TRINITY

TRINITY

 

 

The word Trinity won't be found in your concordance. It is true that the word trinity does not appear in the Bible. But the idea saturates the Bible. Godly Jews believed in a God who dwelt in heaven, and He was referred to as Father. When Christ came those Jews who knew God recognized Christ as God, though distinct from the Father. When the Spirit came on Pentecost, these same Jews were impressed with the fact that He was God, but different from the Father and from Christ. When at last the New Testament writers recorded their thoughts in books which now make up the New Testament, there was no conscious effort to formulate a new doctrine. They just recorded what happened. It is seen though through the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. Only those whose agenda is to deny the tri-unity of God will fail to see the many times it appears throughout the scriptures.
For instance Cf. Matt. 3:16-17; 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; Num. 6:24-27; Isa. 48:16; Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:20; Eph. 2:18; Eph. 3:16-19; 1 John 5:7.
That incomprehensible mystery of the Trinity. To the most reverent and inquiring mind it will forever remain a dark but enticing secret. To the hearts of men of goodwill this unfathomable mystery of the Godhead will provide the necessary compulsion for everlasting wonder and ineffable worship.
The doctrine of the triunity of God is exclusively a revelation from God. Untrammeled human reason may lead one to the unity of God, but only Divine revelation discovers the triunity of God to men. This teaches that the nature or essence of God is one, but that within this one essence there are three eternal distinctions presented under the figure of persons. This means that in one sense God is one, but in another sense God is three.
The importance of this doctrine must not be minimized. It is the fundamental of the fundamentals of the Christian faith. This doctrine differentiates the Christian faith from that of any other religion. Without this doctrine there could be no divine Savior, no divine Holy Spirit, no incarnation of God in human flesh, no atonement effecting a transaction between persons of the Godhead, no God of eternal love, no impartation of divine life to men. In fact, all the distinctive truths of Christianity are wrapped up in this great fact. Even the veracity of the Scriptures is at stake. If this is not what is taught in Divine writ, then the movement of the Scriptures is to deceive. And if the Bible is deceptive in this area, then there is no fundamental of the Christian faith that can be trusted. The defenders of all the false religionists know this to be true and attempt to discount the trinity as a false doctrine of the Christian belief. (Muslim)
It is an obvious fact that the complete revelation of the triunity of God is given in deeds rather than words. As one theologian put it, "The doctrine of the Trinity is not so much heard, as overheard, in the statements of Scripture."

WILLFUL IGNORANCE – DIVINE BLINDNESS – SELF-INDUCED BLINDNESS

WILLFUL IGNORANCE – DIVINE BLINDNESS – SELF-INDUCED BLINDNESS

 

Some people are sincere, doubtless, in their determination to see what they wish to see; just as there are other people who are blind to the things they do not wish to see. These are problems for psychological rather than historical investigations. The reasons below.

Cf. Exod. 23:8 “And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.”  Bribes make one see things differently

Matt. 11:5 “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.” Foretaste of the Kingdom known because of Isa 35:5. This would be needed after 3 1/2 years of the reign of the false Messiah.

2 Cor. 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”  View of God using a reprobate mind. The after affects of listening to Satan.

Deut. 16:19 “Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.” Gifts blinds ones vision in this case.

1 Sam. 12:3 “Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.” Bribed into blindness of truth.

HEAD - HEADSHIP

HEAD - HEADSHIP

“But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” 1 Cor. 11:3

 HEAD [kephale]

The distinction between man and woman is only logical, for while man is God's reflection directly, woman is only so indirectly, having her life from man, and for man.

<Headship> From 1 Cor. 11:3. Also see Num. 30:16.  This was a difficult question to deal with, and it was submitted to the apostle. He proceeded first to declare that woman's true position is that of subservience to man. The nature of that subservience he is very careful to indicate. Here, as was his constant habit, the apostle corrected these small matters by setting them in their true relation to great matters, defining the true meaning of the temporal by setting it in relation to the eternal.

-Woman bears the relation to man that man bears to Christ.

-The relation man bears to Christ is the relation Christ bears to God.

If we commence the argument from the highest fact, the relation of Christ to God, we have at once three great facts to keep in mind.

