[Faith-talk] weekly Bible game for Sunday, March 19 2014Re: Faith-talk Digest, Vol 80, Issue 10
Kishia
kishia.mason at gmail.com
Tue Mar 11 13:10:38 UTC 2014
Is it Ecclesiastes chapter 9?
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Subject: Faith-talk Digest, Vol 80, Issue 10
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Weekly Bible Game for Sunday, March 9 2014 (Paul)
> 2. Re: The concept of Monotheism in Islam. Please, read it
> carefully. (Poppa Bear)
> 3. Re: Explaining the Trinity (Poppa Bear)
> 4. Re: The concept of Monotheism in Islam. Please, read it
> carefully. (justin williams)
> 5. Re: The concept of Monotheism in Islam. Please, read it
> carefully. (Poppa Bear)
> 6. Re: International Women's Day Recognition (debby phillips)
> 7. Re: International Women's Day Recognition (Paul)
> 8. The necessaty to redefine the cecity in Egypt. (Mostafa)
> 9. Re: International Women's Day Recognition (debby phillips)
> 10. Re: International Women's Day Recognition (Paul)
> 11. Re: International Women's Day Recognition (debby phillips)
> 12. Re: Explaining the Trinity (qubit)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 12:58:40 -0400
> From: "Paul" <oilofgladness47 at gmail.com>
> To: "Debora Thomas" <d.maxx at rogers.com>
> Subject: [Faith-talk] Weekly Bible Game for Sunday, March 9 2014
> Message-ID: <F37B19BEE47B4537B4D83F9F796A4B76 at paul>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hello and greetings to each of you in the name of our blessed Lord and
> Savior, Jesus Christ. I hope that your Sunday is going well or, if you
> live in Australia and New Zealand, a very fine early Monday morning to
> you, at least as this is being written.
>
> Here is your weekly Bible game poem originally written by the late Alvy E.
> Ford of Tamecula, California. Again, as usual, all I need is book and
> chapter on which this poem is based. Good luck guessing. And now here we
> go.
>
> He who lives at least knows he must die.
> He who is dead knows not what, where nor why.
> Do what you do with the best of your might,
> For in the grave is no working or light.
>
> Any ideas? As usual, if no one comes up with the correct answer by
> Tuesday, will give it to you. The first one to come up with the right
> answer will receive an upgrade to Windows 14 with an option of an add-on
> feature for audio graphics, if interested.
>
> So, good luck guessing. Your Christian friend and brother, Paul
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 09:07:23 -0800
> From: "Poppa Bear" <heavens4real at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] The concept of Monotheism in Islam. Please,
> read it carefully.
> Message-ID: <49FCBC3CF62E47D0A57D2D51A314FF5A at homepc>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=response
>
> Could we say that us, /humans are Trinitarian? Body, mind and Soul? These
> are all three distinct aspects of us as a single person. Maybe give it
> some
> real thought and see if our flesh can be in complete opposition to our
> souls
> desires? Can our mind and flesh/body be at war or in harmony at times?
> When
> we say that person has a fighting Spirit, or a crushed and broken Spirit,
> what do we mean? I could go on and on, but if a person doesn't see a
> shadow
> of how three in one doesn't have to be such an inconceivable idea. When a
> husband and wife become one flesh what does God mean? That "one" that is
> used in the original is plural for one in harmony and is tied to the "one"
> when the Bible says the Lord your God is one. Just some food for thought.
> I
> think so often people will accept the teachings of others beliefs and what
> they say against the beliefs of Christian doctrine for an attempt to feel
> loving, but the love of Christ isn't lackadaisical or shilly shally about
> Gods person, attributes or this great message of hope and eternal life.
> Also, what are the implications if there is no God the Father, God the son
> and God the Holy Spirit? If we research the interchanging roles throughout
> the Bible we will se that all of the Holy functions of the God head are
> taken on by all three in the areas of creation, sanctification/redemption
> and judgment. Has anybody explained all of these points outside of the
> Doctrine of the trinity? Perhaps so, but if so, it has warn a much thinner
> and less durable veneer than the doctrine of the trinity.
>
> Well, take care and have a blessed Lords day.
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 09:38:10 -0800
> From: "Poppa Bear" <heavens4real at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] Explaining the Trinity
> Message-ID: <5C444CFBE3844644A2EFFF9FA0C880B2 at homepc>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; Format="flowed"
>
> Here is an article that goes over the doctrine of the trinity in a
> thorough
> and Biblical way. I hope that if some read it this that even if they don't
> agree with it they can be informed about the doctrine and have a clear
> understanding in order to make more accurate statements about what it is,
> where it came from and why they disagree with it. If a person continues to
> discredit it with out making an analytical study of both sides of the
> argument and only gathers information to support his or her preconceived
> ideas about it then the question may be asked, "is that intellectual
> dishonesty"? If a person does not want to take an analytical look at the
> evidence of the things they are creating arguments against then perhaps
> they
> should not speak on it. There is a simple old saying that says, "Know that
> what you know is so." Very cut and dry, if you don't know it, don't speak
> on
> it as if you do.
>
>
>
> "Why The Trinity?
>
> By Cooper P. Abrams, III
>
> All Rights Reserved
>
>
>
>
>
> Gadgets powered by Google
>
>
>
> INTRODUCTION: From the Second Century to our present age, many people have
> found the biblical doctrine of the Trinity hard to understand. The
> doctrine
> of the Trinity recognizes that God is one God, co-existing in three
> distinct
> Persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In our material existence,
> the
> concept that God is One God, yet exists as three distinct persons, is
> foreign to us. However, the doctrine of the Godhead (Trinity) is without
> questions revealed in God's word.
>
> The biblical term "Godhead" (theiotes) is used three times in
> Scripture, Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9. The word "Trinity,"
> which is the theological word Christians use to refer to the Godhead, is
> not
> found in Scripture.
>
> ? "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to
> think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by
> art
> and man's device" (Acts 17:29).
>
> ? "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
> are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
> eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20)
>
> ? "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
> (Colossians 2:9)
>
> The doctrine states that the Godhead, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
> consists of three distinct Persons, yet these three are one God. There are
> many arguments espoused by those that deny the Trinity, but the most
> prevalent is: How can God be One God and at the same time be three
> Persons?
>
> The problem with that question is that it is based in ignorance of what
> God
> has said about Himself. The Bible, the Word of God, plainly states the
> plurality of God and that God is One God. To accept His Word means to
> believe what God has revealed. The truth of the Trinity is a revealed
> truth
> that is established in the credibility of God Himself.
>
> In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission,
> stating
> that they were to teach and baptize in the names of the Godhead, "Go ye
> therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
> Father,
> and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
> whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto
> the
> end of the world. Amen."
>
> Further 1 John 5:7 states "For there are three that bear record in heaven,
> the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."[1]
> The
> fact God did not inspire the writers of Scripture to use the modern word
> "Trinity" does imply that it is not a biblical truth. However, there are
> many words and phrases that Christians use to express biblical doctrines
> that are not found in the Bible. One is the word "rapture." This word
> also
> is not found in Scripture, but the phrase "shall be caught up"
> (harpagesometha) is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and means to "catch away"
> or in Latin "rapiemur"meaning to be snatched away. In fact, the word
> "Bible" is also not found in the Scriptures. Would we dismiss the
> existence
> of the Bible because the word is not found in Scripture?[2]
>
> Those that deny the Trinity are denying the Godhead. They argue that it is
> physically impossible for three distinct persons to be only one. This
> article will show that they are both right and wrong. They are right in
> the
> sense that it is impossible for us to explain how this can be a reality in
> our physical/material world. But they are wrong in denying that God is a
> Triune God. The approach of this paper will be first to authenticate the
> biblical doctrine by presenting biblical statements attesting to this
> truth.
>
> One reason those who deny the Trinity do so is the Bible clearly teaches
> monotheism, meaning that God is One God. (Deut. 4:35-36, 6:4)
>
> ? "Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD
> he
> is God; there is none else beside him. Out of heaven he made thee to hear
> his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his
> great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire."
> (Deuteronomy 4:35-36)
>
> ? "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and
> with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I
> command
> thee this day, shall be in thine heart:" (Deuteronomy 6:5-6)
>
>
>
> ? "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the
> LORD
> of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no
> God."
> (Isaiah 44:6)
>
> ? "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."
> (Isaiah 43:11)
>
> The Scriptures unmistakably refer to the plurality of God in the He as
> exists in Three Persons. Secondly, this paper will present a practical
> explanation of the doctrine in human terms.
>
> Overwhelmingly, the Bible teaches the Trinitarian concept of one God
> existing as three persons. The Bible does not teach polytheism, which says
> that there are three separate Gods called the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
> Nor does the Bible say God is one person who took three forms or that the
> God the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit, as is
> taught
> by some false churches. The Bible does not teach that God is only one
> person
> or that Jesus is not God, but only God's procreated son.[3] The word of
> God does not teach that Jesus was created.
>
> The Bible specifically states that God is Spirit and was never a man.
>
> ? "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man,
> that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he
> spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19)
>
> ? "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he
> is not a man, that he should repent." (1 Samuel 15:29)
>
> The Bible further plainly states that Jesus Christ, being God, is eternal,
> as is the Father. The Apostle John states clearly that Jesus, the Word,
> was with God in the beginning of the Universe. "In the beginning was
> the
> Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
> beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not
> any
> thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of
> men." (John 1:1-4) This passage will be explained in detail later in the
> article.
>
> Jesus Himself plainly refers to eternity.
>
> ? "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before
> Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58)
>
> Alfa and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In
> the
> following verse the term Alpha and Omega are defined by God Himself by the
> phrase "the beginning and the end" (verse 8) and "the first and the last"
> (verse 11).
>
> ? "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the
> Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. . . .
> Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou
> seest,
> write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia;
> unto
> Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto
> Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea." (Revelation 1:8, 11)
>
> ? "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
> beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the
> fountain
> of the water of life freely." (Revelation 21:6)
>
> ? "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and
> the last." (Revelation 22:13)
>
> How Does the Bible Teach the Doctrine of the Trinity?
>
> The following chart shows some of the many passages in the Bible from
> which
> the doctrine of the Trinity is derived. Note that God the Father, Son and
> Holy Spirit are all called God and all have the same attributes, which are
> attributes that only God has.
>
> THE TRIUNE GODHEAD PRESENTED IN SCRIPTURE
>
>
> FATHER
> SON
> HOLY SPIRIT
>
>
>
> Called God
> Phil. 1:2
> John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9
> Acts 5:3-4
>
> Creator
> Isa. 64:8; 44:24
> John 1:3
> Gen. 1:2
>
> Resurrects
> 1 Thess. 1:10
> John 2:19, 10:17
> Rom. 8:11
>
> Indwells
> 2 Cor. 6:16
> Col. 1:27
> John 14:17
>
> Everywhere
> 1 Kings 8:27
> Matt. 28:20
> Psa. 139:7-10
>
> All knowing
> 1 John 3:20
> John 16:30; 21:17
> 1 Cor. 2:10-11
>
> Sanctifies
> 1 Thess. 5:23
> Heb. 2:11
> 1 Pet. 1:2
>
> Life giver
> Gen. 2:7: John 5;21
> John 1:3; 5:21
> 2 Cor. 3:6,8
>
> Fellowship
> 1 John 1:3
> 1 Cor. 1:9
> 2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1
>
> Eternal
> Psa. 90:2
> Micah 5:1-2
> Rom. 8:11; Heb. 9:14
>
> A Will
> Luke 22:42
> Luke 22:42
> 1 Cor. 12:11
>
> Speaks
> Matt. 3:17; Luke 3:22
> Luke 5:20; 7:48
> Acts 8:29; 11:12; 13:2
>
> Love
> John 3:16
> Eph. 5: 25
> Rom. 15:30
>
> Searches the heart
> Jer. 17:10
> Rev. 2:23
> 1 Cor. 2:10
>
> We belong to
> John 17:9
> John 17:6
>
>
> Savior
> 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3; 4:10
> 2 Tim. 1:10; Tit. 1:4; 3:6
>
>
> We serve
> Matt. 4:10
> Col. 3:24
>
>
> Believe in
> John 14:1
> John 14:1
>
>
>
> Gives joy
> John 15:9-11
> Luke 1:14, John 15:11, 17:13
>
>
> Judges
> John 8:50
> John 5:22, 30
>
>
>
>
>
> Passages in the Old Testament that Teach Plurality in the Oneness of God.
