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But your question was do I think a man has to rigidly think of God in the exact way of the trinity doctrine in order to receive the Holy Spirit? No, I don't.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are deeply present in the New Testament, especially in John's Gospel, John's First Epistle, Romans 8, etc.I just think there's some leeway there. I don't think on it all that much but my mind doesn't seperate them out. I think of the Holy Spirit as God and I think of Jesus as God. Sometimes when I pray, I say Jesus, or Lord, or Father.
Some say this makes me a modalist, dunno.
But I get more concerned if someone says Jesus is not God than I do if someone says they just honestly don't think about the trinity doctrine and its just God to them., not seperated out in any exact and precise way.
But your question was do I think a man has to rigidly think of God in the exact way of the trinity doctrine in order to receive the Holy Spirit? No, I don't.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit are deeply present in the New Testament, especially in John's Gospel, John's First Epistle, Romans 8, etc.
We do need to be careful not to reject clear revelation. This is a good, cautious and reverential spirit to follow.And errors And wrong thoughts about God are deeply present in everyone here. God does not reject a man because his knowledge is imperfect. MEN do that. Not God.
The imperfect rejecting the imperfect. You can't MAKE this stuff up!![]()
We do need to be careful not to reject clear revelation. This is a good, cautious and reverential spirit to follow.
"..if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." (John 8.24)
All that God wants from you is perfection? No. All that God wants from you is trust.
Tell us what we must do to be saved. You must be without any doctrinal error to be saved. Sound right? Sound like the gospel you heard? Or does it sound like a different gospel?
Our first focus must be Godward and Scriptural; within that framework, we then witness.We do need to be careful not to take the doctrine we've been taught and look for everyone who differs slightly from it and say we think they don't have the Holy Spirit or the salvation of God.
You are ‘on a roll’ tonight. :)
If doctrine could save us there would have been no need at all for Jesus to die on the cross!!
But, perfect doctrine is what some here tell us ‘saves us’ from Hell.
The same as some teach that a prefect walk saves us from Hell !!
Again, if that were truth...why did Jesus die!!!![]()
Our first focus must be Godward and Scriptural; within that framework, we then witness.
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." Jesus Christ (John 14:15)Our first focus must be to trust God.
Our second focus must be to trust God.
We are in a race of trust.