+God is equal with Christ;

+God co-operated with Christ;

+God is the Head of Christ.

Carrying this out, we see that Christ made Himself equal with man for co-operation with man, while yet He is the Head of man. Again, following that argument, the man is equal with the woman in Christ for co-operation with her in Christ while he is yet the head of the woman in Christ.

“These are the statutes, which the LORD commanded Moses, between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, being yet in her youth in her father's house.” Num. 30:16

This is really a very arresting chapter. At first it may seem to have very little application to our modern civilization. But if it be carefully considered, it will be seen that it consists of a series of enactments based upon a fundamental principle of human society. The chapter is concerned with vows, and principally those of women. Let us state these provisions in other words. The vow of a man is declared to be absolutely binding, from it there is no release. In the case of women this is not so. If a woman dwelling in her father’s house takes a vow upon her, her father has the power to forbid, and so to release her. If he does not, then the vow is binding. In the case of a woman dwelling with her husband, the husband has a like power. If he does not exercise it, then her vow is also binding. In the case of a widow, or one divorced, if her vow is made in her widowhood or while she is divorced, it is absolutely binding. If it was made while she dwelt with her husband, and he forbade it, she is released. If he did not forbid it, then it is binding upon her. Now what did these careful enactments mean? They are of the utmost importance, as they reveal the Divine conception of the necessity for the maintenance of the unity of the family.

 In no family must there be two supreme authorities, and here, as always in the Divine arrangement, the headship is vested in the husband and father. It can easily be seen how, were this otherwise, through religious vows discord and probably disruption in family life would ensue. The measure in which modern society has departed from this ideal, is the measure of its insecurity.

TRANSUBSTANTIATION AND CONS-SUBSTANTIATION

TRANSUBSTANTIATION AND CONS-SUBSTANTIATION

 

 

"If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."  Heb. 6:6

"The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" John 6:52

The Lords supper is a spiritual experience, not a physical one. The bread and the wine are not trans-substantiated (turned into the actual body and blood of Christ) as the Roman Catholics believe or con substantiated (having the actual body and blood existing alongside them) as many Lutherans believe for this one fact is plain, Christ cannot be sacrificed again (Heb. 6:6) because He offered only once to bear the sins of many (Heb. 9:28), nor can His actual body and blood be consumed by us, either in the place of the bread and wine or alongside with them (John 6:52). Not only that but at the first Lord’s Supper, in which Christ Himself passed the bread and the cup, He had not yet been crucified; His physical blood had not yet been shed.

When believers partake of communion in faith, the Holy Spirit uses these symbols as sensitizers to kindle our spirits in awareness and appreciation of our Lord great ministry (BREAD) and sacrifice (CUP) for us.

The Passover celebrated that temporary, physical deliverance of the old covenant. The Lords supper celebrates the permanent and spiritual deliverance of the new this cup is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Luke 22:20)

MIRACLES AND THEIR POWER

MIRACLES AND THEIR POWER

TO BRING TO BELIEVE

 

The Old Testament prophet Isaiah knew no one would be convinced by the things of power seen, “who has believed our report,” that is our message, the word we have had to say. And to “whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isa. 53:1) The arm is always the symbol of strength. Said Isaiah in these olden days “who has believed our message?” “Who has been convinced by the things of power seen?” Jesus total public ministry only saw 631 people converted.

There is only one sign which brings men to believe. The sign of the cross and resurrection, proof that the price has been paid (Matt. 12:38-40). Give us a sign of the cross and resurrection; this brings a complete revelation of God in Christ.

DECLINE OF MIRACLES

DECLINE OF MIRACLES

In Acts 5:16 every one of the sick who were brought from various cities to Jerusalem were healed by the apostles. Twenty-five years later we find the greatest of all the apostles being denied his own earnest prayer for a well body (2 Cor. 12:7-9). And as we near the end, we hear him advising Timothy to take a little wine for his often infirmities (1 Tim. 5:23). Still later we learn that he has left another beloved worker sick at Miletim (2 Tim. 4:20).

No witnesses die in early acts. Then Stephen is killed (Acts 7:54-59). A little later James dies by the sword of Herod (Acts 12:1-2).

After Stephen-never again any record of a public miracle in that city called the city of the Great King.

