LDS One Essence

Daniel Marsh

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Philippians 2:1-4 The Message (MSG)
He Took on the Status of a Slave
2 1-4 If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

5-8 Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.

9-11 Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.

Rejoicing Together
12-13 What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I’m separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure.

14-16 Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing.

17-18 Even if I am executed here and now, I’ll rejoice in being an element in the offering of your faith that you make on Christ’s altar, a part of your rejoicing. But turnabout’s fair play—you must join me in my rejoicing. Whatever you do, don’t feel sorry for me.

19-24 I plan (according to Jesus’ plan) to send Timothy to you very soon so he can bring back all the news of you he can gather. Oh, how that will do my heart good! I have no one quite like Timothy. He is loyal, and genuinely concerned for you. Most people around here are looking out for themselves, with little concern for the things of Jesus. But you know yourselves that Timothy’s the real thing. He’s been a devoted son to me as together we’ve delivered the Message. As soon as I see how things are going to fall out for me here, I plan to send him off. And then I’m hoping and praying to be right on his heels.

25-27 But for right now, I’m dispatching Epaphroditus, my good friend and companion in my work. You sent him to help me out; now I’m sending him to help you out. He has been wanting in the worst way to get back with you. Especially since recovering from the illness you heard about, he’s been wanting to get back and reassure you that he is just fine. He nearly died, as you know, but God had mercy on him. And not only on him—he had mercy on me, too. His death would have been one huge grief piled on top of all the others.

28-30 So you can see why I’m so delighted to send him on to you. When you see him again, hale and hearty, how you’ll rejoice and how relieved I’ll be. Give him a grand welcome, a joyful embrace! People like him deserve the best you can give. Remember the ministry to me that you started but weren’t able to complete? Well, in the process of finishing up that work, he put his life on the line and nearly died doing it.

To Know Him Personally
3 And that’s about it, friends. Be glad in God!

I don’t mind repeating what I have written in earlier letters, and I hope you don’t mind hearing it again. Better safe than sorry—so here goes.

2-6 Steer clear of the barking dogs, those religious busybodies, all bark and no bite. All they’re interested in is appearances—knife-happy circumcisers, I call them. The real believers are the ones the Spirit of God leads to work away at this ministry, filling the air with Christ’s praise as we do it. We couldn’t carry this off by our own efforts, and we know it—even though we can list what many might think are impressive credentials. You know my pedigree: a legitimate birth, circumcised on the eighth day; an Israelite from the elite tribe of Benjamin; a strict and devout adherent to God’s law; a fiery defender of the purity of my religion, even to the point of persecuting the church; a meticulous observer of everything set down in God’s law Book.

7-9 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn’t want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God’s righteousness.

10-11 I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.

Focused on the Goal
12-14 I’m not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don’t get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I’ve got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I’m off and running, and I’m not turning back.

15-16 So let’s keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you’ll see it yet! Now that we’re on the right track, let’s stay on it.

17-19 Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I’ve warned you of them many times; sadly, I’m having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ’s Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

20-21 But there’s far more to life for us. We’re citizens of high heaven! We’re waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He’ll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

4 My dear, dear friends! I love you so much. I do want the very best for you. You make me feel such joy, fill me with such pride. Don’t waver. Stay on track, steady in God.
 
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Daniel Marsh

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In the above three or four posts I am checking the context of Phil 2 and Phil 3, in part of Phil 2 the text brings out the fact that Jesus is fully Man and fully God. Nowhere in the text does Paul claim to be equal to God himself.

We do learn in II Peter 1, as Christians we can learn to take on the Character of God, in the form of his virtues.

2 Peter 1 The Message (MSG)
1 1-2 I, Simon Peter, am a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. I write this to you whose experience with God is as life-changing as ours, all due to our God’s straight dealing and the intervention of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you many times over as you deepen in your experience with God and Jesus, our Master.

