Only One God
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Only One God. Written b y kudzayi Chikanyera
[email protected] kudzimail@gmail. com
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Introduction
The trinity doctrine as is believed by the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the majority of the Christian community has been a subject of discussion for a long time and will continue to be under discussion until Christ comes. This write up is yet another attempt to try and draw attention to this very important subject. It is important for us to know the God we worship and how we can serve him better.
Though God is past finding out, he has revealed himself through / in his Son. Although God is a mystery, he is not that kind of a mystery we do not know nothing about, but a mystery we do not know everything about. The word mystery is often confused with something puzzling, difficult or hard to understand yet it only means something secret, hidden or not fully revealed. God is not difficult or hard to understand because he has revealed himself to his creation, but he has not fully revealed himself. There is a lot more about him which he has not revealed to mankind. That which God has made known to man about himself is not hard to understand but that which he has not revealed about himself is a mystery and will remain so until he decides to reveal it. To try and understand God more than he has revealed himself is blasphemous and to try and ignore or twist that which he has revealed about himself is also blasphemous. lt is therefore safe to stick only to that which has been revealed, nothing more and nothing less. God is understood only to the extent to which He has revealed Himself.
Chapter 1 Jhn 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” 2
Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Eph 1:17-18 ‘That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened…”
Some of the arguments that have been presented against the Trinity are that: ·
The Seventh Day Adventist Church’s pioneers including Ellen White were not Trinitarian
·
the trinity was formulated at the catholic ecumenical council of Nicaea in AD 325.
·
only after the death of Ellen White was the trinity introduced in the church
The responses to these arguments in favour of the trinity is that ·
The pioneers indeed were not Trinitarian at first but they later changed and became Trinitarian as more light came their way
·
The majority of the 318 priests who attended Nicea where the doctrine was formulated were not corrupt
·
Ellen White wrote some articles in support of the trinity.
The fact that the pioneers rejected the trinity does not in any way prove that it is wrong, and on the other hand the fact that some of the later leaders accepted it is not evidence that it is correct.
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We should discuss the doctrine of God with reverence because this is not just an ordinary topic. We should never with presumption and indifference approach God or dare try to remove the veil with which he uses to cover his glory. God said in Exodus 3:5 to Moses “Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy ground.” Job 11:7 says “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?” Psalm 46:10 says “Be still, and know that I am God." ·
never try to lift the veil with which God uses to covers his glory.
Chapter 2 Trinity Doctrine The doctrine of the trinity is an assumed doctrine, “the old testament does not explicitly teach that God is triune” Seventh Day Adventist Believe pg 29. and to say that the new testament teaches the trinity is dishonesty at its worst.
The doctrine of the trinity is a doctrine that says that God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Each one of them is fully God but/and there is one God. An explanation of the statement above would be that, there is One God… this One God has always, from eternity past to eternity future, existed as a unit of three co-eternal, co-equal, separate and distinct persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although there are three separate
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persons of the Godhead, there is only one God, one God in the sense that the three are one in purpose, aim, nature e.t.c.
“While the Godhead is not one in person, God is one in purpose, mind and character. This oneness does not obliterate the distinct personalities of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. Nor does the separateness of the personalities within the deity destroy the monotheistic thrust of scripture that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God.” Seventh Day Adventist Believe Pg 30 para 5
The doctrine further says that three personalities of the Godhead have a working relationship or an “economy of functions” where ‘The Father seems to act as source, the Son as mediator, and the Spirit as actualizer or applier” Seventh Day Adventist Believe Pg 30 para 6. The equality of the son to God is assumed “his equality assumed” Seventh Day Adventist Believe Pg 51 #6
A good example would be for someone to say that they have one parent, and that one parent is their father and mother, who are one in purpose.
Acts 17:11 the Bereans ”were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
The trinity fails to answer clearly the following questions:
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·
Is God a unity of three persons
·
If the three are each fully God, then do we have three gods
·
If these are functional titles then does it mean that the one who is the Father is not really the Father but just functioning as the Father, the one who is the Son is not really the Son but just functioning as the Son and the one who is the Holy Spirit is not really the Holy Spirit just functioning as the Holy Spirit.
·
Does it mean that the one who is the Father could have been or can be the Son or the Spirit and the one who is the Son could have been or can be the Father or the Spirit
·
lf Jesus is not truly the Son of God but functioning as the son of God, then does it mean that the father is not truly the father of Christ but just functioning as the father and the Spirit is not truly the spirit but functioning as the spirit.
·
if Christ who by the way is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit was appointed to son-ship, then who appointed the Spirit to became the Spirit and who appointed the Father to became the father considering that they are co-equal and coeternal
Chapter 3
What the bible says about the Godhead The bible says that there is only one God, a personal and distinct being, the Father who is the source of everything, immortal, all- knowing, all-powerful and above all. There is Jesus Christ the Son of God through whom and with whom God created everything. God is everywhere present through the Holy Spirit.
God the Father
1 Cor 8:5-6 6
"For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." Eph 4:5-6 "One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." 1 Tim 2:5 "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," Genesis 1 v 1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." We learn in the New Testament that God created through his son Jesus Christ.
I Tim 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, [be] honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. ·
there is only one God who is eternal, immortal and invisible
·
that one God is the Father of all and above all.
·
He is the creator
Deuteronomy 6 v 4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one" Even Jesus himself gave a comment about this verse in Mark 12 v 28-32
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"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him" ·
The first commandment is that there is one God whom we should love.
·
The God of the commandments is one God
James 2:19 "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder."
“let them be thankful to God for his manifold mercies and be kind to one another. They have one God and one Saviour and one Spirit……" 9 Test p 189.
