How can 3 = 1 : Understanding the Triune Nature of Elohim

Is "God" one or three? The scriptures will tell you both are true.

 

The very name for "God" in the Hebrew is a plural noun ( Elohim ), but is used with singular adjectives and verb forms.

 

How can 3 = 1 ?

 

"How" is difficult to comprehend, but the "reality" of 3 = 1 is everywhere.

All matter exists in 3 "forms".

Solid, Liquid, and Gas.

This is basic chemistry and physics.

 

The 3 "states" of Water is how I best "understand" the triune nature of Elohim.

We have solid water that is ICE.

We have liquid water that is FLUID WATER.

We have gaseous water that is STEAM or CLOUDS ( or even invisible "humidity" in the air ).

 

All 3 are "water" ( H2O, two molecules of Hydrogen bonded to one molecule of Oxygen ).

 

And the 3 forms are known to change and transform into the other depending on the situation ( mainly the temperature of the environment it is in ).

So, if you want to "experience" the fullness of "Water", you will find that you can "Stand On It", or you can "Submerge Yourself In It", or you can "Breath It In".

 

It is always water.

And God is always God, whether you are experiencing the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit. The 3 are 1.

Three difference "manifestations" of the one and same entity. Not three different entities.

 

*** No analogy is perfect to describe Elohim, but I hope this helps you get your "mind around" the concept.
And if you have one that works better for you, please share it with us ( Comment on this Blog entry ).

 

Doctrine of the Trinity Explained by Michael Bradley

 

The Doctrine of the Trinity - One God in Three Persons

ne of the main fundamental key truths in Christianity is the belief in the doctrine of the Trinity. Simply put, the doctrine of the Trinity states that there is: One God in three Persons

It is not three Gods in one God - it is one God in three Persons.
The Bible specifically states over and over again that there is only one God. This is why you technically can't say that there are three Gods in one God.

However, as you will see in the Scripture verses I will list below, all three Persons of the Godhead are God and Lord Themselves. God the Father is the first Person of the Trinity, His Son Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity and the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity.

So if all Three of Them are really God and Lord Themselves - then why doesn't God the Father tell us in His Word that we are dealing with three Gods? Why does He keep saying that there is only one God - when in actuality there really are three Gods, since both Jesus and the Holy Spirit are God and Lord Themselves?

There is no question that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three separate, complete and individual Persons with their own individual unique identities. So why does God the Father keep stating that there is only one God in Scripture? This is one of the mysteries of the Trinity that many people have a hard time with.

Here is what I believe may be a possible answer to this question. From Scripture, we know that there are only three classes of beings. God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one class in that the Three of Them are all God and Lord Themselves. As such, all Three of Them are absolutely perfect in Their actual natures and personalities. As you will see in one of the Scripture verses I will list below, the Bible tells us that there is no darkness in God. In other words, He has no dark side - no flesh.

This means that God is totally incapable of doing anything evil or bad. He is totally and completely perfectly good in His actual nature and personality. However, the same thing cannot be said of the other two classes of beings that God has created.

The second class of beings that God has created are the angels. The fact that Satan and one third of the angels rebelled against God and were thus thrown out of heaven - all show that angels have the capacity and the ability to malfunction to the dark side.

If they did not have this ability and capacity, then Satan and one third of the angels would have never rebelled against God the Father in the first place. This one fact alone tells us that angels are not perfect like God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are. They thus cannot be considered gods in any way, shape or form.

The third class of beings God has created is the human race. The Bible specifically states that all men and all women have sinned and have fallen way short of the glory of God. This is why Jesus had to come down to die for all of our sins, flaws and imperfections. The Bible says that all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and makes no exceptions. In other words - all humans are imperfect just like all of the angels are.

This now leads us to one simple conclusion. Since all humans and all angels are imperfect - this now means that no angels and no humans can ever be considered to be gods themselves - no matter how much Satan would still like to believe that, and no matter how many New Age gurus would like to try and tell you otherwise with their false teachings that we are all little gods ourselves.

Now here is why I believe that God the Father has the Trinity set up under the statement of "One God in three Persons."