>
> ________________
> Deuteronomy 6:4
>
> "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD"
>
> The Bible, in this verse, emphatically states there is only one God.[4]
> "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" (Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark
> 12:29). Literally, the verse says, "Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our Elohim is
> a
> united Jehovah." The Bible is the inerrant inspired Word of God and this
> statement can only be understood in that God is telling us He is One God.
> (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:21). Yet, this does not mean that
> within
> the Godhead there is not a plurality. Scripturally, plurality means,
> that
> God is One God existing in three distinct Persons.
>
> The Hebrew word for one is Echad and "stresses unity while recognizing
> diversity with that oneness."[5] This same word is used in Genesis 2:24,
> "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave
> unto his wife: and they shall be one (Echad) flesh." Therefore, God says
> that two individuals, Adam and Eve, were one flesh. Exodus 24:3 states "
> .
> . . All the people answered with one (Echad) voice, and said, All the
> words
> which the LORD hath said will we do." Note that all the people, which were
> a
> great multitude, replied with one voice. There are many other instances
> where the word is used to show the oneness of many individuals. In other
> words, the Hebrew word Echad allows for plurality within oneness, allowing
> God, who is emphatically described as one God, to be three Persons who are
> One God.
>
> There is another Hebrew word that means "one" which is "Yahad." This word
> is
> always singular and can only mean one and so its use allows no plurality.
> God could have used this word in Deuteronomy 6:4, but chose Echad instead,
> which allows the concept of God being One God who is in essence is three
> individual Persons. Thiessen says, "A unity is, however, not inconsistent
> with the conception of the trinity; for a unity is not the same as a
> unit."[6]
>
> This concept can be further seen in the descriptions of the Person of God
> in
> the Old Testament:
>
> ? The Person of God no one is allowed to see. "Thou canst not see
> my
> face: for there shall no man see me, and live" (Ex. 33:20).
>
> ? The Person of God we can see. "And the LORD appeared unto him in
> the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day"
> (Genesis 18:1, See 2-33). (This is a preincarnate appearance of the Lord
> Jesus Christ)
>
> ? The Person of God that cannot be seen. "And the earth was
> without
> form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit
> of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Gen. 1:2). (The Holy Spirit is
> in essence a spirit and cannot be seen by physical beings)
>
> _______________
> Genesis 1:1-2
>
> "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was
> without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And
> the
> Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
>
> The Old Testament begins by teaching that God is One in three Persons. In
> Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew name for God is "Elohim" which is used more than
> two
> thousand times in the plural form in the Bible.[7] Further, the name
> "Elohim" occurs only in Hebrew and in no other Semitic language.[8] This
> is
> a plural noun, but the verb is singular which is not a normal use of
> grammar. Normally a plural noun would have a plural verb. But, if you
> wanted to teach that God is one and also a plurality, using the unique
> grammatical construction of using of a plural noun with a singular verb
> would be used. Therefore, this passage teaches that there is one God who
> exists in a plurality.
>
> _______________
> Genesis 1:26
>
> "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . . "
>
> Again in Genesis 1:26, God is spoken of as plural. "And God said, Let us
> make man in our image . . . " The word "man" is the word "Adam" and
> refers
> to a human being both man and female. The same word for "one" (Echad) is
> used in Genesis 2:24, speaking of the oneness of a husband and wife. God
> sees a husband and wife spiritually as being one. This is another verse
> that helps to establish that two or more can spiritually be one.
>
> _______________
> Genesis 11:7-8
>
> "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may
> not
> understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from
> thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the
> city."
>
> Genesis 11:7-8 says the LORD scattered the antediluvians abroad from
> thence
> upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. God
> is
> spoken of in the plural (let "us" go down) and in the singular (Jehovah =
> "the existing One") at the same time. This passage summarizes the Bible's
> teaching that God is one, but exists in a plurality of three Persons.
>
> _______________
> Psalm 45:6-7
>
> "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a
> right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore
> God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy
> fellows."
>
> According to Hebrews 1:8-9, God the Father is speaking in Psalm 45, and He
> is referring to the Son as God. "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O
> God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of
> thy
> kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God,
> even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy
> fellows
> "(Heb. 1:8-9).
>
> The question is: If the Son Himself was God, why did He address the Father
> as God? The Son addressed the Father as God for the same reason that the
> Father addressed the Son as God: because they are both God!
>
> _______________
> Isaiah 48:16-17
>
> "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the
> beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD,
> and
> his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One
> of
> Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth
> thee by the way that thou shouldest go."
>
> God the Father states He is the "Lord GOD; I am the Lord thy God." He then
> unmistakably further says He is thy "Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."
> Isaiah 44:24 proclaims the Redeemer made Israel and the heavens, "Thus
> saith
> the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the
> LORD
> that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that
> spreadeth abroad the earth by myself." Both verses refer to the promised
> Messiah who is both Jesus and God. Jesus is the Redeemer. The LORD
> (Jehovah) states that He is the Creator. Therefore, the Bible is saying
> that
> it is God (Jehovah) the Father who is the Creator. At the same time, the
> Bible is stating that Jesus Christ is the Creator. (See John 1:3-4, Eph.
> 3:9, Col. 1: 16)
>
> _______________
> Jeremiah 23:5-6
>
> "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a
> righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute
> judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and
> Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be
> called,
> THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
>
> The verse identifies the person speaking as being "the Lord" (Jehovah) and
> Jehovah is talking about another person who, in the future, will come to
> earth. David's descendent, a King who will reign, prosper and will judge
> the
> earth. Jehovah then gives His name as "JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." This is
> a
> reference to the promised Messiah, who will be a man and a descendant of
> David. God the Father identifies Himself in the Old Testament as "Jehovah"
> and here He says the Messiah's name is also called "Jehovah" (insert
> comma)
> which is the sacred name of God. It would be blasphemy to call any man
> "Jehovah" yet this is plainly the name by which the Messiah would be
> called.
> There can be no mistake that God the Father is saying the Messiah Jesus is
> God.
>
> _______________
> Isaiah 9:6
>
> "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
> shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
> Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
>
> This is another prophecy foretelling the birth of the Messiah. Note that
> the
> Messiah is called "The mighty God, The everlasting Father." There can be
> no
> doubt that this passage is saying a human child would be born who is
> identified as God and the Father. Why would God the Father state that the
> Messiah, a man, is God and the Father if He was not? Proverbs 30:4-5
> states
> God's word are pure, "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who
> hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a
> garment?
> who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what
> is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Every word of God is pure: he is a
> shield unto them that put their trust in him." God is saying His words are
> pure and that He is the Creator and He has a Son. Clearly this passage is
> saying that Jesus Christ (Christ = Messiah) is God incarnate in man.
>
> NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES THAT TEACH THE TRINITY
>
> The New Testament clearly states that Jesus is God (John 1:1, 14); the
> Father is God (Phil. 1:2); and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). Since
> the Son speaks to the Father, they are separate persons (John 17). Since
> the
> Holy Spirit speaks also (Acts 13:2), He, too, is a separate person. There
> can be no question that the New Testament proclaims there is only One God
> and that He exists in three distinct persons.
>
> _______________
> John 1:1, 14-15
>
> "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
> was
> God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him;
> and without him was not any thing made that was made. . . .And the Word
> was
> made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of
> the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare
> witness
> of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh
> after
> me is preferred before me: for he was before me."
>
> The verse emphatically states that the "Word" (Logos) was God. John
> 1:14-15
> unmistakably proclaims that the "Word" was made flesh and this establishes
> the incarnation of God. God came to earth as a man. The passage
> unquestionably identifies Jesus Christ as the Word, who was God, stating
> that John the Baptist bare witness of Him.
>
> John 1:3 teaches that it was Jesus Christ, the Word (Logos) who created
> all
> things. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing
> made
> that was made" (John 1:3) However, Genesis 1:1 states "In the beginning
> God
> (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth." This passage without a doubt
> establishes the deity of Jesus Christ, affirming that He is God and that
> He
> created all things. Speaking of Christ Colossians 1:16 states, "For by him
> were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
> visible
> and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
> or
> powers: all things were created by him, and for him." Further, Colossians
> 1:17 adds "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
> (See
> Heb. 1:3, 10)
>
> God plainly states in Exodus 34:14 that man is not to worship any other
> God.
> "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous,
> is a jealous God." Colossians 1:18 states that Jesus is to have the
> preeminence in all things. "And he is the head of the body, the church:
> who
> is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might
> have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18). Further, Jesus was worshiped many times
> while on earth. (See Matt. 2:11, 15:25, 28:17; Mark 3:11, 5:6, 33, 14:33
> 15:19; Luke 5:8; 8:28, 41, 17:16, 24:52; John 9:38; Rev. 5:14) Jesus
> accepted the worship of men because He is God.
>
> Obviously, there is a pattern presented by these Scriptures. God the
> Father
> is emphatically said to have created the heavens and the earth and at the
> same time Jesus is proclaimed to be the Creator. In Genesis 1:2, the Holy
> Spirit is shown as having "moved" upon the face of the waters." (Also see
> Psalms 104:30) The only way these are true because is if God the Father,
> Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are one God.
>
> ________________
> John 8:58
>
> "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was,
> I
> am."
>
> In John 8:58 Jesus ended a confrontational discourse with the religious
> Jews
> and proclaimed that He was "I am," a name that only applies to God the
> Father. The Jews then rioted and took up stones to kill Jesus, but He
> eluded
> them and passed through the midst of them unharmed. What caused them to
> riot was that Jesus said plainly that He was Jehovah God, the
> "Self-Existent
> One." (Exodus 3:14) Using the name "I am," He identified Himself as the
> One
> who sent Moses to the children of Israel when they were in captivity in
> Egypt. The Jews fully understood what He had said and were so angry with
> Him
> making the statement that they rushed to kill Him. There can be no mistake
> that Jesus stated He was Jehovah God, which certainly confirms the
> biblical
> doctrine of the Trinity.
>
> ________________
> John 10:30
>
> "I and my Father are one."
>
> In John 10:30, Jesus said that "I and my Father are one." The word "One"
> is
> in the neuter gender. This statement rules out the meaning that they are
> only one in purpose as some misinterpret this verse to say. It affirms
> that
> Jesus and God are separate persons, but one God, with the Holy Spirit. The
> verse says they are in perfect unity in their natures and actions. Jesus
> emphatically stated on this occasion that He was God. The Jews who heard
> Him
> saw a man standing before them and they fully understood what He had just
> stated. They were so offended at His statement that they took up stones to
> put Him to death, "because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God"
> (John
> 20:33b) These Jews fully understood that God presents Himself in the Old
> Testament as monotheistic, which in their minds precluded that Jesus could
> be God also.[9] Here again the Bible unmistakably tells us from Christ's
> own words that God the Father and Jesus Christ are One.
>
> _______________
> Matthew 1:23
>
> "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and
> they
> shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
>
> The angel announced to Joseph that Mary was with child and the Son she
> would
> give birth to would be called "Emmanuel," meaning God with us. Matthew
> clearly claimed not only that Christ was born of a virgin, but that this
> was
> anticipated by the prophecy of Isaiah as being the method by which God
> would
> become a man.[10]
>
> _______________
> 1 Timothy 3:16
>
> "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
> manifest
> in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
> Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."
>
> This passage begins with "without controversy" as if anticipating those
> who
> would deny the Trinity. It then soundly affirms the doctrine. The phrase
> "without controversy" means simply "obviously" or "beyond all question."
> The
> next statement "The mystery of Godliness is great" denotes the importance
> and magnitude of this now revealed mystery or truth that was not revealed
> in
> the Old Testament. A mystery in the Bible is simply a previously
> unrevealed
> truth. In other words, in the Old Testament this truth was not stated.
>
> The mystery is that "God was manifest in the flesh!" This is as
> straightforward a statement as can be made on the matter. This verse says
> that God is manifested in the flesh or God is incarnate in flesh. The
> Greek
> word is "phneroo" meaning, "to make visible." (See John 1:1-14, 14:7,
> Col.
> 1:15, 1 Tim. 1:17) Jesus was "justified in the Spirit" proclaiming that
> it
> was not the flesh that justified, but the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ was
> thus
> vindicated in the Spirit at His resurrection. Some believe this means
> Jesus
> was "seen of angels" but the word is "angelos" which means a messenger.
> Contextually, it is referring to the Apostles who saw the Lord in the
> flesh
> and preached the Gospel to the Gentiles. That Jesus was "preached among
> the
> Gentiles" refers to the scope of His ministry that He came to save all
> nations, not just the Jews. He was more than the Jewish Messiah, but was
> the
> Savior of the world. Jesus was "believed on in the world" being proven to
> be
> the Redeemer and is believed on and accepted as Savior by those who seek
> after God. He was then "received up into glory when His work was
> finished.
