| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"Pastor Dave" |
| Date: |
21 May 2007 01:38:14 PM |
| Object: |
TRINITY - IS IT SCRIPTURAL? |
First, let me say that I am not writing this to try to prove
all that is stated by the church about the Trinity. There
are things stated about the Trinity that I do not agree
with. I am posting this message only to prove the very
basic things about the Trinity. That it is taught in
Scripture and that it consists in Scripture, of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost.
I agree that this can be confusing, with all of the texts that
MAY SEEM to contradict each other. I believe that the errors
come in, in ignoring the TIME LINE that is given in Scripture.
I will demonstrate that further down. But first, allow me to
demonstrate the three Persons and please, finish reading this
before you respond and please consider it carefully, resisting
the urge to jump into a response with what "YOU KNOW"
to be the truth. :)
I can understand how there can be argument over this subject.
It is a hard subject to deal with, but again, the reason that
there is argument over this subject, I believe, is due to this
lack of understanding of the *TIME LINE*, which btw, is stated
in Scripture, but has been missed by most, because of the
doctrines of the modern church and the way that they read
the Bible, thinking it's all about them, today. Believe it or
not, this has caused many erroneous doctrines to creep in.
That is why I was very careful with this issue and frankly,
I was unable to completely resolve this issue for years!
But I prayed and asked God for guidance and He immediately
showed me something and I have also learned to from Him,
to consider the time line, which can correct false doctrines!
Thus, it is true that it must be in the language of Scripture,
but to claim as some do, that the word "Trinity" must be in
the Bible and yet, they believe in other things that are not
stated word for word in the Bible, seems to me to be nothing
more than hypocrisy. (:
It must be in the language of the Scripture, although the word
itself does not always have to be found there. Neither is the
word "rapture", found in the Bible, which is a thing that many
believe in (I do not). But I don't reject that doctrine
because the word is not there. I understand that they're
using the word "rapture" in place of "caught up". I reject it
because, after careful Bible study, I do not see the doctrine
in the Scriptures.
But my point is, claiming that a doctrine is not true, because
a single word is not found in the Bible, is not always proper.
So in considering the doctrine of the Trinity, I would state
that you need to consider that, interestingly enough, there
are THREE separate time frames to consider, as well as
THREE separate Persons to consider. :)
So as I said, let me present the three Persons first and then
I will present the time line, as I believe that it makes the
most sense to do it this way and I also believe that this
should answer even the most stubborn critics, although
I also have a feeling that they will refuse to agree with
me on this. :)
* THREE PERSONS *
God is our Savior:
"For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia
and Seba for thee." - Isaiah 43:3
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the
command of God our Savior, and of the Lord Jesus
Christ, our hope, " - 1 Timothy 1:1
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God
our Savior," - 1 Timothy 2:3
"but revealed His Word in its own times in a
proclamation, with which I was entrusted by
the command of God our Savior,)" - Titus 1:3
As everyone will agree, it was Jesus whom they were
waiting for, to appear, not the Father. So in the following,
let us note that Jesus is called God and Savior
(note names are in context of His appearing)...
"looking for the blessed hope, and the appearance
of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,"
- Titus 2:13
Text showing the Persons (God as Father; Jesus as Lord
and Savior)...
"to Titus, a true child according to our common faith.
Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior." - Titus 1:4
It cannot be that God is only the Father AND that God
is our Savior AND that Jesus is our Savior. That would
be to ascribe something to someone you do not consider
God, the title belonging to God and God alone.
And btw, Who is called the "Holy One" (see Isaiah quote
earlier in message)?
A prophecy of Jesus' resurrection...
"For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt
thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
- Psalm 16:10
"I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy
truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp,
O thou Holy One of Israel." - Psalm 71:22
God created man...
"And God created man in His image; in the image of God
He created him. He created them male and female."
- Genesis 1:27
One verse prior...
"And God said, Let Us make man in OUR image,
after OUR likeness." - Genesis 1:26a
God created the Earth and we can see the three Persons
in the following verses...
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
- Genesis 1:1
The Spirit of God moves over the face of the waters...
"And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters."
- Genesis 1:2b
Jesus, the Word, is God and made everything...
John 1:1-3,14
1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.
2) He was in the beginning with God.
3) All things came into being through Him, and without
Him not even one thing came into being that has come
into being.
14) And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled
among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
of truth.
The Father and Jesus living in us, through the Holy Spirit...
"Jesus answered and said to him, If a man loves Me, he
will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our abode with him."
- John 14:23
Thomas confesses Jesus as God. Jesus does not rebuke him,
but rather, confirms it...
John 20:28-29
28) And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord
and my God!
29) Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen
Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not
seen and have believed.
Believed what? Thomas's confession, that's what,
since that's what Thomas just said and what Jesus
responded to.
