God as a distinct relational being. Gibson appropriately portrays how diligent Bible study moved Adventists past various philosophical pitfalls and took them to a truly biblical perspective of The Heavenly Trio. This sequel to The Sonship of Christ is a brilliant call for Adventists to follow in the footsteps of those early Adventists to comprehend and experience divine, relational, covenantal dynamics.

Denis Kaiser, Assistant Professor of Church History, Theological Seminary, Andrews University

Superb writing and a perfect companion to The Sonship of Christ! The Heavenly Trio compels us to elevate Christ to His rightful place in the Godhead. Truly a seminal work for our time.

John S. Nixon II, DMin, Lead Pastor, Takoma Park Seventh-day Adventist Church

The Heavenly Trio may be one of the most significant books produced in the last couple decades that addresses a theological issue. This book is a ground-breaking work that pushes out the frontiers of Adventist understanding on the subject of the Trinity. A compelling, coherent defense of the doctrine of the Trinity in the context of God’s extravagant covenant love. Timely and profoundly relevant. The Holy Spirit was moving powerfully when this book was written!

Stan Beerman, MDiv, Assistant to the President, Oregon Conference of SDA

I had a professor in seminary that said, “True profundity takes place when an individual is able to take the complex and make it so simple you think to yourself, ‘Why haven’t I ever thought of that?’ and then you realize you never could have reached their conclusion on your own.” Ty has achieved true profundity in The Heavenly Trio. My heart and my intellect have been blessed.

Chad Stuart, Senior Pastor, Spencerville Seventh-day Adventist Church

You will cry, you will sigh, you will burst with joy, and you will experience a firework of love in your theological mind. The Heavenly Trio is the most relatable, comprehensive, and beautiful treatment of the Adventist position on the Trinity I have ever read. Derived from the Hebrew narrative of Scripture and framed in the glorious reality of the eternal covenant of selfless love, this book will open your eyes to the matchless charms of The Heavenly Trio.

Jonathan Walter, General Conference Ministerial Association

In his characteristically fresh and accessible style, Ty Gibson offers a compelling case for the essentially relational nature of God being foundational to all discussions of who God is and what human flourishing looks like. The Heavenly Trio traces the revolutionary, counter-intuitive thread of other-centered love woven through the biblical narrative from the opening pages of Genesis to the closing pages of Revelation and on into the life and thought of Seventh-day Adventist Christians today.

Jody Washburn, Assistant Professor of Theology: Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Languages & Cultures

In this follow-up volume to The Sonship of Christ, Ty Gibson addresses himself to the larger subject of trinitarian theology and its historical development. His thinking and writing, as per usual, are marked by clarity and accessibility. This is not a mere survey; Ty offers some unique historical and even theological insights that are well argued and persuasive. This book deserves a wide audience, particularly among Seventh-day Adventists.

Pastor David Asscherick, Light Bearers

Ty is known for bringing clarity to complicated theological subjects. The idea of the Trinity can be a complicated subject. So clarity is what you will find in this follow up to The Sonship of Christ. The book begins with how the Trinity was understood by Adventist pioneers and then moves forward into a beautiful exposition of how the nature God illuminates covenant, the cross, and the very existence of the Christian community. But to me the beauty of this book is that there is something for everyone in it. If your church community is facing challenges related to some form of anti-trinitarianism, this book is a valuable and indispensable resource. If you are just starting to study the Bible, this book offers a great introduction to the main issues concerning who God is and the theological nuances surrounding the subject of the Trinity. If you are theologically trained, this book provides a thoughtful summary of deep theological ideas related to God’s being, the nature of agency and human freedom, and implications of Trinitarian thinking to community living. If you are a Pastor, this book will provide an opportunity to start a conversation or small group study about crucial questions such as: How can God be loving and all powerful at the same time? Were the Adventist pioneers anti-trinitarian? What are the implications of believing in God in a non-trinitarian way? It was a joy to read this book, and I hope that by reading it you might end up finding your place in the great story of Covenant Triune Divine Love.

Tiago Arrais, Pastor Advent Life Church, Santa Fe, New Mexico

What I appreciate about Ty and specifically this book is his fervent devotion to reframing the beautiful paradigm that God is relational. I also appreciate the honesty of showing how the Advent Movement and its understanding of the Trinity is true to its name—moving, growing and constantly getting a bigger and more beautiful picture of God. I thoroughly enjoyed The Sonship of Christ and to anyone looking to dig in deeper on this subject within the framework of the nuances of the Advent Movement, The Heavenly Trio will make for some rich and thought-provoking reading.

Jared Thurmon, Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, Adventist Review

Contents

01 ONE QUESTION TO RULE THEM ALL