Son of God, what does it mean?

Jun1 by fact-s.net

The blockbuster movie “Son of God” which was supported and encouraged for viewing by mega churches (1) had its world premiere on February 28, 2014. As a miniseries in History channel, it was touted by many to be phenomenal but even more awe-inspiring this time as a movie. Directed by Christopher Spencer and starring Diogo Morgado, “Son of God” is being marketed as a major motion picture event that “brings the story of Jesus’ life to audiences through compelling cinematic storytelling that is both powerful and inspirational, complete with exotic locales, dazzling visual effects and a rich orchestral score” (2). The interview of producers Mark Burnett and wife Roma Downey in Hannity/Fox on 2/21/14 (3) was no less riveting. The film tells the story of Jesus’ birth, his teachings, crucifixion and ultimate resurrection. The focus was about the fact that Jesus is unequivocally the “Son of God”. However, the presentation did not delve further into the “truth or reason” behind this fact. And, this is a common inadequacy one finds in sermons/homilies that stop at merely identifying Jesus/Y’SHUAH/Ha-Mashiach (4) as the “Son of God”. As vital as that fact is, it does not equate with the far-reaching blessing from the “truth or reason” behind that fact. Hopefully, as we all acknowledge him as such, we will not be distracted from the underlying ultimate message and thus be haunted by the admonition in Matt.7:21-23 “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Because of time constraints intrinsic to the creation of any movie, it was understandable that a number of crucial and essential truth was left out. What was missing though in this movie was the provision for the reason why he had to become”Son of God”? What is the underlying message behind that fact? What is it to us and to our future, for this human being, the “Son of Man” to become the “Son of God”? What for is that descriptive title in relation to the future of the human race? After the proclamation of Jesus as the “Son of God”, when did that title actually become a reality? Pre-incarnate, incarnate or post-incarnate? These are questions that are so important as they form a narrative to know why you and I are here in this world… the very reason for our existence, albeit our destiny.

As already indicated in the miniseries, movie, gospels, prophecies, apostolic letters, revelation, secular writings (5), etc, Jesus in fact existed and walked on this earth and was proclaimed to be the “Son of God”. All Christian churches are well-equipped to prove that fact. But the purpose of this commentary is to explore and expound the proposition that there is more to this titular fact than meets the eye. And, although alluded to in the Bible and its significance not fully appreciated by mainstream Christianity, the truth behind this title is even more outstanding, faith-enhancing and grace-encompassing.

At the outset, as we continue to grow in understanding, let us consider the following:

A. His identity was already prophesied long before He came to this world.

This WORD-Creator/El Shaddai/YHVH (John 1:1-3, 14, Colossians1:16-17/Ex 6:3) took off his spirit-composition and glorious body to become flesh-and-blood. However, as a human being, he is identified as the Messiah(Isaiah 9:6-7), the Son of man(Matt 8:20), born of a virgin(Isa.7:14), a Nazarene(Matt 2:23), priest after the order of Melchizedek(Heb. 5:6,10), Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father, Immanuel(Matt.1:23), Passover-lamb(I Cor.5:7), etc.(6, 7). These are descriptive declarations when he was “flesh-and-blood”, i.e., as a human being. And this human incarnation of YHVH was for this purpose, “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”(Hebrew 2:17)

B. This Messiah, the”flesh-and-blood” Passover-lamb/Christ was also declared/identified as the “Son of God”.

Ps.2:7,12 “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him”. Notice the word “begotten” (derived from “yalad”), i.e. not yet born, still in the womb being developed. Also, that the Father-Son relationship is yet future.

Matthew 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.”

Matthew 16:15-17 “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

Luke 1:35 – “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God”

Hebrews1:5 “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?”

While these preceding verses identified and declared the Man-Jesus/Messiah/Christ /Passover-Lamb as “Son of God”, they did not give us a definitive inkling as to when the realization of this “Sonship” occurred. If anything, it connotes a future (shall) timetable. Was that title achieved at that time when he was “flesh-blood” or was it yet in the future?

C. The title “Son of God” came to fruition only after resurrection. At which time, he transcended from “begotten” to “firstborn”, the first of the “first-fruits” (wave sheaf Lev. 23:10-13) with spirit-body, spirit-composed, albeit with the power to manifest as human (8). This did not happen after his death and through 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb as a corpse. It achieved reality only after he was transformed from “flesh-blood” to a living “spirit-composed being”.

Consider the following verses:

Romans 1:4″And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead”.

Colossians1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn (prototokus”) from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.”

Colossians 1:15 “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creation.”

Revelation1:5 “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood”

Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren”

Hebrews 1:6 “And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.”

Acts 26:23 “That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. “

I Cor 15:20 “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.”

Rom 8:19 “For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.”

Rom 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren”

Hebrews12:23 “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,”

SUMMARY

The reason for the spirit-composed El/Shaddai/YHVH to change into Jesus/Y’SHUAH ( partaker of flesh and blood, lower than angels, Heb 2:7) is for him to fulfill the promise and undertaking of a Passover-Lamb/Messiah to suffer the penalty of mankind’s sins which is eternal death”(Hebrew 2:17). As all mankind’s sin was imputed to the sin of the “first” Adam(Rom.5:7-21), so was mankind’s penalty of death imputed to the death of the “last” Adam/Christ (1Cor 15:45), by grace and not by “works” so no one “can boast” ( Eph. 2:9 ). At resurrection, being spirit-composed, Jesus/Y’SHUAH then fulfilled the reality of being the “Son of God”, no longer “begotten”. Rather, he became the “firstborn” of a new creation-kind, created or made higher (Heb. 1:4) than angelic beings. Moreover, as he is the firstborn (the first of the firstfruits, the “wave-sheaf offering” Lev. 23:10-14), he will then get others (Rom 8:19) to become the “sons/children of God” also by resurrection or “twinkling of an eye” ( I Cor. 15:52 ) at his return to earth to commence the Millenium. A new “creation”(Gal.6:15; 2 Cor. 5:17) above angelic beings ( Ps. 8:4; Heb.2:5-18) is being composed, through this mechanism of “Sonship”. Jesus, the first-born “Son of God”, the first of the firstfruits (I Cor. 15:20) and afterwards “bringing many sons to glory”(Heb.2:10), the other firstfruits of the “spring-harvest” at the start of the Millenium in the first resurrection (Rev. 20:4,5; I Thes. 4:16,17), then the “latter-fruits” in the latter-harvest at the second resurrection. Based on this and “on this rock” ( the rock-solid meaning of “Son of God” Matt. 16:16-18), I will build my church (body), all spirit-composed. Through this rock-solid process of “sonship”, a new creation of spirit-beings will be realized, albeit a God-kingdom. This is the essence of the commission to proclaim the gospel (Matt.24:14) of the coming”kingdom of God”. The overall plan is to create a kingdom composed of spirit beings higher than angelic spirit-beings, the “kingdom of God”. While (9,10,11) there is a “plant-kingdom” and an “animal-kingdom”, there is no “human-kingdom created by God. In fact, all the ” human-kingdoms” from Adam who on his own “works” wanted to be like God (Gen 3:1-24), Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9), Israel-kingdom divorced by YHVH (Isa 50.1;Hosea 2:2; Jer.3.8), successive heathen kingdoms represented by Nebuchadnezzar’s dream(Daniel 2:1-48) have no longevity. As a “stone” will destroy the last human kingdom represented by 10-toes of iron and clay, only the kingdom created by God, spirit-composed “sons/daughters of God” (Kingdom of God) will be everlasting.

This present world is under subjection (11) to angels (Gal 3:19, Heb. 2:2).

But, the “world to come” will not be under angelic-spirits but under the “kingdom-of-God”, spirit-composed “Sons/children of God”, all higher in category than angels. As it is written in Hebrews 2:5-17 “For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (by angels). For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”

This is the deeper and final essence of the title “Son of God”, with Jesus/Y’SHUAH the firstborn/wavesheaf firstfruit by resurrection, taking on this new category, higher than angels. Subsequently, other “sons/daughters” will follow through this mechanism of “rock-solid Sonship”, as Jesus/Y’SHUAH builds his “body/church”. What an awesome gift and blessing from the Father by grace and not “by works”, a destiny that we are looking forward to!

Will there be a sequel in the offing that embodies this truth and message behind the title “Son of God”? Let us hope so.

References:

1. Megachurch Pastors Lead ‘Son of God’ Campaign to ‘Take Over’ Multiplex Theaters Nationwide: http://www.christianpost.com/news/megachurch-pastors-lead-son-of-god-campaign-to-take-over-multiplex-theaters-nationwide-114732/

2. Producers: “Son of God ” will appeal to Christians and non-Christians alike:http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/02/28/son-god-movie-jesus-bible-american-audiences-religious/

3. Hannity/Fox on 2/21/14: https://74.217.254.62/tivo-tco/program/show.do?collectionId=tivo:cl…

4. Hebrew names of God. http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Names_of_G-d/Yeshua/yeshua.html

5.Early Secular writings regarding Christ:http://www.nelsonprice.com/early-secular-writings-regarding-christ/

6. Prophecies Jesus Fulfilled:

http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/a/Prophecies-Jesus.htm

7.Ten prophecies about Jesus birth:https://theresurgence.com/2012/12/24/10-prophecies-about-jesus-birth

8. How many times did Jesus appear after ….resurrection:http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/resurrectionofchrist.html

N.B. While the Son of God is higher than the angelic-spirits, the latter can also manifest as humans as in Gen. 19:1-5

9. Destiny of Man: https://fact-s.net/2011/05/21/the-destiny-of-man/

10.Deification of Man: https://fact-s.net/2011/05/26/deification-of-man-2/

11. Passion of Christ: https://fact-s.net/2011/05/21/the-passion-of-christ/

12. The law was given by angels: www.askelm.com/essentials/ess003a.htm

Trinity Doctrine: Deconstructed?