Since God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all God and Lord Themselves - this means that all Three of Them are totally perfect in Their actual personalities and natures. And if They are totally perfect in Their personalities - then this now means They are totally capable of being perfectly one with one another.

As you will in several of the Scripture verses below - Jesus keeps repeating the statement that He and His Father "are one." In other words, They are perfectly one with one another, They are in perfect harmony with one another, They are in perfect agreement with one another, They are in perfect unison with one another.

Since the Two of Them are both God and Lord Themselves - then this now means this union between the Two of them is a perfect divine union. This perfect divine union of oneness between the Two of Them is so perfect, that God the Father can now say that there is only one God - not 3 separate Gods.

The same thing goes for the Holy Spirit. As you will see in a Scripture verse I will list below, this verse also says that the Holy Spirit is perfectly "one" with both God and Jesus. And since the Bible specifically tells us that the Holy Spirit is God and Lord Himself - then this now means His personal union with both God and Jesus is a perfect divine union - and as such - He too can be included as being part of the Godhead - where God the Father can now state that there is only one God, but one God in three separate perfect Persons within the actual Godhead itself.

Since all angels and all humans are imperfect, then that means we are all incapable of establishing any type of perfect divine God-union with either God Himself or with any other human. Only God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit have the ability to establish a perfect divine union with either Themselves or with one of us or one of Their angels.

I believe that this "perfect divine oneness," this "perfect divine union" between God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is so "God-perfect" - that God the Father can now state that there is only one true God - but one God in three separate, unique and individual Persons.

1. One God in Three Persons

There is one big, whopper mammoth verse that you can literally base the entire doctrine of the Trinity on. Here it is:

"For there are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one." (1 John 5:7)

As you will see in a verse I will list below, the Word is Jesus. This verse is now telling us that God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are "one." This verse is telling us that we are specifically dealing with a God Trinity involving three separate Persons - but with all Three of these Persons being "perfectly one" with one another!

In the 3 captions I will list below, I will give you some of the main verses from Scripture that will specifically tell us that God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are all God and Lord Themselves.

And if They are all God and Lord Themselves, and above verse is telling us that They are perfectly one with one another - then the Bible has just given us perfect proof that we are now dealing with a Holy Divine Trinity of one God in three Persons.

It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Once you have all of the puzzle pieces put together and put right next to one another - it then becomes quite easy to see what God is trying to tell us with some of this deeper revelation!

I believe that the above verse is one of the major foundational verses in which to base the doctrine of the Trinity on since it is specifically telling us that all three Persons of the Godhead are "perfectly one" with one another.

2. God the Father is God and Lord Himself

In order to complete the above verse, we now have to show that both God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all God and Lord Themselves. In this caption, I will give you 10 major power verses all showing that not only is God the Father God and Lord Himself - but that there are no other gods in the entire scheme of things than can even begin to sit next to Him.

The actual wording in some of these verses are very intense in the way they are stating that there is only one God and that there are no other gods anywhere else that can compete with Him for this title. Here are 10 major power verses all showing us that God the Father is God and Lord Himself and that there are no other beings or entities that can even begin compete with Him for this title.

1. "... yet for us there is only one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." (1 Corinthians 8:6)
   
   
2. "But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King ... thus you shall say to them: "The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens." He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion ... For He is the maker of all things." (Jeremiah 10:10-16)
   
   
3. "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God ... Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.' " (Isaiah 44: 6,8)
   
   
4. "To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Him ... that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other." (Deuteronomy 4:35-39)
   
   
5. "Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior ... Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?" (Isaiah 43:10-13)
   
   
6. "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,' ... (Isaiah 46:9)
   
   
7. "Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:22)
   
   
8. "I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, that they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things ... I have made the earth, and created man on it." (Isaiah 45:5-12)
   
   
9. "For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the people are idols." (Psalm 96:4)
   
   
10. "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." (1 John 1:5)

All of the above verses are very profound and powerful verses all showing us, without any other possible interpretation, that there is only one God - God the Father - and that there are no other gods that can compete or sit beside Him as His equal.