Chapter 4
Jesus Christ
1 Cor 8:5-6 "For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom
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all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." Colossians 1:16-17 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: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. John 1:1 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. Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. John 1:14 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. Isaiah 43:10 Ye [are] my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I [am] he: before me there was no God 9
formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. John 8: 42 "Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." ·
Jesus is Lord
·
Jesus is the only begotten son of God.
·
All things were created through him
·
He has been there from the beginning with the Father
·
Jesus proceeded forth and came from the Father
·
He is equal and one with the Father
Chapter 5
Beggoten
The phrase "only begotten" also means UNIQUE. Jesus is the unique Son of God, in that his son-ship is not like that of the angels or Adam who are sons of God by creation. Jesus is begotten not created. Jesus is also God’s literal Son, begotten of God, not created but begotten.
John 8: 42 "Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me."
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ü John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
ü John 16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
ü John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received [them], and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
The word used for “came out”, “came forth”, “proceeded forth” is exerchomai “to issue (literally or figuratively): - come-(forth, out), depart (out of), escape, get out, go (abroad, away, forth, out, thence), proceed (forth), spread abroad.” Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Thayer’s Greek English explains the word thus “to came forth from physically, arise from, to be born of”
Pro 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: John 1:18 "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."
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Commenting on this thought the SOP says "The Eternal Father, the unchangeabl e one gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bossom. Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind." RH. July 9 1895
"It was a marvel with all heaven, that the Father suffered the son of his bossom to lay aside His glory, and comedown to earth…. To save fallen man" 4 Spiritual Gifts p 119. ·
The Bible does not reveal to man the exact time and how Christ was begotten, but it only reveals that he was begotten of the father. Other texts express the begetting of the son as “proceeded forth”, “formed” while another says “brought forth”
·
If Christ is begotten as the scripture says then does it mean that he has no life in himself or that his life is borrowed and derived from the Father? The answer to this question is found in the following verse
ü John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
ü John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men
ü John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him
Chapter 6
The Son of God 12
What does it mean to be the Son of God?
John 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. John 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
Scripture Ref below puts clearly that Jesus is the Son of God not God the Son. Luk 22:70;
Act 8:37;
1 John 3:8;
John 11:4;
Romans 1:4;
1 John 4;15
John 3:18;
Gal 2:20;
1 John 1:34
John 5:25;
Eph 4:10-13;
1 John 5:10,13,20
Mark 3:11
John 10:36 "Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?" John 5:18 "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Math 26: 63-65
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But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. Math 14:33 “When they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God”
The Jews knew clearly what it meant to be the Son of God. ·
the Son of God is worshipped,
·
is equal with God, (the reason they killed Jesus)
"Our great Exemplar was exalted to be equal with God. He was high commander in heaven. All the holy angels delighted to bow before Him. "And again, when He bringeth in the Firstbegotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him."…… {2 T 426.2}
Heb 1: 1-5 "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; …… Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?" 14
·
Christ INHERITED all things
·
Christ by inheritance obtained a more excellent name
·
That more excellent name is the name of His Father that’s why
Isaiah 9:6 says "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." ·
He inherits his father’s name but not his throne
John 14: 28 "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I"
John 5: 22-23 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the. son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
1 Cor 11:3 'But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."
1Co 15:27
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For he (God) hath put all things under his feet (Christ's feet). But when he (God) saith all things are put under him (Christ), it is manifest that he (God) is excepted, which did put all things under him (Christ). ·
The Son has been made equal with the father yet the Father is greater than the Son.
·
All things were put under Christ's feet by God, but Christ is not above God for God the Father is above all.
For that reason God the father is also the God of his Son Jesus. He is the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Pet 1:3`
John 20:17
Rev 3:12
John 14: 38
Mark 15:34
2 Cor 11:31 "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not."
What about the time when God says to Christ my God?
Heb 1;8-9 "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:………… therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows"
·
God exalts Christ and give him a throne and calls him my God, but in verse 9 he then calls himself "thy God" making himself God of Christ, above his Son.
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The Son-ship of Jesus to God is revealed in SOP.
"The King of the universe summoned the heavenl y hosts before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His Son and show the relation He sustained to all created beings. The Son of God shared the Father's throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both. …… Before the assembled inhabitants of heaven the King declared that none but Christ, the Only Begotten of God, could fully enter into His purposes, and to Him it was committed to execute the mighty counsels of His will. The Son of God had wrought the Father's will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven; and to Him, as well as to God, their homage and allegiance were due.. {PP 36.2}"
“Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled." {DA 834.2}
Zech 6:12-13 …….: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
·
This counsel of peace is the plan of redemption which the father and his son discussed and agreed.
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·
The meeting was between them both (meaning two)
·
The Holy Spirit is not mentioned in the Sop
God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father. All the counsels of God are opened to His Son. Jesus said to the Jews: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. . . . The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth." John 5:17-20.
Here again is brought to view the personality of the Father and the Son, showing the unity that exists between them. This unity is expressed also in the seventeenth chapter of John, in the prayer of Christ for His disciples:…….. The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. They are one in purpose, in mind, in character, but not in person. It is thus that God and Christ are one. {8T 268-9.5}
"Lucifer in heaven, before his rebellion, was a high and exalted angel, next in honor to God's dear Son……..; yet Christ, God's dear Son, had the pre-eminence over all the angelic host. He was one with the Father before the angels were created. Lucifer was envious of Christ, and gradually assumed command which devolved on Christ alone.
The great Creator assembled the heavenly host, that He might in the presence of all the angels confer special honor upon His Son. The Son was seated on the throne with the Father, and the heavenly throng of holy angels was gathered around them. The Father then made known that it was ordained by Himself that Christ, His Son, should be equal with Himself; so that wherever was the presence of His Son, it was as His own presence. The word of the Son was to be obeyed as readily as the word of the Father. His Son He had invested with authority to command the heavenly host. Especially was His Son to work in union with Himself in the 18
anticipated creation of the earth and every living thing that should exist upon the earth. His Son would carry out His will and His purposes but would do nothing of Himself alone. The Father's will would be fulfilled in Him. S.R 13.2}
·
There is only mention of God and Christ
·
Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, he was there?
