Ability (part 2)

Wikipedia: taste the fruit of knowledge! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We did receive the ability to live and to use our brains. The ability of the brain to research, investigate and then to form conclusions gives us the ability to form ideas and to take action or react to those findings we got.

The ability to use our brains and to make up our mind allows us to gain and/or retrieve knowledge which never shall be complete in our lifetime. At a certain moment in life we shall be able to do certain things at an other moment we shall not be able to do those things which we previously could or later will be able to do anew or again. Even our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete.

We should know that it is always a gift from God when we have the ability to use our full senses and that it is God Who gives some people wealth and possessions, the power to enjoy them, the ability to accept their lot in life, and the ability to rejoice in their own hard work.

“Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.” (Ecclesiastes 5:19 WEBSTR)

We must know that every person in this universe has to learn things and grow up in a world surrounding him or her, giving many impulses and many temptations. We also received the ability to resist such temptations. Though there isn’t any temptation that we have experienced which is unusual for humans. God, who faithfully keeps His promises, will not allow us to be tempted beyond our power to resist. But when we are tempted, the Most High shall be on the look out, to see what we do with such temptation and how we use our own free will to react on it. If we want it is also that Most High God Who will also give us the ability to endure the temptation as our way of escape.

“There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13 WEBSTR)

We must accept that it is the Spirit, the set-apart Power of God, Who gives one person the ability to speak with wisdom and Who gives another person the ability to speak with knowledge.  We only can hope that this Gentle Spirit also gives courageous faith to us. Because it is an ability to have faith which is only possible when we are willing to allow the Force of God to enter our hearts and to enlighten us. Our knowledge is incomplete and our ability to speak what God has revealed is incomplete.

“For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another, the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another, faith by the same Spirit; to another, the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;”(1 Corinthians 12:8–9 WEBSTR)

“For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.”(1 Corinthians 13:9 WEBSTR)

We have the ability to listen to people and as such can hear preachers tell a lot of the Word of God. The preacher's power lies very much in the ability of unfolding to the understanding and applying to the conscience the general principles involved in the passage of Scripture which he undertakes to expound. But we may not pin ourselves to it that those preachers would know everything and would always be right in their interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. Each of us received the ability to investigate himself. That gift of ability to search and investigate we should use.

By using our own ability to read and study the Holy Scriptures we shall have the ability to grow in our knowledge of those sacred writings. Our study of the Bible shall give us more insight which at its turn shall give us the ability for a growing faith, and with it we shall receive the ability to speak and to share our knowledge, our dedication, and our love for god and His creation.

“Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.” (2 Corinthians 8:7 WEBSTR)

The ability to be able to think, investigate, making conclusions, can make us to prevail or to overcome. Our ability to work at ourselves makes it possible to build up our character and to make ourselves strong. our knowledge of Scriptures shall give us the ability to understand how God has a Plan and how He follows humankind. It also shall give us insight how God will destroy anyone who secretly slanders his neighbour. Him not tolerating anyone with a conceited look or arrogant heart.
We should be convinced that Jehovah God His eyes will be watching the faithful people in the land   so that they may find life by Him willing to serve Him.

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Preceding: Ability 

Next:

Ability (part 3) Thoughts around Ability

Ability (part 4) Thought about the ability to have ability

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A Triple God or simply a rather simple One God

The Scutum Fidei, a diagram frequently used by Christian apologists to explain the Trinity. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In Christendom the majority of the population holds on human doctrines and wants to bow down to a deity that would consist of three people: one God the Father, a god the son and God the Holy Spirit.

The majority of Christians prefer to see a personification of man to divinity. This allows them to also identify more easily with God. Doing so, they overlook the fact that their mind is not a separate person or personality, although the majority wants to believe that their spirit can live separately from them. They even believe that after death the soul goes out of their body and goes to continue to live on separately. They forget that, if they think, their mind works. If they let their thoughts go on anything this is a consequence of their brain activity taking their minds at 'work'.
The spirit of man and the Spirit of God thus seize the active powers that place in thought, contemplating, talking, handling or doing an activity.
As for a man using his mind he will be able to do things, though when he is not using his mind he will not be able to do anything. The same for God when He does something He uses His Spirit, His Working Force. For man the brains take care we can come to an active position. As soon as the brain does not work any more, or when the brains are death, we are considered death as well. We do need the force of our brains, i.e. we do need our spirit to take part of life.

