John
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1 John 5:7: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.
John 14:26: But the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 1:14: And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth.
Matthew 28:18- 20: And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and on earth. (Read More)
John 15:26 But when the Comforter comes, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me:
1 Corinthians 8:6: But to us there is 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.
John 14:10: Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwells in me, he doeth the works.
Genesis 1:26: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and the cattle, and all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.
Romans 8:26- 27: Likewise, the Spirit also helps our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. (Read More...)
Ephesians 4:6: One God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in you all.
1 Peter 1:2: Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
Isaiah 48:16: Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the begin
1. All the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, for in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. [ Col 2:9]
2. All of God is in Christ. [To wit, that God was in Christ] 2Co 5:19]
3. All the fullness of the Father dwells in Christ. [For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell, Col 1:19]
4. Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh. 1Ti 3:16]
5. God dwelt among us. [And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, Joh 1:14]
6. Jesus is the Mighty God and the Everlasting Father. Isa 9.
7. All things were created by Jesus. Col 1:16.
8. Jesus is God with us (Immanuel). Matt 1.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one omnipresent God, consistent with His Law. In Exo 20:3. He tells us to have "no other gods before me." ( Exo 20:1-3) Those who deny God's omnipresent nature on earth have another god.
Other references that support "one triune God" and not a "trinity of three" are: Isa 9:6-7; 1Tim 3:16; Mat 1:23; Joh 14:9; Joh 1:1-14; Lev 11:44; Joh 4:24; Mar 14:62; Joh 8:24; Exo 3:14; Joh 10:30-33; Rev 1:7-9; Rev 1:18; Mat 28:17; Heb 13:8; Joh 6:61-64, and there are more.
1 Thessalonians 5:23- 28 confirms our triune nature. "May the very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole (1) spirit, (2) soul, and (3) body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Being made in the image of God means we cannot be separated; otherwise, we are dead like all idols. But praise His holy name, our one omnipresent tripartite God has appeared in the Old and New Testaments in the image of man,
Matthew 28:19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Ghost:
John 10:30: I and my Father are one.
John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (One God)
I note that you have given those words different meanings. So in my understanding, I don't believe that 'Trinity' speaks of three individuals or three gods, but the One God Who expresses Himself in the ways we read of in the Bible: and that is by His Spirit & by His Word. And both are fully within the Godhead revealing God to us in His Fullness.
The Spirit & the Word do not 'operate' independently, using their own Will or purposes to accomplish their tasks. All that the Word has accomplished, whether at the first by revelation to the prophets ( Hebrews 1:1), and now made flesh ( John 1:1,14) to be called the Son of God ( Hebrews 1:2), is what I understand from the Scriptures.
Likewise, the Spirit of God was sent out to infill people to understand & proclaim God's Word and now to baptize repentant sinners who have turned to God through faith in Jesus Christ. That the Word & the Spirit have been sent out by the Father, doesn't mean that God is now deficient in any way, remaining helpless, but all that the Father speaks & accomplishes is done by Himself alone by His Word & Spirit. I hope that I have given you a clear understanding of my position on this doctrine.
Christ Who being in the form of God refers to the Word and how it may applied to man who is created a little lower than angels.
The writer to the Hebrews says, "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour." (He.2:9). The Word which is God when applied to man must give a pattern whereby man can approach God in terms of his experience as created of dust of the ground. So the tag 'after our likeness' gives a hands on experience within his physical world. "For our God is a consuming fire" The same quality has a spiritual significance as we see in the burning bush that did not consume itself. The Word when applied to man the bush is "after our likeness" and the fire embodies God the Spirit. On the basis 'after our likeness' casts Jesus Christ as the tree of life.
God created man after "our image and after our likeness". After our image explains tripartite nature of soul spirit and body and these perform as one. So Moses exhorts, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." Next verse refers the three, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."(De.6:4-5). With all thy might refers to work of our hands, which is of the body. Soul, spirit and body as one.
