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Results from: Notes Author: bstudent Ordered by Date |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Purpose of Prayer? | Bible general Archive 2 | bstudent | 121560 | ||
"Consequently we must not ask God to do what He has created us to do." This is the tricky part. We may be tempted to rationalize actions that may violate God's will if we are not truly in tune with it. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," for example. Unfortunately, many have found ways around simple truths such as: "Those who live by the sword will perish by it"; "The weapons of our warfare are not fleshly"; "You must love your enemy." Faith follows the things heard, thus true faith will wait upon God's Kingdom to ultimately make hallow the Father's name and cause his will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. It will cause us to honor his sovereignty by honoring the governmental authorities through obedience as long as they do not ask us to violate what is holy. As we communicate with God through prayer and he communicates with us through his word and congregation, we make sure that our requests will be granted as they are according to his will. He will help us endure the injustices and atrocities of this world until the Kingdom brings to nothing all enemies of God. (1 Cor 15:24-28) That's worth praying, working and waiting for! Sincerely. |
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2 | who can explain to me? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 121046 | ||
Your words ring true brother. This is my last post to the Internet. The whole world lies in the power of the wicked one, so maybe it really is an Inter"net" and a WorldWide"web". | ||||||
3 | God's name or a title? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 121045 | ||
I thought I responded to your solicitation of what these verses mean to a non-trinitarian. If you can't counter with anything but opinion and prejudiced ridicule, I have to wonder why. You're correct to say God would never allow his inspired word to be corrupted, but that doesn't mean that God will not allow Satan to use people to twist (2 Peter 3:16)its clear meaning in order to cause our worship to fall short of his righteous requirements. Just because something is "widely considered" true not only doesn't make it so, but should cause one to question it all the moreso in light of Jesus remarks at Matt 7:13,21: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." He said this to Jews that believed they worshiped Jehovah acceptably. Its application today is to those who would call themselves "Christian." I've seen a lot of "mental gymnastics" among the "once-saved, always-saved," "pre-tribulation raptured" individuals on this site. You have to twist hundreds of passages to arrive at such false doctrine. As for looking at Greek confusing people - that's what I say too. Arguing about such things turns off those, like me, that have no desire to learn ancient languages to know God - nor should they have to. (Matt 11:25) People on this Forum have criticized the translators of the NWT as having no expertise in the original Bible languages. I'm glad to hear you feel the context and harmony of the entire Bible should be enough for even "babes" to see the truth. What you don't know about Jehovah and his witnesses (Isaiah 43:10-12) is everything. I'm not on the Forum to debate, but to share the truth with those searching for it. If you're content, just let someone not so content comment to my posts in the future and I'll do the same with your's. Sincerely. |
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4 | God's name or a title? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120963 | ||
Hi Mary01: If you're interested, here's my response to Sir Pent's inquiry: Eph 4:6: “One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” This is what I believe. This one God and Father is Jehovah as spoken of at Psalm 83:18: “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” Luke 22:42 "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me (Jesus); yet not My will, but Yours be done." Jesus said at Matt 7: 21: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” He certainly set the example in putting his own will aside to do that of his Father. But this verse proves that Jesus had his own will as all of God’s intelligent creatures do, and it was his choice to do God’s will rather than his own. This verse does not support a trinity, but rather refutes it. John 1:1 is a matter of translation, but the one that agrees with the context while not violating the original Greek conveys the godlike or divine nature of the Word, Jesus Christ. (I can provide objective support for such translation if desired.) John 1:18; 5:37; 6:46; 1 John 4:12 all harmonize with Exodus 33:20: “For there shall no man see me, and live.” Obviously, John did not believe, nor did he expect his readers to believe that Jesus was God since they were still alive after seeing him. John 10:30 "I (Jesus) and the Father are one." Paul used this same expression at 1 Cor 3:8 in connection with Apollos and his ministries: “Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one.” This did not mean the same person, but unity or oneness in purpose. At John 17:21, 22, Jesus prayed regarding his followers: “That they may all be one,” and he added, “that they may be one even as we are one.” He used the same Greek word (hen) for “one” in all these instances. 