The effect of our or God His brain or brains, as it is in all humans is a force, even with a God Force. The Holy Spirit is God's power. the spirit we do have is the possibility God gives us to think and handle.
In the Holy Scriptures it is written as God His Breath being given to man, and as such giving us life. The Holy Spirit is the Causer of God His thinking, His talking, His acting, but also the life bringing force to man. Without the Spirit, or without the mind of God nothing can not come about. God spoke and it came to be. This is informed already to us from the first words in Scripture which state that God spoke and it came into being, it was created. (Genesis)

That Spiritual Being, That existed before everything came into being, was the God Who said of Himself that He is an Eternal Spirit that man can not see or man would die if he saw this Spirit God.

Exo 33:20 EWB-CB And Jehovah said, Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live.

One may ask whether the many Christians do know and do believe the words of the Bible. Do they believe that what is said in it is the truth and that God tells only the truth?

In the Book of Books God says about Himself that He is a spirit and that spirits have no flesh and blood. Do we not see in the New Testament, Jesus himself testifying that he is not a spirit, and that his followers could even see his wounds he kept from his suspension? According to Scripture God can not die, but many Christians wish to believe that Jesus is God and died on the cross. Of course it could be that they assume that Jesus was indeed God and would have faked his death. But what sense would it have for God to do if he died? What does He get from such an act?

It might not feel useful having a god who is omnipotent, al-knowing, eternal, would did as if he died on the cross to save mankind. God can speak one word and provide salvation for man. Why then would he have waited so many years to come to earth while he was there with man in the Garden of Eden and could bring immediate salvation for man? Is God then of such cruel nature that he wanted to see man suffering first a bit longer?

God is a God of love and He does not feel good that the people should suffer. It is true that man wanted to do his own thing and God gave him that opportunity. This man must now take care of himself and can show if he can get gets his planning on his own. Of course, man can not live without God, but he seems not yet to have understood this. The human being is very obtuse.

Also concerning the understanding Who God is and what God requires of man, for humanity, it seems very difficult to grasp. The vast majority of humankind still thinks God is a ridiculous invention of mankind and brings nothing to the man. However, man needs his Creator. Without Creator is the creation nothing.

But to get there to have them see that the Creator could act alone and nobody needs to do His work is just oh so difficult for most people to grasp. It seems so incredible that only One Being would be able to create and manage the whole world. For many, it even seems unjust that the Creator of all created things on his own and would have a say over it all.

Man also feels so high that he believes there is indeed a human being in the game that is divine and as worthy as the Creator God, even more, that he himself created the things. So they make Jesus Christ the creator or co-creator, instead of recognizing that God speaks as any official in the royal plural form (pluralis major or royal we). That He is the One in the Bereshith Who speaks brining everything in to being by His Voice, many do not understand. In the Bereshith or Genesis we are told the Creation and find the Former or Maker speaking in the plural which is very normal because He that is Greatness not only covers everything but is also Head, King of kings of everyone and everything.

Psa 83:18 EWB-CB That Israel may know that Thou, Whose name alone is JEHOVAH, Art the MOST HIGH over all the earth. To the chief Musician relating to Gittith, a winepress.

Jer 10:7 EWB-CB Who would not fear Thee, O King of nations? for to Thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto Thee.

Dan 2:37 EWB-CB Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.

Dan 2:47 EWB-CB The king answered unto Daniel, and said, "Of a truth it is, that your God He is a God of gods, and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.

Dan 4:25 EWB-CB That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall suffer thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall drench thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the MOST HIGH hath dominion in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will.

He who is the Supreme and to Whom belongs Dominion of everything, to Him belongs all honour and all worship. He is the One True God of gods. No god in the world is more or less valuable than him.

