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Dave L
Guest
You've been trained to impose the "oneness" framework over scripture. And you see it only their way. Solution? Try to objectively prove them wrong and start over learning about Christ and who he is. All of the above "oneness" proof texts take on new meaning if you understand the difference between the eternal Son of God and the incarnate Son of man. But for now, you are exhibiting the spirit of Antichrist in your understanding of these matters.The primary example of a place in the New Testament where this occurs is in 1 Corinthians 8:6. Let us take a look at this, shall we?
1Co 8:6, But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
Now it is clear, first of all, from this and other verses, that there is one God, the Father, and that there is one Lord, Jesus Christ.
Now assuming that Jesus is not the Father, He would be one Lord apart from the Father and the Father would be one God apart from Him. There would be the 1 God = the Father and the 1 Lord = Jesus Christ. This verse would appear to be denying the Deity of Jesus Christ, saying that He is the 1 Lord and not the 1 God.
So now, are you going to become a Jehovah's Witness rather than look into the scriptural evidence that the Father is the Lord and that Jesus is the one God? And rather than believe the truth, that there is one Lord (Ephesians 4:5), even the Father (Matthew 11:25, Luke 10:21)---and His name is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 12:3)?
The answer to your psycho-dilemna is that the one Person, God, took on an added nature of humanity; and that this Person, being the continuation of the former, is distinct from the former and yet the same Person. The only thing preventing you from seeing this is that you probably somehow want to believe that God was originally 3 persons in eternity and that one of the 3 came down to become flesh and die for us. This is not the case. The Father came Himself. There are a few passages in Isaiah where God says that there is no God beside Him...but I will leave you to come across them in your regular devotional reading of Isaiah. If there is no God beside Him, then that means there is one God dwelling in eternity...and that if there is a God existing beside Him, that God is none other than Him...a reflection in the mirror, perhaps? But I would say more accurately that he descended into time and then ascended to again inhabit eternity in a body of human flesh...so they are the same Person and yet distinct from each other...they inhabit eternity side-by-side, while they are the same Person...because the Father became the Son in taking on an added nature of human flesh.
A few verses that I thought of because of your original question, just above:
Isa 55:8, For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9, For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
1Co 2:14, But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
This is not to say that the real Trinity is something that we cannot understand. The truth of the matter is really very simple and easy to understand, once you become able to accept it. I believe that in the debates concerning the formulation of the creeds, the people who had the truth must have simply left off debating at some point, leaving the blind to be leaders of the blind.
But that the truth is a simple deal is very evident from scripture:
2Co 11:3, But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.