Dec12 by fact-s.net

TRINITY DOCTRINE: DECONSTRUCTED?

As a foundational teaching, the Trinity doctrine has been woven into mainstream Christianity since the Council of Nicea convened by Emperor Constantine in 325 C.E. in Bithynia(1). Because of disputes among church leaders, the first ecumenical council of Nicea was the first effort to attain consensus in the church through an assembly representing all of Christendom.(2). Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of the nature of the Son of God and his relationship to God the Father (3). It describes the belief in Christian theology that the “one” God of the universe is comprised of “three” persons: the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit (4). The early church father Tertullian (c. 155-230), who wrote in Latin, is believed to have first used the term trinity to describe the God of the Bible (5).

How this theology came about is a subject worthy of review for all students of history. Knowing what happened at the time it was established gives us an inclination of the controversy that gave rise to this doctrine.

Can those questions that were contentious and overwhelming at that time among church leaders be resolved with what we know today? What was the basic underlying concept and difference among them that was the crux of their contention?

History

This doctrine was formulated in the 4th century during the Christological debates between Arius and Athanasius. At the core of the controversy was the nature of the Father and Son and their relationship. The terms “homoousios, homoiousios and heterousious” (same substance/cosubstantial vs. similar and different substance) developed and came to be used to explain varying interpretations. All of these positions and the almost innumerable variations on them which developed in the 4th century AD were strongly and tenaciously opposed by Athanasius and other pro-Nicenes who insisted on the doctrine of the homoousian (or as it is called in modern terms consubstantiality), eventually prevailing in the struggle to define the dogma of the Orthodox Church for the next two millennia when its use was confirmed by the First Council of Constantinople in 381 or 383. Origen Adamantius (184/185 – 253/254), along with the prominent “Origenists” Didymus the Blind and Evagrius Ponticus, were declared anathema in 553 CE by the Second Council of Constantinople (7). Origen seems to have been the first ecclesiastical writer to use the word “homoousios ” in a non-trinitarian context, but it is evident in his writings that he considered the Son’s divinity lesser than the Father’s, since he even calls the Son “a creature“(8). The controversy continued through centuries that followed, even to this day.

From the preceding prolegomenon, let us explore excerpts from historical vignettes. On the subject of Arianism, the Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica wrote (9):

“Arius’ basic premise was the uniqueness of God, who is alone self-existent and immutable; the Son, who is not self-existent, cannot be God. The controversy seemed to have been brought to an end by the Council of Nicaea (AD 325), which condemned Arius and his teaching and issued a creed to safeguard orthodox Christian belief. This creed states that the Son is homoousion to Patri (“of one substance with the Father”), thus declaring him to be all that the Father is: he is completely divine. In fact, however, this was only the beginning of a long-protracted dispute. From 325 to 337, when the emperor Constantine died, the Arian leaders, exiled after the Council of Nicaea, tried by intrigue to return to their churches and sees and to banish their enemies. They were partly successful. From 337 to 350, Constans, sympathetic to the orthodox Christians, was emperor in the West, and Constantius II, sympathetic to the Arians, was emperor in the East. At a church council held at Antioch (341), an affirmation of faith that omitted the homoousion clause was issued. Another church council was held at Sardica (modern Sofia) in 342, but little was achieved by either council. In 350 Constantius became sole ruler of the empire, and under his leadership the Nicene party (orthodox Christians) was largely crushed. The extreme Arians then declared that the Son was “unlike” (anomoios) the Father. These anomoeans succeeded in having their views endorsed at Sirmium in 357, but their extremism stimulated the moderates, who asserted that the Son was “of similar substance” (homoiousios) with the Father. Constantius at first supported these homoiousians but soon transferred his support to the homoeans, led by Acacius, who affirmed that the Son was “like” (homoios) the Father. Their views were approved in 360 at Constantinople, where all previous creeds were rejected, the term ousia (“substance,” or “stuff”) was repudiated, and a statement of faith was issued stating that the Son was “like the Father who begot him.” After Constantius’ death (361), the orthodox Christian majority in the West consolidated its position. The persecution of orthodox Christians conducted by the (Arian) emperor Valens (364–378) in the East and the success of the teaching of Basil the Great of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus led the homoiousian majority in the East to realize its fundamental agreement with the Nicene party. When the emperors Gratian (367–383) and Theodosius I (379–395) took up the defense of orthodoxy, Arianism collapsed. The Emperor Theodosius had published an edict, prior to the Council of Constantinople, declaring that the Nicene Creed was the legitimate doctrine and that those opposed to it were heretics (10). In 381 the second ecumenical council met at Constantinople. Arianism was proscribed, and a statement of faith, the Nicene Creed, was approved.”

Coalescing of Powers

Notice that this changing adoption of religious concepts was influenced to a large degree by secular powers at a particular time, e.g., Emperors Constantine, Constans of the West, Constantius II of the East, Valens, Gratian and Theodosius. Civil and religious authorities were together, akin to “cronyism” and “symbiosis“, to impose religious beliefs using secular power. On those who committed heresy, “heretics did not work outside the Christian community – they counted themselves as faithful Christians attempting to explain the gospel in terms their contemporaries might understand”.

Without taking either side, one sees that the trunk-of-the-tree controversy of Trinity Doctrine emanates from two postulates, viz.,

1. Reconciling with “monotheism” the concept that the Father is God, Jesus Christ is God and the Spirit is God.

The doctrine of the Trinity was formally developed in the early church in reaction to “errant teaching” on the nature of God as found in Arianism. Arianism attempted to protect monotheism (the belief in one God) by denying the full deity of Jesus, a belief most Christians hold at this time. Arianism taught that Jesus was divine, but that he was a lesser deity than the Father. To affirm the Church’s stance on the nature of God, the Trinity was formally stated in the Nicene Creed(325 A.D.) and the later Athanasian Creed. As a result of these early ecumenical creeds, any departure from the Christian doctrine of the Trinity was considered heresy. These creeds affirm the early Christian conviction that Jesus was God. Arianism caused the church to dogmatically affirm what was already believed and inherent to the earliest of Christian theology (12).

Essential to the Trinity Doctrine is that there is one and only one God. It is essential because it was the conviction of monotheism (Shema doctrine)- that there is one God – that fact drove the early Christians to formulate the doctrine of the Trinity from Scripture. More importantly, monotheism is the teaching found in the Bible.(Trinity is not in the Bible) Scripture is clear that there is only one God: “There is no other God besides me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none besides me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:21-22; see also 44:6-8; Exodus 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35; 6:4-5; 32:39; 1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Kings 8:60).

With this understanding, the doctrine of the Trinity continues to assert monotheism, an essential and easily found belief within the Scripture. Ontologically, each of the three members of the Trinity possess the same essential nature. Again, along with a monotheistic understanding, there is one and only one being, that is, God. The doctrine of the Trinity must remain grounded in God’s Word. Roger Olson sums it up when he says, “While it is true that no passage of Scripture spells out the doctrine of the Trinity, it is also true that the whole of Scripture’s witness to who God is and who Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit make no sense at all without the model of the Trinity and that all alternative concepts end up doing violence to some essential aspect of revelation, Christian experience and possibly even reason itself,”(13).

2. Nature of the Father/Son and which one has self-existence.

Notice that Arius’ belief countered that of others, especially Athanasius, because of his concept at that time of what constitutes the word “God“. The Son cannot be God according to Arius, because there is only “one God“, Jesus is not self-existent and therefore created. On the other hand, Athanasius and other pro-Nicene who believe that the Father is God, the Son is God and the Spirit is God reconciled monotheism through a “new concept of Trinity“

Key is knowing what is God?

But, can all of these Arius-Athanasius discrepancies be resolved by knowing exactly ” What is God?” What really constitutes the word “God“?. Do we really grok what the etymology of the original word translated to English? The answer may have been“lost in translation“. In the article “What is God?” (14), this controversy may finally be resolved by restoring the meaning of the original Hebraic words Elohim, YHVH, El Shaddai. In its summary:

1.Elohiym/Theos refers to a composite of powers, the sum of divine and powerful beings, the totality of all attributes of deity. It is a generic term that may apply to a particular being. When it does, the specific name of that Elohim is identified, e.g., YHVHELOHIM(Lord God)

2. Most of the time, Elohiym in the Old Testament refers to a specific YHVH Elohiym and Theos in the New Testament refers specifically to God the Father. At other times, it refers to those others in the generic Elohiym/Theos, i.e. Jesus, angels, humans, especially leaders with powers.

3. In general, Elohiym/Theos is collective and not a selective term; common and not a proper name; inclusive and not exclusive; generic not proprietary; composite and not specific.