* TIME LINE *
Now as to the time line, we can see that as well,
in Scripture. There is the time BEFORE He appeared
on Earth, the time DURING His walk on this Earth
and the time AFTER He ascended. And this is why
people get confused and why both sides seem to
have proof verses for their positions. Because they
do not consider the time line!
* BEFORE He appeared, He was with God and was God.
John 1:1-3,14
1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.
2) He was in the beginning with God.
3) All things came into being through Him, and without
Him not even one thing came into being that has come
into being.
14) And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled
among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
of truth.
Note that above, in John, it says that the Word, who WAS GOD,
WAS THEN MADE FLESH. So Jesus is not some "never existed
before" human and only God could be without sin. And Jesus
is "the Word" and "the Word was God" and then was made flesh
and dwelt among us, as the only begotten of the Father".
Therefore, it is very clear here, that "God walked among us".
* DURING His walk here, He was a little lower than the angels
and was subject to the Law, so He could be the perfect,
sinless sacrifice.
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than
the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with
glory and honor, that He by the grace of God should
taste death for all." - Hebrews 2:9
He was lowered in position, when He came to Earth!
* AFTER He ascended, He sat down at the right hand
of God, receiving the glory He had with God the Father,
before the world was.
"And now Father, glorify Me with Yourself with the
glory which I had with You before the world was."
- John 17:5
Note that He asked to receive the glory that He
already had, before walking this Earth.
As for the Holy Spirit, I have shown how He was
involved in the creation and we can also see Him
in the work of God dwelling is us through Him...
John 14:16-17
16) And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you
another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever,
17) the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive
because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you
know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you.
"Jesus answered and said to him, If a man loves Me, he
will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our abode with him."
- John 14:23
Therefore, if God dwells within us and the Scripture says
that the Father and Son dwell within us, they must all be
God Himself.
And finally...
Philippians 2:5-6
5) For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6) who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to
be equal with God,
Who is equal to God, but God? No one but God, that's who!
If Jesus had thought to make Himself equal to God and was
not God, then Jesus was a heretic! It's that simple, people!
And the text says very clearly that Christ was equal to God.
And as I said, the only one equal to God, is God!
Now I agree that God the Father does rule over all now
(the end timers think this has yet to come, but since I
believe the prophecies of the NT have been fulfilled,
I say it is the case now), or they don't even realize that
it is supposed to (already has, I believe).
In other words, the futurists think that Christ can't be
ruling yet, because they claim that not everything is
subject to Him yet. In reality, Scripture teaches the
opposite. That He would rule UNTIL every thing was
subject to Him.
1 Corinthians 15:26-28
26) The last enemy made to cease is death.
27) For He put all things under His feet. But
when He says that all things have been put
under His feet, it is plain that it excepts Him
who has put all things under Him.
28) But when all things are subjected to Him,
then the Son Himself also will be subject to
Him who has subjected all things to Him, so
that God may be all things in all.
Now if the Son WILL BE subject to God the Father,
then He WAS NOT previously. That's simple logic.
And who could possibly not be subject to God,
but God?
So this proves that no, Christ was not to be equal
in authority forever, but also that He ruled again
from the time that He ascended and is not waiting
to rule, as the Futurists think He is and it proves
that He must be God!
It seems confusing, I know. :) But who ever claimed
to completely understand the Trinity? :)
So above, I have laid out the time line, which is an
all important factor, when considering the issue of
the Trinity, as it is in other issues as well, that are
argued over and can be resolved by taking the
time line into consideration.
We see almost everything in three parts and the Bible
says that God is UNDERSTOOD by the things He made.
"For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being realized by the things
that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,
for them to be without excuse." - Romans 1:20
And note... GODHEAD. Not just, "God".
Now look at the most basic part of the Creation that we
understand, at least as of today, The atom, which has
three parts. Protons, Neutrons and Electrons.
Now do you understand how the like charges of the
Protons don't end up making them fly away (repel) from
each other and into the oppositely charged (which would
attract them) Electrons? I don't and I actually taught
subatomic theory. :) Many claim to, but they are only
guessing and don't want to admit to the obvious problem.
Man can't understand it and so he makes up something
called, "Gluons" (laugh) to explain it. But this just
goes to show how man mucks things up, when he tries
to play the genius. :)
The point I'm making is, the GODHEAD is understood
by the THINGS THAT ARE MADE. If that is true, then
when we look at the atom, we should see a reflection
and a help in understanding the GODHEAD, which
created all things (Gen 1:1-2; John 1:1-3). And that
reflection shows three parts that make up the whole.