2 Cor 5:18 "Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation". I believe this wholeheartedly, but fail to see any relevance to trinity doctrine. Quite the contrary, of necessity it supports the truth that Jesus cannot be God and at the same time the “mediator between God and man.” (1 Tim 2:5) As to why lying to the holy spirit is equated to lying to God as inferred from Acts 5:3,4 and 1 Cor 2:10,11, this is because it is the same. The correct identification of the holy spirit must fit all the scriptures that refer to that spirit. With this viewpoint, it is logical to conclude that the holy spirit is the active force of God. It is not a person but is a powerful force that God causes to emanate from himself to accomplish his holy will. (Ps. 104:30; 2 Pet. 1:21; Acts 4:31) To resist or oppose its influence is tantamount to sinning against the One from whom it issues. Jesus said: “Every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matt 12:31,32) This can only be the case if Jesus is not God. I cited Psalm 83:18 above that calls Jehovah “the most high.” At Luke 1:32, the angel Gabriel declares to Mary: “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.” Jesus is the son of “the Highest.” Thus he himself confesses: “My Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28) As the earliest Christians understood of their lord and savior Christ Jesus, he is the beloved, only-begotten, first created son of the only true God (John 17:3)through whom he created everything else. He has always been and will continue to be subject to his Father after he has completely accomplished his Father’s will of reaffirming God’s universal sovereignty by means of the Messianic Kingdom. “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.” (1Cor 15:24-28) |
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5 | God's name or a title? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120899 | ||
Misunderstanding . . . . Greetings. Like you, I view the truth as found in the Bible as the highest authority in my life. As you are well aware however, that truth is not always easily discerned among all the religious interpretations. I am interested on your comments pertaining to Paul's ministry and in particular, his teaching technique as I quoted at Acts 17:2,3. My point is that if, like the Jews in Thessalonica, someone does not see why God requires something or acted in certain way, we can appeal to his reason, explain and prove with references the superiority of His ways. Created in his image, we have capacity to stand at awe of his great love, justice and wisdom, and He encourages, even requires, that we imitate these qualities. To do so we must be able to distinguish false from true, good from bad, fine from rotten. (Matt 7:15-20) I conclude such discernment is impossible without our God-given faculties of logic and reason. Of course, humility is a prerequisite to reasonableness - the recognition that our thinking pales in comparison to the one who created all things, including our mental capacities. This will cause us to love his instructions and commands, not viewing them as burdensome, but rather as loving. On the other hand, the liar Satan will deceive us with false reasoning if we do not truly get the sense of the truths contained in God's word. To hate what is bad, one must comprehend why its bad. To appreciate the ransom sacrifice, one must understand why it was necessary. Do you agree? |
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6 | God's name or a title? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120823 | ||
I quote your profile: My primary authority is scripture alone, and all other authorities (reason or logic, personal experience, and church tradition) must allign with it or be discarded. I agree that church tradition and personal experience must never be allowed to contradict the truth of God's inspired word, but logic and reason? After all, God provided these as aids to clear thinking ability. Upon first learning a truth, (especially one that runs counter to something we hold dear or have believed for a long time)we may not see it as reasonable or logical. On the other hand, we may see our understanding as logical and reasonable, but when compared to the truth, it will obviously prove less so. Hopefully, we use logic and reason to make every important decision in life. None could be more important than our decision to serve the true God. Thus, while the Father must draw us first, he does so based on our reasonableness as reflected in our humility. Jesus said: What comes