A Mystery Revealed: Thirty-One Meditations on the Trinity

Ryan M. McGraw

Reviewed by: Jim G. Stevenson

A Mystery Revealed: Thirty-One Meditations on the Trinity, by Ryan M. McGraw. Reformation Heritage, 2023. Paperback, 256 pages, $13.50. Reviewed by OP pastor Jim G. Stevenson.

One of the most important theological concepts of the Christian church is the doctrine of the Trinity. One God in three distinct persons has been the creed of the church for centuries. Yet while Christians have confessed this biblical truth through the ages, it is a doctrine that cannot be fully comprehended by finite creatures. Since it is such a difficult concept for us to grasp, this rich doctrine may be inadvertently relegated by many as being too philosophical or complicated for serious reflection.

In A Mystery Revealed: Thirty-One Meditations on the Trinity, author and professor of systematic theology Ryan McGraw has provided us with a wonderful aid that we might see the relevance of the doctrine of the Trinity, especially in leading us to more reverent worship of our triune God. Six years ago, McGraw’s book Knowing the Trinity was published. We should not think of this current work as a sequel to Knowing the Trinity, but rather as a companion to it. In the preface, McGraw notes that “this book lets the Bible’s story of the triune God unfold on its own terms.”

The first two chapters are foundational for the rest of the book. McGraw wisely alerts the reader that the second chapter on the church’s Trinitarian grammar is dense, as it deals with the terms and concepts the church developed to better explain the Trinity. Readers who are not familiar with such terms may conclude the book is too advanced. However, the rest of the book brings the Trinitarian grammar to greater clarity in an informative and practical way. The remaining twenty-nine chapters are brief expositions of biblical texts which show our triune God—father, Son, and Holy Spirit—working all things to his glory especially as he deals with his people. Related topics include the Trinity and creation, providence, salvation, the church, and our lives as believers.

The subtitle is itself an important aspect of this book. Readers who take the time to meditate on the content will be greatly blessed. Given that there are thirty-one, one meditation each day will take readers through the book in just one month. Each meditation is about seven pages. Each concludes with questions for reflection that are thoughtful, challenging, pastoral, and practical. For those who wish to dig deeper into this rich doctrine, McGraw provides a number of recommended works.

The book lacks a Scripture index and a glossary of terms, but those are matters of convenience or preference. Though the Lord’s Supper is mentioned often, it did not receive a dedicated meditation as baptism did. Despite these minor things, A Mystery Revealed ought to be added to your library.