The only "irrational and convoluted" understanding here about the nature of God is coming from the barely two hundred year old man made religion called Mormonism. Christianity understands what Almighty God revealed about His nature through the Bible. It's all throughout God's word and it takes evil intent to consciously pervert what He said.
You wrote a whole page of logical gymnastics to try to explain away the term "perfected" when it's applied to Jesus. You can't just give a straight clear simple answer because you don't know it or can't because of the implications.
Actually, it was a clear and straightforward answer that included Holy Scripture. I know it and, if you don't, you alone can figure out the implications for why you can't or won't. There IS a difference between "perfected" and "sinless". Jesus did not need to work at being sinless, he was God in the flesh, he cannot sin and it is why he came to earth as a man so that he could give his life as a ransom for many. He was the spotless, unblemished Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. He didn't die for his own sins - because he had none - but for all those who receive Him as Savior.
1. God the Father has a body of flesh and bone.
Nowhere in the Bible can you point to that says this. In fact, in Rom. 1:20: "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." God's spirit nature has always existed. He was not created, the Father NEVER had a flesh and bone body. Only the Son of God did when he came to earth as a human baby, conceived by the Holy Spirit into the womb of a virgin - just as ancient Scripture said he would. To say God the Father had a human body is to imply he was created - that He did not always exist as He said - you make Him to be a liar. God is not a man, that he should lie (Numbers 23:19).
2. Jesus is His only begotten Son and also has a body of flesh and bone.
Now He does. But prior to his incarnation, he didn't. He was one with the Father from eternity, before all time and without Him was NOTHING created that was created.
3. The Holy Ghost is a spirit. This constitutes the God Head.
Yes, we agree on this part.
1. Jesus was born as all men are born, through a human mortal mother.
Yes, with the exception that he had NO human father. Mary was a VIRGIN when she conceived. Jesus is both God and man, two parts of his one nature. Each of the persons of the Godhead is distinct, yet they are all each, by nature, God. One God in three persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
2. Jesus had to learn and grow as all people do.
He "learned" by experiencing and his human body grew into a man from a tiny baby.
3. Jesus experienced trials and temptations just like men so that He would be able to understand what all men experience.
Yes, For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:15-16)
4. Jesus had to obey all the laws of His Father just like all men are commanded to do.
Jesus was sinless from all eternity, having a human nature did not remove that part of his attributes. The difference between us and Jesus is that we cannot be sinless, we have all sinned and fall short of God's perfection (Rom. 3:23). For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. (Romans 8:3) We can NEVER be good enough to save ourselves, which is why Jesus came. He did not need to "work out his own salvation" as you claimed, he came specifically for our salvation and had he not come, we would all be damned for eternity.
5. Jesus lead a sinless "perfect" life.
Yes, he did because he was GOD. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (II Cor. 5:21) For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17)
6. Jesus was "perfected", meaning completely perfect, when He was resurrected and took up His glorified body.
Jesus' earthly ministry was finished, completed, perfected, but he was ALWAYS God and therefore sinless. We sin because we are sinners. Jesus never sinned because he IS God. Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30)
Do you think the Prophets spoken of in Rev 11 are going to be quoting "The Gill's Exposition of the Bible"? If you reject these two prophets as prophets will you still be allowed into heaven?
I'll excuse your petty dig at Gill's - a resource that contains far more Biblical understanding than what you have been dishing out. The two witnesses during the Tribulation will not be speaking to me - though I already believe what they will say - as I will already have been taken up in the Rapture. They will, however, be speaking to people such as yourself who reject the Gospel of the grace of God through Jesus Christ. I hope you won't continue to reject their message as you won't get another chance to change your mind and it will not be a time that true believers will find it easy to be faithful. Come out of false religion while you can. Please don't put it off.
Hey!
Give 'em a BREAK!!
I don't think we can ever transcend Joseph Smith or consider him to be a valued personality, but now we'll move on.I don't think you'll see that among believers in the faith, because there are too many other things that came from himthat are the reasons why we do what we do and we are what we are. That there are unanswered questions, to be sure.That there are things that I'm as anxious as the next guy to learn more detail on, I really want to know. But in the interim,it really doesn't, doesn't trouble me.We're in the religion-making business, as you intimated earlier, only for a short time, I mean, compared to theChristian church, which has been at this for a couple of millennia. We're about halfway to Nicaea.And so, and so in that sense — I remember a very tender moment. I was speaking with — I've been invitedto the Salt Lake Theological Seminary, basically an Evangelical seminary, to discuss a book I had done on Jesus.And they had read it, and they wanted me to come and just respond to questions.And it was, it was a very enjoyable couple of hours.The very last question that was asked by one of my friends there was this one.He said, 'Bob, what can we do for you?'And I, I wasn't ready for that question. I said, 'What do you mean?'He said, 'What can we, as Evangelicals, do for our Mormon friends?'And I, I guess my mind could have gone a hundred different ways, but what I came back with was this.I said, 'Boy, I appreciate you asking that. I don't think I've ever been asked that.'But, but I said, 'Try this. Cut us a little slack, will you? Give us a little time.We're in the religion-making business, and this takes time. It takes centuries.And, and trying to explain the faith and articulate the faith, that doesn't come over night.We've really only been about that for 20 or 30 years.'