out of a man is what makes a man unclean and renders him unhallowed. For from within, that is out of the hearts of men, come base and wicked thoughts, sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, coveting, dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained conduct; an evil eye, slander, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness), pride, foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness). All these evils come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed." (Mark 7:20-23) Jesus puts "foolishness" or unreasonableness in some pretty bad company, and no wonder, for people do some aweful things imaging they are doing God a favor. Every Scriptural truth I've learned has never offended my sense of logic and reason, but I've heard a lot of false doctrines that have. Hope you'll call off the dogs so we can "reason" on the Scriptures as Paul did with his listeners. (Acts 17:2,3) Sincerely. |
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7 | God's name or a title? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120802 | ||
The history of the trinity doctrine is an ugly one. Any good encyclopedia can assist you in this regard. You may find it interesting to research William Whiston in The New Encyclopedia Britannica. He was a colleague of Sir Isaac Newton. Newton was a religious man. As a committed believer in the Biblical Millennium, he wrote extensively on the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. However, hardly any of these writings were published during his lifetime. He rejected the Trinity doctrine. But when it came to publishing his evidence against the Trinity, “Newton withdrew in fear that his anti-Trinitarian views would become known,” observes The New Encyclopædia Britannica. F. E. Manuel puts it this way in Isaac Newton, Historian: "Newton’s group either kept their opinions secret or restrained their enthusiasm. . . . Where Newton was covert Whiston shrieked in the marketplace." The two men thus had contrasting personalities. Thus, unlike Newton, Whiston risked his career to speak out against apostasy from Christian truths. Satan's tried his best to bury it, but if you seek for the truth as the treasure it is, in that case,you will find the very knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:1-5) I look forward to seeing some of the results of your research, as no doubt others on the Forum will as well. |
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8 | God's name or a title? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120616 | ||
James 2:19 "You believe that God is one; you do well. So do the demons believe and shudder." (Amplified)"You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder." (NIV) No wonder people are confused. Believing is not enough. You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free (from pagan doctrine). Deut 6:4"'Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah'" (Young's Literal Translation) Jesus quotes this at Mark 12:28-30, saying that you must love this God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Misdirected worship to any other god than the one Jesus worships is in vain. The spirit of the true God is the only way any of us will survive the coming tribulation. The reason we approach God through Jesus is because he is the mediator between God and man. Otherwise we would pray to Jesus. This is not complicated once one humbles himself. If Jesus could leave his lofty position at his Father's right hand to do his will for us, certainly we have all the more reason now that he gave his life in our behalf to immitate his example. Listen to Jesus - worship Jehovah. |
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9 | God's name or a title? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120595 | ||
If Yahweh means "the existing one," why do Bibles translate the name as "LORD." Doesn't lord mean "one having power or authority; ruler."? Isn't adonay lord? Now we have confusion. The fact is that God inspired his name to be recorded in the Bible thousands of times, far exceeding any titles - even Lord or God! His worshipers, the Israelites, freely used his name, as this attests. Why did the Jews stop using it? Was it out of 'deep respect' or divine revelation? Hardly! The Jews, as a nation with its corrupt leaders, had abandoned God and the truth, thus losing his powerful holy spirit. Their Father was now in actuality the Devil, the big fat liar. To remove what God had inspired, especially his awesome and fear-inspiring name, Yahweh, is the most disrespectful thing they could have done. But of course they topped that - murdering his son, the means by which he purposed to reconcile them to Him first, and then all of humanity. Jesus said to pray that God's name be sanctified or hallowed. (Matt 6:9) He made this name known and continues to make it known as head of the Christian congregation. At Matt 4:10, paraphrasing Deuteronomy 6:13 where the Hebrew tetragrammaton appears, Jesus tells the liar that it is Yahweh alone that should be worshiped. Let us reject Satan's lies and the traditions of those that invalidate the Word of God, honoring his holy name and worshiping Him alone. If you would like more information on this subject, I would be happy to provide it. Sincerely. |