"After our likeness" refers love which links man with the Being. How well should we love? With all our might. The Word was with God. Love of God links with Jesus Christ the Man who became flesh. So in what ways we may love God is explained from 'after our likeness. So Jesus is the bread from heaven. His broken body has significance for us when comes to the Lord's table." Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."( John 6:54) The Spirit explains the holy life by setting these two aspects of the Being. ( John 1:1)"
God created man after "our image and after our likeness". After our image explains tripartite nature of soul spirit and body and these perform as one. So Moses exhorts, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." Next verse refers the three, "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."(De.6:4-5). With all thy might refers to our work which is the body. Soul, spirit and body is implied there.
"After our likeness" refers love which links man with the Being. How well should we love? With all our might. The Word was with God. Love of God links with Jesus Christ the Man who became flesh. So in what ways we may love God is explained from 'after our likeness. So Jesus is the bread from heaven. His broken body as significance as partakers of the Holly Communion." Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day."( John 6:54) The Spirit explains the holy life by setting these two aspects of the Being. ( John 1:1)
I agree with you that our all powerful God can give his spirit to a vessel and make him a sinless being.
But that sinless being
/Vessel would still be born of Adam and can only inherit what Adam has to offer. Death!
Adam was "MADE" a living soul, He didn't become one!
A living soul could never give life even if he was sinless.
Christ was a quickening (Life giving) Spirit. He didn't have to become one. HE WAS, AND "IS ONE"
Only the Son of God can make us Sons of God.
Any other person wouldn't be a Son of God!
Jesus had no Earthly Father.
So we should consider these scriptures to perhaps understand "Why a Son?"
Galatians 4:4-6.
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
To redeem them that were under the law, THAT WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION OF SONS.
And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
John 1:12-13.
But as many as received him, TO THEM GAVE HE POWER TO BECOME THE SONS OF GOD, EVEN TO THEM THAT BELIEVE ON HIS NAME:
WHICH WERE BORN, ((NOT OF BLOOD, NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH, NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN)), ""BUT OF GOD"".
Romans 8:19-23. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
God bless.
no mere human being ever could live a perfectly sinless life because every mere human being is corrupted by sin by their innate sinful nature that is present in them at conception. They are sinful before they are born. Even if a mere human being had the fullness of the Holy Spirit indwelling them, they would still not be able to live a sinless life because of this same biblical truth.
Jesus was not a mere human being, but God in the flesh: Emmanuel-God with us. Col. 2:9 says that the fullness of the Godhead whether referring to; the three persons of the one Being or the Divine Nature, or the one Divine Being; or all) Jesus was the divine Godhead revealed to mankind in the divine Person of Jesus in the Incarnation when the Divine Son became a human with a body and nature, but not with sinful nature. John 1:14; Hebrews 2L14; 4:15)
Jesus is the eternal divine Son of the Father in the intimate union of the Triunity of the Persons of the Godhead. Even when He was incarnated, He remained the God, since the essence and Being of God is shared equally and fully by all three Persons because all three are called God in Scripture, as I noted in my posts on God Is Spirit AND God is Son and Savior.
Phil 2:6 speaks that Jesus exists as God, but affirmed that His equality with God was not something He grasped from God or acquired and that it cannot happen in any way since God said that there has never been any other God formed before Him, or will there by after Him, nor at any time. Jesus was eternally God with the Father and Holy Spirit. But He humbled Himself to become a man so that He could carry out His work in the everlasting covenant between the Godhead that was determined before anything was created. He was not created, ever, as a created entity nor as a divine Person. In the incarnation, the Father created a human nature and body for the Divine Person, God the Son, and caused this Divine Son to be conceived in Mary and develop as a human.
Part 2.
There's things in scripture we cannot understand in our natural state, just like we cannot produce fruit in our natural state.
However God's Spirit reveals truth that the spirit of this world rejects.
Here's one of many examples; John 1:1-3.
Verse 1 plainly states
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, AND THE WORD WAS GOD.
( You can't add to that it is written directly, plainandsimple.)
You can only reject this truth, take away from it and attempt to redefine it.
However, by this verse and many others, by the Spirit of truth, we recieve it. (It's a plain and direct statement of fact.)
Likewise verse 2) "The same was in the BEGINNING WITH GOD. That's plainly stated!!