Psa 75:4-7 EWB-CB I said unto the arrogant, "Deal not foolishly:"And to the wicked, "Lift not up the horn: (5) Lift not up your horn on high: Nor speak arrogantly of the Rock. (6) For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, Nor from the south. (7) No God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Eze 26:6-7 EWB-CB And her daughter cities and towns inland shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (7) For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and a gathered host, and much people.

Eze 36:21-28 EWB-CB But I had pity for Mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, whither they went. (22) Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for Mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the nations, whither ye went. (23) And I will sanctify My great name, which was profaned among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in them before your eyes. (24) For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you on to your own soil. (25) Then will I throw clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your dirty idols, will I cleanse you. (26) A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. (27) And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. (28) And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall become to Me a People, and I will become to you a God.

Jer 31:33 EWB-CB But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it on their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My People.

Gen 17:7-8 EWB-CB And I will establish My covenant [unconditional] between Me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. (8) And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land of thy sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

The One that is to us a god is not composed of several entities, but only One God.

Gen 26:24 EWB-CB And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, "I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for My servant Abraham's sake."

Mat 22:32 EWB-CB I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of dead people, but of living people.

Exo 15:11 EWB-CB Who is like unto Thee, O LORD, among the mighty ones? Who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, to be revered in praising Him for His wondrous acts ?

Deu 3:24 EWB-CB O Lord GOD, Thou hast begun to shew Thy servant Thy greatness, and Thy mighty works: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to Thy works, and according to Thy might?

Traditionally, there were happily enough people who knew who their and our God was supposed to be.

1Sa 2:2 EWB-CB There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside Thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

Deu 4:35 EWB-CB Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD He is God; there is none else beside Him.

Isa 44:6 EWB-CB Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his Kinsman Redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside Me there is no God.

We should take it at heart that there is no other god besides the Elohim Hashem Jehovah.

Isa 45:18 EWB-CB For thus saith the LORD The Creator of the heavens; God Himself The Former of the earth and The Maker of it; He hath established it, He created it not in vain, He formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

It is the Former, the divine Creator who is the only True God, God above all gods. His is strength and to Him belongs all power.

Psa 92:8 EWB-CB But Thou, LORD, art enthroned on high for evermore.

Psa 83:18 EWB-CB That Israel may know that Thou, Whose name alone is JEHOVAH, Art the MOST HIGH over all the earth. To the chief Musician relating to Gittith, a winepress.

Psa 86:8-10 EWB-CB Among the judges there is none like unto Thee, O Lord; Neither are there any works like unto Thy works. (9) All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord; And shall glorify Thy name. (10) For Thou art great, a doer of wondrous things: Thou art God alone.

Psa 97:9 EWB-CB For Thou, LORD, art Most High above all the earth: Thou art exalted far above all rulers.

Psa 104:1 EWB-CB Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.

Psa 135:5 EWB-CB For I know that the LORD is great, And that our Lord is above all earthly rulers.

1Ch 29:11 EWB-CB Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and Thou art exalted as head above all.

Mat 6:13 EWB-CB And bring us not into trial, but rescue us away from the evil one: For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Even kings David, Saul and Jesus knew that they could not match the Most High who is the only God.

Mar 10:18 EWB-CB And Jesus said unto him, "Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.

1Sa 2:2 EWB-CB There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside Thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

Psa 99:5 EWB-CB Exalt ye the LORD our God, And worship at His footstool; For He is holy.

Only He, the Most High God should be above everything and to be worshipped. Nobody else we need to pray to or to bow down before anyone else, for there is no god above the Most High God, Jehovah Elohim Hashem.

Exo 6:2-3 EWB-CB And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am Jehovah: (3) And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of GOD ALMIGHTY, but by My name JEHOVAH was I not understood to them.

Jesus was seen by many who did not fall death, but God, who tells no lies, can not be seen by humans and stay alive.

Exo 33:20 EWB-CB And Jehovah said, Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live.