> Today Christ is at the right hand of God, making intercession for those
> who
> by faith are trusting in Him.
>
> There can be no mistake that this verse reveals that Jesus Christ is God
> and
> attests to the fact that Jesus and God are One.
>
> SUMMARY
>
> The verses presented and many others clearly teach that God is One God.
> These passages state that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are also God.
> Thus the Bible affirms one of the most important doctrines in Scripture
> that
> God is one God existing in a unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
> The full importance of understanding and accepting this truth is found in
> the Epistle of 1 John:
>
> "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are
> of
> God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know
> ye
> the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come
> in
> the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus
> Christ
> is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist,
> whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in
> the
> world." (1 John 4:1-3).
>
> It must be noted that the phrase "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh" is a
> direct reference to His deity and that GOD came to the earth in flesh. All
> men are "born in the flesh," therefore this verse has no significance
> unless
> it is referring to God coming in the flesh. John says those that deny this
> revealed truth of the Trinity are not of God and the denial of this
> doctrine
> comes from the spirit of the antichrist who is directed by Satan.
>
> The biblical doctrine of the Trinity was not invented by man or any
> church.
> Its origin is in the plain and unmistaken statements made throughout the
> Bible. It is revealed truth and a part of salvation. When a person comes
> to
> God he must accept who He is and what is His revealed nature.
>
> "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to
> God
> must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
> seek him. " (Hebrews 11:6)
>
> How Can We Understand that God is One God Existing in Three Distinct
> Persons?
>
> How can we understand that God can be One God, yet be three distinct
> persons? The answer is really quite simple and easy to understand if we
> accept that the Bible is the very word of God and what we are reading is
> God's revelation to man about Himself. Thiessen states, "His (God) being
> is
> simple; man's is compound, having both a material and an immaterial part.
> But God is spirit and is not susceptible of such division."[11]
>
> Is it reasonable for us to demand that we understand perfectly everything
> about our Magnificent and Almighty God? Do we understand fully everything
> we
> believe and know to be true? Do we fully understand our own selves or
> most
> of the things in the world in which we live? How can we expect fully to
> understand the eternal, wholly spiritual, Almighty God?
>
> The answer is "No." Man knows very little about the world in which he
> exists. 2 Timothy 2:23 rightly warns us to avoid foolish and unlearned
> questions.[12] A foolish question is one that is used to attempt to
> overthrow a plain Bible teaching, such as questions about the Trinity, or
> the resurrection, or the incarnation of Christ, or the condition of man
> after death.
>
> The false teacher asks foolish questions, which causes people to doubt the
> Word of God. The true teacher encourages people to believe the Word of God
> despite whether its teachings seem perfectly reasonable to human
> understanding or not.[13] The problem is not with what the Bible reveals,
> but with man's unwillingness to accept and understand what God has stated
> as
> fact.
>
> The following illustration is not a perfect example, but helps illustrate
> a
> point. We all believe in gravity but we cannot explain it. Our inability
> to
> explain or even understand what gravity is does not mean there is no
> gravity. It exists and we can see what it does. We cannot see it or
> touch
> it or in any way explain what it is. Gravity is the most important force
> in
> the universe and affects everything in it. The physicist tells us even the
> smallest particle of subatomic matter is held in place by the force of
> gravity, yet no one knows what gravity is or what makes it work.
>
> Wouldn't it be reasonable and logical to accept, that although we do not
> understand with human reasoning how it is possible, that God is three
> Persons and One God? If we deny the possibility of the Trinity then we
> must also declare that we are omniscient, which means our knowledge is
> infinite and absolute. Do we know everything there is to know about
> everything? Do we even know everything about our physical world? How
> then
> can we honestly proclaim we know everything in the realm of the spiritual
> world where God exists? We are in essence a spiritual being, but
> physical.
> When we consider, as this paper shows, that the Bible, that is God's own
> word on the matter, plainly establishes Trinity, how can we set ourselves
> up
> as judges of God's word and declare that God is not a Trinity with your
> limited knowledge of the universe? How can any man set himself up as an
> authority on something he cannot explain? Is it logical to say because I
> cannot explain or understand the Trinity in physical terms that it does
> not
> exists? The answer is obvious.
>
> Do we deny the existence of gravity, atoms, electrons, protons, and the
> atomic particles of the Universe because we do not know how they exist or
> can explain them? We accept it by faith because scientists, who we trust,
> tell us they exist and we accept their statements. They reveal to us the
> existence of atomic and subatomic particles that we cannot see. Do we call
> the scientists, who have knowledge of these things, liars because we
> cannot
> understand or see what they reveal to us? In a similar way we accept the
> truth of the Trinity, although not being able to fully understand it or
> explain it, because God, who certainly knows who He is, has revealed it to
> us in His written word.
>
> It is a fact that those who deny the Trinity also deny the clear teachings
> of God's word. The cults and false religions deny the deity of Jesus
> Christ, and the cardinal doctrines of Bible. The basic flaw in their
> theology is although they proclaim to have God's truth, the in fact deny
> God's
> statements about Himself and truth. Can such as these have any
> credibility
> in having any knowledge of God? If they did not get their knowledge from
> God's word, where could it come from except faulty human reasoning?
>
> Why then is it so hard for some men to accept the biblical
> truth
> of the Trinity? The key to this misunderstanding lays in man's microfying
> our infinite Creator. In other words, making Him finite like us? This
> act demeans and debases our omnipotent and glorious God and brings Him
> down
> to the level of man. God is not man and the immensity of His being is so
> far beyond our finite understanding that we cannot even begin comprehend
> who
> He truly is. However, He has revealed to us through His word the Bible;
> all we need to know about Him and thereby to fully believe and trust in
> Him.[14]
>
> John 3:19 says, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the
> world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were
> evil." The verse says that "light," referring to God's revealed truth of
> Jesus Christ the Savior, has been given to us by God, but because of his
> sin
> man refuses to accept it.
>
> We must understand that man lives in a material universe and is subject to
> physical limitations of this world and to time and space. However, God
> exists in a spiritual world outside our universe that is not material nor
> subject to time and space. God says He is Spirit (John 4:24), which is
> simply revealed truth from God about Himself. God does not explain what a
> Spirit is because we cannot understand it. There is nothing in our
> material
> world to compare with the spiritual realm of God. But we do know that it
> is
> different from the material universe that we live in, and that God's
> essence
> as spirit is different ours.
>
> In our physical world we can only describe something by using words, terms
> or things that are familiar to us. If I try to tell someone what a house
> is,
> I have the advantage of that person having seen other houses. Therefore,
> even though there are many different kinds of houses, it is understand
> what
> the word "house" is generally referring to. Yet, when we try to describe
> God as a Spirit or the Trinity, we have no such advantage. There is
> nothing
> in our material world with which we can compare a Spirit or the spiritual
> realm wherein God exists.
>
> God exists outside the universe and in a spiritual dimension beyond our
> human ability to perceive. The physical laws of our universe do not
> apply.
> Our world is material, not spiritual, and therefore the concept is foreign
> to us. This is why God does not attempt to explain the Trinity to us in
> His
> word. We cannot understand it because we are material beings and only know
> material things. Yet, the doctrine is true because God has revealed it to
> us
> as fact in His word. The Bible teaches that God is one God existing in
> three
> distinct persons; God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Those who
> believe and trust God believe this doctrine because it is revealed truth
> from God, who cannot lie.
>
> The Bible also reveals that God is eternal, yet some of the same people
> who
> deny the Trinity, will accept that God is eternal and infinite. Yet, the
> idea that God is an eternal God is just as foreign to our understanding as
> the Trinity. In our world nothing is eternal and everything has a
> beginning
> and will have an end, but not so with God, who is not subject to time and
> exists in a realm in which there is no time. Psalm 90:2, states, "Before
> the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and
> the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." The term
> "everlasting to everlasting" means that God is infinite in time, having no
> beginning or end. This is another revealed truth that we cannot
> comprehend.
> Man, is as a material being, is limited by time and space. Being limited
> by
> time, we cannot conceive of an infinite God that exists outside time.
> This
> universe, including you and me, had a physical beginning and we will have
> a
> physical end. Yet, says He is eternal, having no beginning or ending.
> God reveals Himself in His word saying "I am Alpha and Omega, the
> beginning
> and the end, the first and the last" (Rev. 22:13).
>
> Many who deny the doctrine of the Trinity also deny other clear teachings
> of
> the Bible such as the deity of Jesus Christ, salvation by grace apart from
> works, the miracles, the prophecies, and a host of other cardinal
> doctrines
> God has revealed to us. These truths are the supernatural works of God.
> Man
> is not able mentally to perceive of God's unity, spirituality,
> independence,
> immutability, eternity and immensity. Drawing from man's limited material
> existence and prejudice, those that deny these carnal doctrines conclude
> that these things are impossible in a material world and therefore
> illogically proclaim they do not exist. Humanly speaking, the supernatural
> acts of God are impossible for mortals in a material universe to
> understand.
>
> What so many fail to understand is that God is a supernatural Being. He is
> not limited to the restrictions of a material universe. God is Spirit and
> thus a supernatural Being that exists outside the universe. He, from the
> realm of His spiritual dimension called Heaven, drawing from His infinite
> power, created our material universe "exhilo," which means out of nothing.
> Being supernatural, which means being beyond material limitations, God,
> simply spoke the universe into being. That, too, is a reality we cannot
> comprehend. In our material world it is impossible to create something
> out
> of absolutely nothing. Yet, with God all things are possible.[15]
>
> No one can mistake that the Bible is a supernatural Book which reveals the
> supernatural works of God in creating and working with man through the
> ages.
> The Bible presents mankind with God's ultimate and supernatural plan; that
> man, by simple faith in Jesus Christ the Savior, can have forgiveness for
> sins from his Creator, receive eternal life, and receive the spiritual
> nature of God. Those who believe and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior
> become a part of Heaven.
>
> True Christians should not be frustrated because the world does not
> understand the clear teachings of the Bible. It is the ministry of God,
> the
> Holy Spirit, to reveal truth, but one cannot understand spiritual things
> until they are spiritually reborn. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of
> God. (See Prov. 9:10) That means accepting that He is who He is and
> humbling
> oneself to before Him as one's maker.
>
> The unbeliever, by his unbelief, rejects God and does not submit himself
> to
> God. He cannot understand the things of God because he does not have the
> capacity to do so. He has not truly accepted God and he is bound to his
> earthly and carnal understanding because he has not received the new
> nature
> of God and thereby has not become a "new man" in Christ Jesus. (See Eph.
> 4:24, Col. 3:10)
>
> God explains this in 1 Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man receiveth
> not
> the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
> neither
> can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
>
>
>
> _________________
> Conclusion
>
> The carnal man has a false idea of God because he tries to liken God to
> being like himself and his material world. This limits one from
> understanding the reality of who God is. Further, man, instead of
> believing
> in our infinite Creator, invents degraded gods that are like himself.
>
> "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
> clearly
> seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power
> and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew
> God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain
> in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing
> themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the
> uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to
> birds,
> and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." (Romans 1:20-23)
>
> The mark of cults or false religions is that they all have gods who are
> made
> in man's image and are limited in power and existence to material
> limitations. (Also see Isa. 44:9-18)
>
> That is what Romans 1:21-23 says: "Because that, when they knew God, they
> glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
> imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves
> to
> be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God
> into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted
> beasts, and creeping things." (Underline added)
>
> The false gods that men invent are always patterned after man himself or
> things he sees in nature. Some false religions go as far as to teach that
> God was a man or that men can become gods. In other words, they deify
> man.
> Deify means to make something a god and worship it. God says He created
> man
> . . . and it is foolishness to suggest that man created God. Yet, this is
> plainly what is done when Almighty God is said to be a man or that a
> finite
> man could become God. The perfect example of this absurd idea in found in
> Mormonism. How could a man, born into the universe that existed before he
> did, be the creator of himself and the universe? God, as Genesis 1 and 2
> states, created all things. Man was created on the sixth day of the
> Creation week and was very last act of creation. It was God who created
> man.
>
> Most of mankind has no real idea of who God really is. The gods of
> unbelieving men are small and do not take into account the immensity of
> Almighty God as He is presented in the Bible. J.B. Phillips wrote a book
> in 1952 called, "Your God Is Too Small." He exposed the misconceptions
> that many have about God, in that their understanding of God superimposed
> upon Him human characteristics.[16] In His greatness and power the Bible
> says He spoke the universe into existence. God affirms this truth
> saying,
> "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of
> God,
> so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. "
> (Hebrews 11:3)
>
> Believing that God is a man or any material being shows one does not
> comprehend the true omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (present
> everywhere), omniscient (knows all things) nature of our sovereign God and
> Creator, nor does he bow in humility to his Creator. Like Satan, the lost
> man seeks to elevate himself to God's level and above. A man in denying
> the truth of the Trinity sets himself as God's judge and foolishly
> declares
> God cannot be what He says He is.
