But what if this doctrine is meant to draw us into a richer, fuller life with God? What if, far from being an obscure set of terms, the Trinity is the heart of our worship and the key to a deeper communion with the One who created us?
By Dr. Tim Orr
For many Christians, the doctrine of the Trinity feels abstract or intimidating, more like a theological puzzle to solve than an invitation to joy and intimacy with God. But what if this doctrine is meant to draw us into a richer, fuller life with God? What if, far from being an obscure set of terms, the Trinity is the heart of our worship and the key to a deeper communion with the One who created us? This is the profound insight that Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves opens up for us: the idea that God's triune nature is something to defend and enjoy. Understanding the Trinity is essential to grasping who God is and how we are invited to experience Him in worship.
Understanding the Trinity is not merely an intellectual exercise but an invitation into a more vibrant worship experience—an encounter with God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person of the Trinity plays a unique role in our worship, drawing us into their eternal exchange of love and joy. The more we understand this divine relationship, the more it transforms our own experience of worship, turning our praise into a living participation in the very life of God. The relational aspect of the Trinity makes worship not just an act of reverence but a shared communion with the living God who loves us deeply.
One of the central themes in Delighting in the Trinity is that God's triune nature is the source of all true joy. Reeves describes how, from eternity past, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have existed in a perfect relationship of love. Unlike the impersonal or solitary gods of other religions, the God of the Bible is relational to His core. This means that joy, love, and relationship are not just things God does; they are who He is. The beauty of this truth is that we, too, are invited into this relational joy, making our worship an overflow of God's love rather than a mere ritual.
This has profound implications for our worship. When we gather to praise God, we are not coming before a distant or detached deity. We are entering into the very life of a God who is love itself, whose very nature is to give and share that love. Worship is not primarily about reaching out to God; it is about being drawn into the overflowing love and joy that have always existed within the Trinity. Our acts of worship are an invitation to experience firsthand the communal love that has always defined God's nature.
In the Trinity, the Father is the fountain of all things. He is the one who eternally begets the Son and sends the Spirit. But as Reeves points out, the Father is not some distant figurehead—He is a loving and generous Father who invites us into His family. The Father's love is the source of all true worship flows, and our response reflects His initiating love.
When we worship, we are responding to the Father's invitation. We are being drawn into the same love the Father has for the Son, which has existed for all eternity. This transforms our understanding of worship from a mere religious duty into a relational response. We worship not to appease a distant God but to respond to the loving call of our heavenly Father. Our praise echoes the Father’s eternal love for His Son, which He now shares with us through the Spirit.
In Delighting in the Trinity, Reeves reminds us that the Father's love is not contingent or conditional. He loves us for who He is, not for anything we have done. When we grasp this truth, it changes the way we approach worship. We no longer come into God's presence with fear or uncertainty but with the confidence that we are deeply loved, just as the Father loves the Son. The security we find in the Father’s love turns our worship into a joyful experience of His grace and presence.
Central to our worship is the work of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God who became incarnate for our sake. As Reeves beautifully illustrates, the Son is both the object of our worship and the one who makes our worship possible. Jesus is the mediator between God and humanity, bridging the gap caused by sin and bringing us into the Father's presence. Our worship is meaningful because it is offered through the perfect life and sacrifice of the Son, who has made a way for us to approach God.
In Delighting in the Trinity, Reeves emphasizes that the Son's relationship with the Father is not mere obedience or servitude. Rather, it is a relationship of joyful submission born out of love. The Son delights in doing the will of the Father, and the Father delights in the Son. This eternal exchange of love between the Father and the Son forms the foundation of our worship. As we worship, we are participating in this divine love, sharing in the delight that the Father has for the Son and that the Son has for the Father.
When we worship, we participate in this exchange. We join the Son in His perfect response to the Father, offering our praise and adoration through Him. Our worship is not about performance or trying to earn God's favor. Christ has done everything necessary to bring us into the Father's presence. Our role is to join in His perfect worship, resting in the work He has already accomplished. In this way, Jesus leads us in worship and transforms our praise into something pleasing to the Father.
As Reeves explains, the Holy Spirit is the one who makes the love between the Father and the Son personal to us. He opens our hearts to experience God's love and empowers us to respond in worship. Without the Spirit, worship would be an empty ritual; with the Spirit, it becomes a living encounter with the triune God. The Spirit brings God's love into our hearts, enabling us to experience His presence in a personal and transformative way during worship.
In Delighting in the Trinity, Reeves describes the Spirit as the "bond of love" between the Father and the Son. He is the one who draws us into the divine relationship, enabling us to experience the same love and joy that exist within the Trinity. This is why worship in the Spirit is so transformative. The Spirit doesn’t just help us know about God; He helps us experience God. This experience of God’s love and presence transforms our worship from a mere act into a spiritual communion.
When we gather for worship, the Spirit lifts our hearts, opens our eyes, and enables us to see God’s beauty and glory. He empowers our prayers, fills our songs with meaning, and moves our hearts to respond with love and adoration. Worship is not something we do on our own; it is something we do in the power of the Spirit, who connects us to the life and love of the Trinity. Through the Spirit, our worship becomes a dynamic connection to the eternal love relationship between the Father and the Son.
At its core, worship is an invitation to participate in the very life of God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not distant beings we acknowledge or praise from afar. They invite us into their eternal communion, drawing us into the love and joy they share. This is what makes Christian worship so unique: it is not just about us offering something to God; it is about being caught up in the life of God. Worship becomes a transformative experience where we share in the divine relationship that defines God's essence.
Reeves points out that the Trinity is the key to understanding the richness of Christian worship. Without the Trinity, worship becomes a cold and impersonal act, a duty we perform to satisfy a distant deity. But with the Trinity, worship becomes a living encounter with a God who is love, joy, and relationship. We are not worshiping to get something from God but to enter into God’s life. In this sense, worship is not just what we do for God but an invitation into His eternal joy and fellowship.
This is the beauty of the Trinity: it turns worship from a task into a gift. We are not just singing songs or saying prayers; we are participating in the eternal dance of love between the Father, Son, and Spirit. As we worship, we are drawn deeper into this love, experiencing the joy and delight God has shared within Himself for all eternity. This participation in God's life offers us a glimpse of eternity, where our worship will be perfected in the fullness of His presence.
Understanding the Trinity is not about solving a theological puzzle; it is about being invited into the very heart of God. Our worship deepens as we grasp the beauty of God’s triune nature. We see that worship is not just about what we can offer God but about what He has already given us: the invitation to join in His eternal life of love and joy. The more we enter this understanding, the more our worship is filled with reverence, awe, and joy at the wonder of who God is.
In worship, we are not just praising God; we are being drawn into the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are participating in their love, sharing their joy, and experiencing the fullness of life that only the triune God can offer. As Michael Reeves reminds us in Delighting in the Trinity, this is the ultimate goal of worship: to enjoy God, not just as a distant deity, but as a loving Father, a gracious Son, and a life.
Reeves, M. (2012). Delighting in the Trinity: An introduction to the Christian faith. IVP Academic.
The ideas in this article are mine, but AI assisted in writing it.
Tim Orr is an Evangelical minister, conference speaker, and interfaith consultant with over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural ministry. He holds six degrees, including a master’s in Islamic studies from the Islamic College in London. Tim taught Religious Studies for 15 years at Indiana University Columbus and is now a Congregations and Polarization Project research associate. He has spoken at universities, including Oxford, and mosques throughout the U.K. His research focuses on American Evangelicalism, Islamic antisemitism, and Islamic feminism, and he has published widely, including three books.