4. The usage and/or context of the word explains the intended meaning, whether plural/singular or numerical plurality/multiplicity of power, rank or position/function.

5. The word God/Elohim, as originally written, includes different species, levels, class or rank. At the highest level is the Father, followed by Son(s) of God, then angelic rank, and the lowest is man. However, man will be transformed into “sons/children of God”, spirit-composed at resurrection and destined to be higher than angelic-class.

In “FATHER’S DAY_USA.2014“(15), the God of Old Testament was introduced to Abraham as El Shaddai(Almighty God), but to Moses he was YHVH ELOHIM(Lord God). He was identified with specificity. This God in the Old Testament, the God “above all gods“, was the only one Israel was commanded to worship thus directing them away from polytheism (there being many gods) of that era. The “Shema doctrine” was based on this. According to John, YHVH the Creator was also the “Word” who incarnated into the Messiah, the Christ. In contrast, in the New Testament, when the word God was used it almost invariably refers to the “Father” of Jesus and of us all. Truly, “God is one” (Shema) to be worshiped because it referred only and specifically in the Old Testament to El Shaddai/YHVH/Word/Logos. He was “above all gods” known at that time; no one then knew about the “Father” that we know today. Israel knew that the Creator and the One who Fathered them was YHVH Elohim(Lord God; I AM). The Israelites did not have knowledge that YHVH/Jesus has a Father. But, when the “Father/Son” relationship was introduced in the river Jordan at Jesus’ baptism,(16) Jesus acknowledged and deferred to the higher authority, the Father. They are clearly separate and distinct from one another. Angels, kings and humans are classified as “gods“. And Jesus taught us to pray to the Father (John 16:23; James 1:5).

In the New Testament, Jesus, while full of the “Spirit of the Father“, was completely human with “spirit-of-man” and flesh-composed for his purpose as a “sacrificial Lamb”. As a human being, he was also classified as “god“, yet he died because he was flesh-composed. After his resurrection, 3 days and three nights after his death, he took on a “new creation“, “Son of God“, spirit-composed, eternal, and with all the powers given by the Father (17). The Father, as He has created all “visible and invisible” through the Son (YHVH) as proximate Creator, is now creating a “kingdom of God”, composed of spirit-beings higher than the angelic-class (18). What is being created is “Sonship“, children of God. This “new creation” is not a plant- kingdom, not an animal-kingdom nor a human-kingdom. Rather, it is a “God-kingdom” with a specific kind much higher than angelic “species of god”. Our GOD the FATHER is expanding his kingdom with many “firstfruits“and “latter-fruits“.

In contrast, the Trinity Doctrine limits that God-kingdom into three. Whereas, the truth is that many are in the process of developing into the “body of Christ“, this “new creation“, Jesus first, then others. Jesus the “trailblazer“, the “captain” (Hebrews 2:10) has gone through this process. This is the destiny of all mankind (19). The ” world to come” will not be “subject to angels” as our current world is, but to this “new kind“(Hebrews 2:5).

Retrospective analysis

Looking back with a “retroscope“, we can now understand how and why well-meaning church leaders of earlier centuries have variance in understanding. Arius et.al stumbled because of his assumption and understanding that Jesus, being subservient to the Father and that God is One (Shema doctrine), cannot be God also. Contrariwise, Tertulian, Athanasius et. al misapplied the facts that the Father is God, Jesus is God and extended personality even to the divine Holy Spirit, so that a new concept emerged, the Trinity Doctrine, a doctrine that is limiting instead of expansive.

By observation, we can see that knowledge is progressive revelation ; God does not give out all truth at the same time. Truth has a timeline. Even Israel did not recognize the incarnate Jesus was YHVH CREATOR ELOHIM. Peter did not realize that even Gentiles can be “grafted” to Israel and receive the same promise to Abraham.(Romans11:11-36, Acts 15:7-9), as well as their differences about circumcision. But, in time, they were united in understanding these aforementioned things.

In much the same way, early in the Christian era, there were disputes on interpretation. But, now that we know, “What is God?, the Trinity Doctrine has been “deconstructed“. There is no need to “personify” the Spirit as it is an active power in all members of the God-Family, writing the Law not in “tables of stone” but in the “fleshly tables”of our heart and mind for guidance(2 Corinthians 3:3). As Job said, before I “hear” you, now I “see” you (Job 42:5). Even in I John 2:22-24, he identified “liar/antiChrist” are those who denied the Father and Son; notice NO mention of the Holy Spirit which is the power that emanates from them.

With these foregoing facts of history and biblical references, one can now explain how the Father is God, Jesus Christ is God and still reconcile with “oneness or Shema” doctrine without concocting a concept as “Trinity Doctrine“. The Shema refers to only one God of the Old Testament, specifically identified as YHVH(Lord God), EL SHADDAI(Almighty God), CREATOR, WORD(Logos). Israel did not know and was not introduced in an official manner to the FATHER by Jesus until his ministry in New Testament times. This generation is blessed for receiving this understanding unlike our Christian predecessors.

Summary

The one powerful God “above all gods” introduced to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Old Testament times was “El Shaddai“(Almighty God). This was the same one known to Moses and Israel but with a different name, “YHVH Elohim“(Lord God). The early church believed that the Father is God, Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit (the Helper) is of God, the power that comes from God(1 Corinthians 2:11-12). There was no “trinitarian concept” from those days forward until later; it was never “personified“.

In the 3rd century, Tertulian constructed and introduced the concept of “trinity” to align with the Shema doctrine of “one God“. For how could the Father be God and at the same time Jesus and the Holy Spirit be God unless they are in this “triune concept”? This suggested that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are co-substantial, Son is homoousion to Patri, (of one substance with the Father), “three-in-one-body“. This teaching was carried through the 4th century and canonized in the Council of Nicaea and subsequently reinforced in/by other Councils. The alternative concept of God championed by Arius, Origen, and others at that time did not flourish; it also has flaws.

The Trinity Doctrine is a bedrock doctrine that historically survived because of human power through the Roman Empire’s conquest, subjugation, intimidation and educational system favoring this concept; a powerful military-religion complex at that time. It continued through subsequent Empires with power to control “religious thoughts”. Through all these years, it is still a predominant teaching in the Christian world to this day.

This time, though, this Trinity Doctrine has been challenged. One among alternative concepts is this post. It opined a concept similar to that during the patriarchal and apostolic era. The Shema doctrine is consistent with this concept so long as one considers the manifestations of God, at the time of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob named differently than at the time of Moses and Israel. El Shaddai and Yahweh Elohim names were the same Elohim/God, one God, one unique/separate person and not “two persons-in-one“. Moreover, after YHVH (who was with the Father at creation) incarnated to man-Jesus, he was introduced by Father God (Mark 1:10-11) as begotten Son, as He was the only right person to do that, being with YHVH/Jesus from the foundation of the world. That time there were 2 persons that are separate and unique, not “”two persons-in-one“. Jesus as flesh-composed at that time was God incarnate, who previously manifested as the El Shaddai and YHVH Elohim in the Old Testament. Not only that, but Jesus also introduced the “Holy Spirit” aka “Helper” (John 14:16-18; John 14:26;Romans 8:26; Micah 3:8; Acts 2:4; I John 2;19-27) that will come as the “power” to strengthen the “weakness” (Matthew 26:40-45) of the flesh inherent in it when we were created. Again, that time, not “three-persons-in-one“.

Everything happens because of power. Just look around us. Will any car drive without mechanical and electric power? How about any of our appliances, gizmos and light bulbs? Will anything stay grounded on Earth without gravitational power? With what we now know about the Anatomy and Physiology of the human body, can any of our parts function without energy, like end-plate mechanism for nerve-muscle function, Na-K pump for cellular activity and so on? Energy that comes from power drives all human organ systems to function. This energy is “potential” that becomes “kinetic” when used.

That being said, can the most important creation, a human being, (from the ground, earthy) become a “living being” unless energized by the power of the spirit”breath-of-life, given by a spirit-composed God? This is the “spirit-of-man”, the power that was breathed into man to become a “living being“. Being a living person, Adam as narrated in Genesis 2, wanted to be “like God”. And to do this, he was fooled by Satan to do it on his own power by eating the forbidden fruit. He did not realize that the right man to go through this process was man-Jesus, the incarnated El Shaddai, the YHVH Elohim, as planned and as a gift. Thereby, he sinned, sentenced to eternal death and was driven out of the garden of Eden, away from the “tree of life”. A Passover-Lamb was then required to take on this consequence of sin (eternal death) which was fulfilled by man-Jesus. However, Jesus’ death was only for that purpose of sacrificing his life for mankind. It was one step towards the process for us to receive the promised gift of eternal life. The Father has to resurrect him as promised to receive from him directly the power that will be used by the “potter” (Creator Jesus) to re-create and mold this “clay” as prophesied in Jeremiah 18:1-6) from one “marred vessel to another vessel”.