Christ the eternal, self existent Son of God
“Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection, and the life." In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. "He that hath the Son hath life." The divinity of Christ is the believer's assurance of eternal life.—D.A. p. 530
“Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God.... In speaking of his pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him.--Signs of the Times, Aug. 29, 1900. {Ev 615.2} “He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent. . . . He is the eternal, self-existent Son.-Manuscript 101, 1897. {Ev 615.3}
“While God's Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also speaks decidedly regarding His pre-existence. The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if 19
they accepted Him, were to be blessed. "The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God.—R.H. April 5, 1906.
·
Christ pre-exists all created things because he was begotten before anything was created
·
Christ is self existent and eternal, the life that he have, which flows in him, is that original life (the life that God have). He got it from his father.
·
The life is inherent in him and rightfully his by inheritance (many people are of the mistaken notion that, because Christ is said to be self existent, pre-existant eternal Son of God he therefore is co-eternal with the Father)
Chapter 7
Misunderstood texts about God and Christ
Gen 1 vs. 26 'And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness .....' the image
·
God is a distinct being from His Son; Adam is a distinct being from Eve. They are two who are one in purpose
·
God first, then Christ from the bossom of God, Adam first then Eve from the bossom of Adam
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·
God is the head of Christ, Adam is the head of Eve
·
When God said “let us” he was talking to his Son Jesus
Gen 3 vs. 22 'And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is became as one of us .....' Gen 11 vs. 7 'Go to, let us go down......'
"The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence. He had an associate--a co-worker who could appreciate His purposes, and could share His joy in giving happiness to created beings……..the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. {PP 34.1}"
Mat 3:16-17 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
·
It is the Spirit of God not God the Holy Spirit which descended like a dove,
Chapter 8
The Holy Spirit
The bible does not say God the Spirit, but it says the Spirit of God who is also the Spirit of Christ. It does not teach us to pray to the Holy Spirit but pray to God for the Holy Spirit.
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“It is not essential for us to be able to define just what the Holy Spirit is. Christ tells us that the Spirit is the Comforter, "the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father." It is plainly declared regarding the Holy Spirit that, in His work of guiding men into all truth, "He shall not speak of Himself." John 15:26, 16:13, 52.” (A.A pg 51-52) Gal 4:6 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Rom 8: 9-10 "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his…
·
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God as well as of his Son.
·
God and Christ have / share the same spirit
Isaiah 40:13 'Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him' Rom 11:34 'For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsillor?'
·
According to Paul, having the Spirit is likened to having the mind of the Lord
John 20:22 "And when he had said this, he breathed on [them], and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:"
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"And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: ............... The Holy Spirit is the breath of spiritual life in the soul. The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ. lt imbues the receiver with the attributes of Christ. Only those who are thus taught of God, those who possess the inward working of the Spirit, and in whose life the Christ-life is manifested, are to stand as representative men, to minister in behalf of the church. {DA 805.3}"
·
The Spirit came from within Himself;
·
He breathed on them his mind, His divine nature or spiritual life
·
It is by the Spirit that believers receive the Christ-life
“Shall we not wrestle with God in prayer, asking for the Holy Spirit to come into every heart? “The presence of Christ, manifest among us, would cure the leprosy of unbelief that has made our service so weak and inefficient. We need the breath of the divine life breathed into us.” 8T pg46
John 14:16-18 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you (he presently dwells with you), and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you ·
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the spirit is the one who 1)
presently dwells with them
2)
will be in them ( when He cames at Pentecost)
3)
Jesus will not leave them comfortless but he (that is Jesus) will come back to
them
Chapter 9
The Spirit is a person. "We have been brought together as a school, and we need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds, that the Lord God is our keeper, and helper. He hears every word we utter and knows every thought of the mind." (Ellen G. White, Ms 66, 1899, p. 4. Talk, ·
the quotation above clearly says that there is God (who is a person)
·
there is the Spirit who is also a person but it does not say the spirit is God the spirit
·
in other words, there is God and there is the Spirit.
·
please note that God is mentioned as God who is distinct from the Spirit
·
unfortunately some people have found God the Spirit in the above quote
“The Holy Spirit is a person, for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. When this witness is borne, it carries with it its own evidence. At such times we believe and are sure that we are the children of God. . The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God. 1 Cor 2:11 "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." Manuscript 20, 1906. {Ev 617.1} 24
·
The Holy Spirit is person just as God is a person
·
please note that the Spirit intercedes between God and man
·
There is no co-eternity so far in this quotation.. we will be very unfair to the rules of interpretation if we pick in this passage that the Holy Spirit is God the Spirit.
·
the spirit is therefore the spirit of God NOT God the Spirit
Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man 2 Cor 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day. ·
Spirit of man is not another separate being distinct from and outside of the man; even so with the Spirit of God.
·
The spirit of God goes forth from God into all the world bringing everywhere the presence of God, his mind and his power into close and intimate contact with his creation.
·
However , that does not make the Spirit a separate distinct being from God. The Spirit has personality (the personality of God and Christ) but without the outward form common to a personality.
·
The spirit of man does not live apart from the man, in-fact it is the man himself, the inner man.
·
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It is the mind (the inner man) of the person which knows the things of that person
“The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.-- {Ev 617.2}
“We are to co-operate with the three highest powers in heaven,--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, --and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God.-Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, p. 51. (1905) {Ev 617.3}
·
The quote does not say God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit, but it says the Father, The Son and the Spirit.
