John Calvin’s Biblicalism and the Doctrine of the Trinity

a Constructive Retrieval for Theology, Ministry and Social Witness

Abstract

This article examines John Calvin’s approach to the concept of the Trinity—that God is three-in-one while emphasising his insistence on a biblically grounded Trinitarian theology that resists speculation. The article will then argue that retrieving John Calvin’s biblical Trinitarianism can furnish contemporary theologians with a constructive way forward for navigating the present malady of fragmentation between exegesis, doctrine, and public witness namely, that theology needs to be defined in terms of the economy of salvation found in scripture that in turn points to ethical and liturgical practice rooted in the relational justice of the Triune God. Calvin’s Trinitarianism is both exegetically rich, solidly biblical, and attentive to the creedal and theological milieu of the early church. In its historical and theological context, this study employs the Historical Retrieval and Reappropriation method to do historical study on Calvin’s Trinitarianism. By retrieving Calvin’s biblical Trinitarianism, the article shows its continuing significance for today’s theological reflection, not least as a constructive bridge between biblical studies and systematic theology, disciplines that are frequently treated in isolation from one another in more recent centuries.