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10 Weeks on the Trinity: The Mosaic of Eternal Generation

· March 8, 2021

The opponents of eternal generation will be quick to point out that the phrase “eternal generation” is not mentioned in any verse in Scripture. However, Matthew Barrett believes the doctrine is revealed through a beautiful mosaic of biblical imagery. As he walks his listeners through John’s Gospel, Barrett demonstrates how the biblical authors portrayed Christ’s eternal generation in a variety of ways. Indeed, it is intrinsic in the very names that God has used to reveal Himself – Father and Son. To be the Son is to be generated. The concept is assumed anytime Scripture refers to the Son as Son and the Father as Father.

Furthermore, this familial context of Father and Son explains Jesus’s mission. Jesus is sent by the Father into the world because he is begotten from the Father and from all eternity. Finally, Barrett explains the necessity of eternal generation for our salvation. Unless the Son is eternally generated, what hope do we have that we will be regenerated?

Join Dr. Barrett to learn key trinitarian concepts, which can safeguard us from future Trinity drift and help us find our way home to a biblical and orthodox understanding of the Trinity. Sign up for the full course through the For the Church Institute. And if you enjoy this first lecture then read chapter 7 of his book, Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit (Baker).

Unit 7: Introduction

Matthew Barrett

Matthew Barrett is the editor-in-chief of Credo Magazine, director of the Center for Classical Theology, and host of the Credo podcast. He is professor of Christian theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the author of several books, including Simply Trinity, which won the Christianity Today Book of the Year Award in Theology/Ethics. His new book is called The Reformation as Renewal: Retrieving the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. He is currently writing a Systematic Theology with Baker Academic.

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