“The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. …The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers --the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit--those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.-- Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, pp. 62, 63. (1905) {Ev 615.1}
·
The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead yet the Spirit is in all the fullness of the Godhead
·
the Spirit comes in all the fullness of the Godhead yet Christ is all the fullness
Chapter 10
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How is the spirit a person, the third person?
2 Cor 3: 17 "Now the Lord (that is, the Lord Jesus Christ) is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty." John 4:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (Jesus Himself is the speaker here) John 14:23 "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
"By the Spirit the Father and the son will come and make their abode with you." BEcho, Jan 15 1893 par 8."
·
The Lord Jesus is that spirit
·
God and Christ will abide in us through the spirit or in spirit
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When the spirit came (on the day of Pentecost), it was Christ himself who came but this time in Spirit form.
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The Spirit is the personal and abiding presence of God and his Son
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The Spirit is the person of Christ and God in spirit.
Ps 139:7 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? ·
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David likened the Spirit with the presence of God
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David realised that he could not go away from the Spirit of God, infact he could not go away from God whose presence is with him through the Spirit
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the spirit therefore is the person of God or God present in spirit
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Christians pray everyday asking for God to be with them in their lives, asking God to walk, talk and live with them all the days of their lives...
Question ·
The question to ask is this “how is God able to be with you here on earth when he is in heaven sitting on his throne?
·
How is God omnipresent?
Answer ·
God is everywhere present through his Spirit
·
infact where the spirit of God is, God is himself personally present there
"After His ascension He (Jesus) was to be absent in person; but through the Comforter He (Jesus) would still be with them, and they were not to spend their time in mourning. …but by faith they were to look to the sanctuary above, where Jesus was ministering for them; they were to open their hearts to the Holy Spirit, His representative, and to rejoice in the light of His (Christ’s) presence." DA 277 “Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is (Christ) Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He (Christ) would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent. "... {14MR 23.3}
·
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Christ was not omnipresent when in the flesh but by his Spirit He is the Omnipresent
·
the Holy Spirit is the person of Christ and the personality of the Holy Spirit is that of Christ and the father.
·
this thought is supported by the statement which Christ said in John 14:23 where he said that His Father and himself will came and abide in people
“And how dreadful are the words he utters, as in sorrow he turns away,--"Your house is left unto you desolate." Desolate indeed must be that home from which the presence of Christ is withdrawn! {ST, February 23, 1882 par. 7}
“Jesus will not be found in the company of those who are careless of his presence, and who engage in conversation having no reference to their Redeemer, in whom they profess their hopes of eternal life are centered. {RH, December 31, 1872 par. 14}
“These ordinances (of feet-washing) are regarded too much as a form, and not as a sacred thing to call to mind the Lord Jesus. Christ ordained them, and delegated His power to His ministers, who have the treasure in earthen vessels. They are to superintend these special appointments of the One who established them to continue to the close of time. It is on these, His own appointments, that He meets with and energizes His people by His personal presence. Notwithstanding that there may be hearts and hands that are unsanctified who will administer the ordinance, still Jesus is in the midst of His people to work on human hearts. .--RH May 31, 1898.
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·
Jesus is in the midst of his people
·
Jesus is personally present through His spirit and not through God the Spirit.
"The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, as the personal presence of Christ to the soul" R.H November 29, 1892.
"The Bible shows us God in His high and holy place, not in a state of inactivity, not in silence and solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of holy beings, all waiting to do His will. Through these messenger s He is in active communication with every part of His dominion. By His Spirit He is everywhere present. Through the agency of His Spirit and His angels He ministers to the children of men." M.H 417 ·
all the quotations which talk about the presents of Christ should be read carefully because they will unlock just who the Spirit is.
·
it is clear that the presence of Christ talked about here is the Holy Spirit.
·
in other words wherever the Spirit is, Christ is the one who is actually there
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Acts 5:4 …why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Matt12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the [world] to come. ·
a comparison of the above scripture with the one which follows clearly puts it to rest who the spirit is.
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Exo 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. ·
blaspheming the Spirit is blaspheming Christ, because the spirit is Christ himself in Spirit form
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the angel of the Lord who is being talked about in Exodus 23 is Christ himself
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the holy Spirit can be lied to, grieved and blasphemed
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the Spirit is Christ himself reaching the inner man
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if the inner man rejects Christ then there is no hope for that person
Conclusion ·
The bible is clear that there is only one personal and distinct God in heaven.
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there is one and personal distinct Son of God, Jesus Christ
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Jesus Christ the son of God is divine, he has eternal life, he is the one through whom God created everything (he is the creator)
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Jesus as the son of God rightfully inherits everything that is his father’s including his name his nature and all that is God’s,
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therefore Jesus is God because he has by right inherited his father’s nature
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There is the Holy Spirit which is shared between the father and the son, or the spirit which is the union of the father and the son.
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the Spirit is the person of God and the person of Christ but without a form which makes the spirit a third person of the Godhead
·
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God and Christ are everywhere present through their spirit.
This document is meant to generate healthy discussion among believers.
Kudzi Chikanyera 091 2 401 793
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[email protected] kudzimail@gmail. com
1
Introduction
The trinity doctrine as is believed by the Seventh Day Adventist Church and the majority of the Christian community has been a subject of discussion for a long time and will continue to be under discussion until Christ comes. This write up is yet another attempt to try and draw attention to this very important subject. It is important for us to know the God we worship and how we can serve him better.