If you wish to respond, that is fine. I will discuss it with
you. But my point is, do not respond with statements like
the one people use about Jesus praying to the Father,
when that ignores the time line that Scripture itself shows,
when it clearly says that He was made a little lower than
the angels, FOR THE PURPOSE OF His mission and shows
that His level of glory and His position was different before
and after His mission on Earth (Scripture proofs quoted
above).
And we need to remember that when one person can quote
a passage that says that He was subject to the Father and
another quotes a passage that says that He is God, that
there must be some resolution that both parties are missing.
This resolution is found in noting the time line. :)
Do you see what I mean about how these arguments really
don't address the issue itself and people only think they do?
That is what I am saying. The statements of His Person in
Scripture throughout and the time line issue are extremely
crucial! Those, along with understanding that both Testaments
testify of His position.
Jehovah is in the pillar...
"And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud,
to lead them the right away, and by night in a pillar of fire,
to give them light, to go by day and night." - Exodus 13:21
Yet it is the Angel of the Lord that was in the pillar
(Christ, as I will show) and in the following text,
discussing the crossing of the Red Sea, it shows
that the pillar moved to a position behind them,
while they crossed (note it's called "the pillar of
the cloud in the daytime, since it was a pillar of
fire, at night)...
"And the Angel of God, the one who went before
the camp of Israel, moved. And he went to the rear
of them. And the pillar of the cloud went from in front
of their face and it stood behind them." - Exodus 14:19
Paul said, speaking of the crossing of the Red Sea,
that the One following them was Christ (under the
cloud) and he also uses the comparison of the rock
giving regular water, versus Christ's statement of
Him being living water...
1 Corinthians 10:1-4
1) And, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant
that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all
passed through the sea.
2) And all were baptized to Moses in the cloud and
in the sea,
3) and all ate the same spiritual food,
4) and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they
drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them,
and that Rock was Christ.
Now it cannot be denied that the Scripture teaches
that God guided them then and since the Scripture
also teaches that it was actually Christ Who was present
there, doing the guiding, it also cannot be denied that
the Scripture teaches that Christ is God!
Thus, the Scripture tells us also in both Testaments,
of His position and we have three things to pay
attention to. Hey, there's that "three" again! :)
--
Pastor Dave
People are so afraid to reject doctrine, that they just
don't give a damn what the Bible actually says! Sad!
.
|
|
| User: "Sam Taylor" |
|
| Title: Re: TRINITY - IS IT SCRIPTURAL? |
21 May 2007 02:57:37 PM |
|
|
Do you know what the word AND means?
You need to read the very scriptural reference you quoted much more
carefully, and understand punctuation is not scriptural, this was
inserted post scripture , by biased people, as we all are.
one can read the text to, 1 prove someone wrong,
2 prove someone right, or 3 gain information.
it is 3 I am asking You to do.
First, let me say that I am not writing this to try to prove
all that is stated by the church about the Trinity. There
are things stated about the Trinity that I do not agree
with. I am posting this message only to prove the very
basic things about the Trinity. That it is taught in
Scripture and that it consists in Scripture, of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost.
I agree that this can be confusing, with all of the texts that
MAY SEEM to contradict each other. I believe that the errors
come in, in ignoring the TIME LINE that is given in Scripture.
I will demonstrate that further down. But first, allow me to
demonstrate the three Persons and please, finish reading this
before you respond and please consider it carefully, resisting
the urge to jump into a response with what "YOU KNOW"
to be the truth. :)
I can understand how there can be argument over this subject.
It is a hard subject to deal with, but again, the reason that
there is argument over this subject, I believe, is due to this
lack of understanding of the *TIME LINE*, which btw, is stated
in Scripture, but has been missed by most, because of the
doctrines of the modern church and the way that they read
the Bible, thinking it's all about them, today. Believe it or
not, this has caused many erroneous doctrines to creep in.
That is why I was very careful with this issue and frankly,
I was unable to completely resolve this issue for years!
But I prayed and asked God for guidance and He immediately
showed me something and I have also learned to from Him,
to consider the time line, which can correct false doctrines!
Thus, it is true that it must be in the language of Scripture,
but to claim as some do, that the word "Trinity" must be in
the Bible and yet, they believe in other things that are not
stated word for word in the Bible, seems to me to be nothing
more than hypocrisy. (:
It must be in the language of the Scripture, although the word
itself does not always have to be found there. Neither is the
word "rapture", found in the Bible, which is a thing that many
believe in (I do not). But I don't reject that doctrine
because the word is not there. I understand that they're
using the word "rapture" in place of "caught up". I reject it
because, after careful Bible study, I do not see the doctrine
in the Scriptures.
But my point is, claiming that a doctrine is not true, because
a single word is not found in the Bible, is not always proper.
