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NASB | Colossians 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Colossians 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form [completely expressing the divine essence of God]. |
Subject: Could Jesus sin? |
Bible Note: Dear Edwin, I think we need to be extremely cautious here. Some of what you are saying is dangerously close to the error known as the kenosis theory, and others sound like Nestorianism. The thinking that surfaces in error and heresy come easily because they often seem to make sense to human reason. That's why they tend to surface over and over in history. Look what the Church stated so clearly in the fifth century: "Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance [homoousious] with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards His manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards His Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards His manhood begotten for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer [Theotokos] one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, ..." Now note this part in particular: "...recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person [prosopon] and subsistence [hypostasis], not as parted or separated into two persons [prosopa], but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of Him, and as our Lord Jesus Christ Himself taught us, and the creed of the Fathers has delivered to us." --Chalcedonian Confession (451 AD) We must take care to go just as far as the Word of God (His self-revelation) goes, but no further. To that end we can be grateful to the faithful elect of the Church who, with the help of the Holy Spirit, have wrestled with these ideas for so many centuries. In Him, Doc PS May your holidays be blessed and joyful. |