Though God is past finding out, he has revealed himself through / in his Son. Although God is a mystery, he is not that kind of a mystery we do not know nothing about, but a mystery we do not know everything about. The word mystery is often confused with something puzzling, difficult or hard to understand yet it only means something secret, hidden or not fully revealed. God is not difficult or hard to understand because he has revealed himself to his creation, but he has not fully revealed himself. There is a lot more about him which he has not revealed to mankind. That which God has made known to man about himself is not hard to understand but that which he has not revealed about himself is a mystery and will remain so until he decides to reveal it. To try and understand God more than he has revealed himself is blasphemous and to try and ignore or twist that which he has revealed about himself is also blasphemous. lt is therefore safe to stick only to that which has been revealed, nothing more and nothing less. God is understood only to the extent to which He has revealed Himself.
Chapter 1 Jhn 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” 2
Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Eph 1:17-18 ‘That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened…”
Some of the arguments that have been presented against the Trinity are that: ·
The Seventh Day Adventist Church’s pioneers including Ellen White were not Trinitarian
·
the trinity was formulated at the catholic ecumenical council of Nicaea in AD 325.
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only after the death of Ellen White was the trinity introduced in the church
The responses to these arguments in favour of the trinity is that ·
The pioneers indeed were not Trinitarian at first but they later changed and became Trinitarian as more light came their way
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The majority of the 318 priests who attended Nicea where the doctrine was formulated were not corrupt
·
Ellen White wrote some articles in support of the trinity.
The fact that the pioneers rejected the trinity does not in any way prove that it is wrong, and on the other hand the fact that some of the later leaders accepted it is not evidence that it is correct.
3
We should discuss the doctrine of God with reverence because this is not just an ordinary topic. We should never with presumption and indifference approach God or dare try to remove the veil with which he uses to cover his glory. God said in Exodus 3:5 to Moses “Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy ground.” Job 11:7 says “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?” Psalm 46:10 says “Be still, and know that I am God." ·
never try to lift the veil with which God uses to covers his glory.
Chapter 2 Trinity Doctrine The doctrine of the trinity is an assumed doctrine, “the old testament does not explicitly teach that God is triune” Seventh Day Adventist Believe pg 29. and to say that the new testament teaches the trinity is dishonesty at its worst.
The doctrine of the trinity is a doctrine that says that God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Each one of them is fully God but/and there is one God. An explanation of the statement above would be that, there is One God… this One God has always, from eternity past to eternity future, existed as a unit of three co-eternal, co-equal, separate and distinct persons Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although there are three separate
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persons of the Godhead, there is only one God, one God in the sense that the three are one in purpose, aim, nature e.t.c.
“While the Godhead is not one in person, God is one in purpose, mind and character. This oneness does not obliterate the distinct personalities of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. Nor does the separateness of the personalities within the deity destroy the monotheistic thrust of scripture that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God.” Seventh Day Adventist Believe Pg 30 para 5
The doctrine further says that three personalities of the Godhead have a working relationship or an “economy of functions” where ‘The Father seems to act as source, the Son as mediator, and the Spirit as actualizer or applier” Seventh Day Adventist Believe Pg 30 para 6. The equality of the son to God is assumed “his equality assumed” Seventh Day Adventist Believe Pg 51 #6
A good example would be for someone to say that they have one parent, and that one parent is their father and mother, who are one in purpose.
Acts 17:11 the Bereans ”were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”
The trinity fails to answer clearly the following questions:
5
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Is God a unity of three persons
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If the three are each fully God, then do we have three gods
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If these are functional titles then does it mean that the one who is the Father is not really the Father but just functioning as the Father, the one who is the Son is not really the Son but just functioning as the Son and the one who is the Holy Spirit is not really the Holy Spirit just functioning as the Holy Spirit.
·
Does it mean that the one who is the Father could have been or can be the Son or the Spirit and the one who is the Son could have been or can be the Father or the Spirit
·
lf Jesus is not truly the Son of God but functioning as the son of God, then does it mean that the father is not truly the father of Christ but just functioning as the father and the Spirit is not truly the spirit but functioning as the spirit.
·
if Christ who by the way is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit was appointed to son-ship, then who appointed the Spirit to became the Spirit and who appointed the Father to became the father considering that they are co-equal and coeternal
Chapter 3
What the bible says about the Godhead The bible says that there is only one God, a personal and distinct being, the Father who is the source of everything, immortal, all- knowing, all-powerful and above all. There is Jesus Christ the Son of God through whom and with whom God created everything. God is everywhere present through the Holy Spirit.
God the Father
1 Cor 8:5-6 6
"For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." Eph 4:5-6 "One Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." 1 Tim 2:5 "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," Genesis 1 v 1 "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." We learn in the New Testament that God created through his son Jesus Christ.
I Tim 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, [be] honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. ·
there is only one God who is eternal, immortal and invisible
·
that one God is the Father of all and above all.
·
He is the creator
Deuteronomy 6 v 4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one" Even Jesus himself gave a comment about this verse in Mark 12 v 28-32
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"One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." "Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him" ·
The first commandment is that there is one God whom we should love.
·
The God of the commandments is one God
James 2:19 "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder."
“let them be thankful to God for his manifold mercies and be kind to one another. They have one God and one Saviour and one Spirit……" 9 Test p 189.
Chapter 4
Jesus Christ
1 Cor 8:5-6 "For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom
8
all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." Colossians 1:16-17 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: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. John 1:1 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. Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; John 3: 16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 1 John 4:9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. John 1:14 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. Isaiah 43:10 Ye [are] my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I [am] he: before me there was no God 9
formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. John 8: 42 "Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me." ·
Jesus is Lord
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Jesus is the only begotten son of God.
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All things were created through him
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He has been there from the beginning with the Father
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Jesus proceeded forth and came from the Father
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He is equal and one with the Father
Chapter 5
Beggoten
The phrase "only begotten" also means UNIQUE. Jesus is the unique Son of God, in that his son-ship is not like that of the angels or Adam who are sons of God by creation. Jesus is begotten not created. Jesus is also God’s literal Son, begotten of God, not created but begotten.