So in considering the doctrine of the Trinity, I would state
that you need to consider that, interestingly enough, there
are THREE separate time frames to consider, as well as
THREE separate Persons to consider. :)
So as I said, let me present the three Persons first and then
I will present the time line, as I believe that it makes the
most sense to do it this way and I also believe that this
should answer even the most stubborn critics, although
I also have a feeling that they will refuse to agree with
me on this. :)
* THREE PERSONS *
God is our Savior:
"For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia
and Seba for thee." - Isaiah 43:3
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the
command of God our Savior, and of the Lord Jesus
Christ, our hope, " - 1 Timothy 1:1
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God
our Savior," - 1 Timothy 2:3
"but revealed His Word in its own times in a
proclamation, with which I was entrusted by
the command of God our Savior,)" - Titus 1:3
As everyone will agree, it was Jesus whom they were
waiting for, to appear, not the Father. So in the following,
let us note that Jesus is called God and Savior
(note names are in context of His appearing)...
"looking for the blessed hope, and the appearance
of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,"
- Titus 2:13
Text showing the Persons (God as Father; Jesus as Lord
and Savior)...
"to Titus, a true child according to our common faith.
Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior." - Titus 1:4
It cannot be that God is only the Father AND that God
is our Savior AND that Jesus is our Savior. That would
be to ascribe something to someone you do not consider
God, the title belonging to God and God alone.
And btw, Who is called the "Holy One" (see Isaiah quote
earlier in message)?
A prophecy of Jesus' resurrection...
"For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt
thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
- Psalm 16:10
"I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy
truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp,
O thou Holy One of Israel." - Psalm 71:22
God created man...
"And God created man in His image; in the image of God
He created him. He created them male and female."
- Genesis 1:27
One verse prior...
"And God said, Let Us make man in OUR image,
after OUR likeness." - Genesis 1:26a
God created the Earth and we can see the three Persons
in the following verses...
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
- Genesis 1:1
The Spirit of God moves over the face of the waters...
"And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters."
- Genesis 1:2b
Jesus, the Word, is God and made everything...
John 1:1-3,14
1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.
2) He was in the beginning with God.
3) All things came into being through Him, and without
Him not even one thing came into being that has come
into being.
14) And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled
among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
of truth.
The Father and Jesus living in us, through the Holy Spirit...
"Jesus answered and said to him, If a man loves Me, he
will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our abode with him."
- John 14:23
Thomas confesses Jesus as God. Jesus does not rebuke him,
but rather, confirms it...
John 20:28-29
28) And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord
and my God!
29) Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen
Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not
seen and have believed.
Believed what? Thomas's confession, that's what,
since that's what Thomas just said and what Jesus
responded to.
* TIME LINE *
Now as to the time line, we can see that as well,
in Scripture. There is the time BEFORE He appeared
on Earth, the time DURING His walk on this Earth
and the time AFTER He ascended. And this is why
people get confused and why both sides seem to
have proof verses for their positions. Because they
do not consider the time line!
* BEFORE He appeared, He was with God and was God.
John 1:1-3,14
1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.
2) He was in the beginning with God.
3) All things came into being through Him, and without
Him not even one thing came into being that has come
into being.
14) And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled
among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
of truth.
Note that above, in John, it says that the Word, who WAS GOD,
WAS THEN MADE FLESH. So Jesus is not some "never existed
before" human and only God could be without sin. And Jesus
is "the Word" and "the Word was God" and then was made flesh
and dwelt among us, as the only begotten of the Father".
Therefore, it is very clear here, that "God walked among us".
* DURING His walk here, He was a little lower than the angels
and was subject to the Law, so He could be the perfect,
sinless sacrifice.
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than
the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with
glory and honor, that He by the grace of God should
taste death for all." - Hebrews 2:9
He was lowered in position, when He came to Earth!
* AFTER He ascended, He sat down at the right hand
of God, receiving the glory He had with God the Father,
before the world was.
"And now Father, glorify Me with Yourself with the
glory which I had with You before the world was."
- John 17:5
Note that He asked to receive the glory that He
already had, before walking this Earth.
As for the Holy Spirit, I have shown how He was
involved in the creation and we can also see Him
in the work of God dwelling is us through Him...
John 14:16-17
16) And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you
another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever,
17) the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive
because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you
know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you.
"Jesus answered and said to him, If a man loves Me, he
will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our abode with him."
- John 14:23
Therefore, if God dwells within us and the Scripture says
that the Father and Son dwell within us, they must all be
God Himself.
And finally...
Philippians 2:5-6
5) For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6) who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to
be equal with God,
Who is equal to God, but God? No one but God, that's who!
If Jesus had thought to make Himself equal to God and was
not God, then Jesus was a heretic! It's that simple, people!
And the text says very clearly that Christ was equal to God.
And as I said, the only one equal to God, is God!