Don’t Put It Off
3-4 Everything that goes into a life of pleasing God has been miraculously given to us by getting to know, personally and intimately, the One who invited us to God. The best invitation we ever received! We were also given absolutely terrific promises to pass on to you—your tickets to participation in the life of God after you turned your back on a world corrupted by lust.

5-9 So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.

10-11 So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The One Light in a Dark Time
12-15 Because the stakes are so high, even though you’re up-to-date on all this truth and practice it inside and out, I’m not going to let up for a minute in calling you to attention before it. This is the post to which I’ve been assigned—keeping you alert with frequent reminders—and I’m sticking to it as long as I live. I know that I’m to die soon; the Master has made that quite clear to me. And so I am especially eager that you have all this down in black and white so that after I die, you’ll have it for ready reference.

16-18 We weren’t, you know, just wishing on a star when we laid the facts out before you regarding the powerful return of our Master, Jesus Christ. We were there for the preview! We saw it with our own eyes: Jesus resplendent with light from God the Father as the voice of Majestic Glory spoke: “This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of all my delight.” We were there on the holy mountain with him. We heard the voice out of heaven with our very own ears.

19-21 We couldn’t be more sure of what we saw and heard—God’s glory, God’s voice. The prophetic Word was confirmed to us. You’ll do well to keep focusing on it. It’s the one light you have in a dark time as you wait for daybreak and the rising of the Morning Star in your hearts. The main thing to keep in mind here is that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of private opinion. And why? Because it’s not something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when the Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God’s Word.
 
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Daniel Marsh

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2 Peter 1 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
1 Greetings from Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.

To all of you who share in the same valuable faith that we have. This faith was given to us because our God and Savior Jesus Christ always does what is good and right.

2 Grace and peace be given to you more and more, because now you know God and Jesus our Lord.

God Has Given Us Everything We Need
3 Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.

5 Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; 6 to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; 7 to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. 8 If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who don’t grow in these blessings are blind. They cannot see clearly what they have. They have forgotten that they were cleansed from their past sins.

10 My brothers and sisters, God called you and chose you to be his. Do your best to live in a way that shows you really are God’s called and chosen people. If you do all this, you will never fall. 11 And you will be given a very great welcome into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a kingdom that never ends.

12 You already know these things. You are very strong in the truth you have. But I am always going to help you remember them. 13 While I am still living here on earth, I think it is right for me to remind you of them. 14 I know that I must soon leave this body. Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that. 15 I will try my best to make sure you remember these things even after I am gone.

We Saw Christ’s Glory
16 We told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. We told you about his coming. The things we told you were not just clever stories that people invented. No, we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. 17 Jesus heard the voice of the great and glorious God. That was when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him.” 18 And we heard that voice. It came from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain.

19 This makes us more sure about what the prophets said. And it is good for you to follow closely what they said, which is like a light shining in a dark place. You have that light until the day begins and the morning star brings new light to your minds. 20 Most important of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures comes from the prophet’s own understanding. 21 No prophecy ever came from what some person wanted to say. But people were led by the Holy Spirit and spoke words from God.
 
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Daniel Marsh

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2 Peter 1 J.B. Phillips New Testament (PHILLIPS)
1 1-2 Simon Peter, a servant and messenger of Jesus Christ, sends this letter to those who have been given a faith as valuable as yours in the righteousness of our God, and saviour Jesus Christ. May you know more and more of grace and peace as your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord grows deeper.

God has done his part: see that you do yours
3-4 He has by his own action given us everything that is necessary for living the truly good life, in allowing us to know the one who has called us to him, through his own glorious goodness. It is through him that God’s greatest and most precious promises have become available to us men, making it possible for you to escape the inevitable disintegration that lust produces in the world and to share in God’s essential nature.

5-7 For this very reason you must do your utmost from your side, and see that your faith carries with it real goodness of life. Your goodness must be accompanied by knowledge, your knowledge by self-control, your self-control by the ability to endure. Your endurance too must always be accompanied by devotion to God; that in turn must have in it the quality of brotherliness, and your brotherliness must lead on to Christian love.

