Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is God ONE or is God THREE? | James 2:19 | Jesusman | 36722 | ||
Hello, Tell me, how do you rectify the passages where Jesus speaks not only about God the Father, but to God the Father as well. Here you have God talking to God. Also, you have Jesus' statement in the Great Commission: "Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit". Jesus states three identities in which we are to Baptize in. It is clear that the Apostles believed in the Trinity. Look at Peter's sermon in Acts 2. In verse 33, Peter speaks about Jesus saying, "Therefore having been exalted to the righthand of God, and having recieved from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear." This verse supports that the Apostles believed in the Trinity. Paul, time and time again, speaks of blessing Both the Father and the Son in many of his introductions to his epistles. A clear sign that he believed in the Trinity. John the Beloved in 1 John 4 speaks of God the Father sending God the Son to earth in human form. Another sign that John the Beloved believed in the Trinity. So, the doctrine of the Trinity is all throughout the New Testament. As I said before, Just because someone didn't write it all down until later doesn't mean that no one believed it until then. I was beginning High School when I first picked up a superman comic and began drawing the pictures I saw in there. The first picture I drew was a picture of the Eradicator dressed as Superman from the Reign of the Supermen series that followed the Death of Superman series. I saw this picture of him, liked it, and drew a copy of just him without the background. Now, did I invent this Character when I drew him? No, he was already a part of the Story. Did I invent the suit he wore? No, someone else designed it. In fact, all I did was I copied someone else's design by free hand, meaning that I didn't trace it. The Eradicator was already an established character. He was an adversary of Superman some five years before this appearance. The Eradicator was a kryptonian computer hologram that was programed into Kal-El's shuttle with the program to re-create Krypton on what-ever planet the shuttle landed. It remained dormant until it was discovered. Superman defeated him by throwing him into the Sun. When Kal-El died, the robots from the Fortress of Solitude revived the Eradicator program to replace Superman. Later, the Eradicator played a key part in bringing Kal-El back to life. Now, did I invent this story just now? No, this was all thought up and written nearly 5-10 years ago. I have the comics at home to prove it. I just took the time to sum it up for you, just as the fore-fathers took the time to write down the Doctrine of the Trinity for the people of their times. Do you see my point? The doctrine of the trinity wasn't invented after the New testament period. It was written down, or summed up, as it were. It was believed by the Apostles and Jesus Christ well before someone wrote it all down. Jesusman |
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2 | Is God ONE or is God THREE? | James 2:19 | 10ECPreacher | 36776 | ||
Greetings, Jesusman. I appreciate your candor and zeal. I regret that we are not able to sync on this subject. I wrote a quite lengthy post to believer57 previously that addresses some of the points you raise. Perhaps it may help you at least see my position clearer. My purpose for asking this question was not to try to convince everybody to "see things my way", but that through this discussion we could at least reexamine the dogmas and traditions that we hold. I do not feel badly toward you because you do not agree with me. I simply have a different attitude towards the Bible and its teachings than do you (and apparently many others, for that matter). If I am going to believe, preach and teach a doctrine, then it MUST bear the stamp of Apostolic Certification. That is, the Apostles themselves had to be the ones to describe and define the great doctrines of the church. Now we're not talking about some minor side issue here; we're talking about the grandest subject of the Bible--the very nature of the Deity. God did not leave such an important matter loose and flapping in the wind, to be secured by future generations. "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!" [Gal. 1:8-9 NASB] To add to or take away from the Word of God is a very dangerous thing. The whole must equal the sum of its parts. If someone "summed up" the doctrine of the nature of the Deity, that's OK. But the sum of the parts may not be greater than the whole. In other words, don't add ideas and terminologies that the Apostles did not use. You wrote: "Tell me, how do you rectify the passages where Jesus speaks not only about God the Father, but to God the Father as well. Here you have God talking to God." If we take the trinitarian stance, we have "God the Son" talking to "God the Father". Now that's what I would call "God talking to God." I have said this in several of the posts, but it bears repeating. Jesus Christ had a "dual" nature. He was both fully God and fully Man. So when the Son prayed to the Father, the Man was praying to God. Every time a reference is made to Jesus speaking, the reader/student must determine (by studying the context) whether Jesus is speaking as "man" or as "God". As "man", Jesus wept; as "God" He called Lazarus out of the tomb. As "man", Jesus was weary and sat beside Jacob's well and asked for a drink of water; as "God" he told the Samaritan woman about her past. Always remember this when studying this subject: the Bible alone is our authority for doctrine. And the Bible says this about Jesus Christ: "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over all rule and authority;" [Col. 2:9-10 NASB] Kind regards, Tim D. Cormier Tennessee Preacher |
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3 | Is God ONE or is God THREE? | James 2:19 | Jesusman | 37339 | ||
So, are you saying that Jesus was able to switch his Godhood on and off like a light switch? Are there any verses that support that? The main problem I see with what you are saying is that it is saying that Jesus was in fact a blasphemer. The only way that Jesus could claim to be the "Son of God" and able to pray to him as a "Son" is if the "Son" with in the Godhead. So, when Jesus is praying to God. It isn't his humanity only that is praying, it is his unified Man and Godhood praying together within the role of God the Son praying to God the Father. Hebrews 1:1-4 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. It's clear that Jesus was perfectly God while still being perfectly Human, and that he didn't switch his deity on and off. He was always God and always human, even while he was praying. Therefore, Jesus had to be God the Son of the tri-une Godhead. ON top of that, you have Jesus living the perfect life, free from Sin. The only way he could remain that way, and become the perfect and final sacrifice was if he was fully God all throughout his life. If he kept switching between man and God, then he wouldn't have lived the sinless life because the human nature, described as sinful, would've lead him into sin. However, we know that that isn't the case. Therefore, Jesus was always fully God while still being fully Human, and thus being a member of the Trinity. Sola Scriptura is a very good basis to study from. Let scripture interpret Scipture. However, that does not mean that we should throw all other documents and resources out the window. Jesus commanded his followers to teach and make disciples. The early church fathers who sat down and wrote out the early concise forms of Christian doctrine were doing just that. They were teaching, and they continue to teach us today. To remain strictly "sola scriptura" would be self-defeating because your students would have to reject your biblical insights because it wouldn't be Scripture. There needs to be some form of supplimental resources to clarify the Scriptures. For that, we turn to those who lived and studied before us. I am not saying that these resources should replace the Bible in importance and supremicy. I'm saying that they shouldn't be rejected. Jesus Loves You! Jesusman |
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