1Ti 6:15-16 EWB-CB Which [appearing] in His own seasons He shall shew, the blessed and only God a mighty Prince, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; (16) Who only hath deathlessness, inhabiting in light unapproachable;Whom no one of men hath seen, nor can see: to Whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

What we can see is the Greatness, His Power and His Splendour.

Deu 5:24 EWB-CB And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath shewed us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

Psa 47:2 EWB-CB For the LORD MOST HIGH is to be reverenced; He is a great King over all the earth.

Joh 1:18 EWB-CB No man [human eye] hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, He Who is into the bosom of the Father, That One revealed Him.

Jesus never claimed to be God. He has brought a more accurate insight into Who the divine Father is. It is God who has given the authority to Jesus. After Jesus his death, he has been appointed as a mediator between God and man.

Mat 11:25-27 EWB-CB In that season Jesus prayed and said, I openly confess to Thee, O Father, Lord of the heaven and the earth, because Thou didst hide these things from wise ones and prudent ones, and hast revealed them unto babes. (26) Even so, Father: for so it became well pleasing in Thy sight. (27) All things were [at some definite time] delivered unto Me by My Father: and no man fully knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither fully knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son intendeth to unveil and reveal Him.

Luk 10:22 EWB-CB All things were delivered to Me by My Father: and no man getteth to know Who the Son is, except the Father; and Who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whom the Son willeth to reveal Him."

Joh 6:44-46 EWB-CB "No man is able to come to Me, except the Father Which hath sent Me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day. (45) It standeth written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned from the Father, cometh unto Me. (46) Not that any man hath seen the Father, if not He Which is from beside God, He hath seen the Father.

We must also clearly realize who we want to recognize as God. We must realize that there is Only One God, the God of Israel.

Deu 6:4-9 EWB-CB Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is a compound unity LORD: (5) And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. (6) And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: (7) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. (8) And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hands, and they shall be for watch posts between thine eyes. (9) And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

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Dutch version:

Een Drievoudige God of simpelweg een éénvoudige God

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Find related Bible verses:

El-Shaddai God Almighty Who no-one may see and live
No man see the Almighty God and live

El Shaddai Who appeared unto Abraham

Bible, sword of the Spirit to come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man

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Do you believe in One god

 Please do find:

1. God is one
2. God of gods
3. Only one God
4. A God between many gods
5. Seeing or not seeing and willingness to find God
6. The Trinity - the Truth
7. Christianity without the Trinity
8. People Seeking for God 1 Looking for answers
9. People Seeking for God 2 Human interpretations
10. People Seeking for God 3 Laws and directions
11. People Seeking for God 4 Biblical terms
12. People Seeking for God 7 The Lord and lords
13. The Bible and names in it
14. Lord and owner
15. Lord in place of the divine name
16. Pluralis Majestatis in the Holy Scriptures
17. Hellenistic influences
18. Politics and power first priority #2
19. Politics and power first priority #3 Elevation of Mary and the Holy Spirit
20. The wrong hero
21. On the Nature of Christ
22. Why think that (1) … Jesus existed?
23. Why think that (2) … Jesus claimed to be something special
24. Why think that (3) … Jesus rose from the dead
25. Why think that (4) … God would reveal himself in words
26. Jesus begotten Son of God #13 Pre-existence excluding virginal birth of the Only One Transposed
27. Jesus begotten Son of God #19 Compromising fact
28. Nazarene Commentary Luke 3:1, 2 – Factual Data
29. Nazarene Commentary Matthew 3:13-17 – Jesus Declared God’s Son at His Baptism
30. Entrance of a king to question our position #1 Coming in the Name of the Lord
31. Entrance of a king to question our position #2 Who do we want to see and to be
32. Marriage of Jesus 2 Standard writings about Jesus
33. Marriage of Jesus 5 Papyrus fragment in Egyptian Coptic
34. Marriage of Jesus 8 Wife of Yahweh
35. Marriage of Jesus 10 Old and New Covenant
36. In the death of Christ, the son of God, is glorification
37. 3 Reasons the Resurrection Matters
38. A fact of History or just a fancy Story
39. Philippians 1 – 2
40. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #10 Prayer 
41. TD Jakes Breaks Down the Trinity, Addresses Being Called a ‘Heretic’
42. The Third Word: Scripture twisting is blasphemy
43. Corruption in our translations !
44. Patriarch Abraham, Muslims, Christians and the son of God
45. Science, belief, denial and visibility 1
46. Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
47. Being Religious and Spiritual 5 Gnostic influences
48. Being Religious and Spiritual 6 Romantici, utopists and transcendentalists
49. Being Religious and Spiritual 7 Transcendence to become one
50. Being Religious and Spiritual 8 Spiritual, Mystic and not or well religious
51. Building up the spirit of the soul