Likewise verse 3.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
You have to consider these verses and there's nothing needed to be added to magnify the meaning of these verses.
No one "By the Spirit of God" would take away what's so plainly stated.
Any other Christ represented is NOT Christ.
God bless.
Part 3
These other things would be God, not the God of Scripture.
With the doctrine of simplicity, His immutability is one aspect of His divine simplicity. James 1:17 speaks of this when he says that in God there is no shadow of turning. This means that there is no changing in Him and no variation or alteration or degree or greater or lesser of anything of His Being. This tells us that God is not made of parts, that He is unable to be anything than what He is eternally and He is perfect in every possible way to be perfect.
Divine simplicity also speaks of God actually Being what He reveals of Himself and also what we have yet to know of Hm. He is all that He describes Himself to be. he does not have attributes or perfections, He is these. For instance, the Scriptures tell us that God is I AM (IS) saying that He is existence. (EX, 3:14) He says that He is life, ( John 14:6) along with the truth and way. God is light (I John 1:5. God is Spirit John (4:24): God says, I am merciful, ( Ex. 22:27). John 11:25 Jesus say He is the Resurrection and the Life. These are just some of the examples where God equates His attributes with who He is not what He has.
Another aspect of God's uniqueness is that He is the only God that exists; no other God will be made or come into existence, nor was there any other God who preceded Him See Is. 46:9. Is.44:6-8; Is. 43:10-Isaiah, who saw the LORD (Jesus) on the throne in heaven in Is. 6; and John 8:38-41. This uniqueness as the one and only true divine being is the very basis of our faith.
Another aspect of God's uniqueness is His oneness- He is a unified single God who exists as three distinct persons-the Father, the Son, and the hoy Spirit who all three share the divine nature equally, eternally, and fully. I will speak more of this in my next post on "God is a UNITY".
God's uniqueness sets Him apart from all else. There is no one like Him!
Thanks, brother, I sometimes do not explain my understanding in the best way, hey I'm old. Years ago, I studied some of the early church histories and I found some scholars have questions about the authenticity of their translations. I understand you believe in them and that is ok.
Just one thing on Ignatius CHAPTER XVIII it should read.
For our God, Jesus Christ was according to the appointment of God, conceived in the womb by Mary, of the seed of David, but by the Holy Ghost. He was born and baptized, that by His passion He might purify the water.
In John 1:10 by Him, the Greek word used is dia means through, on account of, and because of. The word made is the Greek word ginomai means to come into being, to happen, to become.
In Colossians 1:16-17 the Greek word en can mean in him, not by him, whether that changes anything or not.
I know we do not agree on this, but I will do my best to show how I see John 17:5. Like I have said before Jesus was the first thing in God's plan, everything was created in and through Jesus and what He would be. Jesus knew the glory of God's word from which came all things as we see in Genesis, God said, and it was.
When Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost and filled with the Spirit without measure, he could see spiritual things unknown to any man. Some of God's servants did see into the future with just a glimpse, like Abraham, David, Moses, and others. Jesus could see and He knew the glory of God's creation and salvation plan.
Jesus knew who He was and was seeking this glory that was in God's plan before the world was to be his reward after all that he was sent to do was finished. In scripture declaring what is, even though it is not yet, simply because it is intended to be. If God intends it, it already is, even though it is not yet. Being from heaven is an expression meant to emphasize his sinless and holy state and show who sent him was God.
I hope this makes some sense.
God bless brother,
RLW
Luke 1:2. The use of 'beginning' here is different, as Luke relates how he learned of those accounts of the Lord through those who were with Him & eyewitnesses of those events. Here it is according to Luke's receiving the information; in John's Gospel & Epistle, of eternity past. Same word - different application.
Revelation 19:13. Indeed, it is a title carried by Jesus. But the same John, who was given this revelation, also wrote that the Word of God was made flesh & dwelt among us. In John's vision, he sees the Word of God made flesh now coming in Power & Glory, His clothing dipped in Blood (whether representative of the saints martyred or of the coming slaughter of God's enemies), & the title He wears as God's Word made flesh & now coming in the same way He left. But none of this applies, when we can find no agreement whether John writes in his Gospel, of the Word (God) coming in flesh, or He Who came in flesh became God (Divine).