Now I agree that God the Father does rule over all now
(the end timers think this has yet to come, but since I
believe the prophecies of the NT have been fulfilled,
I say it is the case now), or they don't even realize that
it is supposed to (already has, I believe).
In other words, the futurists think that Christ can't be
ruling yet, because they claim that not everything is
subject to Him yet. In reality, Scripture teaches the
opposite. That He would rule UNTIL every thing was
subject to Him.
1 Corinthians 15:26-28
26) The last enemy made to cease is death.
27) For He put all things under His feet. But
when He says that all things have been put
under His feet, it is plain that it excepts Him
who has put all things under Him.
28) But when all things are subjected to Him,
then the Son Himself also will be subject to
Him who has subjected all things to Him, so
that God may be all things in all.
Now if the Son WILL BE subject to God the Father,
then He WAS NOT previously. That's simple logic.
And who could possibly not be subject to God,
but God?
So this proves that no, Christ was not to be equal
in authority forever, but also that He ruled again
from the time that He ascended and is not waiting
to rule, as the Futurists think He is and it proves
that He must be God!
It seems confusing, I know. :) But who ever claimed
to completely understand the Trinity? :)
So above, I have laid out the time line, which is an
all important factor, when considering the issue of
the Trinity, as it is in other issues as well, that are
argued over and can be resolved by taking the
time line into consideration.
We see almost everything in three parts and the Bible
says that God is UNDERSTOOD by the things He made.
"For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being realized by the things
that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,
for them to be without excuse." - Romans 1:20
And note... GODHEAD. Not just, "God".
Now look at the most basic part of the Creation that we
understand, at least as of today, The atom, which has
three parts. Protons, Neutrons and Electrons.
Now do you understand how the like charges of the
Protons don't end up making them fly away (repel) from
each other and into the oppositely charged (which would
attract them) Electrons? I don't and I actually taught
subatomic theory. :) Many claim to, but they are only
guessing and don't want to admit to the obvious problem.
Man can't understand it and so he makes up something
called, "Gluons" (laugh) to explain it. But this just
goes to show how man mucks things up, when he tries
to play the genius. :)
The point I'm making is, the GODHEAD is understood
by the THINGS THAT ARE MADE. If that is true, then
when we look at the atom, we should see a reflection
and a help in understanding the GODHEAD, which
created all things (Gen 1:1-2; John 1:1-3). And that
reflection shows three parts that make up the whole.
If you wish to respond, that is fine. I will discuss it with
you. But my point is, do not respond with statements like
the one people use about Jesus praying to the Father,
when that ignores the time line that Scripture itself shows,
when it clearly says that He was made a little lower than
the angels, FOR THE PURPOSE OF His mission and shows
that His level of glory and His position was different before
and after His mission on Earth (Scripture proofs quoted
above).
And we need to remember that when one person can quote
a passage that says that He was subject to the Father and
another quotes a passage that says that He is God, that
there must be some resolution that both parties are missing.
This resolution is found in noting the time line. :)
Do you see what I mean about how these arguments really
don't address the issue itself and people only think they do?
That is what I am saying. The statements of His Person in
Scripture throughout and the time line issue are extremely
crucial! Those, along with understanding that both Testaments
testify of His position.
Jehovah is in the pillar...
"And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud,
to lead them the right away, and by night in a pillar of fire,
to give them light, to go by day and night." - Exodus 13:21
Yet it is the Angel of the Lord that was in the pillar
(Christ, as I will show) and in the following text,
discussing the crossing of the Red Sea, it shows
that the pillar moved to a position behind them,
while they crossed (note it's called "the pillar of
the cloud in the daytime, since it was a pillar of
fire, at night)...
"And the Angel of God, the one who went before
the camp of Israel, moved. And he went to the rear
of them. And the pillar of the cloud went from in front
of their face and it stood behind them." - Exodus 14:19
Paul said, speaking of the crossing of the Red Sea,
that the One following them was Christ (under the
cloud) and he also uses the comparison of the rock
giving regular water, versus Christ's statement of
Him being living water...
1 Corinthians 10:1-4
1) And, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant
that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all
passed through the sea.
2) And all were baptized to Moses in the cloud and
in the sea,
3) and all ate the same spiritual food,
4) and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they
drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them,
and that Rock was Christ.
Now it cannot be denied that the Scripture teaches
that God guided them then and since the Scripture
also teaches that it was actually Christ Who was present
there, doing the guiding, it also cannot be denied that
the Scripture teaches that Christ is God!
Thus, the Scripture tells us also in both Testaments,
of His position and we have three things to pay
attention to. Hey, there's that "three" again! :)
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Provoker" |
|
| Title: Re: TRINITY - IS IT SCRIPTURAL? |
21 May 2007 05:41:17 PM |
|
|
Hello Pastor Dave:
"The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" is not a reference to God in three
persons, but a
reference to three things which are necessary for the fulfillment of
the gospel.