All other false gods being worshipped by all of the other false religions of this earth are nothing more than false idols according to Psalm 96:4 - and they will all eventually be completely taken out from this earth when Jesus comes back to us in His second coming to set up His Millennium Kingdom from the city of Jerusalem.

Also notice in the very last verse where it specifically says that there is no darkness in God - that He is all light and all goodness!

3. Jesus Christ is God and Lord Himself

All of the above verses are definitely establishing that God the Father is God and Lord Himself. Now here are 18 major power verses all showing that Jesus Christ is also God and Lord Himself.

Notice in the very first verse that it says that the Word - which is Jesus - was with God from the very beginning of all things and that He too is God Almighty Himself! The third verse says that a virgin will bring Jesus into our world and His name shall be called Immanuel - which means that "God is with us."

1. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." (John 1:1)
    
2. "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)
    
3. "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)
    
4. "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
    
5. "... looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ ..." (Titus 2:13)
    
6. "To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:1)
    
7. "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." (1 John 5:20)
    
8. "... no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3)
    
9. "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, and that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)
    
10. Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:27)
     
11. "... Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men." (Philippians 2:6)
     
12. "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." (Colossians 2:9)
     
13. "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves." (John 14:10)
     
14. "I and My Father are one." (John 10:30)
     
15. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." (Revelation 22:13)
     
16. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8)
     
17. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8)
     
18. Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (John 8:58)

All of the above verses are definitely telling us, without any other possible interpretation or spin that you can put on them - that Jesus Christ is God and Lord Almighty Himself and that He is truly the second Person of the triune Godhead!

The last verse, where Jesus says before Abraham was, He says "I AM." The words "I AM" are present tense - which means that Jesus has always been - He was never created or had any type of origination point like all humans and all angels have. Only God can be eternal and that one statement, all by itself, shows that Jesus Christ is eternal just like His Father is. This makes both Him and God the Father co-eternal in the Godhead itself.

The two verses from Revelation 1:8 and 22:13 are stating that Jesus is the First and the Last, just like the one verse above on God the Father. They are both the First and the Last, which makes both of Them God and Lord.

When the apostle Thomas says to Jesus in the above verse - "My Lord and my God" - Jesus does not correct him, but accepts the statement that he is making to Him, once again proving that Jesus is God and Lord Himself.

All of the above verses are major key power verses all showing us that Jesus Christ is truly God and Lord Himself - and as such - is truly the second Person of the triune Godhead.

4. The Holy Spirit is God and Lord Himself

To complete the doctrine of the Trinity, we now have to show and prove from Scripture that the Holy Spirit is also God and Lord Himself. The following verses will do this for you. Here they are:

1. "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Corinthians 3:17)
   
   
2. But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? ... You have not lied to men but to God." (Acts 5:3-4)
   
   
3. "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there." (Psalm 139:7)
   
   
4. "... how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God ..." (Hebrews 9:14)
   
   
5. "... no one know the things of God except the Spirit of God." (1 Corinthians 2:11)

The very first verse specifically tells us that the Holy Spirit is Lord Himself. The next verse then tells us that the Holy Spirit is God Himself when Peter is telling Ananias that he has lied to God when he had just lied to the Holy Spirit!

These two verses, when you put them right next to one another, are literally telling us that the Holy Spirit is both God and Lord Himself - just like God the Father and Jesus Christ are both God and Lord Themselves. This now perfectly completes the Trinity - showing that we are now dealing with one God, but one God in three separate and distinct Persons - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

The third verse above on the Holy Spirit is showing that the Holy Spirit is omnipresent, which means that He is everywhere at all times. Only God has this kind of ability. This is just one more piece of Scriptural evidence that the Holy Spirit has the attributes and abilities of God Himself and as such, has to be God and Lord Himself.

The verse from Hebrews 9:14 says that the Holy Spirit is eternal, which means that He is just like God and Jesus on this issue. He has never been created and has always been and always was. Again, only God can be eternal with no creation or origination point like all humans and all angels have.