At the beginning and through history of Acts there was special miraculous gifts by which divine revelation was channeled to man; these were named by Paul as knowledge, prophecy, and tongues (1 Cor. 12:8-10); but in the same context he warns that they will cease (1 Cor. 13:8). The permanent things will be faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 12:13).

There are a few people who argue that such miracles are still present in the life of the Christian community. Some of these are sincere, doubtless, in their determination to see what they wish to see; just as there are other people who are blind to the things they do not wish to see. These are problems for psychological rather than historical investigations.

In the Scriptures great public exhibitions of miraculous divine power are invariably connected with the Mediatorial kingdom of God. They were seen at its establishment at Sinai and did not wholly cease until the departure of the Shekinah glory. Such miracles are also recorded in the Old Testament predictions of the future reestablishment of the kingdom under the reign of the Messiah (Isa. 35:1-7). These were present when the kingdom was announced as imminent during the period of the Gospels. And their continuance in the book of Acts must be explained in the same way. They are the signs of the kingdom; given primarily as a testimony to the nation of Israel, to whom in a peculiar sense that Kingdom belonged by divine covenant, and upon whose repentance depended its imminent establishment upon earth. This was the prophets burden (Isa. 35:1-7); also affirmed by our Lord and his earthly ministry (Matt. 11:1-5), and reaffirmed by the apostles in their testimony to Israel throughout the book of Acts (Acts 2:1-20, 43). See Heb. 2:3-4. These were said to be tasted in Heb. 6:5.

The miracles God uses through his sovereign power are different in character today for they are providentially hidden. In the face of the explainable problems of human life, the mysteries of the divine will, the apparent inequalities of divine justice and the human perplexity under the somber shadows of a silent heaven, the church must walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7).

Nothing’s sinful about believing on the sense experience but a special blessing comes for those who have believed without seeing (John 20:29), who against the adverse testimony of human experience, continue to trust and believe without reserve in Him who today is not visible (1 Pet. 1:8). In the church, God is preparing a special people, called out and tested in the crucible of adversity, who are destined to occupy the highest place of responsibility in the future kingdom of Christ (Luke 22:29-30). As the Book of Acts ends, we pass from the time area of signs and wonders into an era characterized chiefly by the demand for unquestioning faith in the presence of a silent heaven as far as great public miracles are concerned.

HOW THE REPROBATE THINKS

HOW THE REPROBATE THINKS

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."  Rom. 12:2

The reprobate mind (before salvation) develops over time the definitions that control his habits and ethical conduct. Such words as love and hate can vary greatly from person to person. Their actions towards people using those definitions determine the headlines in our news media that have stemmed from those definitions. Some are capable of murder therefore. Stealing that is approved is the action of some. Lies are flowing freely even from those who wants to lead us.
Truth Who is a Person named Jesus and is hated because His actions come into conflict with their definitions. They look at the passages in the Bible where His truth and definitions are written and they see things of hatred and call into question the hypocrisy of some who claim to know truth. So they deny the authority and inspiration of His words and their minds are even capable of denying that He ever lived or the one who fuels their thinking (Satan). The reprobate mind spirals downward as they see other peoples definitions and actions. Those who are mildly reprobate find some of their actions reprehensible and they judge them as such while some of their definitions are just as bad in other areas (Rom. 2:1).
What does it take to recognize and overcome the sorrowful thinking of the mass of humanity (Rom. 3:10-18)? Intervention by God to renew their minds and thoughts. As I look back before God intervened in my life I had some sorrowful thoughts and definitions to OK my actions. And I didn't know what to do with the often slight convictions of some of those deeds. I needed a preacher that knew Truth and there are many parading as such that practice deceit. It takes a true intervention and when that happens you know that God is love and He exerted His actions to reveal that to you. Unless that intervention happens all of this is a mystery unrevealed and therefore foolish in that persons eyes and heart.
How He intervenes is usually through very traumatic circumstances. I pray that intervention has happened or will happen to all who read this article. The renewing of the mind is a wonderful experience to have happen in your life for God loves to reveal truth to His faithful and take them to perfection and blameless conduct as He defines in His book of truth the things His Son came to reveal (Rom. 12:2).