"The Father", refers to God, who preached His everlasting gospel first
to Abraham, laying
out the order in which it would be fulfilled.
"The Son", refers to the messiah who will rule the promised land and
fulfill the everlasting
gospel.
"The Holy Spirit", refers to the spirit of Abraham, which will be
shared by all those who
make up the body which the messiah will lead to fulfillment of the
gospel.
The Christ cannot be God, or even sent by God, because God is obliged,
by the terms of the
everlasting old covenant, to withhold His aid until His chosen nation/
kingdom is resurrected
from the dead, and given to the Christ.
The Holy Spirit is not God, who is already a spirit, but is simply the
state of heart and mind which makes one part
of the body of the Christ.
What do you think?
The greater context of the whole bible story:
The faith of the bible is that everlasting peace will someday exist
between all nations.
The bible plan is for the establishment of a great nation of the
faithful, which will bring
about that everlasting peace.
Provoker
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "bob young" |
|
| Title: Re: TRINITY - IS IT SCRIPTURAL? |
21 May 2007 10:34:03 PM |
|
|
No it is psychological - simply
'Three is more believable than one'
Next question.
Pastor Dave wrote:
First, let me say that I am not writing this to try to prove
all that is stated by the church about the Trinity. There
are things stated about the Trinity that I do not agree
with. I am posting this message only to prove the very
basic things about the Trinity. That it is taught in
Scripture and that it consists in Scripture, of the Father,
the Son and the Holy Ghost.
I agree that this can be confusing, with all of the texts that
MAY SEEM to contradict each other. I believe that the errors
come in, in ignoring the TIME LINE that is given in Scripture.
I will demonstrate that further down. But first, allow me to
demonstrate the three Persons and please, finish reading this
before you respond and please consider it carefully, resisting
the urge to jump into a response with what "YOU KNOW"
to be the truth. :)
I can understand how there can be argument over this subject.
It is a hard subject to deal with, but again, the reason that
there is argument over this subject, I believe, is due to this
lack of understanding of the *TIME LINE*, which btw, is stated
in Scripture, but has been missed by most, because of the
doctrines of the modern church and the way that they read
the Bible, thinking it's all about them, today. Believe it or
not, this has caused many erroneous doctrines to creep in.
That is why I was very careful with this issue and frankly,
I was unable to completely resolve this issue for years!
But I prayed and asked God for guidance and He immediately
showed me something and I have also learned to from Him,
to consider the time line, which can correct false doctrines!
Thus, it is true that it must be in the language of Scripture,
but to claim as some do, that the word "Trinity" must be in
the Bible and yet, they believe in other things that are not
stated word for word in the Bible, seems to me to be nothing
more than hypocrisy. (:
It must be in the language of the Scripture, although the word
itself does not always have to be found there. Neither is the
word "rapture", found in the Bible, which is a thing that many
believe in (I do not). But I don't reject that doctrine
because the word is not there. I understand that they're
using the word "rapture" in place of "caught up". I reject it
because, after careful Bible study, I do not see the doctrine
in the Scriptures.
But my point is, claiming that a doctrine is not true, because
a single word is not found in the Bible, is not always proper.
So in considering the doctrine of the Trinity, I would state
that you need to consider that, interestingly enough, there
are THREE separate time frames to consider, as well as
THREE separate Persons to consider. :)
So as I said, let me present the three Persons first and then
I will present the time line, as I believe that it makes the
most sense to do it this way and I also believe that this
should answer even the most stubborn critics, although
I also have a feeling that they will refuse to agree with
me on this. :)
* THREE PERSONS *
God is our Savior:
"For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Savior: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia
and Seba for thee." - Isaiah 43:3
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ according to the
command of God our Savior, and of the Lord Jesus
Christ, our hope, " - 1 Timothy 1:1
"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God
our Savior," - 1 Timothy 2:3
"but revealed His Word in its own times in a
proclamation, with which I was entrusted by
the command of God our Savior,)" - Titus 1:3
As everyone will agree, it was Jesus whom they were
waiting for, to appear, not the Father. So in the following,
let us note that Jesus is called God and Savior
(note names are in context of His appearing)...
"looking for the blessed hope, and the appearance
of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,"
- Titus 2:13
Text showing the Persons (God as Father; Jesus as Lord
and Savior)...
"to Titus, a true child according to our common faith.
Grace mercy and peace from God the Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior." - Titus 1:4
It cannot be that God is only the Father AND that God
is our Savior AND that Jesus is our Savior. That would
be to ascribe something to someone you do not consider
God, the title belonging to God and God alone.
And btw, Who is called the "Holy One" (see Isaiah quote
earlier in message)?
