Posted on 11/29/2012 2:55:12 PM PST by DaveMSmith
Everything in the Old Testament history leads up to the crossing of the Jordan, and yet the way the story is told in Joshua 3 and 4 has major inconsistencies and problems. Is there another way to read it?
Can the Bible be taken literally?
I feel your empathy.
I've asked a lot, but have gotten no answer other than, "Well! If you can't see it; then you're just dumb!"
(Or something quite similar.)
WE HAVE PEACE because 'IT IS FINISHED'! And that brings JOY.
Ah...
The Last Supper
the ANNUAL meal of rememberence for the JEWS to remind them once again of the saving power of their GOD.
John said, “Behold; the Lamb of GOD; who takes away the sin of the world.”
How on EARTH did a yearly meal get twisted into a nibble of a wafer and a sip of wine, every time you darken the doors of a church?
Jas 5:11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
I wouldn't put too much stock in all this God is Love talk which is very new teaching. While God is Love, this statement deliberately ignores the fact that WE are NOT love; which God rightfully finds offensive simply because He is Love. He cannot deny Himself. We are enemies of God unless He helps us overcome this nature. And, without His rod and staff to constantly guide us, we will go against everything that He stands for. That is our nature. And it's a very bad idea to think otherwise.
Your presence is missed CB. I hope everything is going well with your new ventures. God bless you!
I do understand freedom. It's not being enslaved to having to jump through hoops to be saved, to earn God's pardon or mercy or grace.
It's not having to be baptized, go to First communion, go to mass every Sunday without fail being threatened with being told that it's a mortal sin if I don't, it's not having to go to confession and tell a priest all the things wrong I did to make me eligible to take communion, it's not having to make my confirmation, it's not having to offer up prayers for the dead, being told what to think, what to believe, whom to associate with, doing the the stations of the cross, doing the rosary, doing penance, doing whatever the RCC hierarchy decides is the work d'jour to get merit points with God, doing, doing, doing......
Anyone who calls that freedom is far more deceived than they realize.
Oh wait a minute, that servitude to the Catholic church = freedom, is one of those *mysteries* Catholics like to opine about.
If it works for you, have at it. It just isn't going to contribute one iota to your salvation.
Salvation is about forgiveness and mercy and grace and where there is forgiveness, there is no more penalty for sin. It's about being clothed in the righteousness of Christ.
It's about trusting Him that He will do what He says He will do because *It is finished*.
The FACTS, as shown, are that Rome and the Council of Hippo were not infallible either, and thus some debate was allowed and continued until Trent finally caused it to cease.
When RCs cannot admit this it only decreases their credibility more and typically forces them to resort to ad hominem attacks.
Praise God for what edifies and for the encouragement. But if it is summer where you are then you are not where I am!
By grace through faith in Christ, not by works.....
And the verse does NOT specify what kind of works. It just says *works* so all attempts by man would qualify.
A Christian is clothed in the righteousness of Chris. HIS good works are imputed to us, credited to our account, so when God looks at us, He sees the righteousness of Christ covering us.
Our thinking that we can add anything to that is like a three year old taking a box of crayons and coloring on the Mona Lisa, thinking he’s making it better.
We get to heaven through Christ and HIS righteousness, not any other way.
The problem that Catholics have with that verse is that is it one stand alone verse that if taken as Catholic theologians demand, contradicts entire passages of Scripture. So who is right? One verse or the weight of the rest of Scripture?
Jesus said the work of God is to BELIEVE on Him(self).
No, I do not think works are to be avoided. God prepared good works for me to do to walk in them, but not to be saved.
So far as councils, I see it as design by committee. As stated elsewhere, they are called in a crisis situation and mostly produced compromised language for creeds.
My question is for those who reject religion - why is the Trinity of persons held as gospel? The Apostles did not understand it that way.
