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Category Archives: The Trinity

Step back, take a deep breath

27 Jun

and weigh it against the scriptures. That continuation of this post heading is from one of the rare critical comments I found as I researched “The Shack” by William P. Young. This is the newest book being heralded in the Christian community. For the most part this book is getting rave reviews. Just yesterday (June 26th) the book received 10 reviews and all but one were given the highest mark (5 stars) by the reviewer. The book has been as high as #7 of the top selling books on Amazon.com. The book is hugely popular. It currently has over 680 reviews, with 527 of them ranking it 5 stars.

As a Christian I have seen many books get heralded as the next new great thing to bring you closer to God. To mention a few: “The Purpose Driven Life”, “The Prayer of Jabez”, “Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper”, “Wild At Heart”, “The Ragamuffin Gospel”. Each of these were gobbled up by the Christian community. Are we that desperate and thirsty to know God outside of His word? Do we abandon everything we know or don’t know about who God is as written in scripture? Someone explain to me why we latch on to what a man has written above what is found in the God breathed scripture. Why do we not step back, take a deep breath, and weigh the book against scripture?

Read the rest of this entry »

 
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Posted by on June 27, 2008 in Christian books, Dr. Albert Mohler, Mark Driscoll, The Shack, The Trinity, Theology

 

A super clear depiction of The Trinity

17 Mar

There is one God and He eternally exists in three persons. This is one of the most difficult characteristics of God to understand. Even though it is a difficult characteristic or doctrine, it is a hill to be defended even to the death. This is the doctrine known, in Christian circles, as The Trinity, or The Godhead.

The other day while listening to a sermon I was reminded and affirmed of this doctrine and truth about God. In all the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) there exists a perfect depiction of The Trinity in action. The most descriptive, I believe, is found in Matthew chapter 3. The context of the passage is that Jesus is being baptised by John the Baptist and after He comes out of the water The Godhead is evident. Here is what scripture says in Matthew 3:16-17 (ESV).

16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.

This is such a powerful passage in scripture. God the Son is baptized, God the Spirit descends on the Son, and God the Father affirms His Son. There are other passages in the Bible where this One God in three persons is evident. But this one continues to amaze me. This is where Jesus begins His earthly ministry and where He is made known to those who were witnesses. Would you have followed this God-man? Would you have been His disciple? How many followed Him after this is not known because the very next verse indicates that He was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. It is an awesome and wonderful thing when scripture continues to affirm our beliefs. It is a far better thing when we base our beliefs on Holy Scripture.

 
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Posted by on March 17, 2008 in Matthew 3:16-17, The Trinity, Theology, Triune God

 

Before Abraham was, I am

19 Jan

 

I am currently reading through the book of John in the bible. Today as I completed chapter eight I came across this verse close to the end, verse 58 to be exact, where Jesus undeniably states that he is God. This takes place right after Jesus had truthfully defended the woman who had been caught in adultry and brought to Him. Throughout this chapter He has been more or less debating with the Jews about who He is. The Jewish leaders seem to believe their “ace in the hole” is the proclamation that their father is Abraham. It is then that Jesus turns up the heat on their pride and sin and proclaims:

Before Abraham was, I am

Now this proclamation not only offended the Jewish leaders but it also flys in the face of a couple of American religions of today. The Mormons claim that Jesus was a man who obtained deity. They believe that He is a created being and the brother of Adam and Lucifer. The Jehovah’s Witness believe much the same way. They also believe that Jesus is a created being and not God. They claim to be declaring the witness of God. But essetially what both of these religions are doing is denying the very witness that God reveals in the New Testament. That Jesus is who He claims to be. In John 10:30 Jesus again states:

I and the Father are one

And again the Jews were incredibly offended as the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses would be today if you were to point that out to them. The New Testament declares throughout:

He is the brightness of the Father. He is the express image of God. He is literally the replica, the duplicate of the invisible God.

So as I read the scripture this morning, I couldn’t help but marvel at this truth revealed to us. The mystery of the invisible God revealed in Jesus Christ. He is who he claims to be. He is God. 

For further reading about the Incarnation of Jesus Christ I would recommend the text from a sermon by Dr. John MacArthur called “The Inside Story of the Incarnation“. 

Soli Deo Gloria

 
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Posted by on January 19, 2008 in Christianity, Jehovah's Witness, Jesus Christ, John 8:58, Mormons, The Trinity