John 1:10. If this means that 'the world was made through & for Jesus', then we would have to make the same apply to Colossians 1:16,17 (as the same word 'dia' is used). And by doing so, the whole meaning of those verses change, especially that 'he is before all things and by him all things consist'.
Anyway, I hope I've addressed your points, but would still appreciate if anyone, a non-trinitarian, could explain John 17:5, which thus far over the years, none have obliged me. And I find that very strange. Blessings.
And in (1:1): "Being as you are imitators of God, once you took on new life through the blood of God you completed perfectly the task so natural to you".
In his letter to the Smyrnaeans (1:1) over whom Polycarp was Bishop he states: "I glorify Jesus Christ, the God who made you so wise..".
And these were only two (Polycarp & Ignatius) mentioned here. There were others, as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Hippolytus, and Origen, who also in their writings referred to the Deity of Christ, not post-birth, but pre-birth. So I thought to make it clear that according to the records we have, the 'idea of the Trinity' was not conceived 400 years after Jesus, but from the earliest Church fathers, one of whom, Polycarp, learned under the tutorship of the Apostle John, ensuring that the doctrines & teachings administered were carried on correctly. What went wrong after that, we know that doctrines have been corrupted & mangled according to many factors coming upon men & the Church.
Moving on. Referring to the Scriptures you shared: John 1:1-3. I tried to read this passage as you do, but found it just doesn't make sense. If 'in the beginning' relates to the beginning of Christ's Ministry, are you suggesting in verse 1 that God's Word was then placed into Jesus, and He then was with God & also became God? Then what is this 'new creation' you refer to? Is it the New Birth? Even when the Word states that "All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made". Surely, "All things and anything" must speak of much more than a new creation, as well as speaking in the past tense, that this creative work had already taken place.
1 John 1:1. I can understand that if you believe that John 1:1 refers to the commencement of Jesus' Ministry, then 1 John 1:1 would do also. Of course, I read 1 John 1:1 as I read John 1:1, referring to eternity past. Onto Page 3.
Thank you, not trying to offend anyone because the belief in this doctrine goes deep. I once believed in the pre-existence of Jesus. In my study, there are too many things that contradict it. Like Matthew 28:19 there is not one baptism done in Scripture, only in the name of Jesus.
John 1:1-5 The reason I understand it as the beginning of Jesus's ministry is John also repeats it in 1 John 1:1 "That was from the beginning". Luke 1:2 also begins his introduction "which from the beginning" it was the beginning of time the apostles were with Jesus. We see in Revelation 19:13 that Jesus's name is called the Word of God, my understanding this is a title it does not say Jesus is God.
Jesus was the Word of God, we see all through Scripture Jesus says it is God's word, not His. In John 1:3 If we take the beginning as Jesus's start of His ministry the beginning of the new creation came into being through Jesus.
We see in John 1:6, that John tells of John the Baptist, a man sent from God, this is also about the beginning of Jesus's ministry when Jesus was anointed the Messiah. In verse 10 it says the world was made by him the Greek word dia could read as well as the world was made through him. That I see as in the plan of God all was through and for Jesus and what He would be since God sees the end the same as the beginning.
The importance that has been placed on this doctrine 400 years after Jesus and the people who have been killed over it, and today many churches will ostracize you. I don't feel the love of God would be in that. If it is that important that it is held equal to the belief in Jesus, Jesus would have told us when He was here but He did not say a word about it.
Thanks again brother, I know we do not agree.
God bless,
RLW
I understand John 1:18 speaks of Jesus being monogenes (unique), only begotten Son. Thanks for bringing this up. He is a unique son because He is the only son that is ontologically one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, possessing the divine nature fully and equally along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, thus God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit-one divine nature, but three distinct persons, each divine, but not separate from one another-unified and one.