The judgment of believers which 1 Cor. 3 describes only takes place at His return, (1Cor. 4:5; 2Tim. 4:1,8; Rev.11:18; Mt. 25:21-23; 1Pt. 1:7; 5:4) versus purgatory, which has souls suffering upon death. This fact alone disallows 1 Cor. 3 from referring to purgatory.
Nowhere does Scripture tell of believers being in a place of suffering for an time commencing at death, but while the tormented postmortem state of the lost is clear, in accordance with accountability, and relevant to grace given, (Lk. 10:12-14; 12:48; Rv. 20:11-15) the only clear references to the postmortem place the elect souls refer to them being with the Lord. Not only would the penitent criminal go to "paradise" (Lk. 23:43; cf. 2Cor. 12:4; Rv. 2:7) as well as Paul and be with the Lord upon their passing, (Phil 1:23; 2Cor. 5:8: “we”) but so would every resurrected/raptured Corinthian (1Cor. 15:51ff) or Thessalonian, “to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1Thess. 4:17) even though the former in particular were in need of greater purification, (2Cor. 7:1) though not all were believers. (2Cor. 13:5)
Expressed more fully, The apostle Paul, while he told the Philippians that was he not “already perfect,” (Phil. 3:12) was yet torn by two desires, “to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better ,or to abide in the flesh to minister to the saints. (Phil. 1:23,24) Likewise he stated to the Corinthians, "We [plural] are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." (2 Corinthians 5:8) In addition, the Thessalonians, which were still undergoing growth in grace toward perfection, were assured that if the Lord returned, which they expected in their lifetime, so would they “ever be with the Lord.” (1Thes. 4:17) And while the Corinthian believers were certainly not fully mature, yet the apostle taught that at the Lord's return then that is when they would be like the Lord, (1Cor. 15:49-57) at which appearance is when believers will fully be made perfect. (1Jn. 3:2) To which is added the contrite confessing criminal on the cross who went to be with the Lord upon his physical death, (Lk. 23:43; cf. 2Cor. 12:4; Rv. 2:7) as did Stephen. (Acts 7:59) And we may be certain that the contrite confessing criminal had not yet attained moral perfection, which is one reason given for purgatory, the other being the need to atone for sins which the believer was not sufficiently chastised for in this life in compensating for them, and thus Rome teaches that such must atone for “in the life beyond through fire and torments or purifying' punishments.” (Indulgentiarum Doctrina; cp. 1. 1967) In addition, Paul describes the passing from this life as being “clothed upon with our house which is from heaven,” to be with the Lord, which is something to earnestly be desired, and is in contrast to our groaning on earth. (2Cor. 5:1-4) Furthermore, Scripture only reveals growth in grace and overcoming as being realized in this world, with its temptations and trials, (1 Peter 1:6-7; 1Jn.2:14; 5:4,5; Rv. 2.7,11,17,26; 3:5,12,21) where alternatives to submitting to God can be made (suffering itself does not make one mature) and thus it was here that the Lord Himself was made “perfect,” (Heb. 2:10) as in being “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Heb. 4:15) Thus what Scripture teaches is that it is on earth that testing and overcoming takes place, and that the elect go to be with the Lord upon death, or at His return, whichever comes first, and then they are judged as to the manner of works, reflecting their faith, and rewarded or suffer loss of rewards. Excerpt from http://peacebyjesus.tripod.com/1cor._3.html#Purgatory
Thanks daniel....
What is often missed in this charge, which is responded to here: http://contra-gentes.blogspot.com/2008/04/doctrinal-chaos-argument-one-of.html, which i think you have posted before) is that you cannot compare a particular church body with a Protestantism which contains many. On that level one would have to argue the Rome’s unity is superior to that of any single denomination, and is one in which a cult would win.
Instead, a more valid comparison is between types of churches, that of those in which Scripture as the fully inspired Word of God is supreme, versus where the church is effectively supreme. In this case Rome is one denomination among many, and includes cults such as the LDS and the WTS.
In addition is the type of unity, that which is based on required implicit assent to an autocratic self proclaimed infallible entity, versus that which requires being persuaded by Scriptural substantiation, and which is superior in quality if not in quantity.