A prophecy of Jesus' resurrection...
"For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt
thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption."
- Psalm 16:10
"I will also praise thee with the psaltery, even thy
truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp,
O thou Holy One of Israel." - Psalm 71:22
God created man...
"And God created man in His image; in the image of God
He created him. He created them male and female."
- Genesis 1:27
One verse prior...
"And God said, Let Us make man in OUR image,
after OUR likeness." - Genesis 1:26a
God created the Earth and we can see the three Persons
in the following verses...
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
- Genesis 1:1
The Spirit of God moves over the face of the waters...
"And the Spirit of God moved on the face of the waters."
- Genesis 1:2b
Jesus, the Word, is God and made everything...
John 1:1-3,14
1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.
2) He was in the beginning with God.
3) All things came into being through Him, and without
Him not even one thing came into being that has come
into being.
14) And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled
among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
of truth.
The Father and Jesus living in us, through the Holy Spirit...
"Jesus answered and said to him, If a man loves Me, he
will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our abode with him."
- John 14:23
Thomas confesses Jesus as God. Jesus does not rebuke him,
but rather, confirms it...
John 20:28-29
28) And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord
and my God!
29) Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen
Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not
seen and have believed.
Believed what? Thomas's confession, that's what,
since that's what Thomas just said and what Jesus
responded to.
* TIME LINE *
Now as to the time line, we can see that as well,
in Scripture. There is the time BEFORE He appeared
on Earth, the time DURING His walk on this Earth
and the time AFTER He ascended. And this is why
people get confused and why both sides seem to
have proof verses for their positions. Because they
do not consider the time line!
* BEFORE He appeared, He was with God and was God.
John 1:1-3,14
1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.
2) He was in the beginning with God.
3) All things came into being through Him, and without
Him not even one thing came into being that has come
into being.
14) And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled
among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
of truth.
Note that above, in John, it says that the Word, who WAS GOD,
WAS THEN MADE FLESH. So Jesus is not some "never existed
before" human and only God could be without sin. And Jesus
is "the Word" and "the Word was God" and then was made flesh
and dwelt among us, as the only begotten of the Father".
Therefore, it is very clear here, that "God walked among us".
* DURING His walk here, He was a little lower than the angels
and was subject to the Law, so He could be the perfect,
sinless sacrifice.
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than
the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with
glory and honor, that He by the grace of God should
taste death for all." - Hebrews 2:9
He was lowered in position, when He came to Earth!
* AFTER He ascended, He sat down at the right hand
of God, receiving the glory He had with God the Father,
before the world was.
"And now Father, glorify Me with Yourself with the
glory which I had with You before the world was."
- John 17:5
Note that He asked to receive the glory that He
already had, before walking this Earth.
As for the Holy Spirit, I have shown how He was
involved in the creation and we can also see Him
in the work of God dwelling is us through Him...
John 14:16-17
16) And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you
another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever,
17) the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive
because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you
know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you.
"Jesus answered and said to him, If a man loves Me, he
will keep My Word. And My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our abode with him."
- John 14:23
Therefore, if God dwells within us and the Scripture says
that the Father and Son dwell within us, they must all be
God Himself.
And finally...
Philippians 2:5-6
5) For let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6) who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to
be equal with God,
Who is equal to God, but God? No one but God, that's who!
If Jesus had thought to make Himself equal to God and was
not God, then Jesus was a heretic! It's that simple, people!
And the text says very clearly that Christ was equal to God.
And as I said, the only one equal to God, is God!
Now I agree that God the Father does rule over all now
(the end timers think this has yet to come, but since I
believe the prophecies of the NT have been fulfilled,
I say it is the case now), or they don't even realize that
it is supposed to (already has, I believe).
In other words, the futurists think that Christ can't be
ruling yet, because they claim that not everything is
subject to Him yet. In reality, Scripture teaches the
opposite. That He would rule UNTIL every thing was
subject to Him.
1 Corinthians 15:26-28
26) The last enemy made to cease is death.
27) For He put all things under His feet. But
when He says that all things have been put
under His feet, it is plain that it excepts Him
who has put all things under Him.
28) But when all things are subjected to Him,
then the Son Himself also will be subject to
Him who has subjected all things to Him, so
that God may be all things in all.
Now if the Son WILL BE subject to God the Father,
then He WAS NOT previously. That's simple logic.
And who could possibly not be subject to God,
but God?
So this proves that no, Christ was not to be equal
in authority forever, but also that He ruled again
from the time that He ascended and is not waiting
to rule, as the Futurists think He is and it proves
that He must be God!
It seems confusing, I know. :) But who ever claimed
to completely understand the Trinity? :)
So above, I have laid out the time line, which is an
all important factor, when considering the issue of
the Trinity, as it is in other issues as well, that are
argued over and can be resolved by taking the
time line into consideration.