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Does there have to be a Holy Trinity Mystery

On Journey Towards Easter with subtitle: Discovering the beauty of truth, the writer who is an Englishman, living in Scotland writes that the Trinity is a symbol of the knowable and unknowable.

According to him

 – the One who reveals Himself to us is the same One who can never be fully understood.

would the God Who loves His creation raeally not want His creation to know Him an not want His creation to understand Him?

The god of Love from the start of His creation had the intention to have a good relationship with His creation. Good relations are build on comprehension, understanding each other and on being open for each other. God never had and/or never has the intention to have secrets for the world. For millenniums He wanted to play open card game with the people who inhabited His world. He took care all people could find a Guide in their life and would be able to find the guidebook or manual to make the best of their life.

The writer of the article himself knows:

The knowledge we receive from God about Himself is sure knowledge, by which we cannot be deceived, but it only serves to deepen our appreciation for how far God exceeds our expectations, and is infinitely more than we can or could ever have imagined.

Then he refers to the Old Testament reading for his day he want to celebrate a three-une god,
from Exodus (34:4b-6, 8-9), where we read that:

“4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto mount Sinai, as Jehovah had commanded him, and took in his hand two tables of stone. 5 And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah. 6 And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness and truth; 7 keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear [the guilty], visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation. 8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. 9 And he said, If now I have found favor in thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray thee, go in the midst of us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.” (Exodus 34:4-9 ASV)

He clearly understands that this passage speaks of God coming near to man (Moses in this case) and revealing Himself to us.

 He ‘stood with him there’ and proclaimed His name – that is, His character, ‘a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness’ (v.6), so that His people would know it for sure.

but than he makes a strange twist, mixing tow different persons, of one is not exactly a man because It is a Spirit and the other is a man of flesh, bones and blood.

God desires to come close to us and show us who He is – something shown to an even greater extent in today’s Gospel reading (John 3:16-18).

In that reading you may find:

“16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18 ASV)

clearly everybody should see that the God, Who does not tell lies,  has given His only begotten son to the world, i.e. not Himself.


The author of the article also says

To be saved by God we must first know who He is,

This is a very important issue. We should know exactly who Jesus is and who his Father is, the Only One True God.

Where he gets "the meditations" from he sells out: of His Church.
He does not give a clarification ho his church may be guided by the Spirit and than giving them the revelation that within God there would be a community of persons – Father, Son, Holy Spirit – who exist in an eternal pattern of mutual, self-giving love (which is true) but what he means is that they woudl also be one and the same person (which is not true).

People may not forget that being one in thought or even being equal does not mean being the same.

Lots of people do like mysteries but The God is a god of clarity. Some may like to say that we as human beings need the mystery of God and that in the Christian tradition the word “mystery” refers to something partially revealed, much more of which lies hidden.
We may wonder why so many would like to keep to teachings which are not clearly given in the Holy Scriptures but were imposed by men throughout history. Though beyond the reach or understanding of many of those Christians they keep refusing looking at what the words of the Bible say so clearly.