More thoughts: http://peacebyjesus.tripod.com/rc-stats_vs._evang.html#Commentary
The Church does not teach that Salvation is obtained through works. We are saved by grace through faith but Salvation cannot be obtained apart from works. Good works are the only authentic evidence of faith. If you are not compelled to perform works of mercy you do not have faith. As I have said many times in this forum, if the Fruit of the Holy Spirit is not present in your life neither is the Holy Spirit. Faith without works is dead. Have a blessed Advent.
Peace be with you.
You're "surprised" we haven't dug deeper? You and I have had this discussion several times over the years and you have been shown that all these "rich" typologies and their supposed "importance" is not at all either. Saying there are "similarities" and that the verse is directly quoted are two different things. With rare exception, every one of those cross references given can be shown in the inspired books of the Old Testament. For a few, even, the supposed comparison is completely bogus so I think it casts all of them in a dim light as attempts to trick people into thinking that Jesus and the Apostles/writers of the New Testament were citing these books as from Almighty God. Here are a few examples a quick search revealed:
Rev. 17:14 - description of God as King of kings follows 2 Macc. 13:4.
2 Macc. 13:4 says: "But the King of kings stirred up the mind of Antiochus against the sinner, and upon Lysias suggesting that he was the cause of all the evils, he commanded (as the custom is with them) that he should be apprehended and put to death in the same place.
The title King of Kings is NOT taken from Maccabees, but was of Nebuchadnezzar and first used in Daniel 2:37 and Ezekial 26:7 "Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.". The title is also used of Artaxerxes in Ezra 7:12, "Artaxerxes king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time." We find that in the New Testament, the name is applied to who is the TRUE King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ: "Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." (I Timothy 6:15,16) as well as the verses in Revelation 17:14 and 19:16. The title, Lord of Lords, is of course, applied to Almighty God in Deuteronomy 10:17, "For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward" and Psalm 136:3, "O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever."
Rev. 19:1 - the cry “Hallelujah” at the coming of the new Jerusalem follows Tobit 13:18.
Except Tobit 13:18 doesn't say that, "Blessed are all they that love thee, and that rejoice in thy peace." In verse 22, though, we find the word alleluia, "All its streets shall be paved with white and clean stones: and Alleluia shall be sung in its streets.". In Revelation 21:21, however, we learn that the streets of the New Jerusalem are NOT paved with "white and clean stones" like Tobit says, but, "And the twelve gates were twelve pearls: every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass."
I'm not going to spend all night cross checking every one of these. The fact that there are multiple errors in these "Apocryphal" books proves that they could NOT be from the "breath" of God (inspired) because He doesn't make mistakes or contradict Himself. For a list of all the references in the New Testament that are found in the Old Testament, the following link is a good one http://www.bible.ca/b-canon-old-testament-quoted-by-jesus-and-apostles.htm. For those interested in learning about the errors in these Apocryphal books, this is also a good source http://www.jashow.org/Articles/apologetics/AP0704W2.htm.
I'm not giving this response to be cantankerous or to be hurtful, I just don't like it when the Word of God is questioned and its inerrant and supernatural origin is confused with extraneous works that do not have the qualities believers can rely upon. As many of the early church fathers attested, some of these books can be interesting, helpful and good to read, but they are NOT to be used to develop doctrine upon. That is why we have those books that DO come from God and which were approved of by God in the flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Have a good night.
Our freedom is limited and fallible. We are capable of self deceit and by rejecting God's grace, we easily become slaves to sin. Living in Communion with God and His Church is the most liberating thing I have ever experienced.
Within every human heart is a need for God that cannot be filled by anything else. Most often we try to substitute pleasure, wealth, power and honor and become slaves to these. Only when we have achieved the life of Beatitude are we truly free. Not free to do whatever we want, but free from sin.
Peace be with you
The Bible is rife with adjectives of the Lord God being "compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love", but I think we read that and pass too quickly on the "slow to anger" part. If He's slow to anger, it must mean he DOES get angry, just not as quickly.