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10 | who can explain to me? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120593 | ||
God is a God not of disorder but of peace. (1Cor 14:33) Jesus, praising his God and Father, said: "You have hidden these things from the wise and intellectual ones and have revealed them to babes." Moments earlier he declared: "Wisdom is proved righteous by it works." (Matt 11:19:25) Keep reading the Bible, and make a list of the thousands of statements that Jesus and the writers of God's Word made that reflect who Jesus truly is - God's first creation, used to make every other creation, exalted, yet always subject to his Father. Make a note of any that may support the belief that Jesus is God or part of a trinity. The evidence will prove overwhelming and convincing. The few verses in the latter category can readily be explained. I suggest you study the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses and attend a local church. Then you decide who is 'bearing fine fruit' and who is 'bearing worthless fruit.' (Matt 7:15-20) May Jehovah draw you through his beloved son, the anointed head of God's Kingdom and congregation of true Christians. Dan |
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11 | who can explain to me? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120536 | ||
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. I'm not sure how this indicates Jesus had no beginning. It says his "origins" or "goings forth." Doesn't that mean his beginning, even though it dates back for milleniums? Even the "beginning of God's creation", the "firstborn of every creature" is a creation. (Rev 3:14; Col 1:15)) |
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12 | who can explain to me? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120424 | ||
"For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." I guess the confusion for trinitarians goes back to their not understanding God's original purpose for the earth and its original inhabitants. Adam was to be your "eternal father." You were not meant to die - death is an enemy of God caused by his adversary Satan. (1 Cor 15:26 and Heb 2:14) The other titles applied to our Lord and Savior show his position to his God - "mighty," not Almighty, "prince," son of the King. When I say "inferior," I only paraphrase Jesus statement at John 14:28 and conveyed similarly in numerous of his other comments. When one comes to realize Christianity has more to do with one's actions than one's beliefs, the truth comes to light. Jesus said: "We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and a worshiper of Him and does His will, He listens to him." (John 9:31) My initial comment had to do with works that evidence true faith in Jesus Christ, who died for all. We puny humans have no right to judge another worthy of death, one that might eventually exercise faith in Christ and get real life. Faith is a fruit of God's holy spirit, and not a possession of all men. "Wisdom is proved righteous by works." I rest my case. Yours truly. |
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13 | who can explain to me? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120378 | ||
I hope you don't expect me to disagree with you. Faith without works saves no one as well. "Prove yourself faithful even unto death, and I (Jesus) will give you the crown of life." (Rev 2:10) | ||||||
14 | who can explain to me? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120341 | ||
If you visit the Holocaust Museum, why are Jehovah's Witnesses the only religious organization persecuted by Satan's dupe, Hitler? (Note: Jew is an ethnic distinction.) Why are some of the most intelligent people on earth atheists or worse, "critics of the Bible"? Say what you want about my brother "everready," faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountains, and God has truly revealed the truth to babes! | ||||||
15 | who can explain to me? | John 1:1 | bstudent | 120339 | ||
You quote Psalm 89:27, but omit verse 26: "He will cry to Me, 'You are my Father,My God, and the rock of my salvation.'" It is certainly correct to see the clarity of the Bible's teaching that Jesus' position is above all creation. However, to deny his subjection and thus inferior position to 'his God' is hard to fathom. |
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16 | is God and Jesus are one person? | Heb 1:8 | bstudent | 119537 | ||
Col 1:15,16 as well as Rev 3:14 show Jesus is a creature, albeit the first and the one that God used as his master worker to create every other creature. (Prov 8:22-31) |
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17 | is God and Jesus are one person? | Heb 1:8 | bstudent | 119203 | ||