The last verse, where it says that no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God, is giving us another major clue that the Holy Spirit has to be God Himself in order to have this ability to be able know the things of God the Father.

No human and no angel has the perfect ability to know all of the things of God. Only Jesus and the Holy Spirit have this capability within the Godhead itself. The Bible says that all humans will only "know in part" with what knowledge we can acquire from God.

The above 5 verses on the Holy Spirit are definitely showing us that He is also God and Lord Himself, and that He has all of the God-attributes and God-abilities of God and Jesus in the Godhead itself.

Conclusion

If you truly believe that all of the Bible has come to us from God the Father through the Holy Spirit, then all of the above verses, especially when you group all of them together, are all showing us that our God is one God in three Persons - with God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit being the three distinct Persons of this triune Godhead - and with all three Persons of this Godhead being co-equal and co-eternal.

The first set of verses about God the Father are also telling us that there are no other gods anywhere else - either in heaven above or on this earth - and that all of the other so called gods being worshiped by the other false religious systems of this world are nothing but false idols before God the Father and will eventually be completely done away with.

Once again, God the Father has given us some incredible revelation about Himself, His Son Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit with the knowledge that is contained in these specific verses from Scripture.

**********************************************

Michael Bradley
Bible Teaching, Knowledge, Commentary and Over 150 Free Articles
Copyright © 2005-2008 by Michael Bradley.

What is your Whatever?

"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Whatever is True, Honorable, Right, Pure, Lovely, of Good Repute, any excellence, anything worthy of praise,

LET YOUR MIND DWELL ON THESE THINGS!!!

Romans 15:4,13 NASB, and para-phase of Philippians 4:8

Debunking the "2012 Doomsday"

Rumors of an apocalypse in 2012 are being spread by people in order to make money.

Don't be Scammed!
Get the facts about all the "2012 Doomsday" Myths and Rumors.

see:
2012 Hoax Website

It Is Time To Act - Spread the Gift of Eternal Life

Youtube version = https://youtu.be/tkJBujlplP4

As the church in America struggles to remake it's self. I would challenge believer's in the Word of God to seek the Lord for guidance in all their actions. Each day we must ask,

"Lord, what is your will for me today? 

Where, What, How do you want me to use the time and resources you have provided me to better serve You?". 

Keeping in mind ( in prayer ) our inability to live Godly, and to be depending ( trusting and relying upon ) His Spirit, His strength. 

Each day we have opportunity to share the Love of Christ. 

Each day we have opportunity to share our material goods with those less fortunate then us. 

Each day we have time and opportunity to interact with others ( fellow Believers, and those who do not have the Faith ). 

We can choose to spend our time and resources on ourselves ( as the world is always tell us to do ), or we can think less about ourselves and see where God would use us. 

A neighbor or a stranger. 

A fellow believer, or one who is still lost in the lies of the world. 

We must always be mindful of our own lack of ability and seek the power of God. 

We NEED to have His Word in our heart and mind. 

Time spent in the Bible, and on our knees ( one of the best ways to pray ) are CRITICAL to walking in the Light. 

I could start quoting all the verses, but if you are a believer, many of them are already in your heart. 

And if you are a non-believer, I would "dare you" to read the Gospel of John through, and ask God to show you what is "true". 

"Call upon the Name of Lord" === Trust, rely, depend, looking to for deliverance, strength, and Divine intervention. 

 ACT upon what you already know. Then God can show you more. And believe me there is a lot MORE. 

 Seek truth, and you will find it ( this is a promise from God ). 

 And to my fellow believers ( saved by grace through faith - not of works ), I would challenge you to share the Gospel with those around you. 

Showing them love and providing for physical welfare is a good and noble thing, but please do not neglect sharing the life giving truth of the Gospel. 

Give them the Message of Eternal Life. 

Help them to be Born Again. 

Help them become a Child of God. 

Plug them into our heavenly Father. 

This is what we are called to do, while not neglecting to show the kindness and love that is God. 

Let your actions include speaking His Word. 

Proclaim His Name ( Jesus Christ the Lord ). 