Nahum 1:3 says, "The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet."
And in Exodus 20:5, he says, "You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected--even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me."
God IS love, but it is a perfect love. It does not tolerate evil or sin. It was because of the perfect love of God that he gave his only begotten son - God became a man - so that he could make the sacrifice for all sin and redeem mankind back to Himself. His justice and holiness was satisfied and His love enabled His grace to go out to all who would turn to Him in faith. Those who deny Him and reject His unspeakable gift, must face the justice of a holy and righteous God who will punish with an everlasting death - separation from Him for eternity.
Well, from where do you think Christians came up with it? Unlike some dogmas of the church, the triune nature of Almighty God was not something made up or compromised on to please everyone. Though the word "trinity" is not used in the Bible, there is no getting around the fact that the idea is all throughout it and the number THREE comes up when the nature of God is mentioned. From the source http://www.layevangelism.com/qreference/chapter10.htm:
The Three-fold Benediction of Numbers 6:24-26 is similar to Paul’s Benediction of 2 Corinthians 13:14. Paul had to have in mind Numbers 6:22-27 when he gave this benediction. Numbers 6:22-27 "Then Yehovah spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, "Thus you shall bless the sons of Israel. You shall say to them: Yehovah bless you, and keep you; Yehovah make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; Yehovah lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace." So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.’" (Deut 6:22-27)
2 Corinthians 13:14 "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."
Jesus had this in mind when He commanded that we be baptized in the name of the Trinity:
Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. GO THEREFORE and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’"
The Trinity in Scripture:
Isaiah 48:16 "Come near to Me, listen to this: from the first I have not spoken in secret, from the time it took place, I was there, and now Adonai-Yehovah has sent Me and His Spirit." [Indication of the Son and the Holy Spirit being a person & the Trinity] (John 18:20, Jesus said this referred to Him; John 13:19, 14:29)
Matthew 3:16-17 "And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’" (Luke 3:21-22)
Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’"
Luke 3:21-22 "Now it came about when all the people were baptized, that Jesus also was baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.’" (Matt 3:16-17, Isaiah 48:16)
John 1:32-34 "And John gave testimony saying, ‘I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven and He remained upon Him. And I did not know Him, but the one who sent me to baptize in water, that One said to me, ‘On whom you see the Spirit coming down upon and remaining, this is the one baptizing in the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen, and witnessed that this is the Son of God."
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."
John 15:26 "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness of Me."
John 16:13-15 "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said, that He takes of Mine, and will disclose it to you."
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons."
Galatians 4:6 "And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"
Ephesians 2:18 "For through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father."
Ephesians 4:4-6 "There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all."
1 Thessalonians 5:23 "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely." (The Father Sanctifies us)
1 Corinthians 1:30 "But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification, and redemption" (Jesus Sanctifies us)
Hebrews 2:11 "For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren."
Hebrews 10:10 "By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
1 Peter 1:2 "According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood" (The Holy Spirit Sanctifies us)
Genesis 2:7 "Then Yehovah Elohim formed man of dust from the-ground, and breathed into his-nostrils the breath of lives; and man became-a-living soul." (The Father gives life)
John 1:3 "All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being." (Jesus gives life)
John 5:21 "For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes."
John 6:63 "It is the Spirit who creates-life, the flesh profits nothing."
2 Corinthians 3:5-6 "Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit creates-life." (The Holy Spirit gives life)
1 John 1:3 "What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." (We have fellowship with the Father & the Son)
Corinthians 1:9 "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (We have Fellowship with Jesus)
2 Corinthians 13:14 "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." (We have Fellowship with the Holy Spirit)
Psalm 90:2 "Before the mountains were born, or You did give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are El." (The Father is from eternity)
Micah 5:2 "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity." (Jesus is from eternity)
John 8:58 "Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born I AM.’"