In much the same way that the “breath-of-life” changed the non-living “clay” to be a “living being“, this is the spirit-power to in-dwell in humans to energize our “spirit-of-man” for growth and development, changing it towards becoming “like him” and be “one” with the Creator, alive for eternity. No one has this power except the Father who promised and has given it to the resurrected Jesus, the Son of God, and then from him to us. This power is called holy and spirit because it came from a holy spirit-composed God Father. Truly, as the Creator God YHVH/Logos gave the “breath-of-life” that was the spirit-power that energized the created Genesis-Adam to become a “living being”, so did Father God gave resurrected Jesus this creative power to “build his church/body“. As man-Jesus “came from above“(John 3:31) as a perfect Passover Lamb that the Holy Spirit in-dwell at River Jordan to make him the “trailblazer and captain“(Hebrews 2:10) towards sonship, so shall we go through this process proven to be the “way, the truth and the life”(John 14:6). The word “Holy Spirit” is not in caps in the original manuscript. It is the power that in-dwells and guides (John 16:13) people to understand the truth to be “one” with the Father and Jesus, in “thoughts” for “my thoughts are not your thoughts“(Isaiah 55:8-9). There is no need to compose a “Trinitarian” concept of God just to align with the Shema doctrine.

Currently, many are not called at this time as each one has time appointed (Ecclesiastes 9:11); their time will come. As prophesied, our “spiritual blindness, deafness and muteness” will be changed by this in-dwelling power as in the prophecy:

Isaiah 29:18 “In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see“

Isaiah 35:5 “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped”

Matthew 11:15 “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.“

It is our hope that this research will help illuminate the controversy surrounding the Trinity. It was never personified until the 3rd/4th century( limiting the God-kingdom into 3 and ignoring the plan of expending it to “innumerable, like the stars in heaven”. Let us keep our mind open to truth and for no one to be stubborn because of misplaced “belief perseverance”.

May God bless all of us in search of the truth.

🙏😊

References:

1. First Council of Nicea. Retrieved from:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea

2. Kieckhefer, Richard (1989), “Papacy”, in Strayer, Joseph Reese, Dictionary of the Middle<

Ages 9, Charles Scribner’s Sons, ISBN 978-0-684-18278-

3. “Council of Nicaea”, p.39, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014

4. Retrieved from:http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/beliefs/trinity.htm

5. Ibid.

6. Retrieved from: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/

7. The New Catholic Encyclopedia (Detroit: Gale, 2003). ISBN 978-0-7876-4004-0

8. Pelikan, Jaroslav (1971), The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine 1,The Chicago University Press, p. 191.

9. Retrieved from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/34124/Arianism.

10. Friell, G., Williams, S., Theodosian Code 16:2, 1, Theodosius: The Empire at Bay, London,1994.

11.Gonzalez, A History of Christian Thought, p. 121

12. Retrieved from: http://www.theopedia.com/Trinity.

13.The Mosaic of Christian Belief, p. 139.

14. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2014/06/29/what-is-god-2/

15. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2014/06/13/fathers-day_usa-3/

16. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2014/08/06/passion-of-christ/

17. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2014/03/25/son-of-god-2/

18. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2014/07/12/deification-of-man-3/

19. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2011/05/21/the-destiny-of-man/

Original post:8.8.2014

Reposted:12.20.2016

Revised and reposted 10/6/2018

Critique is welcome at foundationacts@yahoo.com

Trinity Doctrine: Deconstructed?

Dec7 by fact-s.net

TRINITY DOCTRINE: DECONSTRUCTED?

While this doctrine is “radioactive” to bring up, Pres. FDR in his first inaugural address has a wise rejoinder, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”(6). Indeed, in an atmosphere of freedom, fear should not paralyze anyone as we search for the truth. How this theology came about is a subject worthy of review for all students of history. Knowing what happened at the time it was established gives us an inclination of the controversy that gave rise to this doctrine. Can those questions that were contentious and overwhelming at that time among church leaders be resolved with what we know today? What was the basic underlying concept and difference among them that was the crux of their contention?

History

From the preceding prolegomenon, let us explore excerpts from historical vignettes. On the subject of Arianism, the Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica wrote (9):

Coalescing of Powers

Without taking either side, one sees that the trunk-of-the-tree controversy of Trinity Doctrine emanates from two postulates, viz.,

1. Reconciling with “monotheism” the concept that the Father is God, Jesus Christ is God and the Spirit is God.

Fundamental to the Judaism of the OT (and of today) is the Shema. It is found in Deuteronomy 6 and part of it says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one,” (Deut 6:4). The understanding of monotheism is at the heart of this passage, and it was at the core of the early Christians’ understanding of the nature of God.The three persons of the Godhead share the same spirit-essence. With this understanding, the doctrine of the Trinity continues to assert monotheism, an essential and easily found belief within the Scripture. Ontologically, each of the three members of the Trinity possess the same essential nature. Again, along with a monotheistic understanding, there is one and only one being, that is, God. The doctrine of the Trinity must remain grounded in God’s Word. Roger Olson sums it up when he says, “While it is true that no passage of Scripture spells out the doctrine of the Trinity, it is also true that the whole of Scripture’s witness to who God is and who Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit make no sense at all without the model of the Trinity and that all alternative concepts end up doing violence to some essential aspect of revelation, Christian experience and possibly even reason itself,”(13).

2. Nature of the Father/Son and which one has self-existence.

Key is knowing what is God?

3. In general, Elohiym/Theos is collective and not a selective term; common and not a proper name; inclusive and not exclusive; generic not proprietary; composite and not specific.

4. The usage and/or context of the word explains the intended meaning, whether plural/singular or numerical plurality/multiplicity of power, rank or position/function.

Retrospective analysis

Summary

Isaiah 29:18 “In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see“

Isaiah 35:5 “Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped”

Matthew 11:15 “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.“

It is our hope that this research will help illuminate the controversy surrounding the Trinity. Let us keep our mind open to truth and for no one to be stubborn because of misplaced “belief perseverance”.

May God bless all of us in search of the truth.

🙏😊

References:

1. First Council of Nicea. Retrieved from:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Council_of_Nicaea

2. Kieckhefer, Richard (1989), “Papacy”, in Strayer, Joseph Reese, Dictionary of the Middle<

Ages 9, Charles Scribner’s Sons, ISBN 978-0-684-18278-

3. “Council of Nicaea”, p.39, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014

4. Retrieved from:http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/beliefs/trinity.htm

5. Ibid.

6. Retrieved from: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057/

7. The New Catholic Encyclopedia (Detroit: Gale, 2003). ISBN 978-0-7876-4004-0

8. Pelikan, Jaroslav (1971), The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine 1,The Chicago University Press, p. 191.

9. Retrieved from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/34124/Arianism.

10. Friell, G., Williams, S., Theodosian Code 16:2, 1, Theodosius: The Empire at Bay, London,1994.

11.Gonzalez, A History of Christian Thought, p. 121

12. Retrieved from: http://www.theopedia.com/Trinity.

13.The Mosaic of Christian Belief, p. 139.

14. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2014/06/29/what-is-god-2/

15. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2014/06/13/fathers-day_usa-3/

16. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2014/08/06/passion-of-christ/

17. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2014/03/25/son-of-god-2/

18. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2014/07/12/deification-of-man-3/

19. Retrieved from: https://fact-s.net/2011/05/21/the-destiny-of-man/

Original post:8.8.2014

Reposted:12.20.2016

Revised and reposted 10/6/2018

Critique is welcome at foundationacts@yahoo.com

BE LIKE GOD, how?

Apr16 by fact-s.net

This has been humanity’s goal since the beginning as in Genesis 3:5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”(NIV). But, God knows better on how to be like him; not on our own by just eating the “fruit” as tempted by Satan.

Subsequently, humanity built the Tower of Babel “to reach the heavens” as in Genesis 11:4 “Then,they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” (NIV). But, God did not like that, so their languages were confounded.

And, many attempts to be a ruler/sovereignty as in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of successive kingdoms in Daniel 2; all failed as God already planned to have his way, the “stone” will expand to rule all earth.

Even in our modern world, there are attempts to “like God”. Omnipresence is reflected in humanity’s attempt to be everywhere as in Zoom, monitoring by camera, Ring-camera, etc. Omniscience as in Artificial Intelligence (AI-tech)and ability to change into another as in “deep fake tech”. Moreover, there are attempts to be “everlasting” as in inventions purported to expand longevity.

But, all human efforts did not reach desired goals of “sovereignty, omnipresence, omniscience nor eternal life”. Only God can do this for mankind , as planned/prophesied and being executed by El Shaddai, aka Yahweh-Elohim, LOGOS, man-Jesus Christ.

God bless us all🙏🙏🙏

Celebrate Christmas, really?

Dec23 by fact-s.net

Christmas, should it be celebrated ?

Should Christmas be celebrated and if so, when? Others reject its celebration on December 25 as others claim Jesus’ birth was on a September/October. While millions throughout the world are celebrating Yuletide season, some in the Christian world are conflicted. What should we do? What should be our response to those who recognize different dates of Jesus’ birth? And, for that matter, to anyone who summarily discredit Jesus birth?