Tell them that their Creator has a plan and purpose for their life. 

That He has paid the penalty for their sins, and forgiveness is freely available. 

The world has many "good deed doers", but so few "truth sayers". 

Share the Love, but please don't be afraid to share the Word. 

Don't be afraid to tell them God is real, the Bible is true, and Jesus Christ died that they might have forgiveness and eternal life. 

Tell them about this great eternal life that begins the moment a person understands and trusts in Jesus Christ as their savior, their substitution, their redeemer, their God who has provide a way to restore the relationship He always had in mind. 

Tell them that being "born again" as a child of God puts them in connection with the Creator of the Universe. 

And that He is real, He hears, He cares, and He can be "called upon" each and every day. 

And He has no limits to His ability to hear, understand, guide and comfort His children.

Acts 1:11 tells us that Jesus is returning one day - while we await His return, let’s ACT

Are you ready? 

For more help with sharing the Gospel, and understanding just how clear and simple it really is, click on this link:

Good News / Bad News 

Angels and Demons Movie - Editoral from New York Times on the Author's true purpose

---

May 19, 2009 from the New York Times

Op-Ed Columnist

Dan Brown's America

By ROSS DOUTHAT

The movie treatment of his novel, "Angels and Demons," is cleaning up at the box office this week. The sequel to "The DaVinci Code," due out in November, might buoy the publishing industry through the recession. And if you want to understand the state of American religion, you need to understand why so many people love Dan Brown.

It isn't just that he knows how to keep the pages turning. That's what it takes to sell a million novels. But if you want to sell a 100 million, you need to preach as well as entertain — to present a fiction that can be read as fact, and that promises to unlock the secrets of history, the universe and God along the way.

Brown is explicit about this mission. He isn't a serious novelist, but he's a deadly serious writer: His thrilling plots, he's said, are there to make the books' didacticism go down easy, so that readers don't realize till the end "how much they are learning along the way." He's working in the same genre as Harlan Coben and James Patterson, but his real competitors are ideologues like Ayn Rand, and spiritual gurus like Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra. He's writing thrillers, but he's selling a theology.

Brown's message has been called anti-Catholic, but that's only part of the story. True, his depiction of the Roman Church's past constitutes a greatest hits of anti-Catholicism, with slurs invented by 19th-century Protestants jostling for space alongside libels fabricated by 20th-century Wiccans. (If he targeted Judaism or Islam this way, one suspects that no publisher would touch him.)

But Brown doesn't have the soul of a true-believing Enemy of the Faith. Deep down, he has a fondness for the ordinary, well-meaning sort of Catholic, his libels against their ancestors notwithstanding. He's even sympathetic to the religious yearnings of his Catholic villains — including, yes, the murderous albino monks.

This explains why both "The Da Vinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" end with a big anti-Catholic reveal (Jesus had kids with Mary Magdalene! That terrorist plot against the Vatican was actually launched by an archconservative priest!) followed by a big cover-up. A small elect (Tom Hanks and company, in the movies) gets to know what really happened, but the mass of believers remain in the dark, lest their spiritual questing be derailed by disillusionment and scandal. Having dismissed Catholicism's truth claims and demonized its most sincere defenders, Brown pats believers on the head and bids them go on fingering their rosary beads.

In the Brownian worldview, all religions — even Roman Catholicism — have the potential to be wonderful, so long as we can get over the idea that any one of them might be particularly true. It's a message perfectly tailored for 21st-century America, where the most important religious trend is neither swelling unbelief nor rising fundamentalism, but the emergence of a generalized "religiousness" detached from the claims of any specific faith tradition.

The polls that show more Americans abandoning organized religion don't suggest a dramatic uptick in atheism: They reveal the growth of do-it-yourself spirituality, with traditional religion's dogmas and moral requirements shorn away. The same trend is at work within organized faiths as well, where both liberal and conservative believers often encounter a God who's too busy validating their particular version of the American Dream to raise a peep about, say, how much money they're making or how many times they've been married.