>
> Therefore, many men miss the truth and reality of God's essence because
> they
> ignorantly try to perceive Him as being as a physical being, as are they.
> God has revealed Himself to all men in His word, the Bible, and it would
> behoove all men to believe what their Creator has said about Himself. Paul
> stated God's mandate when addressing the unbelieving Athenians as recorded
> in Acts 17:30 "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
> commandeth all men every where to repent."
>
> The Psalmist declared the unlimited greatest of God "By the word of the
> LORD
> were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his
> mouth.
> He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the
> depth in storehouses." (Psalms 33:6-7)
>
> A person must understand the immensity of God and His power. Seeking to
> comprehend God one must take into account that he is not trying to
> understand that which is physical or material, but supernatural and beyond
> man's ability to comprehend. Not being able to comprehend God we must
> simply take Him at His word as to who He is.
>
> John said, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether
> they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
> Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus
> Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth
> not
> that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that
> spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even
> now already is it in the world" (1 John 4:1-3 ).
>
> The Bible without question affirms the plurality of God and the only way
> to
> understand God's plurality is to accept that God the Father, Son, and Holy
> Spirit are One God which establishes the Trinity. John's statement makes
> it
> absolutely vital that a person fully believe in the Trinity, which means
> to
> accept who and what God really truly is. To believe anything else is to
> believe in a false god that does not exist.
>
> Because all men are lost in sin, only our supernatural Creator can save
> this
> lost and dying world. Only by fully believing in our Creator and God's
> promise of salvation can one be saved and receive forgiveness of sins and
> eternal life. The truth of the Trinity is unconditionally tied to
> accepting
> Him as He is.
>
> (December 2001, September 2005, February, 2012, August 2013, January 2014)
>
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> [1] 1 John 5:7 says, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
> Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Some Bible
> critics have stated that this passage is not authentic because it is not
> found in some older manuscripts. This verse is found in mss, 61, 88mg,
> 629,
> 634mg, 636mg, omega 110, 429mg, 221, and 2318) along with two lectionaries
> (60, 173) and four fathers, Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and Jerome
> mention it. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on
> one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New
> Testaments.
> This verse accurately states the doctrine of the Trinity that God is One
> God
> in three Persons.
>
> [2] The word "scripture" graphe is found fifty-three times in the Bible.
>
> [3] Arianism is the heretical teaching of Arius ( AD 250-336), a
> Christian
> presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, that Jesus did not always exist, but was
> created by God the Father.
>
> [4] This is the teaching of "monotheism" which means "one God."
>
> [5] R. Laird Harris; Gleason L. Archer; Jr; Bruce K Waltke, Theological
> Wordbook of the Old Testament, Chicago:Moody Press, 1980, p30.
>
> [6] Henry Clarence Thiessen, Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology,
> Eerdmans:Grand Rapids, 1949, p134.
>
> [7] Renald E. Showers, Israel My Glory, God is Triune, Friends of Israel,
> January/February 2002, p37.
>
> [8] The name "Elohim" the Bible calls God occurs only in Hebrew and in no
> other Semitic language.
>
> [9] "Thou shalt have no other gods before me(insert period)" (Exodus 20:3)
>
> [10] . John F. Walvoord, Matthew Thy Kingdom Come, Chicago:Moody Press,
> 1974, p20
>
> [11] Thiessen, p134.
>
> [12] "But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do
> gender
> strifes." (2 Timothy 2:23)
>
> [13] David Cloud, Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible and Christianity,
> Computer Version 4.0, 2000. "Trinity."
>
> [14] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
> than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9)
>
> [15] "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is
> impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mostafa" <mostafa.almahdy at gmail.com>
> To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2014 1:51 AM
> Subject: [Faith-talk] Can you explain the Trinity?
>
>
>>
>> Dear all, peace be with you.
>>
>>
>> When Christian Apologists attempt to explain the Trinitarian mystery,
>> they
>> ordinarily endup confessing ancient heresies.
>>
>>
>> God has constantly been likened to apples and eggs.
>>
>>
>> Christian Apologists tend to equate its mystery to physical objects.
>>
>>
>> They aim to somehow clarify its vagueness.
>>
>>
>> Does the Trinity make any sense?
>>
>>
>> Does it stand up for scrutiny, or it conveniently crumbles under critical
>> examinations.
>>
>>
>> Well at its inception, let us be really fair in defining what the Trinity
>> is.
>>
>>
>> It is not three Gods as some people like to describe it in their unjust
>> strives to criticize the Christian faith.
>>
>>
>> So what is it then?
>>
>>
>> The Trinity is the belief in the Union of the Father, the Son, and the
>> Holy Spirit in a one godhead.
>>
>>
>> Although the term technically refers to the Judeo-Christian God, but we
>> will find that Orthodox Jews are explicitly declining the Trinitarian
>> conception.
>>
>>
>> In spite of their political controversy, but we will find that Muslims
>> and Jews have mutually apportioned their incredulity to the Trinity.
>>
>> Is the Trinity mentioned in the Old Testament?
>>
>> Is the word Trinity found in the New Testament?
>>
>> Had Abraham been ever informed about the Trinity?
>>
>> Had Moses been commanded to adhere the Trinity?
>>
>> Did he even auspicate for its forth coming?
>>
>> Christian Apologists have numerous methods to illustrate and justify the
>> Trinitarian doctronal tennet from their perspective but, I doubt they
>> will
>> ever be adequate to convey its concept to others.
>>
>> It will everlastingly remain undecipherable, and Christians are utterly
>> accountable for their crucial insistence to verbalize this blasphemy.
>>
>> Every Sunday, Christians gather in congregations worldwide to
>> deliberately
>> desecrate the divine being.
>>
>> I thank Allah for the grace of Islam, and enough of it as a bounty and
>> amplitude.
>>
>> All redemptions and atonements are merely belong to Allah glory be
>> to
>> Him.
>>
>> I have Christian friends who ask me to pray for them, but I am afraid, I
>> never asked a Trinitarian for prayers.
>>
>> I am really sorry, but I cannot flatter on that regard.
>>
>> It is approximately the time to pray the noon prayer here in Cairo.
>>
>> I have to prepare myself.
>>
>> With all deference to the difference.
>>
>> Peace be with you.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Faith-talk mailing list
>> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> Faith-talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/heavens4real%40gmail.com
> -------------- next part --------------
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 13:42:59 -0400
> From: "justin williams" <justin.williams2 at gmail.com>
> To: "'Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion'"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] The concept of Monotheism in Islam. Please,
> read it carefully.
> Message-ID: <00ca01cf3bbf$03f9ab40$0bed01c0$@gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> Well done; never thought of the trinidy as body mind and soul. Well done.
> I'm wondering if the other religions who have done the trinidy thought
> like
> that. I don't know why I never associated the Christian trinidy like
> that;
> thanks, I appreciate it. Good point.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Faith-talk [mailto:faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Poppa
> Bear
> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2014 1:07 PM
> To: Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] The concept of Monotheism in Islam. Please, read
> it carefully.
>
> Could we say that us, /humans are Trinitarian? Body, mind and Soul? These
> are all three distinct aspects of us as a single person. Maybe give it
> some
> real thought and see if our flesh can be in complete opposition to our
> souls
> desires? Can our mind and flesh/body be at war or in harmony at times?
> When
> we say that person has a fighting Spirit, or a crushed and broken Spirit,
> what do we mean? I could go on and on, but if a person doesn't see a
> shadow
> of how three in one doesn't have to be such an inconceivable idea. When a
> husband and wife become one flesh what does God mean? That "one" that is
> used in the original is plural for one in harmony and is tied to the "one"
> when the Bible says the Lord your God is one. Just some food for thought.
> I
> think so often people will accept the teachings of others beliefs and what
> they say against the beliefs of Christian doctrine for an attempt to feel
> loving, but the love of Christ isn't lackadaisical or shilly shally about
> Gods person, attributes or this great message of hope and eternal life.
> Also, what are the implications if there is no God the Father, God the son
> and God the Holy Spirit? If we research the interchanging roles throughout
> the Bible we will se that all of the Holy functions of the God head are
> taken on by all three in the areas of creation, sanctification/redemption
> and judgment. Has anybody explained all of these points outside of the
> Doctrine of the trinity? Perhaps so, but if so, it has warn a much thinner
> and less durable veneer than the doctrine of the trinity.
>
> Well, take care and have a blessed Lords day.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Faith-talk mailing list
> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Faith-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/justin.williams2%40g
> mail.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 10:07:17 -0800
> From: "Poppa Bear" <heavens4real at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] The concept of Monotheism in Islam. Please,
> read it carefully.
> Message-ID: <F9485A138E0A4BB2A691EBFE48D6A3CF at homepc>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=original
>
> Not a problem, I think that all of the truths from the Bible are laid out
> in
> the world around us. For example, every day is like a new cycle of
> resurrection as the sun goes down and we take on a time of darkness then
> as
> the sun rises each morning just as Jesus did on reserection day, we are
> given a newness of life that reminds me of a type of new birth every day
> we
> receive. We can even look at our bodies,every day cells are dying and
> being
> restored, our hair, our nails and so on all go through a death and
> reserection daily. As winter brings a feeling of a kind of halt/stopping
> of
> life, the birds, bugs and other animals as well as plant life go into
> their
> grave for a time only to find a fresh and new resurrection in the spring.
> We
> have multi dimintions in everything around us from the things we touch,
> taste hear and see, in some cases. How and why do we relegate these common
> day occurrences to one realm and then say that it is impossible for God to
> have such a character as to be multi dimensional? Look at water, it is a
> vaper, a solid when it is ice and a liquid when it is rain, but it is
> still
> all H2o. I am just throwing some of my rambling thoughts out there, but
> just try to explore the world we live in and you may be surprised to find
> out that the world is Gods natural revelation, his Bible written outside
> of
> a book on our hearts and in nature.
>
> Well, you be blessed and take care friend.
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "justin williams" <justin.williams2 at gmail.com>
> To: "'Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion'"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2014 9:42 AM
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] The concept of Monotheism in Islam. Please,read
> it
> carefully.
>
>
>> Well done; never thought of the trinidy as body mind and soul. Well
>> done.
>> I'm wondering if the other religions who have done the trinidy thought
>> like
>> that. I don't know why I never associated the Christian trinidy like
>> that;
>> thanks, I appreciate it. Good point.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Faith-talk [mailto:faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
>> Poppa
>> Bear
>> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2014 1:07 PM
>> To: Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion
>> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] The concept of Monotheism in Islam. Please,
>> read
>> it carefully.
>>
>> Could we say that us, /humans are Trinitarian? Body, mind and Soul? These
>> are all three distinct aspects of us as a single person. Maybe give it
>> some
>> real thought and see if our flesh can be in complete opposition to our
>> souls
>> desires? Can our mind and flesh/body be at war or in harmony at times?
>> When
>> we say that person has a fighting Spirit, or a crushed and broken Spirit,
>> what do we mean? I could go on and on, but if a person doesn't see a
>> shadow
>> of how three in one doesn't have to be such an inconceivable idea. When a
>> husband and wife become one flesh what does God mean? That "one" that is
>> used in the original is plural for one in harmony and is tied to the
>> "one"
>> when the Bible says the Lord your God is one. Just some food for thought.
>> I
>> think so often people will accept the teachings of others beliefs and
>> what
>> they say against the beliefs of Christian doctrine for an attempt to feel
>> loving, but the love of Christ isn't lackadaisical or shilly shally about
>> Gods person, attributes or this great message of hope and eternal life.
>> Also, what are the implications if there is no God the Father, God the
>> son
>> and God the Holy Spirit? If we research the interchanging roles
>> throughout
>> the Bible we will se that all of the Holy functions of the God head are
>> taken on by all three in the areas of creation, sanctification/redemption
>> and judgment. Has anybody explained all of these points outside of the
>> Doctrine of the trinity? Perhaps so, but if so, it has warn a much
>> thinner
>> and less durable veneer than the doctrine of the trinity.
>>
>> Well, take care and have a blessed Lords day.