Historical and Biblical vignettes

The birth of Jesus started in Bethlehem but this has been prophesied by prophets and referred as “seed“,all the way from Genesis 3:15:

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.“

Interesting excerpt:

“In addition to celebrating the winter solstice a few days before December 25, Romans in 273 AD already celebrated two festivals on the very day: natalis solis invicti (the “birth of the unconquered sun”) and the birthday of Mithras, the Iranian god of the sun. According to Christianity Today, church leaders thought it would also be a fitting time to honour the son of God. Besides, as Ace Collins, author of Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas, said in a PBS segment, the existing Roman holidays were filled with drinking and debauchery, so this new holiday was a way to teach heathens a lesson about sin and redemption. After Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and declared tolerance for the religion, Western Christians officially began celebrating December 25 as the birth of Jesus in 336 AD. Those in the Eastern Church continue to recognize another day, January 6, as Christ’s birthday, but nowadays most everyone agrees on the date.“(1)

The arguments against December 25 can be summarized into:

“First, shepherds were in the fields watching their flocks at the time of Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:7-8;no flocks out in the snow?). Second, Jesus’ parents came to Bethlehem to register in a Roman census (Luke 2:1-4). Such censuses were not taken in winter, when temperatures often dropped below freezing and roads were in poor condition. The biblical accounts point to the fall of the year as the most likely time of Jesus’ birth, based on the conception and birth of John the Baptist. It was during this time of temple service that Zacharias learned that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a child (Luke 1:8-13). After he completed his service and traveled home, Elizabeth conceived (Luke 1:23-24). Assuming John’s conception took place near the end of June, adding nine months brings us to the end of March as the most likely time for John’s birth. Adding another six months (the difference in ages between John and Jesus (Luke 1:35-36)) brings us to the end of September as the likely time of Jesus’ birth.“(2).

The arguments for December 25 is expressed by:

“J. Stormer, PCC [Pensacola Christian College] Update (Winter 1996), cited by G. E. Veith, “Evidence December 25 is the right day,” has argued for December 25 as a possible date of Jesus’ birth on the basis of the course of temple duties for the clan of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5;8, 1 Chron 24:10). He argues that the 24 courses of the priests each served for one month. However, he did not document that claim, and the OT does not indicate the length of priestly service. Clues in the Mishnah suggest that each course served for one week—not one month—by rotation (see, for example, the note on m. Taanith 2:6 in Danby’s translation of the Mishnah). Josephus and the Talmud confirm that the courses each lasted one week (Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus [Philadelphia: Fortress, 1979], 119). If, then, the priestly service lasted one week, not one month at time, this causes their entire chronology to break down. Most likely, therefore, each course of the priests served for one week, from Sabbath to Sabbath, two different times each year. Since we cannot be sure whether the course mentioned in Luke was the first or second annual course, and other difficulties are present as well, the information concerning Zechariah’s temple service in Luke 1 is hardly adequate for pinpointing the time of Jesus’ birth.”(3).

With all the questions about the specific date, one may take this advice:

“In any case, our Christian faith should not rest on Christmas (which, after all, with all its trappings is only a human tradition), much less on the date of Christmas as December 25, but rather on the reason for the season—the virgin-born, divine-human Son of God, who came to save sinners by dying a sacrificial, substitutionary death on the cross and rose again on the third day (1 Cor 15:3–4)”(Ibid. 3).

The Reason for the Season

Indeed, our focus should be directed on the “reason for the season“. And to understand the reason for incarnation, one has to begin with the question, who the God/Elohim Creator of everything, the invisible and visible. Without first addressing this, one would miss out as to who, really, is this person Jesus whose birth the world is celebrating. This was none other than El Shaddai, aka, YHVH, the one who incarnated into flesh-composed human , the man-Jesus. The Elohim Creator (Gen. 1:1) is the same El Shaddai/God Almighty( Ex. 6:3, 6-7) to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; but to Moses he is called YHVH. Paul, speaking of man-Jesus, wrote in Col. 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”.

Similar identified person and pre-eminence were echoed in John 1:1-3,14

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” …And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us…the only begotten of the Father.”

The Elohim in Genesis, the Creator of all, is the same as El Shaddai, YHVH and man-Jesus. Yet, it was the Father who caused Jesus to be the proximate Creator, as in,

Hebrews 1:2 says, “In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.”

It was “through” Jesus that the Father created everything. Jesus was the proximate Creator. That said, why will a most powerful Creator, spirit-composed, chose to be flesh-composed, a human, lower than “angels“, as in,

Ps. 8:4-7 “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet”

This was quoted by Paul also in,

Hebrews 2:6-7″“But there is a place where someone has testified:What is mankind that you are mindful of them,a son of man that you care for him? You made them a little lower than the angels;you crowned them with glory and honor”

Why El Shaddai/YHVH incarnated?

In general, someone trades off a powerful position with something better. But, for him to become human and “lower than angels” that he also created, sounds unconventional. Unless, there is something in being human that eventually be better choice for him. In Heb 1:2, after Jesus’ resurrection as Son of God, he was “appointed heir of all things.” And in Ps. 8:4-7, Jesus was prophesied after resurrection as Son of God to be “crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet”.

From the preceding, one can deduce that YHVH CREATOR, as powerful as he was, had limits; and what was referred as glory, honor, dominion overall were granted to him afterwards. Certainly better position than before creation. Moreover, he became a begotten, then born of God as Son; a position he did not have before, although prophesied. Does John 3:16 help to provide an answer, too? Here it is,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Notice that it was the Father’s love that initiated the love that emanates from Jesus. The consistent narrative is that the Father wanted to create everything and he caused YHVH/Jesus to do it. Similarly, the Father wanted to show love to the world and he expressed it through Jesus. On both counts, Jesus agreed voluntarily and is “one” with the Father.

But, how is this incarnation an expression of love for the world? It still begs the question, what in being human is an expression of love? And, how is this a better trade-off for the Creator YHVH? If one looks back at biblical history, lowering himself to being human for Jesus is only a preliminary path to “create the spirit-composed kingdom of God”. He is the “beginner and finisher” (Heb. 12:2;Rev. 22:13), the “precursor” ;” (Heb. 6:20) of what is to become of humans. Note, that as a human being, Jesus was flesh-composed and became spirit-composed at resurrection. And, only after resurrection (during his life) did the Father give him the creative power of the Holy Spirit for humans to be “one” with the Father, as spirit-composed beings and in choosing right from wrong. Other humans will follow this track that he walked. He was a trail-blazer in creating a God-kingdom made of spirit-composed beings, higher than angelic position and “one” with the Father and Son in deciding which is right or wrong. This was planned by the Father and YHVH/Jesus voluntarily “signed on” to this strategy.

Strategic plan

Man sinned from the garden of Eden. He did not follow God’s guidance not to “eat the fruit wherein there is knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen. 2:16-17). Adam wanted to be “like God knowing good and evil” by his own “works” of eating the fruit himself. He did not know that another Adam, the second Adam(Jesus), has already been chosen by the Father, as a pioneer/trailblazer, to “eat the fruit“, the human to take on that specific task, for mankind. Adam did not follow the command not to eat that he sinned and brought death to mankind. It was violating the command that made his action sinful and not the “eating of the fruit” per se. He was not informed that in the future through Jesus, this “like God knowing good and evil” will be achieved. The Father chose the man-Jesus to do it, not by his own power, but by the power of the Holy Spirit given to him and under the mechanism of his faith, belief and trust, not by his own works, so “no man can boast“, even man-Jesus (Eph. 2:8-9; I Cor. 1:29). The man chosen has to be “from above”, heavenly; not come “out of the ground”, earthy (John 3:31;8:23).

As sin in the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:17) condemned man to second-death(4,5), the Father accounted all human sins to first-Adam and imputed this death (eternal, irreversible) to one man, Jesus, the second-Adam (Rom. 5:12-21). This was planned from the foundation of the world, before any man did any good works. Jesus , our Passover, believed in this plan and was then crucified and died for us. For which, we were reconciled to the Father and justified. But, through the “faith of Jesus“, in the promise of his resurrection from eternal death, the Father then resurrected him and gave him a “gift of the Holy Spirit” for us to subsequently receive starting at Pentecost that year.

Without YHVH incarnating into a human, this imputation to one man that came “from above” would not have happened, and the consequence of Adam’s sin, i.e. eternal death, would not have been passed-over for mankind’s reconciliation with the Father. Having been reconciled, we are “saved by/through his life”, as in,

Romans 5:10-11 “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

Notice that reconciliation was based on belief of Christ that what the Father promised from the foundation of the world, would take effect, regarding imputation of his death to that of mankind. We now received reconciliation through Jesus’ death, which already occurred. But, salvation (which was also promised) is still future, i.e., shall be saved. But how?