John 8: 42 "Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me."
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ü John 16:27 For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.
ü John 16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.
ü John 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received [them], and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
The word used for “came out”, “came forth”, “proceeded forth” is exerchomai “to issue (literally or figuratively): - come-(forth, out), depart (out of), escape, get out, go (abroad, away, forth, out, thence), proceed (forth), spread abroad.” Strong’s Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Thayer’s Greek English explains the word thus “to came forth from physically, arise from, to be born of”
Pro 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: John 1:18 "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."
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Commenting on this thought the SOP says "The Eternal Father, the unchangeabl e one gave his only begotten Son, tore from his bossom. Him who was made in the express image of his person, and sent him down to earth to reveal how greatly he loved mankind." RH. July 9 1895
"It was a marvel with all heaven, that the Father suffered the son of his bossom to lay aside His glory, and comedown to earth…. To save fallen man" 4 Spiritual Gifts p 119. ·
The Bible does not reveal to man the exact time and how Christ was begotten, but it only reveals that he was begotten of the father. Other texts express the begetting of the son as “proceeded forth”, “formed” while another says “brought forth”
·
If Christ is begotten as the scripture says then does it mean that he has no life in himself or that his life is borrowed and derived from the Father? The answer to this question is found in the following verse
ü John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
ü John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men
ü John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him
Chapter 6
The Son of God 12
What does it mean to be the Son of God?
John 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. John 11:27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
Scripture Ref below puts clearly that Jesus is the Son of God not God the Son. Luk 22:70;
Act 8:37;
1 John 3:8;
John 11:4;
Romans 1:4;
1 John 4;15
John 3:18;
Gal 2:20;
1 John 1:34
John 5:25;
Eph 4:10-13;
1 John 5:10,13,20
Mark 3:11
John 10:36 "Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?" John 5:18 "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God." John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Math 26: 63-65
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But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. Math 14:33 “When they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God”
The Jews knew clearly what it meant to be the Son of God. ·
the Son of God is worshipped,
·
is equal with God, (the reason they killed Jesus)
"Our great Exemplar was exalted to be equal with God. He was high commander in heaven. All the holy angels delighted to bow before Him. "And again, when He bringeth in the Firstbegotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him."…… {2 T 426.2}
Heb 1: 1-5 "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; …… Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?" 14
·
Christ INHERITED all things
·
Christ by inheritance obtained a more excellent name
·
That more excellent name is the name of His Father that’s why
Isaiah 9:6 says "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." ·
He inherits his father’s name but not his throne
John 14: 28 "Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I"
John 5: 22-23 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the. son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
1 Cor 11:3 'But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God."
1Co 15:27
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For he (God) hath put all things under his feet (Christ's feet). But when he (God) saith all things are put under him (Christ), it is manifest that he (God) is excepted, which did put all things under him (Christ). ·
The Son has been made equal with the father yet the Father is greater than the Son.
·
All things were put under Christ's feet by God, but Christ is not above God for God the Father is above all.
For that reason God the father is also the God of his Son Jesus. He is the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Pet 1:3`
John 20:17
Rev 3:12
John 14: 38
Mark 15:34
2 Cor 11:31 "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not."
What about the time when God says to Christ my God?
Heb 1;8-9 "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:………… therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows"
·
God exalts Christ and give him a throne and calls him my God, but in verse 9 he then calls himself "thy God" making himself God of Christ, above his Son.
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The Son-ship of Jesus to God is revealed in SOP.
"The King of the universe summoned the heavenl y hosts before Him, that in their presence He might set forth the true position of His Son and show the relation He sustained to all created beings. The Son of God shared the Father's throne, and the glory of the eternal, self-existent One encircled both. …… Before the assembled inhabitants of heaven the King declared that none but Christ, the Only Begotten of God, could fully enter into His purposes, and to Him it was committed to execute the mighty counsels of His will. The Son of God had wrought the Father's will in the creation of all the hosts of heaven; and to Him, as well as to God, their homage and allegiance were due.. {PP 36.2}"
“Before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Father and the Son had united in a covenant to redeem man if he should be overcome by Satan. They had clasped Their hands in a solemn pledge that Christ should become the surety for the human race. This pledge Christ has fulfilled." {DA 834.2}
Zech 6:12-13 …….: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.
·
This counsel of peace is the plan of redemption which the father and his son discussed and agreed.
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·
The meeting was between them both (meaning two)
·
The Holy Spirit is not mentioned in the Sop
God is the Father of Christ; Christ is the Son of God. To Christ has been given an exalted position. He has been made equal with the Father. All the counsels of God are opened to His Son. Jesus said to the Jews: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. . . . The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth." John 5:17-20.
Here again is brought to view the personality of the Father and the Son, showing the unity that exists between them. This unity is expressed also in the seventeenth chapter of John, in the prayer of Christ for His disciples:…….. The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. They are one in purpose, in mind, in character, but not in person. It is thus that God and Christ are one. {8T 268-9.5}
"Lucifer in heaven, before his rebellion, was a high and exalted angel, next in honor to God's dear Son……..; yet Christ, God's dear Son, had the pre-eminence over all the angelic host. He was one with the Father before the angels were created. Lucifer was envious of Christ, and gradually assumed command which devolved on Christ alone.
The great Creator assembled the heavenly host, that He might in the presence of all the angels confer special honor upon His Son. The Son was seated on the throne with the Father, and the heavenly throng of holy angels was gathered around them. The Father then made known that it was ordained by Himself that Christ, His Son, should be equal with Himself; so that wherever was the presence of His Son, it was as His own presence. The word of the Son was to be obeyed as readily as the word of the Father. His Son He had invested with authority to command the heavenly host. Especially was His Son to work in union with Himself in the 18
anticipated creation of the earth and every living thing that should exist upon the earth. His Son would carry out His will and His purposes but would do nothing of Himself alone. The Father's will would be fulfilled in Him. S.R 13.2}
·
There is only mention of God and Christ
·
Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, he was there?