I only pointed out two, but there are a few more. Each of the dozen or so trinity text can be refuted easily, but its the volume of the verses that speak of Jesus subjection under God that one should consider. I'm sure you'll disagree, but the removal of that "honored and awesome name" has contributed much to the confusion about Jesus identity. Psalm 110:1 is a classic example. Check out this take on the name Jesus stated as the first priority in the model prayer: “MONGREL,” “hybrid,” “monstrous.” What would cause Biblical Hebrew scholars to use such emphatic terms? At issue is whether “Jehovah” is a proper English pronunciation of God’s name. For over one hundred years, this controversy has raged. Today, most scholars seem to favor the two-syllable “Yahweh.” But is the pronunciation “Jehovah” really so “monstrous”? According to the Bible, God himself revealed his name to humankind. (Exodus 3:15) Scriptural evidence shows that God’s ancient servants freely used that name. (Genesis 12:8; Ruth 2:4) God’s name was known by other nations as well. (Joshua 2:9) This was especially true after the Jews who had returned from exile in Babylon came into contact with peoples of many nations. (Psalm 96:2-10; Isaiah 12:4; Malachi 1:11) The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible says: “There is considerable evidence that in the postexilic period many foreigners were attracted to the religion of the Jews.” However, by the first century C.E., a superstition about God’s name had developed. Eventually, not only did the Jewish nation stop using God’s name openly but some even forbade pronouncing it at all. Its correct pronunciation was thus lost—or was it? In the Hebrew language, God’s name is written éäåä. These four letters, which are read from right to left, are commonly called the Tetragrammaton. Many names of people and places mentioned in the Bible contain an abbreviated form of the divine name. Is it possible that these proper names can provide some clues as to how God’s name was pronounced? According to George Buchanan, professor emeritus at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., the answer is yes. Professor Buchanan explains: “In ancient times, parents often named their children after their deities. That means that they would have pronounced their children’s names the way the deity’s name was pronounced. The Tetragrammaton was used in people’s names, and they always used the middle vowel.” Consider a few examples of proper names found in the Bible that include a shortened form of God’s name. Jonathan, which appears as Yoh·na·than´ or Yehoh·na·than´ in the Hebrew Bible, means “Yaho or Yahowah has given,” says Professor Buchanan. The prophet Elijah’s name is ´E·li·yah´ or ´E·li·ya´hu in Hebrew. According to Professor Buchanan, the name means: “My God is Yahoo or Yahoo-wah.” Similarly, the Hebrew name for Jehoshaphat is Yehoh-sha·phat´, meaning “Yaho has judged.” A two-syllable pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton as “Yahweh” would not allow for the o vowel sound to exist as part of God’s name. But in the dozens of Biblical names that incorporate the divine name, this middle vowel sound appears in both the original and the shortened forms, as in Jehonathan and Jonathan. Thus, Professor Buchanan says regarding the divine name: “In no case is the vowel oo or oh omitted. The word was sometimes abbreviated as ‘Ya,’ but never as ‘Ya-weh.’ . . . When the Tetragrammaton was pronounced in one syllable it was ‘Yah’ or ‘Yo.’ When it was pronounced in three syllables it would have been ‘Yahowah’ or ‘Yahoowah.’ If it was ever abbreviated to two syllables it would have been ‘Yaho.’”—Biblical Archaeology Review. These comments help us understand the statement made by 19th-century Hebrew scholar Gesenius in his Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures: “Those who consider that éäåä [Ye-ho-wah] was the actual pronunciation [of God’s name] are not altogether without ground on which to defend their opinion. In this way can the abbreviated syllables éäå [Ye-ho] and éå [Yo], with which many proper names begin, be more satisfactorily explained.” Nevertheless, in the introduction to his recent translation of The Five Books of Moses, Everett Fox points out: “Both old and new attempts to recover the ‘correct’ pronunciation of the Hebrew name [of God] have not succeeded; neither the sometimes-heard ‘Jehovah’ nor the standard scholarly ‘Yahweh’ can be conclusively proven.” No doubt the scholarly debate will continue. Jews stopped pronouncing the name of the true God before the Masoretes developed the system of vowel pointing. Thus, there is no definitive way to prove which vowels accompanied the consonants YHWH (éäåä). Yet, the very names of Biblical figures—the correct pronunciation of which was never lost—provide a tangible clue to the ancient pronunciation of God’s name. On this account, at least some scholars agree that the pronunciation “Jehovah” is not so “monstrous” after all. |
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18 | is God and Jesus are one person? | Heb 1:8 | bstudent | 119202 | ||