Brother Ronald. Thanks for those great Scriptures which clearly support your understanding & belief that Jesus Christ made His first appearance on Earth as a human babe & His Words always pointed to His Father & His position on Earth & now in Heaven He as a Son subject to the Father. And so He is, as One coming in the flesh & giving due honor and glory to God in all things. But as you would expect, I cannot leave it there.
In the past, we have discussed John 1:1, & if I remember correctly, "In the beginning" in your understanding, is 'In the beginning of Christ's Ministry' and not 'In the beginning ('arche') of all things' as pertaining to man's perception of the infinite past. So as we read through John 1:1ff, I would find it difficult to apply 'the beginning of Christ's Ministry' to the next verses 2-4, "The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men". If Jesus was the recipient & embodiment of God's Word at His Coming to Earth, how could the "the same" (Jesus the Word) be with God in the beginning and 'all things made by Him'? And to this, the apostle speaks of in Colossians 1:13-17: that 'by Jesus were all things created..that He is before all things, and by Him all things consist'.
So, I bring up John 1 here as a spring board to a few of the other Scriptures you've quoted. As mentioned, these are all great verses, yet they only show one aspect of Jesus & not in His Fullness.
You quoted John 17:1-3. Precious verses in a part of His prayer to the Father that they both be glorified, that those whom the Father has given Him might have eternal life & the knowledge of God. But just two verses on, verse 5, Jesus adds this bold statement in His prayer, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was". Onto Page 2.
What a great post on the uniqueness of God! I am not trying to add to or take away from anything you said here, just wanted to share something that came to mind as I was reading through this. In Part 2, you showed how God is unique in the way He exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen!
John 1:18 came to mind and I'm not sure if you considered it or not, but it speaks also of the uniqueness of Christ. In the phrase "the only begotten Son," the word begotten (MONOGENES) can be translated unique. Jesus is the only unique one from the Father, the only one in human form that represents God.
I want to say thank you for all the time you have spent sharing the attributes of God from A to Z.
God Bless!!!
Mark 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
John 17:1-3 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
John 20:17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
1 Corinthians 11:3 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 John 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
2 John 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son.
Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
1 Corinthians 15:25,28 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Revelation 3:12 Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
God bless,
RLW
"And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace./For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."
The word of God is qualified as word of his grace; "to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." it is also described as word of his power, "and upholding all things by the word of his power."(Ac.20:32; He.1;3).The same fellowship of God with man is word based. So God by making man a living soul showed grace in action. Blessings must be explained as manifestation of his grace and it is what we received freely. When we received Jesus Christ our Saviour we became part of his fulness and power with which he uphold 'all things' and it gives us foreknowledge as well. Much of it is through the Bible, in which they are given for our admonition upon whom the end of the worlds has come.
On a personal note my word ministry in this open forum as well as in my other blogs is based on that it is addressed to to a great congregation, "I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest."(Ps.40:9). What I believe as revealed by the Holy Spirit and true I have set forth. By the grace given to me I do not count how many more days or months or even decade, God is my comfort and my bulwark and He shall fulfil concerning my work.
This fulness we see in the manner what is whispered in the ear becomes common knowledge. " For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known./Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops."( Luke 12:3). The Syrian king had much to fear. His conspiracy was plain before God and before the prophet. (2 Ki.6:8-11)
Mark (Part 1):
Before I begin sharing these Greek/English text comparisons on Mark's gospel, I want to point out that there are several words we see in Mark such as "Straightway," "Forthwith," and "Anon." These are all one Greek word that means immediately. The translators could have saved us some time looking up these words by translating the Greek word EUTHEOS as immediately.
Mark 1:1 - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
I want to share a technical point in Verse 1. The term "the beginning" in this verse is not in the original language. There is no word "the" in the Greek text. It's just beginning of the gospel. It is the word ARCHAE, but it is different than what is used in John 1:1 which says, "in beginning."
Here in Mark, he just says "beginning," and that is it. It is just a noun, a word. It is not the same as John 1:1, but actually ARCHAE represents this Hebrew word TECHILA. TECHILA means the first stage. So, when he says the beginning of the gospel, he is saying I'm presenting to you the first stage. I am not going to talk about His birth or anything else. I'm going to begin the gospel of Jesus Christ at this point.