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Faith-talk mailing list
>> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> Faith-talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/justin.williams2%40g
>> mail.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Faith-talk mailing list
>> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> Faith-talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/heavens4real%40gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 10:37:16 -0800
> From: debby phillips <semisweetdebby at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>, faith-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] International Women's Day Recognition
> Message-ID: <531cb4ed.c1d8420a.4074.ffffbf0f at mx.google.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Paul, can you explain to us a bit about what Espantero is? Also,
> I get glimpses of history about blind people being smuggled out
> of Germany and other places, do you know of a book I could read
> that would give more information about this? Blessings,
> Debby
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 15:31:15 -0400
> From: "Paul" <oilofgladness47 at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] International Women's Day Recognition
> Message-ID: <F0818D70BB464B6E935298E01A592B2D at paul>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=response
>
> Debbie, I know of no book per se about smuggling blind people out of
> Germany
> during World War II. However there is a book written in 1963 and
> available
> from NLS. It is entitled "And There Was Light" by a blind Frenchman who
> somehow collaborated with the underground forces. The book was written by
> Jacques Luseyran. Don't know the book number, but if you ask for that
> book
> and give the reference person at your library that info, I'm sure he/she
> can
> help you.
>
> Esperanto is a language created in 1887 by Dr. Lazarus Ludovik Zamenhof
> (1859-1917) and was designed for people to learn to speak, read and write
> in
> international situations. The Hadley School for the Blind used to teach
> it;
> in fact, I read an article about it in an old issue of "Dialogue"
> magazine.
> With only 16 rules of grammar with only one exception, I found the
> language
> easy to learn. By simply learning and/or memorizing a limited number of
> words, one adds either a prefix or suffix to the word to change meanings.
> For instance, the word "lerni" means "to learn." A "lernilo" is a textbook
> or a tool to help one learn. "Lernado" means a continuation of learning
> etc. All nouns end in o; all verbs, depending on the tense, end in as,
> os,
> is or us or i; adverbs end in e and adjectives end in a. I hope this
> isn't
> too complex for those of us who are not interested. You might just google
> "Esperanto" in your search engine, and you'll possibly get more info there
> than I can relate here. Paul
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "debby phillips" <semisweetdebby at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>; <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2014 2:37 PM
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] International Women's Day Recognition
>
>
>> Paul, can you explain to us a bit about what Espantero is? Also, I get
>> glimpses of history about blind people being smuggled out of Germany and
>> other places, do you know of a book I could read that would give more
>> information about this? Blessings, Debby
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Faith-talk mailing list
>> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> Faith-talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/oilofgladness47%40gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 22:29:22 +0200
> From: "Mostafa" <mostafa.almahdy at gmail.com>
> To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
> Subject: [Faith-talk] The necessaty to redefine the cecity in Egypt.
> Message-ID: <0700C6C17B47462FA4190274C7559933 at Win7PC>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1256"
>
>
>
> Greetings.
>
> Some of you may have heard about my story regarding me teaching a blind
> kid at a private school, and the fact that she was dragged with children
> who developed severe mental disabilities.
>
> I was sacked because I stood by the side of the mother, whilst she wanted
> to move her daughter from this abnormal environment.
>
> The story continues that the parents called me, and they unfeignedly
> thanked me for speaking out.
>
> I told them that this was my duty to do what I have done.
>
> They decided to move the girl from that school, and we are now touring
> different schools seeking for the best.
>
> I assume that most of you have no specific knowledge about the educational
> situations for the blind in Egypt.
>
> Well in this post, I am willing to give you some impression about what is
> it like for blind people here.
>
> Unfortunately, it is not so good.
>
> There are many schools for the blind here in Egypt, they are funded by the
> public education ministry and of course, that makes it even worse.
>
> There is only a one school for blind girls, it is called the light and
> hope school for blind girls, it is associated with the local light and
> hope foundation for the blind, and it is not far from where I live.
>
> I visited the school twice, it is better than nothing but still, it is not
> the best in my humble opinion.
>
> In the public education system, blind students are not accepted in any
> regular schools rather than the ones made for them.
>
> This is a striking fact, and I am quite sure about it.
>
> Anyway, that is regarding the mainstream peer.
>
> What is now left is the public education sector.
>
> It is not better to be quite fair.
>
> Blind students are classified as mentally disabled, and they are
> forcefully dragged with severe mental disabilities.
>
> This is something I have experienced myself.
>
> This is why I was asked to leave the school I worked for, because I
> basicly refused to stay silent.
>
> I did not comply to the preposterous regulations of the school, and I
> insisted to move the blind kid from the classroom that was filled with
> severe mental disabilities.
>
> However, after I left the school my fiance substituted me, she taught her
> for the past week, and then she chose to leave.
>
> She was offended because the principal called her a babysitter.
>
> That was enormously contemptuous to her.
>
> I could not blame her for the decision she made, she had the right to
> express her intense disapproval to this explicit defamation.
>
> Thereupon, we instantly notified the mother about the lack of Braille
> tutors at the school from now on.
>
> Consequently, she decided not to send her daughter to the school, because
> it is insignificant right now.
>
> This was a sequential update to my story with the school, and an
> introduction to the main subject of this post.
>
> Here in Egypt, we desperately demand to redefine the concept of cecity.
>
> According to domestic social standards, cecity has inaccurately been
> classified with mental disabilities.
>
> Blind people are incorrectly treated as handicapped which is of course, a
> total deficiency of the proper knowledge and vocational training on that
> regard.
>
> Blind people are not physically handicapped, that is a prejudicial
> disposal to be perfectly fair.
>
> Well some of them are for certain, but that has nothing to do with their
> blindness.
>
> That is relevant to other physical or mental problems.
>
> Here in Egypt we constantly talk about the gains of the revolution, but
> we frankly have not implemented any of the repeatedly chanted slogans.
>
> We lack of implementing the social justice, which its elementary factors
> advocates for recognizing blind people as just unremarkable members of the
> society.
>
> Our backwardness escalates in radically discriminating against a
> particular class of people, segmenting and gravely isolating them.
>
> Blind people in Egypt ought to speak up for themselves, because noone will
> do that on their behalf.
>
> Our lives here are overwhelmingly occupied with numerous challenges.
>
> I am seeking for total social equality with others, that is when I will
> only feel contented.
>
> The battle with the predetermined temperament is not over yet, it still
> has multiple phases to come.
>
> Knowledge is a shoreless ocean.
>
> Thank you for reading, and have a pleasant time.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 13:04:46 -0800
> From: debby phillips <semisweetdebby at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>, faith-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] International Women's Day Recognition
> Message-ID: <531cd77f.01ee440a.23a2.ffffd7a8 at mx.google.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Thanks, Paul for both pieces of information. I will try and find
> the book. Wonder why Esperanto didn't catch on? Blessings,
> Debby
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Sun, 9 Mar 2014 17:54:47 -0400
> From: "Paul" <oilofgladness47 at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] International Women's Day Recognition
> Message-ID: <037BCDA4B8EE42B58D0A96B66B120E5E at paul>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
> reply-type=response
>
> Debbie, I can tell you, and that is because of the domination of other
> languages such as English, French, Spanish and above all Mandarin Chinese.
> Also, Esperanto is a philosophy in addition to a language. If you find
> someone with interests that you two have in common, you will want to
> correspond with him/her and, in this day and age, that would mean emails,
> Skype and Twitter. The philosophy is that, when you begin to correspond
> using this language, even though your two governments are at loggerheads
> over various issues, that any animosity between you two will lessen until
> you don't hate each other merely because the two governments can't get
> along. For over 25 years, for instance, I've been corresponding,
> initially
> in Braille, and now via email, with a gentleman from Cuba, Juaquin Borges
> Triana. Even though blindness is one thing we have in common, Joaquin is
> also a Christian with all that entails. He's learned some things about
> our
> country, and I've learned some things about Cuba, things that the U.S.
> government likely wouldn't want me to know. This resulted in my spending
> some time with him when I attended the Esperanto Congress known as the UK
> (Universala Kongreso) in Havana in 1989. Even though his living
> conditions
> are woefully poor by our standards, Mr. Triana's family was very
> hospitable,
> something lacking so much in our country today. I could go on and on, but
> I'll leave it at that. Paul
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "debby phillips" <semisweetdebby at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>; <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2014 5:04 PM
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] International Women's Day Recognition
>
>
>> Thanks, Paul for both pieces of information. I will try and find the
>> book. Wonder why Esperanto didn't catch on? Blessings, Debby
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Faith-talk mailing list
>> Faith-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> Faith-talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/oilofgladness47%40gmail.com
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 16:43:05 -0800
> From: debby phillips <semisweetdebby at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>, faith-talk at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] International Women's Day Recognition
> Message-ID: <531d0aaa.87d5440a.795e.0818 at mx.google.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Thank you Paul. That's so interesting! That's great that you are
> able to know this person from Cuba and learn more about that
> country. You are right, I'm sure our government doesn't tell us
> everything about paces like Cuba. Take care, and God bless,
> Debby
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 02:28:10 -0500
> From: "qubit" <lauraeaves at yahoo.com>
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] Explaining the Trinity
> Message-ID: <34D976FF7B2040AC9657D761722C1245 at bassclef>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hi Pappa Bear --
> Thank you for the interesting article which has some good references and
> analysis -- although the author couldn't resist taking a pot shot at the
> Mormons, whose doctrine he misunderstands. That kind of stands out in
> contrast to the rest of the article which is thorough and well thought
> out.
> I noticed he includes the reference to the plural word Elohim in the book
> of
> Genesis. It always intrigued me also that in Gen 3:22, after Adam and Eve
> had eaten the forbidden fruit, "And the Lord God said, Behold the man is
> become as one of us to know good and evil..."
> Here again, the reference to God is pluralized. Whom is he speaking to?
>
> Well, as you say, no one can possibly understand everything, but it is fun
> to ponder over the mysteries.
>
> Have a nice week all.
> --le
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Poppa Bear" <heavens4real at gmail.com>
> To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion"
> <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2014 12:38 PM
> Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] Explaining the Trinity
>
>
> Here is an article that goes over the doctrine of the trinity in a
> thorough
> and Biblical way. I hope that if some read it this that even if they don't
> agree with it they can be informed about the doctrine and have a clear
> understanding in order to make more accurate statements about what it is,
> where it came from and why they disagree with it. If a person continues to
> discredit it with out making an analytical study of both sides of the
> argument and only gathers information to support his or her preconceived
> ideas about it then the question may be asked, "is that intellectual
> dishonesty"? If a person does not want to take an analytical look at the
> evidence of the things they are creating arguments against then perhaps
> they
> should not speak on it. There is a simple old saying that says, "Know that
> what you know is so." Very cut and dry, if you don't know it, don't speak
> on
> it as if you do.
>
>
>
> "Why The Trinity?
>
> By Cooper P. Abrams, III
>
> All Rights Reserved
>
>
>
>
>
> Gadgets powered by Google
>
>
>
> INTRODUCTION: From the Second Century to our present age, many people have
> found the biblical doctrine of the Trinity hard to understand. The
> doctrine
> of the Trinity recognizes that God is one God, co-existing in three
> distinct
> Persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In our material existence,
> the
> concept that God is One God, yet exists as three distinct persons, is
> foreign to us. However, the doctrine of the Godhead (Trinity) is without
> questions revealed in God's word.
>
> The biblical term "Godhead" (theiotes) is used three times in
> Scripture, Acts 17:29; Romans 1:20; Colossians 2:9. The word "Trinity,"
> which is the theological word Christians use to refer to the Godhead, is
> not
> found in Scripture.
>
> ? "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to
> think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by
> art
> and man's device" (Acts 17:29).
>
> ? "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world
> are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his
> eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20)
>
> ? "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
> (Colossians 2:9)
>
> The doctrine states that the Godhead, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
> consists of three distinct Persons, yet these three are one God. There are
> many arguments espoused by those that deny the Trinity, but the most
> prevalent is: How can God be One God and at the same time be three
> Persons?
>
> The problem with that question is that it is based in ignorance of what
> God
> has said about Himself. The Bible, the Word of God, plainly states the
> plurality of God and that God is One God. To accept His Word means to
> believe what God has revealed. The truth of the Trinity is a revealed
> truth
> that is established in the credibility of God Himself.
>
> In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus gave His disciples the Great Commission,
> stating
> that they were to teach and baptize in the names of the Godhead, "Go ye
> therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
> Father,
> and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
> whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto
> the
> end of the world. Amen."