These are Dan Brown's kind of readers. Piggybacking on the fascination with lost gospels and alternative Christianities, he serves up a Jesus who's a thoroughly modern sort of messiah — sexy, worldly, and Goddess-worshiping, with a wife and kids, a house in the Galilean suburbs, and no delusions about his own divinity.

But the success of this message — which also shows up in the work of Brown's many thriller-writing imitators — can't be separated from its dishonesty. The "secret" history of Christendom that unspools in "The Da Vinci Code" is false from start to finish. The lost gospels are real enough, but they neither confirm the portrait of Christ that Brown is peddling — they're far, far weirder than that — nor provide a persuasive alternative to the New Testament account. The Jesus of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John — jealous, demanding, apocalyptic — may not be congenial to contemporary sensibilities, but he's the only historically-plausible Jesus there is.

For millions of readers, Brown's novels have helped smooth over the tension between ancient Christianity and modern American faith. But the tension endures. You can have Jesus or Dan Brown. But you can't have both.

Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company

 

Eternal Security or when does Eternal Life Beginning

ETERNAL SECURITY

     Can a person who has been saved lose his salvation?  This question has been a perplexing question to many.  Maybe you have been questioning the genuineness of your salvation.  Are you really saved?  Are you really sure?

     Although the phrase "eternal security" does not occur in the Bible, phrases that are equivalent do occur.  Phrases such as everlasting life, eternal life, eternal salvation, eternal inheritance, eternal redemption, etc. occur dozens and dozens of times throughout the Bible.

     Eternal security is not a separate doctrine from that of eternal life or eternal salvation.  It is one and the same.  In fact, the only salvation God offers to mankind is eternal.  "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16)." 

     God does not offer probation, but He offers salvation.  God does not offer a trial period, but rather, offers to completely save and give eternal life to anyone who responds to His invitation to trust Jesus Christ as his or her only hope of heaven.

     Consider the alternative, that you could lose your salvation.  By virtue of the fact that you could lose it, would mean that keeping salvation would depend upon your efforts or actions to keep it.  In other words, a person who says that he can lose his salvation for whatever reason is in reality saying that he is trusting in human works to save him.  Look at Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace (mercy) are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God; NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast."  Salvation is not of works and therefore a person who is trusting in his works is not and will not be saved.  What are we saying?  Plainly stated: a person who says he can lose his salvation is not saved.  Or he is thoroughly confused and lacks assurance of salvation.

     If you are not saved forever, then you are not saved.  Let me say it again.  If you are not saved forever, then you are not saved.

     Salvation, as taught in the Bible, is a present possession, received at the time of the new birth or acceptance of Christ as one's personal Savior, and is kept secure or eternal by God's power.  Consider such references as John 3:16; John 3:36; John 5:24; John 10:28; Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 10:10; Hebrews 10:14; I Peter 1:4-5.

     Jesus Christ made the promise in John 6:37 that He would never cast out anyone who had trusted Him as Savior for any reason.  "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."  He meant exactly that.  There is no circumstance or instance that would cause Christ to cast a saved person aside.

     Some have said to me, "Okay, Christ won't cast me out, but I can cast myself out."  This is impossible. Read with me John 6:39 where Jesus said, "And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that all which he hath given, I should lose nothing but should raise it up again at the last day."  Jesus promises that He will never lose anyone who has come to him for salvation and that this is the Father's will.

     If any one saved person were ever lost, then Jesus Christ would be a liar because, He said in John 6:39 that He would not lose one.  If just one saved person in all of history were lost, then Jesus Christ would be a liar.

     Praise the Lord that Jesus Christ is a Savior who will deliver on what He has promised.  "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath (possesses now) eternal life (John 6:47)."  Jesus Christ promises eternal life as a present possession to all those who believe (trust) in Him.

     The heart of all the misunderstanding concerning this subject is the fact that human works or merit have zero to do with salvation.  Many Scriptures make it so clear that we are saved by faith and not by works.  For example: John 3:18; Romans 3:24-28; Romans 4;5; Ephesians 2:8-9 and so on.