8-9 If you have these qualities existing and growing in you then it means that knowing our Lord Jesus Christ has not made your lives either complacent or unproductive. The man whose life fails to exhibit these qualities is short-sighted—he can no longer see the reason why he was cleansed from his former sins.

10-11 Set your minds, then, on endorsing by your conduct the fact that God has called and chosen you. If you go along the lines I have indicated above, there is no reason why you should stumble, and if you have lived the sort of life I have recommended God will open wide to you the gates of the eternal kingdom of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.

Truth will bear repetition
12-15 I shall not fail to remind you of things like this although you know them and are already established in the truth. I consider it my duty, as long as I live in the temporary dwelling of this body, to stimulate you by these reminders. I know that I shall have to leave this body at very short notice, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. Consequently I shall make the most of every opportunity, so that after I am gone you will remember these things.

16-17 We were not following a cleverly written-up story when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ—we actually saw his majesty with our own eyes. He received honour and glory from God the Father himself when that voice said to him, out of the sublime glory of Heaven, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’.

18-19 We actually heard that voice speaking from Heaven while we were with him on the sacred mountain. The word of prophecy was fulfilled in our hearing! You should give that word your closest attention, for it shines like a lamp amidst all the dirt and darkness of the world, until the day dawns, and the morning star rises in your hearts.

False prophets will flourish, but only for a time
20-21 But you must understand this at the outset, that no prophecy of scripture arose from an individual’s interpretation of the truth. No prophecy came because a man wanted it to: men of God spoke because they were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
 
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He is the way

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The point of John 10 and John 17 is the word "one" is defined by how it used and understood in the context.

es·sence
/ˈesəns/
Learn to pronounce
noun
the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character.

Nehemiah 1:11Please, O Lord, let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to [reverently] fear Your Name [Your essence, Your nature, Your attributes, with awe]; and make Your servant successful this day and grant him compassion in the sight of this man [the king].” For I was cupbearer to the king [of Persia].

John 1:18No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time; the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son] who is in the intimate presence of the Father, He has explained Him [and interpreted and revealed the awesome wonder of the Father].

John 10:30I and the Father are One [in essence and nature].”

Philippians 2:6who, although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes—the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it];

Colossians 1:19For it pleased the Father for all the fullness [of deity—the sum total of His essence, all His perfection, powers, and attributes] to dwell [permanently] in Him (the Son),

Hebrews 1:3The Son is the radiance and only expression of the glory of [our awesome] God [reflecting God’s Shekinah glory, the Light-being, the brilliant light of the divine], and the exact representation and perfect imprint of His [Father’s] essence, and upholding and maintaining and propelling all things [the entire physical and spiritual universe] by His powerful word [carrying the universe along to its predetermined goal]. When He [Himself and no other] had [by offering Himself on the cross as a sacrifice for sin] accomplished purification from sins and established our freedom from guilt, He sat down [revealing His completed work] at the right hand of the Majesty on high [revealing His Divine authority],

The above is from the Amplified Version

Hebrews 1:3The Son ·reflects [or radiates; shines forth] the glory of God [John 1:14] and ·shows exactly what God is like [L is the exact representation/imprint/stamp of his being/essence/nature]. He ·holds everything together [sustains/upholds all things] with his powerful word. When the Son ·made people clean from their [L provided purification/cleansing for] sins [9:14], he sat down at the right ·side [L hand; C the most honored position beside a king; Ps. 110:1] of ·God, the Great One in heaven [L the Majesty/Preeminence in the highest places; C a Jewish way to avoid saying the divine name of God].

Above is Expanded Bible

Philippians 2:1-4 Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Be United and Care for Each Other
2 Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirit, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, 2 then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. 3 In whatever you do, don’t let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. 4 Don’t be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too.

Learn From Christ to Be Unselfish
5 In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought.