"For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."
This is part of the Sermon on the Mount which the Spirit sets against a mountain.(5:1) Jesus goes to this mountain and his disciples 'came unto him.' Jesus was there as fulfilment of the word, "that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet" and the blessings he presents there as the 'only begotten Son' sent by his Father is what the everlasting covenant with which the Spirit opened the Bible. He was with God and he is the Man component. The Word or the Law we see in the Gospel of John, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God./The same was in the beginning with God." It is significant that he declares emphatically that the Law shall be fulfilled in v.18. So we can see from the emblem of the mountain, the Spirit instructs he as the stone cut not with hands came from the Mountain of God and shall stop only with Zion the holy habitation of God. Not a jot or tittle refers to the little ones Jesus referred often, those who are blessed and for whom he has promised a kingdom as well.""for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."( Luke 12:32). What is popularly called as the Beatitudes is the basis of the Fellowship of God with Man. In him whosoever heard the call is blessed. One may go through John 1:1-2 and understand the methodology of His calling. Fellowship of God and Man is on the basis that Man who was in the beginning with God. God decreed the day for his Son has this tag 'unto this day' and 'in that day' which refers the day that God may be in all. 1 Cor.15:20-28
Consider this saying, "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you." The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was for the Word to be fulfilled in the Man component.
"O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh."
In order to understand what it means by our calling we begin with our heart. "From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth./He fashioneth their hearts alike."(Ps.33:14-15) When God has breathed into the nostrils of one he has done equally with all. However how each one responds to it is different. They have works as the Pharisees would seek a sign from Jesus. Are they seeking holiness or merely out of curiosity? As with the Pharisee in the Parable he has his works to show in order to justify himself. Before men they certainly sound holy as we have those play racial tropes and slurs to justify themselves. What does God speak of their fasts and prayers? " Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?"(Is.58:6)
So our estimation of our own worth does not count.
So we speak of heart as God sees it, can only by the word, which was with God. ( John 1:1) Jesus Christ, the word become flesh in us is where we are counted as being part of the generation of Jesus Christ. St Matthew refers to the Gospel as the book of the generation of Jesus Christ. "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world," gives us a beginning. Christ dwelling in us by faith consequently gives us volume. Without Christ how we judge ourselves is no different than the Pharisee. Those who "trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others" are in the same cesspool of their hypocrisy. White Evangelicals or Ethnic minorities or whoever serve as false witness to despise the other belongs to the generation of vipers. Vipers are cannibals and in the church also we see them devouring each other on the basis of race and colour.
The plurality in Yehovah Elohim never refers to Angels, they don't participate in the creation.
Isaiah 44:24 reads "Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb,
I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens ALONE; that spreadeth abroad the earth BY MYSELF;
So in Genesis 1:1when it reads "In the beginning God/Elohim created the heaven and the earth, it doesn't refer to Angels.
So why is Elohim used and who does this Plural name consist of?
Throughout the creation process Elohim is used.
This reasonably connects Jesus to this claim. John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Also in Genesis 1:26 it reads, "And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness:
Not only did Angels "not" participate in the creation, we're not made in the image or likeness of Angels as shown in 1 Corinthians 15:44-48.
Psalms 19:1 reads, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
(The creation shows God's greatness, It's his GLORY!)
Isaiah 42:8 reads, "I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another,
But listen to Jesus in John 17:5, "And now, O Father, GLORIFY THOU ME WITH THINE OWN SELF with the glory WHICH I HAD WITH THEE BEFORE THE WORLD WAS.
God bless.
"He that has seen me has seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?"