>
> Further 1 John 5:7 states "For there are three that bear record in heaven,
> the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."[1]
> The
> fact God did not inspire the writers of Scripture to use the modern word
> "Trinity" does imply that it is not a biblical truth. However, there are
> many words and phrases that Christians use to express biblical doctrines
> that are not found in the Bible. One is the word "rapture." This word
> also
> is not found in Scripture, but the phrase "shall be caught up"
> (harpagesometha) is used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and means to "catch away"
> or in Latin "rapiemur"meaning to be snatched away. In fact, the word
> "Bible" is also not found in the Scriptures. Would we dismiss the
> existence
> of the Bible because the word is not found in Scripture?[2]
>
> Those that deny the Trinity are denying the Godhead. They argue that it is
> physically impossible for three distinct persons to be only one. This
> article will show that they are both right and wrong. They are right in
> the
> sense that it is impossible for us to explain how this can be a reality in
> our physical/material world. But they are wrong in denying that God is a
> Triune God. The approach of this paper will be first to authenticate the
> biblical doctrine by presenting biblical statements attesting to this
> truth.
>
> One reason those who deny the Trinity do so is the Bible clearly teaches
> monotheism, meaning that God is One God. (Deut. 4:35-36, 6:4)
>
> ? "Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD
> he
> is God; there is none else beside him. Out of heaven he made thee to hear
> his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his
> great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire."
> (Deuteronomy 4:35-36)
>
> ? "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and
> with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I
> command
> thee this day, shall be in thine heart:" (Deuteronomy 6:5-6)
>
>
>
> ? "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the
> LORD
> of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no
> God."
> (Isaiah 44:6)
>
> ? "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."
> (Isaiah 43:11)
>
> The Scriptures unmistakably refer to the plurality of God in the He as
> exists in Three Persons. Secondly, this paper will present a practical
> explanation of the doctrine in human terms.
>
> Overwhelmingly, the Bible teaches the Trinitarian concept of one God
> existing as three persons. The Bible does not teach polytheism, which says
> that there are three separate Gods called the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
> Nor does the Bible say God is one person who took three forms or that the
> God the Father became the Son, who then became the Holy Spirit, as is
> taught
> by some false churches. The Bible does not teach that God is only one
> person
> or that Jesus is not God, but only God's procreated son.[3] The word of
> God does not teach that Jesus was created.
>
> The Bible specifically states that God is Spirit and was never a man.
>
> ? "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man,
> that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he
> spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19)
>
> ? "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he
> is not a man, that he should repent." (1 Samuel 15:29)
>
> The Bible further plainly states that Jesus Christ, being God, is eternal,
> as is the Father. The Apostle John states clearly that Jesus, the Word,
> was with God in the beginning of the Universe. "In the beginning was
> the
> Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
> beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not
> any
> thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of
> men." (John 1:1-4) This passage will be explained in detail later in the
> article.
>
> Jesus Himself plainly refers to eternity.
>
> ? "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before
> Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58)
>
> Alfa and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In
> the
> following verse the term Alpha and Omega are defined by God Himself by the
> phrase "the beginning and the end" (verse 8) and "the first and the last"
> (verse 11).
>
> ? "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the
> Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. . . .
> Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou
> seest,
> write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia;
> unto
> Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto
> Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea." (Revelation 1:8, 11)
>
> ? "And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
> beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the
> fountain
> of the water of life freely." (Revelation 21:6)
>
> ? "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and
> the last." (Revelation 22:13)
>
> How Does the Bible Teach the Doctrine of the Trinity?
>
> The following chart shows some of the many passages in the Bible from
> which
> the doctrine of the Trinity is derived. Note that God the Father, Son and
> Holy Spirit are all called God and all have the same attributes, which are
> attributes that only God has.
>
> THE TRIUNE GODHEAD PRESENTED IN SCRIPTURE
>
>
> FATHER
> SON
> HOLY SPIRIT
>
>
>
> Called God
> Phil. 1:2
> John 1:1,14; Col. 2:9
> Acts 5:3-4
>
> Creator
> Isa. 64:8; 44:24
> John 1:3
> Gen. 1:2
>
> Resurrects
> 1 Thess. 1:10
> John 2:19, 10:17
> Rom. 8:11
>
> Indwells
> 2 Cor. 6:16
> Col. 1:27
> John 14:17
>
> Everywhere
> 1 Kings 8:27
> Matt. 28:20
> Psa. 139:7-10
>
> All knowing
> 1 John 3:20
> John 16:30; 21:17
> 1 Cor. 2:10-11
>
> Sanctifies
> 1 Thess. 5:23
> Heb. 2:11
> 1 Pet. 1:2
>
> Life giver
> Gen. 2:7: John 5;21
> John 1:3; 5:21
> 2 Cor. 3:6,8
>
> Fellowship
> 1 John 1:3
> 1 Cor. 1:9
> 2 Cor. 13:14; Phil. 2:1
>
> Eternal
> Psa. 90:2
> Micah 5:1-2
> Rom. 8:11; Heb. 9:14
>
> A Will
> Luke 22:42
> Luke 22:42
> 1 Cor. 12:11
>
> Speaks
> Matt. 3:17; Luke 3:22
> Luke 5:20; 7:48
> Acts 8:29; 11:12; 13:2
>
> Love
> John 3:16
> Eph. 5: 25
> Rom. 15:30
>
> Searches the heart
> Jer. 17:10
> Rev. 2:23
> 1 Cor. 2:10
>
> We belong to
> John 17:9
> John 17:6
>
>
> Savior
> 1 Tim. 1:1; 2:3; 4:10
> 2 Tim. 1:10; Tit. 1:4; 3:6
>
>
> We serve
> Matt. 4:10
> Col. 3:24
>
>
> Believe in
> John 14:1
> John 14:1
>
>
>
> Gives joy
> John 15:9-11
> Luke 1:14, John 15:11, 17:13
>
>
> Judges
> John 8:50
> John 5:22, 30
>
>
>
>
>
> Passages in the Old Testament that Teach Plurality in the Oneness of God.
>
> ________________
> Deuteronomy 6:4
>
> "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD"
>
> The Bible, in this verse, emphatically states there is only one God.[4]
> "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" (Deuteronomy 6:4, Mark
> 12:29). Literally, the verse says, "Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our Elohim is
> a
> united Jehovah." The Bible is the inerrant inspired Word of God and this
> statement can only be understood in that God is telling us He is One God.
> (See 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:21). Yet, this does not mean that
> within
> the Godhead there is not a plurality. Scripturally, plurality means,
> that
> God is One God existing in three distinct Persons.
>
> The Hebrew word for one is Echad and "stresses unity while recognizing
> diversity with that oneness."[5] This same word is used in Genesis 2:24,
> "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave
> unto his wife: and they shall be one (Echad) flesh." Therefore, God says
> that two individuals, Adam and Eve, were one flesh. Exodus 24:3 states "
> .
> . . All the people answered with one (Echad) voice, and said, All the
> words
> which the LORD hath said will we do." Note that all the people, which were
> a
> great multitude, replied with one voice. There are many other instances
> where the word is used to show the oneness of many individuals. In other
> words, the Hebrew word Echad allows for plurality within oneness, allowing
> God, who is emphatically described as one God, to be three Persons who are
> One God.
>
> There is another Hebrew word that means "one" which is "Yahad." This word
> is
> always singular and can only mean one and so its use allows no plurality.
> God could have used this word in Deuteronomy 6:4, but chose Echad instead,
> which allows the concept of God being One God who is in essence is three
> individual Persons. Thiessen says, "A unity is, however, not inconsistent
> with the conception of the trinity; for a unity is not the same as a
> unit."[6]
>
> This concept can be further seen in the descriptions of the Person of God
> in
> the Old Testament:
>
> ? The Person of God no one is allowed to see. "Thou canst not see
> my
> face: for there shall no man see me, and live" (Ex. 33:20).
>
> ? The Person of God we can see. "And the LORD appeared unto him in
> the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day"
> (Genesis 18:1, See 2-33). (This is a preincarnate appearance of the Lord
> Jesus Christ)
>
> ? The Person of God that cannot be seen. "And the earth was
> without
> form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit
> of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Gen. 1:2). (The Holy Spirit is
> in essence a spirit and cannot be seen by physical beings)
>
> _______________
> Genesis 1:1-2
>
> "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was
> without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And
> the
> Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
>
> The Old Testament begins by teaching that God is One in three Persons. In
> Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew name for God is "Elohim" which is used more than
> two
> thousand times in the plural form in the Bible.[7] Further, the name
> "Elohim" occurs only in Hebrew and in no other Semitic language.[8] This
> is
> a plural noun, but the verb is singular which is not a normal use of
> grammar. Normally a plural noun would have a plural verb. But, if you
> wanted to teach that God is one and also a plurality, using the unique
> grammatical construction of using of a plural noun with a singular verb
> would be used. Therefore, this passage teaches that there is one God who
> exists in a plurality.
>
> _______________
> Genesis 1:26
>
> "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness . . . "
>
> Again in Genesis 1:26, God is spoken of as plural. "And God said, Let us
> make man in our image . . . " The word "man" is the word "Adam" and
> refers
> to a human being both man and female. The same word for "one" (Echad) is
> used in Genesis 2:24, speaking of the oneness of a husband and wife. God
> sees a husband and wife spiritually as being one. This is another verse
> that helps to establish that two or more can spiritually be one.
>
> _______________
> Genesis 11:7-8
>
> "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may
> not
> understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from
> thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the
> city."
>
> Genesis 11:7-8 says the LORD scattered the antediluvians abroad from
> thence
> upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. God
> is
> spoken of in the plural (let "us" go down) and in the singular (Jehovah =
> "the existing One") at the same time. This passage summarizes the Bible's
> teaching that God is one, but exists in a plurality of three Persons.
>
> _______________
> Psalm 45:6-7
>
> "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a
> right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore
> God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy
> fellows."
>
> According to Hebrews 1:8-9, God the Father is speaking in Psalm 45, and He
> is referring to the Son as God. "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O
> God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of
> thy
> kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God,
> even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy
> fellows
> "(Heb. 1:8-9).
>
> The question is: If the Son Himself was God, why did He address the Father
> as God? The Son addressed the Father as God for the same reason that the
> Father addressed the Son as God: because they are both God!
>
> _______________
> Isaiah 48:16-17
>
> "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the
> beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD,
> and
> his Spirit, hath sent me. Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One
> of
> Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth
> thee by the way that thou shouldest go."
>
> God the Father states He is the "Lord GOD; I am the Lord thy God." He then
> unmistakably further says He is thy "Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."
> Isaiah 44:24 proclaims the Redeemer made Israel and the heavens, "Thus
> saith
> the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the
> LORD
> that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that
> spreadeth abroad the earth by myself." Both verses refer to the promised
> Messiah who is both Jesus and God. Jesus is the Redeemer. The LORD
> (Jehovah) states that He is the Creator. Therefore, the Bible is saying
> that
> it is God (Jehovah) the Father who is the Creator. At the same time, the
> Bible is stating that Jesus Christ is the Creator. (See John 1:3-4, Eph.
> 3:9, Col. 1: 16)
>
> _______________
> Jeremiah 23:5-6
>
> "Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a
> righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute
> judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and
> Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be
> called,
> THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."
>
> The verse identifies the person speaking as being "the Lord" (Jehovah) and
> Jehovah is talking about another person who, in the future, will come to
> earth. David's descendent, a King who will reign, prosper and will judge
> the
> earth. Jehovah then gives His name as "JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS." This is
> a
> reference to the promised Messiah, who will be a man and a descendant of
> David. God the Father identifies Himself in the Old Testament as "Jehovah"
> and here He says the Messiah's name is also called "Jehovah" (insert
> comma)
> which is the sacred name of God. It would be blasphemy to call any man
> "Jehovah" yet this is plainly the name by which the Messiah would be
> called.
> There can be no mistake that God the Father is saying the Messiah Jesus is
> God.
>
> _______________
> Isaiah 9:6
>
> "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
> shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful,
> Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
>
> This is another prophecy foretelling the birth of the Messiah. Note that
> the
> Messiah is called "The mighty God, The everlasting Father." There can be
> no
> doubt that this passage is saying a human child would be born who is
> identified as God and the Father. Why would God the Father state that the
> Messiah, a man, is God and the Father if He was not? Proverbs 30:4-5
> states
> God's word are pure, "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who
> hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a
> garment?
> who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what
> is his son's name, if thou canst tell? Every word of God is pure: he is a
> shield unto them that put their trust in him." God is saying His words are
> pure and that He is the Creator and He has a Son. Clearly this passage is
> saying that Jesus Christ (Christ = Messiah) is God incarnate in man.
>
> NEW TESTAMENT PASSAGES THAT TEACH THE TRINITY
>
> The New Testament clearly states that Jesus is God (John 1:1, 14); the
> Father is God (Phil. 1:2); and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). Since
> the Son speaks to the Father, they are separate persons (John 17). Since
> the
> Holy Spirit speaks also (Acts 13:2), He, too, is a separate person. There
> can be no question that the New Testament proclaims there is only One God
> and that He exists in three distinct persons.