6 He was like God in every way,
but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit.
7 Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God.
He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form.
During his life as a man,
8 he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God,
even when that caused his death—death on a cross.
9 So God raised him up to the most important place
and gave him the name that is greater than any other name.
10 God did this so that every person will bow down to honor the name of Jesus.
Everyone in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will bow.
11 They will all confess, “Jesus Christ is Lord,”
and this will bring glory to God the Father.

Be the People God Wants You to Be
12 My dear friends, you always obeyed what you were taught. Just as you obeyed when I was with you, it is even more important for you to obey now that I am not there. So you must continue to live in a way that gives meaning to your salvation. Do this with fear and respect for God. 13 Yes, it is God who is working in you. He helps you want to do what pleases him, and he gives you the power to do it.

14 Do everything without complaining or arguing 15 so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world, 16 and you offer them the teaching that gives life. So I can be proud of you when Christ comes again. You will show that my work was not wasted—that I ran in the race and won.

17 Your faith makes you give your lives as a sacrifice in serving God. Maybe I will have to offer my own life with your sacrifice. But if that happens, I will be glad, and I will share my joy with all of you. 18 You also should be glad and share your joy with me.

News About Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 With the blessing of the Lord Jesus, I hope I will be able to send Timothy to you soon. I will be glad to learn how you are. 20 I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares for you. 21 Others are interested only in their own lives. They don’t care about the work of Christ Jesus. 22 You know the kind of person Timothy is. He has served with me in telling the Good News like a son with his father. 23 I plan to send him to you quickly, as soon as I know what will happen to me. 24 I am sure the Lord will help me come to you soon.

25 For now, I think I must send Epaphroditus back to you. He is my brother in God’s family, who works and serves with me in the Lord’s army. When I needed help, you sent him to me, 26 but now he wants very much to see all of you again. He is worried because you heard that he was sick. 27 He was sick and near death. But God helped him and me too, so that I would not have even more grief. 28 So I want very much to send him to you. When you see him, you can be happy. And I can stop worrying about you. 29 Welcome him in the Lord with much joy. Give honor to people like Epaphroditus. 30 He should be honored because he almost died for the work of Christ. He put his life in danger so that he could help me. This was help that you could not give me.

Christ Is More Important Than Anything
3 And now, my brothers and sisters, be filled with joy in the Lord. It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again. I want to be sure that you are prepared.

2 Be careful of the dogs—those men whose work does only harm. They want to cut on everyone who isn’t circumcised.[a] 3 But we are the ones who have the true circumcision—we who worship God through his Spirit. We don’t trust in ourselves or anything we can do. We take pride only in Christ Jesus. 4 Even if I am able to trust in myself, still I don’t do it. If anyone else thinks they have a reason to trust in themselves, they should know that I have a greater reason for doing so. 5 I was circumcised on the eighth day after my birth. I am from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a true Jew, and so were my parents. The law was very important to me. That is why I became a Pharisee. 6 I was so eager to defend my religion[c] that I persecuted the church. And no one could find fault with the way I obeyed the Law of Moses.

7 At one time all these things were important to me. But because of Christ, I decided that they are worth nothing. 8 Not only these things, but now I think that all things are worth nothing compared with the greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of Christ, I lost all these things, and now I know that they are all worthless trash. All I want now is Christ. 9 I want to belong to him. In Christ I am right with God, but my being right does not come from following the law. It comes from God through faith. God uses my faith in[d] Christ to make me right with him. 10 All I want is to know Christ and the power that raised him from death. I want to share in his sufferings and be like him even in his death. 11 Then there is hope that I myself will somehow be raised from death.

Trying to Reach the Goal
12 I don’t mean that I am exactly what God wants me to be. I have not yet reached that goal. But I continue trying to reach it and make it mine. That’s what Christ Jesus wants me to do. It is the reason he made me his. 13 Brothers and sisters, I know that I still have a long way to go. But there is one thing I do: I forget what is in the past and try as hard as I can to reach the goal before me. 14 I keep running hard toward the finish line to get the prize that is mine because God has called me through Christ Jesus to life up there in heaven.

