As pastors teach on the riches of Trinitarian theology and the glory of God’s nature, they can often hit a speed bump when they turn to consider “inseparable operations.” Augustine’s maxim, opera trinitatis ad extra indivisa sunt, seems simple enough until you try to explain it. It is an idea which stretches the ability of our minds to understand adequately, and might appeal to clash with, the Biblical witness. Two theologically minded New Testament scholars from Oklahoma Baptist University, Matthew Emerson and Brandon Smith, have added a very helpful, lay-level resource for engaging in that topic. As they state in the introduction, “the way we talk about God’s acts often divides the persons of God in a way that is contrary to our confession that God is one God in three persons.” (p. 3).

Emerson and Smith work through eight theological loci and explore how the Godhead is at work within each: revelation, providence, creation, salvation, mission, communion, sanctification, and judgment. Each chapter follows the same general pattern of first looking at the unity of action in the given locus and then looking at how it is most properly appropriated to a certain member of the Godhead. The first four and sanctification are expected to be covered in the given volume, but it was a pleasant surprise to see mission, communion, and judgment included. These three connect the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to the day-to-day lives of believers, which many can find missing. Not only is the Triune God the source of our salvation but the ground of our new life in Christ, even the sphere in which we now live as we are welcomed into the fellowship of divine life.

A major strength of this book is its biblical focus. The temptation to solely review the pronouncements of previous theologians on this subject is considerable, yet such an approach, although valuable, frequently results in the conflation of systematic and historical theology. Emerson and Smith make use of noted theologians, but their chief concern is to examine and exegete the text of Scripture (over 300 citations). This is precisely where the reader should start. Throughout the witness of Scripture, we see that a proper reading pushes towards a place of both “Trinitarian unity and … Trinitarian distinction.” (p. 124).

One area of disagreement emerged from my reading of their chapter on salvation. The chapter provides a compelling exposition of the triune foundations of salvation as witnessed in the Bible. However, the authors’ response to the question, “Did God turn His face away?” presents a difficulty. As a result of specific contemporary hymns, it is a prevalent belief among members of the church that a separation occurred within the Godhead during Christ’s crucifixion. While the authors rightly resist and push back against such a view, their answer is less than satisfying. When Christ quotes Psalm 22:1 from the cross, the authors say he is “most likely … identifying with the afflicted King David…” (p. 70). Their Trinitarian, Christological, and canonical perspectives are invaluable in approaching this matter. This is a better answer than some sort of schism within the triune life. Stating it this way, however, seems to place the typological arrow in the wrong direction. Is it mere identification with David? Or can a better answer be found in the human experience of Christ on the cross as the fullness of his (seeming) abandonment by God, a God who has already promised that he will never leave nor forsake us? (Deut 31:6).

If there is a weakness to this book, it is that it is limited to being an introductory text. It would work well as Sunday School material and with those first diving into theological studies, and it should leave someone desiring to go only deeper (surely as the authors intended!), but they would need to turn elsewhere (such as Adonis Vidu’s The Same God Who Works All Things [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2021]). However, for those first introduced to this strange idea of “inseparable operations” or those wishing to have a cogent introduction for a group of interested church members, this would be an excellent resource. Clearly written, biblically focused, this work provides the right prescription to help us behold our Triune God across the whole scope of our lives.