Christ the eternal, self existent Son of God
“Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection, and the life." In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. "He that hath the Son hath life." The divinity of Christ is the believer's assurance of eternal life.—D.A. p. 530
“Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God.... In speaking of his pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him.--Signs of the Times, Aug. 29, 1900. {Ev 615.2} “He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent. . . . He is the eternal, self-existent Son.-Manuscript 101, 1897. {Ev 615.3}
“While God's Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also speaks decidedly regarding His pre-existence. The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if 19
they accepted Him, were to be blessed. "The Word was with God, and the Word was God." Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God.—R.H. April 5, 1906.
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Christ pre-exists all created things because he was begotten before anything was created
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Christ is self existent and eternal, the life that he have, which flows in him, is that original life (the life that God have). He got it from his father.
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The life is inherent in him and rightfully his by inheritance (many people are of the mistaken notion that, because Christ is said to be self existent, pre-existant eternal Son of God he therefore is co-eternal with the Father)
Chapter 7
Misunderstood texts about God and Christ
Gen 1 vs. 26 'And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness .....' the image
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God is a distinct being from His Son; Adam is a distinct being from Eve. They are two who are one in purpose
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God first, then Christ from the bossom of God, Adam first then Eve from the bossom of Adam
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God is the head of Christ, Adam is the head of Eve
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When God said “let us” he was talking to his Son Jesus
Gen 3 vs. 22 'And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is became as one of us .....' Gen 11 vs. 7 'Go to, let us go down......'
"The Sovereign of the universe was not alone in His work of beneficence. He had an associate--a co-worker who could appreciate His purposes, and could share His joy in giving happiness to created beings……..the only being that could enter into all the counsels and purposes of God. {PP 34.1}"
Mat 3:16-17 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
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It is the Spirit of God not God the Holy Spirit which descended like a dove,
Chapter 8
The Holy Spirit
The bible does not say God the Spirit, but it says the Spirit of God who is also the Spirit of Christ. It does not teach us to pray to the Holy Spirit but pray to God for the Holy Spirit.
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“It is not essential for us to be able to define just what the Holy Spirit is. Christ tells us that the Spirit is the Comforter, "the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father." It is plainly declared regarding the Holy Spirit that, in His work of guiding men into all truth, "He shall not speak of Himself." John 15:26, 16:13, 52.” (A.A pg 51-52) Gal 4:6 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Rom 8: 9-10 "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his…
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The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God as well as of his Son.
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God and Christ have / share the same spirit
Isaiah 40:13 'Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him' Rom 11:34 'For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsillor?'
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According to Paul, having the Spirit is likened to having the mind of the Lord
John 20:22 "And when he had said this, he breathed on [them], and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:"
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"And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: ............... The Holy Spirit is the breath of spiritual life in the soul. The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ. lt imbues the receiver with the attributes of Christ. Only those who are thus taught of God, those who possess the inward working of the Spirit, and in whose life the Christ-life is manifested, are to stand as representative men, to minister in behalf of the church. {DA 805.3}"
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The Spirit came from within Himself;
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He breathed on them his mind, His divine nature or spiritual life
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It is by the Spirit that believers receive the Christ-life
“Shall we not wrestle with God in prayer, asking for the Holy Spirit to come into every heart? “The presence of Christ, manifest among us, would cure the leprosy of unbelief that has made our service so weak and inefficient. We need the breath of the divine life breathed into us.” 8T pg46
John 14:16-18 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you (he presently dwells with you), and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you ·
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the spirit is the one who 1)
presently dwells with them
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will be in them ( when He cames at Pentecost)
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Jesus will not leave them comfortless but he (that is Jesus) will come back to
them
Chapter 9
The Spirit is a person. "We have been brought together as a school, and we need to realize that the Holy Spirit, who is as much a person as God is a person, is walking through these grounds, that the Lord God is our keeper, and helper. He hears every word we utter and knows every thought of the mind." (Ellen G. White, Ms 66, 1899, p. 4. Talk, ·
the quotation above clearly says that there is God (who is a person)
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there is the Spirit who is also a person but it does not say the spirit is God the spirit
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in other words, there is God and there is the Spirit.
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please note that God is mentioned as God who is distinct from the Spirit
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unfortunately some people have found God the Spirit in the above quote
“The Holy Spirit is a person, for He beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God. When this witness is borne, it carries with it its own evidence. At such times we believe and are sure that we are the children of God. . The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God. 1 Cor 2:11 "For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." Manuscript 20, 1906. {Ev 617.1} 24
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The Holy Spirit is person just as God is a person
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please note that the Spirit intercedes between God and man
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There is no co-eternity so far in this quotation.. we will be very unfair to the rules of interpretation if we pick in this passage that the Holy Spirit is God the Spirit.
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the spirit is therefore the spirit of God NOT God the Spirit
Eph 3:16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man 2 Cor 4:16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward [man] is renewed day by day. ·
Spirit of man is not another separate being distinct from and outside of the man; even so with the Spirit of God.
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The spirit of God goes forth from God into all the world bringing everywhere the presence of God, his mind and his power into close and intimate contact with his creation.
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However , that does not make the Spirit a separate distinct being from God. The Spirit has personality (the personality of God and Christ) but without the outward form common to a personality.
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The spirit of man does not live apart from the man, in-fact it is the man himself, the inner man.
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It is the mind (the inner man) of the person which knows the things of that person
“The prince of the power of evil can only be held in check by the power of God in the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.-- {Ev 617.2}
“We are to co-operate with the three highest powers in heaven,--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, --and these powers will work through us, making us workers together with God.-Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, p. 51. (1905) {Ev 617.3}
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The quote does not say God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit, but it says the Father, The Son and the Spirit.