15 All of us who have grown to be spiritually mature should think this way too. And if there is any of this that you don’t agree with, God will make it clear to you. 16 But we should continue following the truth we already have.

17 Brothers and sisters, join together in following my example. Also, learn by watching those who are living the way we showed you. 18 There are many who live like enemies of the cross of Christ. I have often told you about them. And it makes me cry to tell you about them now. 19 The way they live is leading them to destruction. They have replaced God with their own desires. They do shameful things, and they are proud of what they do. They think only about earthly things. 20 But the government that rules us is in heaven. We are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from there. 21 He will change our humble bodies and make them like his own glorious body. Christ can do this by his power, with which he is able to rule everything.

Some Things to Do
4 My dear brothers and sisters, I love you and want to see you. You bring me joy and make me proud of you. Continue following the Lord as I have told you.

Colossians 2:9For in Him all the fullness of Deity (the Godhead) dwells in bodily form [completely expressing the divine essence of God].
As children of God, our goal is to become perfect even as God our Father is perfect so we can have the fullness of God:
(New Testament | Matthew 5:48)

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

(New Testament | Ephesians 4:13)

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

(New Testament | Ephesians 3:19)

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

And be equal heirs with Christ:

(New Testament | Romans 8:16 - 17)

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
 
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Daniel Marsh

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As children of God, our goal is to become perfect even as God our Father is perfect so we can have the fullness of God:
(New Testament | Matthew 5:48)

48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

(New Testament | Ephesians 4:13)

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

(New Testament | Ephesians 3:19)

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

And be equal heirs with Christ:

(New Testament | Romans 8:16 - 17)

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.


I agree we are God's Children after being born again with the Holy Spirit.

But, Ephesians 4:13 in context is not about the individual taking on the virtues in II Peter 1. It is about the whole Church becoming mature in Christ.

We are not God's Children by sex of a mother and father god in pre-existence.
 
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ViaCrucis

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The Bible describes how Jesus and God the Father are one:

(New Testament | John 17:11 - 23)

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
13 And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
15 I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
18 As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

They are perfect in one as we can be made perfect in one with them. Essence is not mentioned once.

And if I were a biblically illiterate person who hadn't spent the last thirty of my thirty-seven years of life reading the Bible then I might even be fooled into thinking this is somehow a valid point.

-CryptoLutheran
 
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He is the way

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And if I were a biblically illiterate person who hadn't spent the last thirty of my thirty-seven years of life reading the Bible then I might even be fooled into thinking this is somehow a valid point.

-CryptoLutheran
It is a very valid point.
 
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ViaCrucis

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It is a very valid point.

Except it's not. It's like quoting Jesus referring to Himself as the Son of Man and then saying, "See, Jesus isn't the Son of God, He says He's the Son of Man." Taking a single isolated proof text and consciously ignoring the entire witness of Scripture in order to try and argue a point isn't making a valid point, it's making a bad argument.

Because Jesus doesn't just say that He and His Father share a single purpose, He says that whoever sees Him sees the Father. The Gospel of John says that He is the Divine Word, very God with God. St. Paul says that "in Him is the fullness of Deity", that all things were made by Him and for Him, that He fills all things, and calls Him "our Great God and Savior". St. Thomas falls before the risen Christ to call Him "My Lord and my God". The author to the Epistle of the Hebrews says that He is the radiance of God's glory and the "exact imprint of His Hypostasis". St. John of Patmos calls Him the Alpha and Omega.

Am I just supposed to pretend as though I don't know all of this is written in the Bible?

-CryptoLutheran
 
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Ironhold

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ok friend, I don't see how simply quoting a primary source, forgot what I was saying here.

I like to see what you come up with.

Took me a second due to pollen-induced fogginess, but I found the actual passage in Doctrine & Covenants:

Doctrine and Covenants 130

Joseph Smith was told that if he was to live to 85, he'd see the Son of Man face to face. Joseph himself admitted that he wasn't sure what this meant or if he'd even live that long, but he presumed that such a meeting - and perhaps the Second Coming, if this was the case - would happen no sooner than this.
 