Trinity is not only God having three distinct personalities but also serve as the Word which Jesus demonstrate here with works. "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works."(v.10)
In Psalm we have it and its practical application. " He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions."(Ps.107:20). In Bethesda Jesus told the man with palsy, "Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk./And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked." ( John 5:8-9) Before the worlds began he sent forth his word (Is.55:11). The same word Jesus proves at specific time and place works. When John in his Gospel speaks of the Word becoming flesh it is validation of Jesus as the Logos. The Word was God. ( John 1:1-2) So trinity has "our image" in the manner man has body, soul and spirit. All three work as one. While the Word is a sound it is a sign also. Since Jesus Christ serves as a sign from heaven, the same word of God can present as sign as Isaiah refers to him and his children as signs and wonders. (Is.8:18)
The same word in us as a seed is what the breath of God in us signifies. It is truth and it sanctifies us. that can only be by faith. It is what Jesus was driving at in this short colloquy with Philip. The words that Jesus spoke were those of his Father and he made them work. So Jesus commands the man with palsy and he was healed.
Man is created "After our image" so the bread from heaven and the word in us albeit as a seed holds similitude. Principle of Similitude sets heaven and earth on a single standard. The upper and lower in a millstone holds true. "And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone." (Re.18:21)
"For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath./And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness."
What is darkness? Absence of light, of course. God separated light from darkness. John applies it to the nation of Israel. And the darkness comprehended it not." ( John 1:4) refers to the verse below. "He (Jesus Christ) came unto his own, and his own received him not." (1:10-11)The world and Israel in particular, did not receive for the reason they did not have the light in themselves. It is to which Jesus referred,"But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"(Matt.6:23). In them the word as a seed meant nothing so it was as though God did not plant them at all. For this reason what fruits they could have produced? They were thistles and thorns only fit for fire.
Illustrations we can see how Israel became synonymous with outer darkness.
In Ex.24:3 Israel vows, "All the words which the Lord hath said will we do." They also saw God, " and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness."(24:10) "In his clearness" was in effect was blind since they did not comprehend the true Light when he walked among the. In him was the light of men but where did they fail? "But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes."( 1 John 2:11).
Another time they said,"And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die."(Ex.20:19) Did that help them when a voice from heaven sounded, "The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him."( John 12:29)
"He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things." (Ep.4:10-12) Up or down Jesus Christ as the Word become flesh is made up of 4x3=12. Fall of Babylon signified the stone "like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea," Cf. with the stone cut not with hands in the Daniel's vision.
In short Gospel is tied up with the Man component while the word of God is associated with the Word. ( John 1:1) Judgment was upon the seas and consequently Babylon shall not be found anymore.
The earth abides forever since he is the world made to appear and children of the kingdom shall reign with him in the day of Regeneration; with regards to the sea we have the Parable of the Dragnet, the good has to be gathered into vessels. "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:/Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away."(Matt.13:47-48)
The angel ascending from the east points to the angels associated with the Son of man. "For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."(Matt.24:27; 30-31)
East is associated with Eden the Mountain of God in the vision of Ezekiel. The nations moved farther to the east after the great flood. It is thus unless we take the cues supplied by the Spirit of God we have doctrines of men. Universalism for example, posits that eventually the wicked also shall be let into the kingdom of God. The Word is clear,"The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth./Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear."
The four winds signify the events on the earth are set in motion by God, "For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire." (Is.66:15) We have another instance, and whirlwind presages no good for ungodly nations, "behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea./And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." (Dan.7:2-3). The ten kings in Re.17:12 are of one mind with the beast. They have their one hour with him. Grace period is in harmony with the Word become flesh. It is brought by another angel, mark you, he comes ascending as with the angel below the great River Euphrates, "ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God."
"Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates./And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men."(Re.9:14-15) The Spirit is spot on to correspond the sixth seal with the sixth angel with the trumpet. The command likewise come from "a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God," (9:12) The voice is the word of God and the number Four has the same meaning as four winds. Also notice the four angels are preset 'for an hour' (9:15). God know who are His and knows how to keep them from all harm. So the grace period is directly associated with Jesus Christ. "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." ( John 1:14) These four angel are fellow servants serving His saints on the earth.
The number 12 signifies Gospel. The four and twenty elders are set down as memorial before the throne. (3x8=24) The number indicate the lower parts where the Spirit of Christ preached to the souls in prison. Heaven earth and lower parts hold as one in his Son.