Holy Spirt of Power

Having the power of the Holy Spirit is the key to salvation from eternal death. Without it, humanity is doomed. This is the gift promised before the foundation of the world by the Father and believed by Jesus to be given to him for mankind, after resurrecting him from eternal death. This is the power to fulfill the prophecy of John referring to Jesus in:

Mark 1:8 “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

With this power received by Jesus from the Father, he can then(not before) give it to whoever he so pleases and chooses. Those with “spiritual hearing” (Rom.10:17) will believe and they will be baptized in the Holy Spirit, not with water. And, with this power-tool, aka, Holy Spirit, our “weak body” (Matt. 26:41) will be energized to overcome evil, choose good vs evil towards sanctification. Only “overcomers“(Rev. 2:7; 11, 17; 3:5,12,21; Rom. 2:7), those who “bear fruits of the Holy Spirit” (John 15:2; Matt. 7:19) will eventually receive “in a twinkling of an eye” (I Cor. 15:52) the glorious spirit-composed bodies reserved from heaven. And, with that, salvation from eternal death is achieved and so will Hosea’s prophecy (Hosea 13:14) echoed in Paul’s musing, as in:

I Cor. 15:55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Summary

Not knowing the exact date of Jesus’ birth, whether December, September/October, all should have a respectful and humble response and “get off our high-horse” of claiming moral superiority and a monopoly on truth. Everyone must stop bickering about the date of Jesus’ birth and accept the only fact that it did happen. Instead, celebrate the reason for incarnation, the birth of man-Jesus, at anytime, be it December 25 or otherwise. Failure to celebrate may marginalize the significance of this historic birth, as others have disparaged any date. This incarnation is so monumental for anyone to minimize as it begins the process of reconciliation, justification and future salvation, through his resurrection, “by his life”. Jesus believed on the promises of the Father regarding imputation of all sins of mankind to one human Adam so that the consequence of that sin (eternal death) be accounted to Jesus’ death leading to our reconciliation/justification. Having been reconciled to the Father, humans can now undergo the process of salvation “by his life” through the power of the Holy Spirit given as a gift to Jesus, post resurrection, and subsequently for us to be “baptized in”.

References:
1. When was Jesus born? Retrieved 12/25/17 from https://www.livescience.com/42976-when-was-jesus-born.html

2.When was Jesus Christ born. Retrieved 12/25/2017 from https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/bible-questions-and-answers/when-was-jesus-christ-born-was-jesus-born-on-december3. Was Jesus born December 25? Retrieved 12/25/2017 from https://www.biblicalfoundations.org/was-jesus-born-on-december-25-with-c-l-quarles/

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What does it really mean to become “like God”, “as one of Us” ?

Feb5 by fact-s.net

This question emanates from an interpretation coming from Genesis 3:22 “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:” (KJV; KJ 2000;AKJ; ASV;Darby; Webster)

What did the narrative in the garden of Eden actually convey? What was the temptation that Adam and Eve risked to die for ? Was it to become “God” per se or be like that “specific God in Genesis”? What does it really mean to become “like God”, “as one of Us” ? And how did “eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil” make one to be “God”? And why was having “knowledge of good and evil” forbidden when, after their experiential sin, God gave Moses, through a mediator, “knowledge of what is good and evil” embodied in the “Decalogue” ?

To start with, one has to know what “God” is, before one understands what it is to be “like God”, whether a specific God or not. Going back to the original word gives us a rational perspective.

Using the Touch Bible (free download), touch on this English word translated as “God” to see that it comes from the O.T. Hebrew word “Elohim” and from the N.T. Greek word “Theos“. Using the Strong’s Concordance, Elohim (O.T) in general refers specifically to YHVH Elohim or Lord God (as in Gen 2:4 “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens”), and “Theos” (N.T.) to Father God, in contrast to Lord as “Kyrios” (as in Eph 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ“).

Also, in Strong’s Concordance, the word “elohim” is a general term that may refer to the Supreme God, but also to angels, man (magistrates, judges, kings). We all know that Lucifer/Devil/Satan is “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), but also other gods and goddesses (1 Sam 5:7; 1 Kgs 11:33; 18:24; 1 Kgs 11:5). Moreover, even Jesus confirmed and defined that humans are “you are gods” (John 10:34; Ps 82:6). Polytheism is a reality. For an extensive exposition of the word, see also,

To be specific as to what particular elohim is referred to, the word “YHVH Elohim“, “Lord God” was used to identify the Supreme God, the God where worship is due and to no other gods, as in Shema Doctrine (Deut 6:4). Even with polytheism being true, that there are many gods, this YHVH Elohim is above all gods (Ex.15:11;Ps135:5) and the only one commanded to be worshipped.

This particular YHVH Elohim was the Creator God as in Gen. 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth“. But notice further delineation of the identity of this Creator in John1:1 https://www.biblehub.com/john/1-1.htm” In the beginning was the Word… All things were made by him (Creator God)…” And in v-14, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us“… In v-16 specifically identified as “Jesus Christ“.

Clearly, this YHVH Elohim in Genesis, the Creator of all, the Word according to John, had incarnated into man as Jesus Christ. It is most important to understand who Jesus was at creation. He was the “Supreme Deity” in Genesis, not the Father God.

So, in answer to the question in the narrative at the garden of Eden, Adam was not actually aspiring to be “god” per se since as a human being he was already classified by Jesus Christ as “god” (John 10:34; Ps 82:6). Instead, Adam wanted to be like that “specific God in Genesis”, the YHVH ELOHIM. Yes, to be “like him/Christ”.

Now, to become or how to be “like YHVH ELOHIM/Jesus” has been explained in the Gospels of the New Testament. And, specifically by the Spirit through the writings of Paul, that the way to “be like him” was not “by our own works” but through the process that Jesus/incarnate YHVH has gone through, on faith by grace as a gift of God and as an expression of love (John 3:16); so that “no one can boast”.

Notice, Rom 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Jesus is the “firstborn of many brethren” and we are in the process (of being) “to be conformed to the image of (him)”.

Notice also, that to find completion for this process of “conformation” the following had to materialize:
1. A template, “temple not made by hands” (Acts 7:48), i.e., ” from above”(John 8:23) had to come as prophesied. Meaning YHVH ELOHIM has to incarnate into Jesus, so the Father God through the Spirit (John 1:32; Matt. 3:17) can dwell in this man-Jesus, as a precursor for “the elect”.

2. Man-Jesus then has to die as a substitution to reconcile us to Father God.

3. Man-Jesus then has to be “born again by resurrection …be pre-eminent (Col 1:18) as our Brother (Heb 2:11), a precursor, as we will also be born again by resurrection from the dead (I Pet. 1:3). Notice, that while we are considered “born again”, the fulfillment of this is actually after resurrection “from the dead”. For those who are alive “their physical bodies will change in a twinkling of an eye” at Jesus’ return.

4. He has to go back to his Father so the Spirit can be sent to us(John 16:7; 14:26; Luke 24:49). The Spirit will not come into us unless the resurrected Christ went to the heavens.

5. At Pentecost, the Spirit was given (Jn 14:26, 15:26; Lk 24:49; Acts 1:5). And John said (the spirit of Christ is) “coming into the flesh”(IJohn 4:3; II John 1:7, NIV,ESV,NASB,NB,Darby,Young). This Spirit is a token sign for us to be identified as “firstfruits” (I Cor. 15:20-23 ) in the same way that Abraham/Israel was identified as His by the sign of “circumcision”(Gen 17:11;. As Israel was “deemed clean by circumcision” we are with this spirit will be “clean” i.e., circumcised in our hearts (Deut 30:6; Rom. 2:29) . This is the fulfillment of the prophecy that corrects the deficiency in the Old Covenant, i.e. the weakness of them, humans. On our own, we can not do it because “the flesh” is weak; it has to be by man-Jesus/2nd Adam, not 1st Adam, (Matt 26:41-42 “the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done”; also, Mk 14:38).

Paul said in Heb 8:8 “For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: v-9 because they continued not in my covenant. V-10 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.” The Ten Commandments written in stones as “hardened hearts”, eyes blind and ears deaf”, now with the Spirit of God in the ” fleshly tables of our heart”(II Cor. 3:3)will see and hear the truth and the wisdom to choose “good from evil”

6. This Spirit sanctifies us and is the power that we can use, as Jesus had used it, to overcome evil and have wisdom to choose good from evil.

This is how to have ” knowledge of good and evil”, received by us, not by our works as in “ourselves eating the fruit of tree of knowledge of good and evil”. Adam & Eve tried mistakenly to get this “by works” and on their own; that is why the fruit was forbidden to eat. It was not for the 1st Adam to do but the 2nd Adam, man-Jesus to do. It is a gift of God by grace as an expression of love for us (John 15:13).

7. With power of the Spirit, we can now be transformed and “conformed” into the ” image of his Son”( Rom 8:29 ). We will “like him”, not the same, but distinct from him yet “one”, like Jesus the Son of God being “one” with his Father so that all of us will be “one”, as the body that composed ” the God-kingdom”.
This will happen as Jesus in Heb 12:2 is the author and finisher of our faith.

In summary, Adam/mankind will be “like him” (not just other gods like angels, but specifically “like” YHVH ELOHIM/Jesus) not by their own works as in “eating the forbidden fruit” but has to be given by grace as a gift through the “sacrificial Passover/Christ”, whose death for the sin of mankind is an expression of love, to reconcile us to Father God. The “knowledge of good and evil” embodied in the tables of stone (Ten Commandments) and given to “hardened hearts, with eyes that are blind and ears deaf”, flesh being weak (spiritually) has to be written in the “fleshly tables of our hearts and mind” by the Spirit. And, the “fruit” or “tool” that will empower us is the Spirit to be given to us ( now here in us since Pentecost) to guide us to truth and enable us with the power to choose and do “good instead of evil”. “Eating or taking in the fruit” is akin to the “Spirit being taken in or dwelling in us/flesh”. As “flesh-Adam” eat the fruit, so will we, who are still “flesh-composed”, be “dwelled in” by this Spirit, which is Jesus Christ. Subsequently, we will all be changed into “immortal bodies” at Jesus’ 2nd coming, as in “we will be like him as we we will see him as he is”(I John 3:2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is”).