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He is the way

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Except it's not. It's like quoting Jesus referring to Himself as the Son of Man and then saying, "See, Jesus isn't the Son of God, He says He's the Son of Man." Taking a single isolated proof text and consciously ignoring the entire witness of Scripture in order to try and argue a point isn't making a valid point, it's making a bad argument.

Because Jesus doesn't just say that He and His Father share a single purpose, He says that whoever sees Him sees the Father. The Gospel of John says that He is the Divine Word, very God with God. St. Paul says that "in Him is the fullness of Deity", that all things were made by Him and for Him, that He fills all things, and calls Him "our Great God and Savior". St. Thomas falls before the risen Christ to call Him "My Lord and my God". The author to the Epistle of the Hebrews says that He is the radiance of God's glory and the "exact imprint of His Hypostasis". St. John of Patmos calls Him the Alpha and Omega.

Am I just supposed to pretend as though I don't know all of this is written in the Bible?

-CryptoLutheran
Yes I do know what is written in the Bible. Jesus is in the express image of the Father:
(New Testament | Hebrews 1:3)

3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Jesus has a God:

(New Testament | John 20:17)

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.

Jesus is our Lord and Master, God the Father is our God:

(New Testament | 1 Corinthians 8:6)

6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

God the Father is greater than Jesus:

(New Testament | John 14:28)

28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
 
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mmksparbud

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Took me a second due to pollen-induced fogginess, but I found the actual passage in Doctrine & Covenants:

Doctrine and Covenants 130

Joseph Smith was told that if he was to live to 85, he'd see the Son of Man face to face. Joseph himself admitted that he wasn't sure what this meant or if he'd even live that long, but he presumed that such a meeting - and perhaps the Second Coming, if this was the case - would happen no sooner than this.


So, the God of this universe, the Creator of all---based His 2nd coming on whether or not JS would live to 85---as if He didn't know? He who knew when His time was up on this earth to go to the cross, He knew that Judas would betray Him, who knew that Peter would deny Him 3 times, who knew when Lazarus His friend had died, who knows when a sparrow falls and who knows how many hairs I have on my quickly thinning hair, who gave to the King of Babylon a dream foretelling the kingdoms of this world to the end of time---had no idea when JS would die??? The single most important happening of this universe since His resurrection was to be determined by the lifespan of one single man and not on the plan of God the Father---who knows all and is the only one that does know (according to Jesus) when the 2nd coming is???
And If you'll just send me $5000,000.00 I'll tell you the secret date---He told me it when I was 6 and I've been wanting to tell somebody all about it ever since.

Hope you sinuses have cleared--I, too, get beat up by pollen.
 
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Ironhold

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So, the God of this universe, the Creator of all---based His 2nd coming on whether or not JS would live to 85---as if He didn't know?

God still gives everyone free will.

Judas could have decided not to betray Christ. Peter could have professed. The choice wasn't taken away from them. That's the thing.



As far as my allergies go -> my sinuses have been shredded by injury and illness. So for me, the real danger of a high pollen count is blowing my nose so much I rip something and start bleeding again. This in turn leads to arguments when I try to point to the trash can full of bloody tissues as the reason why I'm moving like a tree slug and generally want nothing more than to hole up somewhere, as if somehow I'm just making that all up.

It happens at least twice a year, as it goes from hot to cold and cold to hot.
 
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mmksparbud

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God still gives everyone free will.

Judas could have decided not to betray Christ. Peter could have professed. The choice wasn't taken away from them. That's the thing.



As far as my allergies go -> my sinuses have been shredded by injury and illness. So for me, the real danger of a high pollen count is blowing my nose so much I rip something and start bleeding again. This in turn leads to arguments when I try to point to the trash can full of bloody tissues as the reason why I'm moving like a tree slug and generally want nothing more than to hole up somewhere, as if somehow I'm just making that all up.