As an example, both you & Ronald have your views on the Deity of Christ (as far as: was Christ in existence before His Birth, or did He become Divine at or after His Birth). Brother Ronald and I have had some discussion on this before, & only he, along with one other from years ago, were prepared to give their understanding of John 1:1. In my understanding of that verse, & adjoining verses, their interpretation did not make sense to me, but obviously it was as clear as day to them. So, we have two choices: to further exegete that passage or to let the matter lie. If we do proceed with it, we can still be civil, understanding & reflective to what each one presents. At the end, we may not be convinced, for whatever reason, but the value (both personal & community-wise) is great, since we are compelled to test our understanding of the Word & use what we gain when considering other passages related to the subject. So, don't be hindered because of fear of offending someone; simply present what you believe & with supporting Scriptures, why you hold to that belief. If you cannot take the matter further for whatever reason, feel free to excuse yourself. That's how I approach such discussions, though I do admit that I do enjoy probing further to learn more of the belief of others. Blessings.
GOD is Spirit,the Word- John 1:1.He is greater than JESUS- John 14:28,and 5:19-20,and 12:49.GOD Himself,the Word,is self-executing, JESUS is not- John 5:30.They are One in Spirit,but not in existence personal->GOD the Father,and the Word MADE FLESH-JESUS,both are DISTINCTS Persons- Philippians 2:6-9.
GOD has put all things under the feet of JESUS- 1Corinthians 15:27, but Hebrews 2:8-12 say:...8But now we see not yet all things put under Him.9But we see JESUS,who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death,crowned with Glory and Honour; that He by the Grace of GOD should taste death for every man.
1Corinthians 15:27-28
27For GOD has put all things under JESUS's feet.But when GOD saith all things are put under JESUS,it is manifest that GOD is excepted, which did put all things under JESUS.
28And when all things shall be subdued unto JESUS,then shall the Son also Himself be SUBJETED unto GOD that put all things under JESUS,that GOD may be all in all.
JESUS is the Spirit-GOD-MADE FLESH->GOD-Christ.Great mystery- John 1:14 combined with Colossians 2:9 and Philippians 2:6-11.Both are one Spirit- John 10:30,but two DISTINCTS Persons being the same Spirit Creator-GOD,having the SAME IMAGE,the image of the Spirit-GOD,one is invisible, and one is vsible- John 14:8-10.JESUS said: John 5:30->I can of mine own self do nothing:.
JESUS as the Greater Light,He commented about the lesser Light-the Person of the Holy Spirit-saying he is the Comfort,the Paraclete,and revealed what is the the mission of him here: John 16:7-15:(By analogy,the moon receive light from the sun,the moon has not ligh in it itself;the person of the Holy Spirit,the Comfort,he has not light in he himself,so he cannot speak anything if does not receive from JESUS- John 16:13.JESUS SAID:he shall receive of mine,and shall shew it unto you- John 16:14,and he shall take of mine,and shall shew it unto you- John 16:15)
JESUS commented about the mission of the Holy Spirit- John 16:7-15
God divided light from darkness so one aspect signified divine nature and other the absence of it. Power and Wisdom of God makes both alike to God who is One. "Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee."(Ps.139:12) The Word was with God. This Law settled the matter. Jesus Christ as the fulfilment of the Law submitted to the divine Will declares,"Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,/I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart."(Ps.40:8-9) God settled for light as indicative of His holiness on the logos principle of the Man. God framed the worlds by his word so one becomes subject to the sovereignty of the Word.( John 1:1; He. 11:3). Second reason the Law was to be demonstrated in the worlds made to appear. "Judgement was set, and books were opened" Consequently would settle the matter of darkness. "And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not."( John 1:5). Those who chose light were recorded in the book of life . Faith accordingly became the touchstone. "Law is within my heart" is doable.
The Law intended to give both light and darkness equal weight in the heavenly places. God a Spirit makes angels spirits and the Holy Spirit records both Sons of God on the Mountain of God until sin undid the glory of one. In Ezekiel we read thus, "thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire./Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee."(Ez.28:14-15) God pronounced judgment on Satan,"therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee."(28:18). This is what happens and Jesus refers to it, "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."( Luke 10:18)