“The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead manifested. …The Comforter that Christ promised to send after He ascended to heaven, is the Spirit in all the fullness of the Godhead, making manifest the power of divine grace to all who receive and believe in Christ as a personal Saviour. There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers --the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit--those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will co-operate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.-- Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, pp. 62, 63. (1905) {Ev 615.1}
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The Son is all the fullness of the Godhead yet the Spirit is in all the fullness of the Godhead
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the Spirit comes in all the fullness of the Godhead yet Christ is all the fullness
Chapter 10
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How is the spirit a person, the third person?
2 Cor 3: 17 "Now the Lord (that is, the Lord Jesus Christ) is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord [is], there [is] liberty." John 4:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. (Jesus Himself is the speaker here) John 14:23 "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."
"By the Spirit the Father and the son will come and make their abode with you." BEcho, Jan 15 1893 par 8."
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The Lord Jesus is that spirit
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God and Christ will abide in us through the spirit or in spirit
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When the spirit came (on the day of Pentecost), it was Christ himself who came but this time in Spirit form.
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The Spirit is the personal and abiding presence of God and his Son
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The Spirit is the person of Christ and God in spirit.
Ps 139:7 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? ·
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David likened the Spirit with the presence of God
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David realised that he could not go away from the Spirit of God, infact he could not go away from God whose presence is with him through the Spirit
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the spirit therefore is the person of God or God present in spirit
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Christians pray everyday asking for God to be with them in their lives, asking God to walk, talk and live with them all the days of their lives...
Question ·
The question to ask is this “how is God able to be with you here on earth when he is in heaven sitting on his throne?
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How is God omnipresent?
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God is everywhere present through his Spirit
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infact where the spirit of God is, God is himself personally present there
"After His ascension He (Jesus) was to be absent in person; but through the Comforter He (Jesus) would still be with them, and they were not to spend their time in mourning. …but by faith they were to look to the sanctuary above, where Jesus was ministering for them; they were to open their hearts to the Holy Spirit, His representative, and to rejoice in the light of His (Christ’s) presence." DA 277 “Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally; therefore it was altogether for their advantage that He should leave them, go to His father, and send the Holy Spirit to be His successor on earth. The Holy Spirit is (Christ) Himself divested of the personality of humanity and independent thereof. He (Christ) would represent Himself as present in all places by His Holy Spirit, as the Omnipresent. "... {14MR 23.3}
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Christ was not omnipresent when in the flesh but by his Spirit He is the Omnipresent
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the Holy Spirit is the person of Christ and the personality of the Holy Spirit is that of Christ and the father.
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this thought is supported by the statement which Christ said in John 14:23 where he said that His Father and himself will came and abide in people
“And how dreadful are the words he utters, as in sorrow he turns away,--"Your house is left unto you desolate." Desolate indeed must be that home from which the presence of Christ is withdrawn! {ST, February 23, 1882 par. 7}
“Jesus will not be found in the company of those who are careless of his presence, and who engage in conversation having no reference to their Redeemer, in whom they profess their hopes of eternal life are centered. {RH, December 31, 1872 par. 14}
“These ordinances (of feet-washing) are regarded too much as a form, and not as a sacred thing to call to mind the Lord Jesus. Christ ordained them, and delegated His power to His ministers, who have the treasure in earthen vessels. They are to superintend these special appointments of the One who established them to continue to the close of time. It is on these, His own appointments, that He meets with and energizes His people by His personal presence. Notwithstanding that there may be hearts and hands that are unsanctified who will administer the ordinance, still Jesus is in the midst of His people to work on human hearts. .--RH May 31, 1898.
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Jesus is in the midst of his people
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Jesus is personally present through His spirit and not through God the Spirit.
"The Holy Spirit is the Comforter, as the personal presence of Christ to the soul" R.H November 29, 1892.
"The Bible shows us God in His high and holy place, not in a state of inactivity, not in silence and solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of holy beings, all waiting to do His will. Through these messenger s He is in active communication with every part of His dominion. By His Spirit He is everywhere present. Through the agency of His Spirit and His angels He ministers to the children of men." M.H 417 ·
all the quotations which talk about the presents of Christ should be read carefully because they will unlock just who the Spirit is.
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it is clear that the presence of Christ talked about here is the Holy Spirit.
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in other words wherever the Spirit is, Christ is the one who is actually there
Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Acts 5:4 …why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. Matt12:32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the [world] to come. ·
a comparison of the above scripture with the one which follows clearly puts it to rest who the spirit is.
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Exo 23:20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. ·
blaspheming the Spirit is blaspheming Christ, because the spirit is Christ himself in Spirit form
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the angel of the Lord who is being talked about in Exodus 23 is Christ himself
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the holy Spirit can be lied to, grieved and blasphemed
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the Spirit is Christ himself reaching the inner man
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if the inner man rejects Christ then there is no hope for that person
Conclusion ·
The bible is clear that there is only one personal and distinct God in heaven.
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there is one and personal distinct Son of God, Jesus Christ
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Jesus Christ the son of God is divine, he has eternal life, he is the one through whom God created everything (he is the creator)
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Jesus as the son of God rightfully inherits everything that is his father’s including his name his nature and all that is God’s,
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therefore Jesus is God because he has by right inherited his father’s nature
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There is the Holy Spirit which is shared between the father and the son, or the spirit which is the union of the father and the son.
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the Spirit is the person of God and the person of Christ but without a form which makes the spirit a third person of the Godhead
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God and Christ are everywhere present through their spirit.
This document is meant to generate healthy discussion among believers.
Kudzi Chikanyera 091 2 401 793
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