It happens at least twice a year, as it goes from hot to cold and cold to hot.

Yes---but being murdered has nothing to do with free will.

I take it you've tried Holistic stuff? My sister in law had a horrible time---she finally went to a Holistic guy and got relief in a short time and has been able to keep the symptoms at bay for several years. She has no idea what's in the little bottles! I also end up on Benadryl (generic) twice a year---sometimes more often. But I have gotten better since I had to surrender my dog. Broke my heart. But as the dog fur has disappeared, my allergies also got better. Both hubby and I were allergic to cats and dogs but we couldn't part with them. When hubby died, my income was cut by half and being in a wheelchair I just could not take good care of him, has a a great home now though. And frequent air filter changes also help. Yours sound very severe. Prayers.
 
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Daniel Marsh

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And if I were a biblically illiterate person who hadn't spent the last thirty of my thirty-seven years of life reading the Bible then I might even be fooled into thinking this is somehow a valid point.

-CryptoLutheran

We all know that poor theology has some truth. What is right or good about that viewpoint and what is misleading or wrong? thanks daniel --- I am dealing with tiredness too much.
 
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Daniel Marsh

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Took me a second due to pollen-induced fogginess, but I found the actual passage in Doctrine & Covenants:

Doctrine and Covenants 130

Joseph Smith was told that if he was to live to 85, he'd see the Son of Man face to face. Joseph himself admitted that he wasn't sure what this meant or if he'd even live that long, but he presumed that such a meeting - and perhaps the Second Coming, if this was the case - would happen no sooner than this.

I posted the full text and did not see your interpretation, claim there.
 
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Daniel Marsh

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Yes I do know what is written in the Bible. Jesus is in the express image of the Father:
(New Testament | Hebrews 1:3)

3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Jesus has a God:

(New Testament | John 20:17)

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.

Jesus is our Lord and Master, God the Father is our God:

(New Testament | 1 Corinthians 8:6)

6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

God the Father is greater than Jesus:

(New Testament | John 14:28)

28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

The President of the US is greater than I am, but we both have human nature.
 
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Daniel Marsh

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So, the God of this universe, the Creator of all---based His 2nd coming on whether or not JS would live to 85---as if He didn't know? He who knew when His time was up on this earth to go to the cross, He knew that Judas would betray Him, who knew that Peter would deny Him 3 times, who knew when Lazarus His friend had died, who knows when a sparrow falls and who knows how many hairs I have on my quickly thinning hair, who gave to the King of Babylon a dream foretelling the kingdoms of this world to the end of time---had no idea when JS would die??? The single most important happening of this universe since His resurrection was to be determined by the lifespan of one single man and not on the plan of God the Father---who knows all and is the only one that does know (according to Jesus) when the 2nd coming is???
And If you'll just send me $5000,000.00 I'll tell you the secret date---He told me it when I was 6 and I've been wanting to tell somebody all about it ever since.

Hope you sinuses have cleared--I, too, get beat up by pollen.

Acts 1
7-8 To this he replied, “You cannot know times and dates which have been fixed by the Father’s sole authority. But you are to be given power when the Holy Spirit has come to you. You will be witnesses to me, not only in Jerusalem, not only throughout Judea, not only in Samaria, but to the very ends of the earth!”
 
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God still gives everyone free will.

Judas could have decided not to betray Christ. Peter could have professed. The choice wasn't taken away from them. That's the thing.



As far as my allergies go -> my sinuses have been shredded by injury and illness. So for me, the real danger of a high pollen count is blowing my nose so much I rip something and start bleeding again. This in turn leads to arguments when I try to point to the trash can full of bloody tissues as the reason why I'm moving like a tree slug and generally want nothing more than to hole up somewhere, as if somehow I'm just making that all up.

It happens at least twice a year, as it goes from hot to cold and cold to hot.


God knows what we are going to think or do before we do thus Jesus being God can speak as if something already happened.
 
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