     In addition to this, there are many clear Scriptures which teach that anyone who is trusting in works (church membership, baptism, confirmation, living the Christian life, etc.) in addition to faith in Christ will not be saved (Romans 11:6; and Galatians 5:2-4).  Thus we are to trust in Christ only to be saved.

     The work of salvation was finished on the cross by Jesus Christ himself (Hebrews 1:3).  If we want to be saved, then we must believe that Jesus Christ finished the work of salvation on the cross, and receive it as God's free gift (Romans 6:23).

     "I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him (Ecclesiastes 3:14)."  (See also Romans 8:38-39.)

     After we are saved, we should live for Christ out of love and gratitude for all He has done for us.  We will be rewarded for faithful service or suffer the loss of rewards for not serving the Lord, but we will be eternally saved (Corinthians 3:11-15).  Also, if we live in rebellion we will still be saved, but God will chasten us in this life and might take us home to heaven prematurely.  (See Hebrews 12:6-8; Corinthians 11:30-32.)

     Salvation is by grace through faith.  It is a free gift, and is wholly without works (Romans 3:27-28; 4:1-8; 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9).  The divine order is first salvation, then works (Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5-8).

     "Blessed Assurance" is a favorite hymn of many who claim to be saved.  But it is only wishful thinking to those who believe they can be saved today and lost tomorrow.

     "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39)."  A saved person can know and be absolutely assured of his or her salvation.  Nothing can undo what God has finished (Ecclesiastes 3:14).

     "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life (I John 5:13)."

 **** Okay, if salvation can be not lost, and a person's "works" ( good or bad ) do not effect this "eternal" state, then what does Paul mean when he wrote to Galatians these words,

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. 

(Gal 5:19-21)

First I would point out that this includes things that any honest person would have to admit that have done ( hate some one? have strife? Envy? Wrath ( angry )? ).

And that is Paul's point.. These "works" are what our "flesh" naturally produces.

And if you read the context before and after this passage, you see the "Point" that he is trying to make has to do with our "choosing" to allow the "Spirit" to control our "works" ( actions ).

Note his words prior to this statement:

Gal 3:1  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 

Gal 3:2  This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 

Gal 3:3  Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 

And here, affirming that salvation is not based on our works, but upon our faith in Christ alone,

Gal 3:22  But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe. 

And the verses leading up to the passage in question show the Galatian ( believers, brethren ) still struggled with "works" of the flesh ( sin ) in their lives,

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 

(Gal 5:14-18)

And Paul's point is that just as we are "a live" in Christ because of the Spirit, we should rely upon the Spirit in our daily walk. And not "be desirous of vain glory,.. envying one another."

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. 

(Gal 5:22-26)

Paul is not questioning their salvation or eternal destiny ( they are Children of God, and have His Spirit ), but is warning them that they can not "fight" sins with "rules" ( Law ), but must consciously rely upon the Holy Spirit to produce the "fruit" in their lives.

And if we go back to the beginning of this letter to the church in Galatia, we see that Paul's many focus ( concern ) is how others were ADDING the requirement of "works" of the Law ( following rules and ritual ) as a means to salvation, and he is clear that adding to the gospel ( good news ) of grace ( undeserved mercy ) is an abomination ( to be accursed ).

I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. 

(Gal 1:6-9)

 

Marriage Re-Defined - Another "Cloud" on the Horizon

Well now we can stop all the arguments about the "laws" of marriage, as the "word" has been redefined for us.

© 2009 Merriam-Webster, Incorporated

 

Main Entry:   mar·riage

Pronunciation: \ˈmer-ij, ˈma-rij\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English mariage, from Anglo-French, from marier to marry

Date: 14th century

1 a (1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law

 

(2): the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage <same-sex marriage>

 

b: the mutual relation of married persons : wedlock

c: the institution whereby individuals are joined in a marriage

 

2: an act of marrying or the rite by which the married status is effected ; especially : the wedding ceremony and attendant festivities or formalities

 

3: an intimate or close union <the marriage of painting and poetry — J. T. Shawcross>

 

Let Us Watch and Be Sober

1Th 5:1-6 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.