This, in essence, is the narrative conveyed in the garden of Eden. What an awesome “destiny of man”.

11/18/14: original answer given at
https://ebible.com/questions/3808-how-did-the-knowledge-of-good-and-evil-make-man-like-god

Ordo Salutis / order of salvation, what?

Jan6 by fact-s.net

What is the Ordo Salutis / order of salvation?
Ordo Salutis connotes a process, as salvation indeed is. Everything has a “process” or mechanism/steps/stages/pathophysiology for the action to come to fruition. Even a simple “knee jerk” would not happen without a mechanism of action.

Salvation defined:
Before getting to the process, salvation needs to be defined. As far as I understood it, salvation is a state of being liberated, delivered or free from “eternal death”, the second death from which there is no more resurrection; salvation, aka “eternal life” or “immortality “. This death should be contrasted from the first death, of which resurrection is a surety, as in “It is appointed for man once to die and after that, the judgment of the living, whether to go to Gehenna fire or have salvation/immortality .…”Heb 9:27” And before the second death, there will the “last judgment” that will happen to all humans at their “appointed time, (beginning with those in the house of the Lord) and will come only after the living received the gift of “in-dwelling Holy Spirit” that guides towards truth, empowers the person to act, follow good and shun evil. Receipt of the “in-dwelling HS/JC/Comforter/Advocate is crucial before judgment begins for that particular person; without it, he/she will still be “weak” and not be empowered to act as prescribed by God; and this to prevent us from using the “Satan made me do it” defense. Moreover, this second death is the endpoint to inculcate the foundational basis for salvation, which is to be freed from eternal death, an expression of ultimate love (John 15:13) , as in John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have an everlasting life”.

God did not like anyone to die forever; his vision is for man (as in 2 Peter 3:9) to have “everlasting life” that emanates from him , not from “good works of any man”, “so no man can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Since no one has “everlasting life” but God, to have eternal life meant “being like him” through a “process of salvation“. Adam failed in his wish to “be like him” because he tried to attain this through his own works by “eating the forbidden fruit”. This is not man’s but God’s mission for mankind to be “one with him and be like him” choosing good over evil; that will be fulfilled through a strategic plan, some call Ordo Salutis. The Father is “reproducing”’through “man-Jesus Christ” (1 Tim. 2:5) for all to be ”one with him”. The Father, through Yahweh(the proximate Creator-God) has shown that by creating “spirit-bodies beings like the angels” they did not automatically become “one with him”; Satan and 1/3 of angelic beings went against the Father.

That said, my humble take on Ordo Salutis is as follows:

It is a given that God started all. So, here is how I see this process;

A Creation of mankind. An “image/template or temple” has to be created. This happened in Gen. 1:26 ” And God said, Let us make man in our image,…” An image, as perfect as it was, is only a “template/precursor”, a reflection of the final product; it is temporary, the beginning and a preparation for the final reality. It is like an artist’s mold from which one creates the final product as Potter/Clay prophecy in Isaiah 64:8 and Jeremiah 18:4. This is so important so that in the future, God’s spirit will dwell in this “temple, not made by hands“, for development and completion of a “new creation.“. Without this “in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit”, there will be no human spiritual empowerment towards re-creation. Also see the future in-dwelling of the spirit of God Acts7:48; 17:14; I Cor. 3:16,6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; Ez.36:27 ; Isa 63:11; 2Tim 1:14; Rom.8:9,11,15;John 16:13.

B. The created humans have to be ”like him”. And, to be “like him“, man has to have two attributes, viz., “know good and evil” and “eternal life”. In the garden of Eden, everything including “tree of life” Adam & Eve can have, except the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. What was forbidden in the Garden of Eden was “to eat the fruit of knowledge of good and evil”; everything else they can have including the “tree of life”; notice that after Adam sinned, mankind was not allowed to take the fruit from the “tree of life”. Nevertheless, notice that God’s plan is for man to have eternal life even in Genesis. Through “disobedience and by their own works”man has become “like us, knowing good and evil”(Gen 3:22). However, Adam and Eve did not have to disobey the commandment “not to eat the fruit” just so that they would know good from evil. Not that God liked to deny them to “know good and evil” since later on God gave them the 10 commandment in Exodus 20:1-17 that defined what is good or evil. Rather, God did not like them to decide on their own what is good and evil. Being God is not just having eternal life but also having the wisdom to decide good from evil; this is a prerogative of God that man could not get, “on their own works”. It has to be given. Yet, Adam & Eve chose to do it on their “own works“, instead of being given as a gift of love, as planned and determined by God. By disobeying God, Adam/Eve sinned and were cast from the Garden of Eden, prevented from eating the fruit of the “tree of life”. Thus, Adam and the whole mankind ( by the doctrine of imputation in Romans 5) all sinned, therefore needed to be “reconciled” to God; a reconciliation step. As planned, the proximate Creator God-YHVH had to incarnate as “man JC”(1 Tim. 2:5) for him to die by crucifixion for “without shedding of blood, there is no remission/forgiveness of sin”, thus taking on death of mankind as a consequence of Adam’s sin, and thereby reconciling humanity to the Father.

C. Establish that to “be like him“, the Holy
Spirit/Comforter/Advocate/Jesus Christ has to in-dwell in man as “God does not dwell in temples made by hands” as in Acts 7:48. Meaning, not in-dwelling in our physical bodies “made by hands from clay/dirt of the earthy ground.” But, in-dwell in our “ mind/spirit” , not from physical or matter but the “breath of life” breathed into the nostrils, at creation; in the “holy-of-holies” of our temple. And this came about as a precursor of/example for the future of mankind when man-JC had “in-dwelling” of this Holy Spirit by River Jordan and witnessed by John the Baptist. Notice that after this “in-dwelling”, JC was able (as a human) to be empowered to overcome “pull of the flesh”(hunger/thirst), temptation of Satan in the wilderness and do miracles afterwards.

D. With the in-dwelling of Jesus Christ /Comforter/Advocate/High Priest in us, our mind will be guided to the truth as in the “sanctification stage”. This is a crucial stage were we already received the “in-dwelling of JC/Comforter/Advocate/High Priest “ guiding us towards “good and shun evil”; a stage of overcoming as only “overcomers will seat with God”. If anyone consistently rejects the guidance of the HS in him/her, there will be no more sacrifice (of JC) akin to the person “going back to his own vomit” and he/she will be looking at the coming “Gehenna fire”.

E. Change from “mortal bodies to immortal bodies”. I Corinthians 15-54. We will then be with God through eternity.

Summary:

God’s plan is to “reproduce beings that are one with him”. It could not start from a “spirit-being” as shown what happened to Lucifer and a third of angels who went against him. It could not be from an “Adam in Genesis” with inherent weakness of the flesh and sinned. Nor could it start from Job who boasted of his “own works”. They were all examples of human templates or precursors. But, it had to start with a specific and unique “man-Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 2:5) who would be the first human endowed with a gift of the empowering Holy Spirit of power given as a gift at River Jordan, as witnessed by John the Baptist, to overcome “pull of the flesh (hunger, thirst, covetousness, etc) and temptations from Satan; also the first human to be resurrected to eternal life, as proof of the promise the Father made and planned. The creation of Adam was a template/precursor for the first-man through which the plan would materialize through JC, the first of the firstfruits, the wavesheaf offering.

With YHVH-proximate Creator incarnated to man-JC, he then became the “Passover lamb”to die by crucifixion for “remission of mankind’s sins” for “reconciliation” to God having been thus credited as “justified by faith(of Jesus)” and thereafter, “sanctification” through the “in-dwelling of JC in us by/through the Holy Spirit”empowering us to follow God’s law “written not in tables of stones but in the “fleshly tables of our mind and heart”( see also Jer 31:33-34)

As overcomers with a life of overcoming as empowered by the gift of the “holy spirit of power”, we shall be changed from mortal bodies to immortal/eternal bodies at our appointed time of resurrection/harvest .

As I understood it, the preceding are the steps, the ordo salutis, of the salvation process towards immortality and eternal life.

Original Post: 2/8/2019

Revision published 1/6/2022 in hypertext version

Hypertext version: please tap on hypertext links for references.

Critique is welcome after reading all for context.

Conflict among people, Why and How to prevent or Resolve?

Nov2 by fact-s.net

Conflict can be local; among friends, family members and even among spouses who vowed “till death do us part”. And, this conflict can extend throughout the globe. Why? Can this conflict be resolved or at the very least, prevented from even starting to smolder ?

Why have conflict?:

Any expert will agree that before embarking on how to resolve or prevent conflict, one has to define the basic origin of the problem that led to the conflict. One can surmise that with so many cultures, educational background, society’s norms and acceptance leading to experiential knowledge embedded in our brain that determines the “patho-physiologic” mechanism of responses/actions, no wonder, conflict is a “given”. Really? Do these differences constitute the “basic problem”?

What better resource can one research about this subject than the Bible? And, can we heed, what the apostle James indicated, to be the “basic problem” ? Here is what he said in James 4:1-3

“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Notice that James linked “quarrels, fights” to “passion, desire, covet and ask wrongly“.