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Find the original article: The Holy Trinity: Mystery, Knowledge, Love

Plus more on the Trinity
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Recent Developments In Trinitarian Theology

Recent Developments in Trinitarian Theology explores the major renaissance that Trinitarian theology has undergone in recent decades. Remarkably, all the main Christian denominations have participated in this, and contemporary Trinitarian theology is a discussion that often crosses over confessional boundaries.
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Strange Fire conference 2013

Behind (should we say, in front of?) each megachurch lies a charismatic leader. Those leaders may tend to be experience-driven,

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pursuing personal power, victory, and prophecy while placing a low value on doctrinal and theological training. They tend to appeal to their personal experiences for proof that a particular belief is true, or practice is valid. They crave ecstatic experiences, the miraculous, new revelations, and physical healing, and generally believe that these are all available to those who have enough faith. Since they prefer immediate experiences over life-long biblical learning and growth, they can be easily persuaded to believe whatever a convincing personality tells them. In other words, they are easily deceived. And according to MacArthur, they often are.

John MacArthur, a well-known and theologically-conservative author and pastor of Grace Community Church in southern California, has been called one of the 25 most influential pastors of the past 25 years. Last week, at MacArthur’s Strange Fire conference, and in his forthcoming book by the same title, he took the charismatic movement head-on to publicly challenge its biblical and theological basis.

According to the Strange Fire Conference website, the broader church has been too silent for too long, ignoring the charismatic elephant in the sanctuary:

For the last hundred years, the charismatic movement has been offering a strange fire of sorts to the third Person of the Godhead—the Holy Spirit. And evangelical churches have chosen to be silent or indifferent on the matter. This hasn’t served the church or the Spirit of the church with honor.

Strange Fire is a Truth Matters conference, sponsored by Grace to You, that wants to set forth what the Bible really says about the Holy Spirit, and how that squares with the charismatic movement.
In the conference they addressed (according to them) in a biblical, straightforward manner what many today see as a peripheral issue.

We do know that our view of the Holy Spirit influences your relationship with God, our personal holiness, and our commitment to the church and evangelism.when we would not believe in the Power of God we would be nothing.

Grace Community Church offers two, duplicate worship services on Sunday mornings (8:30 and 10:30 a.m.) each approximately 90 minutes long. During the service the visitors are given a visitor packet and an invitation to return to the Courtyard Center, where they can enjoy refreshments, learn more about Grace Church, and receive a free book from the pastor.
During each worship service, several adult fellowship groups meet across the campus. These groups emphasize fellowship and solid teaching as they seek to equip believers for Christian living on a practical level.

At the conference they gave the word to 10 speakers.

Of those speakers John MacArthur created nearly an earthquake in the charismatic and Pentecostal movement. As the pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and the Bible teacher with Grace to You he has written dozens of best-selling books, including The MacArthur Study Bible, The Gospel According to Jesus, and The MacArthur New Testament Commentary series. He is also the president of The Master’s College and Seminary.

MacArthur’s publicly challenged Charismatic beliefs and practices. The numbers, the popularity, the Christian television, and the money are in the hands of the Charismatic ministries so it could be called a dangerous action making that some people would react heavenly because they would have felt as stepped on their toes. Therefore this conference gets also the attention of the renewed sited "Stepping Toes".

Pastors are often the centre of attention whether the church is large or small. People look up at them. They consider them leaders to follow. When they are chosen to lead the church spiritually and function as God’s spokesperson to the flock, they are given a significant degree of authority. The success of the church is in part attributed to the skill of the senior minister.
Though when there is a great show man he can bring in a lot of visitors, not because he is telling Biblical truth but he can put up a nice show and entertain the people well.

The Pentecostals are very good in putting up shows, bringing services with interesting features, so called healings or miracles, nice musical entertainment with vivid songs and people clapping, singing and dancing, plus strange moments of people speaking in tongues.

Last weekend John MacArthur wanted to make clear why Charismatic beliefs and practices are harming the Church, despite their rampant spread. He wanted to show the public their errors ranging from oddities and novelties to outright heresies as defined by the early church counsels. All of these result – to a lesser or greater degree – in spiritual damage to churches and Christians.

Dispensationalist pastor John MacArthur’s Strange Fire conference this week, where polemics and mischaracterizations have held sway. the popularity of MacArthur may be found in the theology of preaching premillenial rapture for Christians who felt that God had betrayed them by taking their “property” away from them, losing their livelihoods and family members in the process. John MacArthur speaking at his megachurch does not mind to provide a defense for the enslavement of African Americans on American shores.