Hebrews 9:14 "How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (The Holy Spirit is from eternity)
Luke 22:42 "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Your’s be done." (The Father & the Son have a will)
1 Corinthians 12:11 "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills." (The Holy Spirit has a will)
Matthew 3:17 "And behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’" (The Father speaks)
Luke 5:20 "And seeing their faith, He said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you.’" (Jesus speaks)
Luke 7:48 "And He said to her, ‘Your sins have been forgiven.’"
Acts 8:29 "And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’" (The Holy Spirit speaks)
Acts 11:12 "And the Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings."
Acts 13:2 "And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’"
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (The Father loves us)
Ephesians 5:25 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her." (Jesus loves us)
Romans 15:30 "Now I urge You, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me." (The Holy Spirit loves us)
Ephesians 5:18-20 "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father."
1 Peter 1:2 "According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, that you may obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in fullest measure."
1 John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one."
Jude 20-21 "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."
Hebrews 1:8 "But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God [Elohim, !yhiloa>], is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of Your kingdom.’"
Psalm 45:6 "Your throne, O Elohim, is forever and ever, a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom." (Jesus is Elohim)
2 Timothy 1:2 "Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord." (The Father is God)
Philippians 2:10-11 "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is aAdonai, to the glory of God the Father." (From Isaiah 45:21-23. Jesus is Yehovah)
Isaiah 45:21-23 "Declare and set forth your case; indeed, let them consult together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, Yehovah? And there is no other Elohim besides Me, a righteous El and a Savior; there is none except Me. Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am El, and there is no other. I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance." (Phil 2:10-11, Jesus is Yehovah)
John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God [qeo;" h\\n oJ logo"]. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." (Jesus is God)
John 1:18 "No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." (This means that the appearances of Yehovah God in the O.T. are not the Father, but Jesus-Yehovah, Genesis 18:1, because no one has ever seen the Father)
Genesis 18:1 "Now Yehovah appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day." (Jesus appeared to him, John 1:18)
Acts 5:3-4 "But Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.’" (The Holy Spirit is God)
Moses wrote in Genesis 1:1 "In-the-beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth." The Term Elohim is the general term for "God" in Hebrew. Elohim was also the universal term used for "God" in many of the surrounding cultures of Moses’ time. Elohim, !yhiloa> (Hebrew is read from right to left), is a singular plural noun broken down into two words: lae El and !yhi heem. lae means God and !yhi means these. Together they mean These-are-God," thus indicating the Triune nature of God. This is why when God created man that God says in Genesis 1:26 "Let Us make man in Our-image, according to Our-likeness." Man Himself is a trinity of spirit, soul and body but of one essence, one human being. Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:23,
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit (pneu'ma) and soul (yuchv) and body (sw'ma) be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thess 5:23)
Believe me, there are MANY more verses I could give you. The point is that the Apostles got it that Jesus was God in the flesh - once they came to full faith and the Holy Spirit indwelt them. They knew that the prophecies of the Messiah said he would be "God with us". All throughout the the Gospels and Epistles, the nature of God Almighty was revealed and clarified and, because they had faith, they accepted this truth EVEN though it is humanly impossible to fully comprehend. We have finite minds and God is infinite. I don't understand how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit can be individually and independent yet STILL be ONE God but I have faith that the Bible states this is the case, so I believe it. Jesus told his disciples that he explained earthly things to them and they didn't believe him, how would they believe if he told them heavenly things?
The Bible teaches us that there is only one True God from eternity past who is a Trinity of three individual Persons with independent intellect, emotions and will: the Father & the Son & the Holy Spirit. We do not mean that there are three individual god's who make up one Godhead as is taught in some religions. There is only one God, meaning of one essence, who is a Trinity of three persons. Take any one of these persons away and you no longer have the one and only True God who created the universe and man.
I do hope you will go to the link I gave and at least read what is there. I am completely convinced that Almighty God IS triune/Trinity because HE told us all about it through Jesus' words and throughout the Bible which is from Him to us so that we could know the true God.
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