We see almost everything in three parts and the Bible
says that God is UNDERSTOOD by the things He made.
"For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the
world are clearly seen, being realized by the things
that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead,
for them to be without excuse." - Romans 1:20
And note... GODHEAD. Not just, "God".
Now look at the most basic part of the Creation that we
understand, at least as of today, The atom, which has
three parts. Protons, Neutrons and Electrons.
Now do you understand how the like charges of the
Protons don't end up making them fly away (repel) from
each other and into the oppositely charged (which would
attract them) Electrons? I don't and I actually taught
subatomic theory. :) Many claim to, but they are only
guessing and don't want to admit to the obvious problem.
Man can't understand it and so he makes up something
called, "Gluons" (laugh) to explain it. But this just
goes to show how man mucks things up, when he tries
to play the genius. :)
The point I'm making is, the GODHEAD is understood
by the THINGS THAT ARE MADE. If that is true, then
when we look at the atom, we should see a reflection
and a help in understanding the GODHEAD, which
created all things (Gen 1:1-2; John 1:1-3). And that
reflection shows three parts that make up the whole.
If you wish to respond, that is fine. I will discuss it with
you. But my point is, do not respond with statements like
the one people use about Jesus praying to the Father,
when that ignores the time line that Scripture itself shows,
when it clearly says that He was made a little lower than
the angels, FOR THE PURPOSE OF His mission and shows
that His level of glory and His position was different before
and after His mission on Earth (Scripture proofs quoted
above).
And we need to remember that when one person can quote
a passage that says that He was subject to the Father and
another quotes a passage that says that He is God, that
there must be some resolution that both parties are missing.
This resolution is found in noting the time line. :)
Do you see what I mean about how these arguments really
don't address the issue itself and people only think they do?
That is what I am saying. The statements of His Person in
Scripture throughout and the time line issue are extremely
crucial! Those, along with understanding that both Testaments
testify of His position.
Jehovah is in the pillar...
"And Jehovah went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud,
to lead them the right away, and by night in a pillar of fire,
to give them light, to go by day and night." - Exodus 13:21
Yet it is the Angel of the Lord that was in the pillar
(Christ, as I will show) and in the following text,
discussing the crossing of the Red Sea, it shows
that the pillar moved to a position behind them,
while they crossed (note it's called "the pillar of
the cloud in the daytime, since it was a pillar of
fire, at night)...
"And the Angel of God, the one who went before
the camp of Israel, moved. And he went to the rear
of them. And the pillar of the cloud went from in front
of their face and it stood behind them." - Exodus 14:19
Paul said, speaking of the crossing of the Red Sea,
that the One following them was Christ (under the
cloud) and he also uses the comparison of the rock
giving regular water, versus Christ's statement of
Him being living water...
1 Corinthians 10:1-4
1) And, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant
that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all
passed through the sea.
2) And all were baptized to Moses in the cloud and
in the sea,
3) and all ate the same spiritual food,
4) and all drank the same spiritual drink; for they
drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them,
and that Rock was Christ.
Now it cannot be denied that the Scripture teaches
that God guided them then and since the Scripture
also teaches that it was actually Christ Who was present
there, doing the guiding, it also cannot be denied that
the Scripture teaches that Christ is God!
Thus, the Scripture tells us also in both Testaments,
of His position and we have three things to pay
attention to. Hey, there's that "three" again! :)
--
Pastor Dave
People are so afraid to reject doctrine, that they just
don't give a damn what the Bible actually says! Sad!
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "Bill" |
|
| Title: Re: TRINITY - IS IT SCRIPTURAL? |
21 May 2007 10:28:19 PM |
|
|
The primitive baptists try to avoid philosophical language in their
attempt to describe the Trinity.
We believe in only one true and living God who is eternal, immutable the
creator of all created things, visible and invisible, who governs all
things in righteousness, according to the counsel of His own will; and
that He has revealed Himself to the children of men in the Scriptures of
Truth under the character of Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
or
We believe in only one true and living God, the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Ghost, and these three in one.
or
We believe in only one true and living God, the Father, the Word or Son
and the Holy Ghost; equal in power and glory.
or
We believe in one true and living God, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost.
I think that what they are trying to do is stay within the scriptural
understanding without resorting to philosophical terms that are alien to
the scriptures.
The Nicene Creed is an example of using Grecian philosophical terms:
We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the
only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God], Light
of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one
substance with the Father; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-
begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons),
Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one
substance with the Father;
It seems to go beyond what is described in Scriptures and may not
engender a correct understanding of God. So we could say that we believe
in the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and these three in one and that is
probably as far as we can go.
----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Unrestricted-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----
.
|
|
|
|

|
Related Articles |
|
|