In his new book Strange Fire, the pastor claims that the work of the Holy Spirit actually represents “the explosive growth of a false church, as dangerous as any cult or heresy that has ever assaulted Christianity,” and he calls for a “collective war” against these alleged “pervasive abuses on the Spirit of God.”

Pastor MacArthur argues,

 “The ‘Holy Spirit’ found in the vast majority of charismatic teaching and practice bears no resemblance to the true Spirit of God as revealed in Scripture,” even accusing the modern charismatic movement of “attributing the work of the devil to the Holy Spirit.”

He even thinks that those who call the public to speak in tongues and get 'firy' with the Holy Spirit in them are called together by leaders of the movement which is from "Satan". The are:

"false teachers, marching to the beat of their own illicit desires, gladly propagat[ing] his errors. They are spiritual swindlers, con men, crooks, and charlatans.”

You can imagine this saying  went down the wrong way. It did not get down very well by his own movement and got criticised by other mega church leaders who also often call on the Spirit of blessings and material welfare .

MacArthur claims,

 “In recent history, no other movement has done more to damage the cause of the gospel, to distort the truth, and to smother the articulation of sound doctrine,”

When he looks at the previous years and see what happened in the protestant Charismatic movement he finds that the

“charismatic theology has made no contribution to true biblical theology or interpretation; rather, it represents a deviant mutation of truth.”

Pastor MacArthur points to some of the shameful, inexcusable scandals that have taken place among charismatic leaders.

He contends that the Charismatic movement is a culturally-bound, culturally-driven and seeker-driven church movement that depreciates and diminishes the glorious way the Holy Spirit worked in the foundation of the church.

"If the gifts practiced in today's Charismatic church are equivalent to those described in the New Testament, then those original gifts were nothing special,"

 he said, adding that it degrades the true gifts God gave to the first century church.

Pastor Steven J. Lawson, the senior pastor of Christ Fellowship Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama and the author of numerous books, including Pillars of Grace, Foundations of Grace, The Unwavering Resolve of Jonathan Edwards, and The Expository Genius of John Calvin, claims the fundamental problem with charismatics is their lack of serious engagement with the Word.

While many in the church continue to abandon the Christian faith it does not mean that the continues growing Charismatic and Pentecostal churches are the true ones or the only ones which offer the church a legitimate growth mechanism.

In a world full of relativism, decadence, strife and apathy, John MacArthur, his followers and his contestants should focus on preaching the Word: Christ crucified, resurrected and coming back again.

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You can find the article concerning the debate about this conference: Divisive pastors and Strange Fire conference

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Find additional reading:

1. John MacArthur Responds to Critics Who Believe His Strange Fire Conference Is Divisive, Unloving
2. Mark Driscoll ‘Crashes’ John MacArthur’s Strange Fire Conference? (PHOTOS)Mark Driscoll ‘Crashes’ John MacArthur’s Strange Fire Conference? (Ppotos)
3. Mark Driscoll vs John MacArthur: Battle of the Self-Promoting Calvinists
4. Speaking in Tongues—A Growing Phenomenon
5. Tongues, Speaking in
6. Speaking in tongues
7. Meaning of “speaking in tongues”
8. Speaking in Tongues—Is It From God?
9. Speaking in Tongues—Is It From God? — Watchtower Online …
10. Is Speaking in Tongues an Evidence of True Worship?
11. Is the Gift of Tongues Part of True Christianity
12. Some one or something to fear #6 Faith in the Most High
13. The Spirit of God imparts love,inspires hope, and gives liberty
14. Not enlightened by God’s Spirit
15. Why hasn’t anything been inspired recently? Revelation was the last inspired book and it was a long time ago. Why aren’t there any more?
16. Pope Francis I on the Holy Spirit
17. Louise Weiss building and towers after Ziggurat Babel
18. Not all Christians are followers of a Greco-Roman culture
19. Christianity is a love affair
20. Bringing Good News into the world
21. The task given to us to love each other

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