Posted on 05/16/2020 6:52:25 PM PDT by Magnatron
A whole presidential campaign of being demonized by the Democrats 24/7 taught this arse absolutely nothing.
Please excuse my posting the reply out in the open; but you have a very good question that needs to be seen.
So; here is my reply.....
The question: Is Jesus; a separate god, or part of a trinity?
Let me lay down a few verses from the bible that mention 'GOD' and 'Jesus' in them....
1 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,
2 Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
ESV 6 Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This phrase - “he emptied himself.” What does that mean?
Colossians 2:9. He said, “For in him” — in Christ — “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”
John said that the Jews recognized that Jesus was making himself equal with God.
John 17:5. Jesus says, “Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”
So on the one hand, the incarnate Christ in the gospel of John has a divine nature, he’s fully God.
On the other hand, there were aspects of his glory which he had laid aside.
That’s why he’s praying, “Father, restore to me the glory I had with you before the foundation of the world.”
John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Luke 2:52, “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man” —
Jesus was, in his human nature, fully man.
Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:5, “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man” — the human — “Christ Jesus.”
My take away from these are that Jesus was divine in Heaven BEFORE being found on earth in a fleshly body; and was AFTER He ascend back again. He took upon Himself the limitations of a human, fleshly man to be born among us.
Now NONE of the above verses speak to my Trinity belief or your 3 Gods belief. (I'll get in trouble now!! ;^)
I think where we Christians get our 'trinity' from is found in the statements of the Jews earlier:
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Which is reinforced by Jesus' own words:
Mark 12:28-31
28 And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment.
31 And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
But; how do we reconcile this ONE god thing with other verses that indicate that Jesus and the Holy Spirit have GOD-like powers as well?
Didn't Genesis say, "Let US create man in OUR image? Surely there are TWO gods here; right?
Shouldn't the Jews have had a belief that there were at LEAST two gods?
Didn't the Jews try to STONE Jesus for saying He was GOD??
31 Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
Logically; it would seem to me that if this 'ONE GOD' that the Jews claim to worship is truly one entity; then the Father; the Holy Ghost and Jesus have to be parts of it.
Sure; verses can be shown where Jesus prays to the Father; says that there are things that only the Father knows; but remember, all of these were done while Jesus had a human fleshly body to reside in.
Bottom line:
John 10:30 "I and the Father are One."
My formatting wasn't all that great after all!!
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