>
> _______________
> John 1:1, 14-15
>
> "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
> was
> God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him;
> and without him was not any thing made that was made. . . .And the Word
> was
> made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of
> the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare
> witness
> of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh
> after
> me is preferred before me: for he was before me."
>
> The verse emphatically states that the "Word" (Logos) was God. John
> 1:14-15
> unmistakably proclaims that the "Word" was made flesh and this establishes
> the incarnation of God. God came to earth as a man. The passage
> unquestionably identifies Jesus Christ as the Word, who was God, stating
> that John the Baptist bare witness of Him.
>
> John 1:3 teaches that it was Jesus Christ, the Word (Logos) who created
> all
> things. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing
> made
> that was made" (John 1:3) However, Genesis 1:1 states "In the beginning
> God
> (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth." This passage without a doubt
> establishes the deity of Jesus Christ, affirming that He is God and that
> He
> created all things. Speaking of Christ Colossians 1:16 states, "For by him
> were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
> visible
> and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
> or
> powers: all things were created by him, and for him." Further, Colossians
> 1:17 adds "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."
> (See
> Heb. 1:3, 10)
>
> God plainly states in Exodus 34:14 that man is not to worship any other
> God.
> "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous,
> is a jealous God." Colossians 1:18 states that Jesus is to have the
> preeminence in all things. "And he is the head of the body, the church:
> who
> is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might
> have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18). Further, Jesus was worshiped many times
> while on earth. (See Matt. 2:11, 15:25, 28:17; Mark 3:11, 5:6, 33, 14:33
> 15:19; Luke 5:8; 8:28, 41, 17:16, 24:52; John 9:38; Rev. 5:14) Jesus
> accepted the worship of men because He is God.
>
> Obviously, there is a pattern presented by these Scriptures. God the
> Father
> is emphatically said to have created the heavens and the earth and at the
> same time Jesus is proclaimed to be the Creator. In Genesis 1:2, the Holy
> Spirit is shown as having "moved" upon the face of the waters." (Also see
> Psalms 104:30) The only way these are true because is if God the Father,
> Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are one God.
>
> ________________
> John 8:58
>
> "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was,
> I
> am."
>
> In John 8:58 Jesus ended a confrontational discourse with the religious
> Jews
> and proclaimed that He was "I am," a name that only applies to God the
> Father. The Jews then rioted and took up stones to kill Jesus, but He
> eluded
> them and passed through the midst of them unharmed. What caused them to
> riot was that Jesus said plainly that He was Jehovah God, the
> "Self-Existent
> One." (Exodus 3:14) Using the name "I am," He identified Himself as the
> One
> who sent Moses to the children of Israel when they were in captivity in
> Egypt. The Jews fully understood what He had said and were so angry with
> Him
> making the statement that they rushed to kill Him. There can be no mistake
> that Jesus stated He was Jehovah God, which certainly confirms the
> biblical
> doctrine of the Trinity.
>
> ________________
> John 10:30
>
> "I and my Father are one."
>
> In John 10:30, Jesus said that "I and my Father are one." The word "One"
> is
> in the neuter gender. This statement rules out the meaning that they are
> only one in purpose as some misinterpret this verse to say. It affirms
> that
> Jesus and God are separate persons, but one God, with the Holy Spirit. The
> verse says they are in perfect unity in their natures and actions. Jesus
> emphatically stated on this occasion that He was God. The Jews who heard
> Him
> saw a man standing before them and they fully understood what He had just
> stated. They were so offended at His statement that they took up stones to
> put Him to death, "because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God"
> (John
> 20:33b) These Jews fully understood that God presents Himself in the Old
> Testament as monotheistic, which in their minds precluded that Jesus could
> be God also.[9] Here again the Bible unmistakably tells us from Christ's
> own words that God the Father and Jesus Christ are One.
>
> _______________
> Matthew 1:23
>
> "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and
> they
> shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
>
> The angel announced to Joseph that Mary was with child and the Son she
> would
> give birth to would be called "Emmanuel," meaning God with us. Matthew
> clearly claimed not only that Christ was born of a virgin, but that this
> was
> anticipated by the prophecy of Isaiah as being the method by which God
> would
> become a man.[10]
>
> _______________
> 1 Timothy 3:16
>
> "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
> manifest
> in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
> Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."
>
> This passage begins with "without controversy" as if anticipating those
> who
> would deny the Trinity. It then soundly affirms the doctrine. The phrase
> "without controversy" means simply "obviously" or "beyond all question."
> The
> next statement "The mystery of Godliness is great" denotes the importance
> and magnitude of this now revealed mystery or truth that was not revealed
> in
> the Old Testament. A mystery in the Bible is simply a previously
> unrevealed
> truth. In other words, in the Old Testament this truth was not stated.
>
> The mystery is that "God was manifest in the flesh!" This is as
> straightforward a statement as can be made on the matter. This verse says
> that God is manifested in the flesh or God is incarnate in flesh. The
> Greek
> word is "phneroo" meaning, "to make visible." (See John 1:1-14, 14:7,
> Col.
> 1:15, 1 Tim. 1:17) Jesus was "justified in the Spirit" proclaiming that
> it
> was not the flesh that justified, but the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ was
> thus
> vindicated in the Spirit at His resurrection. Some believe this means
> Jesus
> was "seen of angels" but the word is "angelos" which means a messenger.
> Contextually, it is referring to the Apostles who saw the Lord in the
> flesh
> and preached the Gospel to the Gentiles. That Jesus was "preached among
> the
> Gentiles" refers to the scope of His ministry that He came to save all
> nations, not just the Jews. He was more than the Jewish Messiah, but was
> the
> Savior of the world. Jesus was "believed on in the world" being proven to
> be
> the Redeemer and is believed on and accepted as Savior by those who seek
> after God. He was then "received up into glory when His work was
> finished.
> Today Christ is at the right hand of God, making intercession for those
> who
> by faith are trusting in Him.
>
> There can be no mistake that this verse reveals that Jesus Christ is God
> and
> attests to the fact that Jesus and God are One.
>
> SUMMARY
>
> The verses presented and many others clearly teach that God is One God.
> These passages state that Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are also God.
> Thus the Bible affirms one of the most important doctrines in Scripture
> that
> God is one God existing in a unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
> The full importance of understanding and accepting this truth is found in
> the Epistle of 1 John:
>
> "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are
> of
> God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know
> ye
> the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come
> in
> the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus
> Christ
> is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist,
> whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in
> the
> world." (1 John 4:1-3).
>
> It must be noted that the phrase "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh" is a
> direct reference to His deity and that GOD came to the earth in flesh. All
> men are "born in the flesh," therefore this verse has no significance
> unless
> it is referring to God coming in the flesh. John says those that deny this
> revealed truth of the Trinity are not of God and the denial of this
> doctrine
> comes from the spirit of the antichrist who is directed by Satan.
>
> The biblical doctrine of the Trinity was not invented by man or any
> church.
> Its origin is in the plain and unmistaken statements made throughout the
> Bible. It is revealed truth and a part of salvation. When a person comes
> to
> God he must accept who He is and what is His revealed nature.
>
> "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to
> God
> must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently
> seek him. " (Hebrews 11:6)
>
> How Can We Understand that God is One God Existing in Three Distinct
> Persons?
>
> How can we understand that God can be One God, yet be three distinct
> persons? The answer is really quite simple and easy to understand if we
> accept that the Bible is the very word of God and what we are reading is
> God's revelation to man about Himself. Thiessen states, "His (God) being
> is
> simple; man's is compound, having both a material and an immaterial part.
> But God is spirit and is not susceptible of such division."[11]
>
> Is it reasonable for us to demand that we understand perfectly everything
> about our Magnificent and Almighty God? Do we understand fully everything
> we
> believe and know to be true? Do we fully understand our own selves or
> most
> of the things in the world in which we live? How can we expect fully to
> understand the eternal, wholly spiritual, Almighty God?
>
> The answer is "No." Man knows very little about the world in which he
> exists. 2 Timothy 2:23 rightly warns us to avoid foolish and unlearned
> questions.[12] A foolish question is one that is used to attempt to
> overthrow a plain Bible teaching, such as questions about the Trinity, or
> the resurrection, or the incarnation of Christ, or the condition of man
> after death.
>
> The false teacher asks foolish questions, which causes people to doubt the
> Word of God. The true teacher encourages people to believe the Word of God
> despite whether its teachings seem perfectly reasonable to human
> understanding or not.[13] The problem is not with what the Bible reveals,
> but with man's unwillingness to accept and understand what God has stated
> as
> fact.
>
> The following illustration is not a perfect example, but helps illustrate
> a
> point. We all believe in gravity but we cannot explain it. Our inability
> to
> explain or even understand what gravity is does not mean there is no
> gravity. It exists and we can see what it does. We cannot see it or
> touch
> it or in any way explain what it is. Gravity is the most important force
> in
> the universe and affects everything in it. The physicist tells us even the
> smallest particle of subatomic matter is held in place by the force of
> gravity, yet no one knows what gravity is or what makes it work.
>
> Wouldn't it be reasonable and logical to accept, that although we do not
> understand with human reasoning how it is possible, that God is three
> Persons and One God? If we deny the possibility of the Trinity then we
> must also declare that we are omniscient, which means our knowledge is
> infinite and absolute. Do we know everything there is to know about
> everything? Do we even know everything about our physical world? How
> then
> can we honestly proclaim we know everything in the realm of the spiritual
> world where God exists? We are in essence a spiritual being, but
> physical.
> When we consider, as this paper shows, that the Bible, that is God's own
> word on the matter, plainly establishes Trinity, how can we set ourselves
> up
> as judges of God's word and declare that God is not a Trinity with your
> limited knowledge of the universe? How can any man set himself up as an
> authority on something he cannot explain? Is it logical to say because I
> cannot explain or understand the Trinity in physical terms that it does
> not
> exists? The answer is obvious.
>
> Do we deny the existence of gravity, atoms, electrons, protons, and the
> atomic particles of the Universe because we do not know how they exist or
> can explain them? We accept it by faith because scientists, who we trust,
> tell us they exist and we accept their statements. They reveal to us the
> existence of atomic and subatomic particles that we cannot see. Do we call
> the scientists, who have knowledge of these things, liars because we
> cannot
> understand or see what they reveal to us? In a similar way we accept the
> truth of the Trinity, although not being able to fully understand it or
> explain it, because God, who certainly knows who He is, has revealed it to
> us in His written word.
>
> It is a fact that those who deny the Trinity also deny the clear teachings
> of God's word. The cults and false religions deny the deity of Jesus
> Christ, and the cardinal doctrines of Bible. The basic flaw in their
> theology is although they proclaim to have God's truth, the in fact deny
> God's
> statements about Himself and truth. Can such as these have any
> credibility
> in having any knowledge of God? If they did not get their knowledge from
> God's word, where could it come from except faulty human reasoning?
>
> Why then is it so hard for some men to accept the biblical
> truth
> of the Trinity? The key to this misunderstanding lays in man's microfying
> our infinite Creator. In other words, making Him finite like us? This
> act demeans and debases our omnipotent and glorious God and brings Him
> down
> to the level of man. God is not man and the immensity of His being is so
> far beyond our finite understanding that we cannot even begin comprehend
> who
> He truly is. However, He has revealed to us through His word the Bible;
> all we need to know about Him and thereby to fully believe and trust in
> Him.[14]
>
> John 3:19 says, "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the
> world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were
> evil." The verse says that "light," referring to God's revealed truth of
> Jesus Christ the Savior, has been given to us by God, but because of his
> sin
> man refuses to accept it.
>
> We must understand that man lives in a material universe and is subject to
> physical limitations of this world and to time and space. However, God
> exists in a spiritual world outside our universe that is not material nor
> subject to time and space. God says He is Spirit (John 4:24), which is
> simply revealed truth from God about Himself. God does not explain what a
> Spirit is because we cannot understand it. There is nothing in our
> material
> world to compare with the spiritual realm of God. But we do know that it
> is
> different from the material universe that we live in, and that God's
> essence
> as spirit is different ours.
>
> In our physical world we can only describe something by using words, terms
> or things that are familiar to us. If I try to tell someone what a house
> is,
> I have the advantage of that person having seen other houses. Therefore,
> even though there are many different kinds of houses, it is understand
> what
> the word "house" is generally referring to. Yet, when we try to describe
> God as a Spirit or the Trinity, we have no such advantage. There is
> nothing
> in our material world with which we can compare a Spirit or the spiritual
> realm wherein God exists.