Still, it begs the question, why do we have all these? The apostle Paul directed our attention to the common denominator of all of these, as in:

Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”

In a nutshell, these are “pull or works of the flesh” , meaning, because we were created humans and “flesh-composed”. Going back to Genesis, we are indeed “flesh-composed”, from “dust of the ground”(Genesis 2:7).

And being so composed, we learn through our 5 senses and respond to situations depending on our different experiential and accumulated knowledge through the years.

Preventive option?

Be that as it may, can we “prevent conflict” while in this “flesh-composed existence”?

How to Resolve?

First and foremost is for no one to “assume the worst of intention from the other person” as this automatically “pits one against another”…an antagonistic stance that changes the dynamics of how a person will proceed in resolving conflict.

The advice of Paul makes sense in Philippians 4:8

Amplified Bible
Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely andbrings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart].

If we take this attitude from the beginning, it sets the tone for reconciliation of what appeared to be conflict…which maybe not. Ask the other person, “Why he/she said that or did that, and what was the intention?” Don’t assume “mal-intention” from the other party to the conflict.

Then,

Started:11/2/21

Original post: 4/19/2022:

Critique is welcome after reading all for context; please tap on hyperlinks for references and make time to read all.

Genesis creation, who, how and why?

Feb6 by fact-s.net

Undoubtedly, the “creation of visible and invisible” can only come about with an “Intelligent Designer”. There had to be a “Creator” for anything to be created. Failure to recognize this logic necessarily extends to denial of a “maker” of watches, chairs, houses, etc. No wonder, Psalms 14:1 says “The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.”

But Who is the Creator?

Going through Genesis, it says in 1:1 “In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.”

The preceding verse just makes an acknowledgment of someone called “God” to be the Creator of “heavens and earth”. The specific name or identity was not mentioned until Genesis 2:4 “ This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God (Yahweh-Elohim)made the earth and the heavens.”

This particular Creator-God was called “Lord God” in English that came from the original Hebrew name “YHVH-ELOHIM”. The same Creator-God was named El Shaddai/God Almighty to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Exodus 6:3, but was known to Moses in Exodus 3:14 as I AM/YVHH . The same “proximate Creator-God”, i .e., “by, in and for him”in Colossians 1:16 was called “LOGOS/WORD” in John 1:1, the one who incarnated and identified as “man-Jesus Christ” in I Timothy 2:5.

How did God Create?

Let us ask ourselves, is there anything created without energy/power? A ball that drop from a height, came down because of “gravity power”. Any machine works because of “mechanical power”. Electricity does not come without “electrical power”. Photosynthesis Vitamin D will not form nor wind turbine function without “solar power”. Nuclear bombs detonate because of “nuclear power”. And one can go on and on.

And these are manifestations of potential energy to kinetic energy. But for God, he created with an energy/power unique to him. Notice Genesis 1:2(KJV)”…And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” See also 2 Peter 3:5 So, it was using “spirit-power” that God created. Notice also that by his mere commanded word as in Genesis creation, “God says…and it was so or came about”. This is why he is called the WORD/LOGOS.

Yet, why is it that people deny that God created the “visible and invisible” with “spirit-power”? This is the mechanism of “how he created”, through the “Holy Spirit of power”. This energy/power is unique to him while new and foreign to us.

The preceding verses precisely explained how God created; it is through his “Spirit-power”. And there are other verses where this “spirit-power” manifested as in “clouds by day and fire by night”. Miracles that happened throughout the Bible are a by-product of the Holy Spirit of power. Notice that Jesus did miracles “only after” spirit-baptism by the Father in Jordan river. His first manifestation of this “miraculous power” was to overcome Satan, the “god of this age”; then the miracle of water-to-wine in Cana wedding and on and on.

Same Creative Power, but how and why?

As YHVH-Elohim(Lord God)created the heavens and the earth with this “Spirit-Power”, in a “miraculous way”, so is he also re-creating the “marred clay” that man had become. Adam that was perfectly created, subsequently sinned and his sin at the garden of Eden was counted to all mankind and humanity became “marred clay” that needs “ongoing creation”

Notice that the creation of heavens and earth was using “Spirit-power” that was present externally. On the other hand, the re-creation and ongoing creation is internally, through the “in-dwelling of the Spirit”. There had to be “in-dwelling” because what was being re-created was the “real you”, that is the “breath-of-life/spirit-of-man” that was breathed into and came directly at creation from a spirit-composed Creator. Remember the “body” came from the ground, earthy. With the “in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit”, it forms a metaphor double-helix-like DNA with “spirit-in-man” from which a “new person” is being created, much like how (naturally) mankind is formed.

Summary

Creation in Genesis was a type of creation of an anti-type future God-Kingdom, all “spirit-composed”. This is done “internally” through in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, in contrast to other creations which were achieved with this “ Holy-Spirit-of-power working “externally( as in Genesis 1:2)”.

Strictly speaking the God-Creator is the Father, but this creation is “by and through” the “proximate God-Creator”, EL-Shaddai, YAHWEH-ELOHIM, LOGOS, aka., JESUS CHRIST. Notice and compare these verses;

1 Corinthians 8:6”..,yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.”

Colossians 1:16 “For by Him (Jesus)all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him (Jesus) and for Him(Father).”(ESV)

As the material world was created using “spirit-power” moving externally so shall the “spirit-composed beings” through internal change of the “spirit-of-man”.

After “in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit”, there will be sanctification that will lead us to become “one” with the Father and Son. This eventually will engender the God-kingdom.

God bless👍🙏😇

Original hyperlink version posted on February 6, 2021.

Critique is welcome at foundation@yahoo.com

All power given to Jesus?

Jan1 by fact-s.net

After his resurrection, Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, King James Bible
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”

What does this verse mean? All power given just then? Didn’t YHVH -Elohim, Creator-God, the WORD, already have “all power” before his incarnation into “man-Christ Jesus”?

For years, it has been our belief that the God of the Old Testament (YHVH Elohim/Creator-God/the Word) is ALMIGHTY (El Shaddai) and has “all the power” in heaven, on earth and everywhere, i.e., Omnipotent. Yet, is this belief an assumption and has limit? Did he really have “all power” except one, and which one? Or, did he have “all power” authorized except for one, as planned?

Re-evaluation Analysis:

It has been a cautionary advice in I Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:”

With that said, let us then analyze our belief to be entirely sure it is right. At the outset, let us consider the derivation of the “operative word” translated from Greek.

The English word “power” comes from Greek word ἐξουσία/exousía (1832) Noun ex-oo-see’-ah. It means ability, privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence:–authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength.

The English word “power” was used in King James 2000 Bible , American King James Version , Douay-Rheims Bible,Douay-Rheims Bible , Darby Bible Translation ,Webster’s Bible Translation ,Weymouth New Testament. It was also translated in English as power/authority in various Bibles . The context of the Greek word ἐξουσία/exousía is basically similar, i.e., power and authority as indicated in Matthew 28:18.

Still, it begs the question, “while his power/authority as God in Genesis is “Almighty and Omnipotent”, was it all-encompassing but limited to another unique power he did not have at that time”? Was there power/authority that he did not have? If not, and if he actually have all the power, why the need to express the context of Matthew 28:18? Or, he had “all power” authorized to use, except one which has a timetable for it?

Timetable

There is timing involved in names expressed relative to their function. Notice, that in the Old Testament as Creator-God, he was called YHVH-Elohim, El-Shaddai (God Almighty) , I AM, and others There are different names of God that’s descriptive of his function not only in the Old Testament (Tanach) but also in the New Testament

Incarnation changed YHVH’s spirit-composed body into flesh-composed thereby gave up his spirit-power, as well, until in-dwelling of Holy Spirit after coming out of water baptism at River Jordan. On the night of Nisan 13, his last supper with his disciples, (John 13-17) and before man-Jesus was crucified on Nisan 14, he prayed to the Father, as in:

John 17:5 “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory (δοξάζω doxázō) I had with you before the world began.”(NIV)

Notice that, what Jesus expressed in Matthew 28:18 was AFTER his resurrection. This was when he became or was declared and adopted as “Firstborn Son of God“ by resurrection from the dead as in Romans 1:4. He was the promised and prophesied Passover Lamb then, and became so, actually at death by crucifixion.

Subsequently, after returning to heaven, the Father gave back all his original powers, and this time, plus the authority to use his creative power for an “ongoing creation”.

Summary

YHVH-Elohim(the Creator-God), El-Shaddai (the God-Almighty), the I AM (the Omnipresent-God) had “all powers” before the world even began and the authority to use them, except one, the “creative power” which had to be authorized in the process of “ongoing creation”. This has been their “unwritten/ultimate covenant” to each other.

This creative-power is for an “ongoing creation” that was given back, this time authorized to be used at the “time appointed”. Man-Christ Jesus has to die, be resurrected and go to heaven to receive directly from the Father this “unique creative power” who then authorized it to be used. Then and only then could the Firstborn Son of God create other “adopted sons and daughters of God”, all one with the Father.

The understanding of DNA ‘s coded message may help this generation to appreciate the miraculous mechanism of this process.

God bless🙏😇

Original hyperlink version post: January 1, 2021. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL🎉🎊😷🎈☀️

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