kalos: I'm sure you're a nice guy too. As you say: “God alone is on his throne.” If he grants authority to anyone to rule, human (Solomon?) or spirit (Jesus), that authority issues from God. First, note the context. The NASB reads at Hebrews 1:9 reads, “God, your God, anointed you.” This makes it clear that the one addressed in verse eight is not God, but one who worships God and is anointed by him. Yet, you believe that Jesus can be God, and actually receive authority from the one referred to as ‘his God.” “God is my throne” does make sense. He is described as being my or our “shade”, “rock”, “strength”, “stronghold”, “salvation”, and “signal pole.” (Ps 121:5; 2 Sa 22:2,3; Is 12:2; Ex 17:15) Just as a rock symbolizing God’s constancy and dependability, his throne symbolizes his sovereignty. God is love; he is the epitome and source of true love. God alone is Almighty, and anyone he gives his power to may become “mighty” but always subordinate to Him. (Is 9:6,7) Perhaps now you see the reason for my eluding to 1 Cor 15: 28 in my first and second note. Not a “merry chase” at all, just a logical conclusion to the harmonious truth of God’s inspired word. |
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19 | is God and Jesus are one person? | Heb 1:8 | bstudent | 119192 | ||
Just thought you might want to know. Any comments on 1 Cor 15:28? Everywhere I read, in any translation, I keep seeing the Bible writers acknowledging the Father's superior position to his Son. The Father gives Jesus any and all authority he possesses because it belongs to Him. Jesus repeatedly pointed out his position relative to his God. For the Scriptures to use the relationship of a father and son to illustrate equality and "coeternity" to the patriarchal Jews is ludicrous, "it doesn't make sense." A handful of passages translated to support the trinity, even when it may be a legimate grammatical alternative to do so, cannot overcome the overwhelming evidence supporting Jesus being the firstborn of creation, a separate and obviously inferior creature to the Creator who had no beginning. In addition to your comments on 1 Cor 15:28, I'm interested to know how you respond to the spurious verses in the KJ at 1 John 5:7 and Rev 1:11? The translation influenced a lot of people. Why the need to bolster the trinity doctrine by adding to the things written under inspiration if its so clear? The sordid history of the development of this apostate doctrine is well documented in encyclopias. That history does not sound like the way truth was discerned in the days of the apostles! |
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20 | is God and Jesus are one person? | Heb 1:8 | bstudent | 119169 | ||
Bible scholar B. F. Westcott's expertise in ancient Hebrew and Greek is fairly widely respected in the Bible community. You may find his comments regarding Hebrews 1:8, 9 which quotes from Psalm 45:6, 7, interesting: “The LXX.(Septuagint-Old Testament in Greek) admits of two renderings: [ho the·os'] can be taken as a vocative in both cases (Thy throne, O God, . . . therefore, O God, Thy God . . . ) or it can be taken as the subject (or the predicate) in the first case (God is Thy throne, or Thy throne is God . . . ), and in apposition to [ho the·os' sou] in the second case (Therefore God, even Thy God . . . ). . . . It is scarcely possible that [’Elo·him'] in the original can be addressed to the king. The presumption therefore is against the belief that [ho the·os'] is a vocative in the LXX. Thus on the whole it seems best to adopt in the first clause the rendering: God is Thy throne (or, Thy throne is God), that is ‘Thy kingdom is founded upon God, the immovable Rock.’”—The Epistle to the Hebrews (London, 1889), pp. 25, 26. Which rendering is harmonious with the context? The preceding verses say that God is speaking, not that he is being addressed; and the following verse uses the expression “God, your God has anointed you,” showing that the one addressed is not the Most High God but is a worshiper of that God. Hebrews 1:8 quotes from Psalm 45:6, which originally was addressed to a human king of Israel. Obviously, the Bible writer of this psalm did not think that this human king was Almighty God. Rather, Psalm 45:6, in RS, reads “Your divine throne.” (NE says, “Your throne is like God’s throne.” JP [verse 7]: “Thy throne given of God.”) Solomon, who was possibly the king originally addressed in Psalm 45, was said to sit “upon the throne of Jehovah.” (1 Chron. 29:23 ASV) In harmony with the fact that God is the “throne,” or Source and Upholder of Christ’s kingship, Daniel 7:13, 14 and Luke 1:32 show that God confers such authority on him. This seems consistent with the countless Scriptures that teach Jesus worshiped the Father as his God and continues doing so in his God-given role as his Messianic King. As 1 Cor 15:28 states: "And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all." |
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