>
> God exists outside the universe and in a spiritual dimension beyond our
> human ability to perceive. The physical laws of our universe do not
> apply.
> Our world is material, not spiritual, and therefore the concept is foreign
> to us. This is why God does not attempt to explain the Trinity to us in
> His
> word. We cannot understand it because we are material beings and only know
> material things. Yet, the doctrine is true because God has revealed it to
> us
> as fact in His word. The Bible teaches that God is one God existing in
> three
> distinct persons; God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Those who
> believe and trust God believe this doctrine because it is revealed truth
> from God, who cannot lie.
>
> The Bible also reveals that God is eternal, yet some of the same people
> who
> deny the Trinity, will accept that God is eternal and infinite. Yet, the
> idea that God is an eternal God is just as foreign to our understanding as
> the Trinity. In our world nothing is eternal and everything has a
> beginning
> and will have an end, but not so with God, who is not subject to time and
> exists in a realm in which there is no time. Psalm 90:2, states, "Before
> the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and
> the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." The term
> "everlasting to everlasting" means that God is infinite in time, having no
> beginning or end. This is another revealed truth that we cannot
> comprehend.
> Man, is as a material being, is limited by time and space. Being limited
> by
> time, we cannot conceive of an infinite God that exists outside time.
> This
> universe, including you and me, had a physical beginning and we will have
> a
> physical end. Yet, says He is eternal, having no beginning or ending.
> God reveals Himself in His word saying "I am Alpha and Omega, the
> beginning
> and the end, the first and the last" (Rev. 22:13).
>
> Many who deny the doctrine of the Trinity also deny other clear teachings
> of
> the Bible such as the deity of Jesus Christ, salvation by grace apart from
> works, the miracles, the prophecies, and a host of other cardinal
> doctrines
> God has revealed to us. These truths are the supernatural works of God.
> Man
> is not able mentally to perceive of God's unity, spirituality,
> independence,
> immutability, eternity and immensity. Drawing from man's limited material
> existence and prejudice, those that deny these carnal doctrines conclude
> that these things are impossible in a material world and therefore
> illogically proclaim they do not exist. Humanly speaking, the supernatural
> acts of God are impossible for mortals in a material universe to
> understand.
>
> What so many fail to understand is that God is a supernatural Being. He is
> not limited to the restrictions of a material universe. God is Spirit and
> thus a supernatural Being that exists outside the universe. He, from the
> realm of His spiritual dimension called Heaven, drawing from His infinite
> power, created our material universe "exhilo," which means out of nothing.
> Being supernatural, which means being beyond material limitations, God,
> simply spoke the universe into being. That, too, is a reality we cannot
> comprehend. In our material world it is impossible to create something
> out
> of absolutely nothing. Yet, with God all things are possible.[15]
>
> No one can mistake that the Bible is a supernatural Book which reveals the
> supernatural works of God in creating and working with man through the
> ages.
> The Bible presents mankind with God's ultimate and supernatural plan; that
> man, by simple faith in Jesus Christ the Savior, can have forgiveness for
> sins from his Creator, receive eternal life, and receive the spiritual
> nature of God. Those who believe and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior
> become a part of Heaven.
>
> True Christians should not be frustrated because the world does not
> understand the clear teachings of the Bible. It is the ministry of God,
> the
> Holy Spirit, to reveal truth, but one cannot understand spiritual things
> until they are spiritually reborn. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of
> God. (See Prov. 9:10) That means accepting that He is who He is and
> humbling
> oneself to before Him as one's maker.
>
> The unbeliever, by his unbelief, rejects God and does not submit himself
> to
> God. He cannot understand the things of God because he does not have the
> capacity to do so. He has not truly accepted God and he is bound to his
> earthly and carnal understanding because he has not received the new
> nature
> of God and thereby has not become a "new man" in Christ Jesus. (See Eph.
> 4:24, Col. 3:10)
>
> God explains this in 1 Corinthians 2:14, "But the natural man receiveth
> not
> the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him:
> neither
> can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."
>
>
>
> _________________
> Conclusion
>
> The carnal man has a false idea of God because he tries to liken God to
> being like himself and his material world. This limits one from
> understanding the reality of who God is. Further, man, instead of
> believing
> in our infinite Creator, invents degraded gods that are like himself.
>
> "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are
> clearly
> seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power
> and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew
> God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain
> in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing
> themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the
> uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to
> birds,
> and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things." (Romans 1:20-23)
>
> The mark of cults or false religions is that they all have gods who are
> made
> in man's image and are limited in power and existence to material
> limitations. (Also see Isa. 44:9-18)
>
> That is what Romans 1:21-23 says: "Because that, when they knew God, they
> glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their
> imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves
> to
> be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God
> into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted
> beasts, and creeping things." (Underline added)
>
> The false gods that men invent are always patterned after man himself or
> things he sees in nature. Some false religions go as far as to teach that
> God was a man or that men can become gods. In other words, they deify
> man.
> Deify means to make something a god and worship it. God says He created
> man
> . . . and it is foolishness to suggest that man created God. Yet, this is
> plainly what is done when Almighty God is said to be a man or that a
> finite
> man could become God. The perfect example of this absurd idea in found in
> Mormonism. How could a man, born into the universe that existed before he
> did, be the creator of himself and the universe? God, as Genesis 1 and 2
> states, created all things. Man was created on the sixth day of the
> Creation week and was very last act of creation. It was God who created
> man.
>
> Most of mankind has no real idea of who God really is. The gods of
> unbelieving men are small and do not take into account the immensity of
> Almighty God as He is presented in the Bible. J.B. Phillips wrote a book
> in 1952 called, "Your God Is Too Small." He exposed the misconceptions
> that many have about God, in that their understanding of God superimposed
> upon Him human characteristics.[16] In His greatness and power the Bible
> says He spoke the universe into existence. God affirms this truth
> saying,
> "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of
> God,
> so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. "
> (Hebrews 11:3)
>
> Believing that God is a man or any material being shows one does not
> comprehend the true omnipotent (all powerful), omnipresent (present
> everywhere), omniscient (knows all things) nature of our sovereign God and
> Creator, nor does he bow in humility to his Creator. Like Satan, the lost
> man seeks to elevate himself to God's level and above. A man in denying
> the truth of the Trinity sets himself as God's judge and foolishly
> declares
> God cannot be what He says He is.
>
> Therefore, many men miss the truth and reality of God's essence because
> they
> ignorantly try to perceive Him as being as a physical being, as are they.
> God has revealed Himself to all men in His word, the Bible, and it would
> behoove all men to believe what their Creator has said about Himself. Paul
> stated God's mandate when addressing the unbelieving Athenians as recorded
> in Acts 17:30 "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now
> commandeth all men every where to repent."
>
> The Psalmist declared the unlimited greatest of God "By the word of the
> LORD
> were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his
> mouth.
> He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the
> depth in storehouses." (Psalms 33:6-7)
>
> A person must understand the immensity of God and His power. Seeking to
> comprehend God one must take into account that he is not trying to
> understand that which is physical or material, but supernatural and beyond
> man's ability to comprehend. Not being able to comprehend God we must
> simply take Him at His word as to who He is.
>
> John said, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether
> they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
> Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus
> Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth
> not
> that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that
> spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even
> now already is it in the world" (1 John 4:1-3 ).
>
> The Bible without question affirms the plurality of God and the only way
> to
> understand God's plurality is to accept that God the Father, Son, and Holy
> Spirit are One God which establishes the Trinity. John's statement makes
> it
> absolutely vital that a person fully believe in the Trinity, which means
> to
> accept who and what God really truly is. To believe anything else is to
> believe in a false god that does not exist.
>
> Because all men are lost in sin, only our supernatural Creator can save
> this
> lost and dying world. Only by fully believing in our Creator and God's
> promise of salvation can one be saved and receive forgiveness of sins and
> eternal life. The truth of the Trinity is unconditionally tied to
> accepting
> Him as He is.
>
> (December 2001, September 2005, February, 2012, August 2013, January 2014)
>
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> [1] 1 John 5:7 says, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the
> Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Some Bible
> critics have stated that this passage is not authentic because it is not
> found in some older manuscripts. This verse is found in mss, 61, 88mg,
> 629,
> 634mg, 636mg, omega 110, 429mg, 221, and 2318) along with two lectionaries
> (60, 173) and four fathers, Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine, and Jerome
> mention it. However, the biblical doctrine of the Trinity does not rest on
> one verse of Scripture, but is found throughout the Old and New
> Testaments.
> This verse accurately states the doctrine of the Trinity that God is One
> God
> in three Persons.
>
> [2] The word "scripture" graphe is found fifty-three times in the Bible.
>
> [3] Arianism is the heretical teaching of Arius ( AD 250-336), a
> Christian
> presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, that Jesus did not always exist, but was
> created by God the Father.
>
> [4] This is the teaching of "monotheism" which means "one God."
>
> [5] R. Laird Harris; Gleason L. Archer; Jr; Bruce K Waltke, Theological
> Wordbook of the Old Testament, Chicago:Moody Press, 1980, p30.
>
> [6] Henry Clarence Thiessen, Introductory Lectures in Systematic Theology,
> Eerdmans:Grand Rapids, 1949, p134.
>
> [7] Renald E. Showers, Israel My Glory, God is Triune, Friends of Israel,
> January/February 2002, p37.
>
> [8] The name "Elohim" the Bible calls God occurs only in Hebrew and in no
> other Semitic language.
>
> [9] "Thou shalt have no other gods before me(insert period)" (Exodus 20:3)
>
> [10] . John F. Walvoord, Matthew Thy Kingdom Come, Chicago:Moody Press,
> 1974, p20
>
> [11] Thiessen, p134.
>
> [12] "But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do
> gender
> strifes." (2 Timothy 2:23)
>
> [13] David Cloud, Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible and Christianity,
> Computer Version 4.0, 2000. "Trinity."
>
> [14] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher
> than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:9)
>
> [15] "But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is
> impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mostafa" <mostafa.almahdy at gmail.com>
> To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
> Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2014 1:51 AM
> Subject: [Faith-talk] Can you explain the Trinity?
>
>
>>
>> Dear all, peace be with you.
>>
>>
>> When Christian Apologists attempt to explain the Trinitarian mystery,
>> they
>> ordinarily endup confessing ancient heresies.
>>
>>
>> God has constantly been likened to apples and eggs.
>>
>>
>> Christian Apologists tend to equate its mystery to physical objects.
>>
>>
>> They aim to somehow clarify its vagueness.
>>
>>
>> Does the Trinity make any sense?
>>
>>
>> Does it stand up for scrutiny, or it conveniently crumbles under critical
>> examinations.
>>
>>
>> Well at its inception, let us be really fair in defining what the Trinity
>> is.
>>
>>
>> It is not three Gods as some people like to describe it in their unjust
>> strives to criticize the Christian faith.
>>
>>
>> So what is it then?
>>
>>
>> The Trinity is the belief in the Union of the Father, the Son, and the
>> Holy Spirit in a one godhead.
>>
>>
>> Although the term technically refers to the Judeo-Christian God, but we
>> will find that Orthodox Jews are explicitly declining the Trinitarian
>> conception.
>>
>>
>> In spite of their political controversy, but we will find that Muslims
>> and Jews have mutually apportioned their incredulity to the Trinity.
>>
>> Is the Trinity mentioned in the Old Testament?
>>
>> Is the word Trinity found in the New Testament?
>>
>> Had Abraham been ever informed about the Trinity?
>>
>> Had Moses been commanded to adhere the Trinity?
>>
>> Did he even auspicate for its forth coming?
>>
>> Christian Apologists have numerous methods to illustrate and justify the
>> Trinitarian doctronal tennet from their perspective but, I doubt they
>> will
>> ever be adequate to convey its concept to others.
>>
>> It will everlastingly remain undecipherable, and Christians are utterly
>> accountable for their crucial insistence to verbalize this blasphemy.
>>
>> Every Sunday, Christians gather in congregations worldwide to
>> deliberately
>> desecrate the divine being.
>>
>> I thank Allah for the grace of Islam, and enough of it as a bounty and
>> amplitude.
>>
>> All redemptions and atonements are merely belong to Allah glory be
>> to
>> Him.
>>
>> I have Christian friends who ask me to pray for them, but I am afraid, I
>> never asked a Trinitarian for prayers.
>>
>> I am really sorry, but I cannot flatter on that regard.
>>
>> It is approximately the time to pray the noon prayer here in Cairo.
>>
>> I have to prepare myself.
>>
>> With all deference to the difference.
>>
>> Peace be with you.
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>> Faith-talk:
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>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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