How is it possible...

[CryptoLutheran]

This makes a bit of sense I suppose. Although, if Christ emptied himself of Divine privilege, how was he able to do miracles? When Jesus was baptised and the Spirit descended on him, wouldn't that have restored his Divinity? Also, if Jesus "emptied himself" would that not have refuted his claims to Divinity? Either he was God when he walked this earth or he wasn't.

The first part of your question is addressed by the fact that Jesus was reliant upon His Father and the Spirit descended upon Him. His miracles would at that point not be a demonstration of His own divine power, but rather God working through Him.

The second part is answered by the fact that emptying Himself of divine "privilege" does not mean Divinity/Deity itself. Jesus never ceased to be God or be anything less than absolutely and fully and entirely Divine; only that He kenotically gave up the "privilege" of being God and exercising His Divinity.

A king who takes on the life of a peasant does not cease being of royal blood. That is, of course, a weak analogy, but I think it helps what I'm saying decently enough.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[escapism]

Much confusion about the trinity could be removed if we were all clear about the fact that there are many meanings of the word "is". "Is" is always a form of the verb "to be", but there are countless ways to understand how something can be something else or a part of a group as in. For instance:

Jimmy Carter is the ex-President of the United States.
George Bush is the ex-President of the United States.
Bill Clinton is the ex-President of the United States.
Jimmy Carter is not George Bush.
George Bush is not Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton is not Jimmy Carter.

Or, for another example, let's supposed that you, I, and someone else all own copies of Moby Dick. Then your copy is Moby Dick, my copy is Moby Dick, and the other guy's copy is Moby Dick. But your copy is not my copy, and neither of our copies is the other guy's copy.

In advanced mathematics, there are many different understanding of what it means for one thing to be the same as another. Two mathematical objects can be homeomorphic, homological, isomorphic, and so forth.

Excuse me for jumping in here, but wouldn't that graphic go against the transitive property? If Son = God and Father = God, then Son = Father?
How could the son not be the father?
I don't understand..

 

[CryptoLutheran]

Excuse me for jumping in here, but wouldn't that graphic go against the transitive property? If Son = God and Father = God, then Son = Father?
How could the son not be the father?
I don't understand..

Because is isn't the same thing as equals.

For example, if I said "Grass is green" and "Turtles are green" it would not follow that "Turtles are grass" or vice versa.

An equals sign indicates a two way equality: 2 = 2 ; 2 = 1+1 ; 1+1 = 2.

However is does not necessitate a two way equality. That is, "Jesus is God" is not the same thing as "Jesus = God".

In the latter "God" and "Jesus" are weighted the same thereby making both "Jesus = God" and "God = Jesus" the same statement; however that statement would be theologically false.

The sky is blue is not the same thing as the sky = blue since the inverse would be nonsense: blue = sky. Of course blue doesn't equal sky.

Mt. Everest = tall would also be false since if that were the case then if I said "Bill = tall" then it would follow that Bill must be Mt. Everest.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[escapism]

Oh okay thanks. Sorry, I was a bit confused.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

Jesus the Son of God, is the very Word of God made flesh.

Just as it is written that there are 3 that bear witness in heaven the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these 3 are One.

Jesus said he came forth from God, just as your own words come forth from your own mouth.

That is why it is said that Jesus came forth from the bosom of the Father, just as the words that a man speaks comes from his heart.

Jesus said what I hear, I speak, and he also testified that his Words were not his own. Meaning the Word Jesus spoke came from the Father.

That is why Jesus said the Father is greater than I.

When you understand that Jesus is the very Word of God, then you can understand why the Son did not know the hour, or the day to come.

Why?

Because God had not spoken it yet.

When the Word comes out of the Father, then it becomes the Son.

Gods Word is the only begotten Son, that came out from God.

When God speaks it, then it becomes the Word, which is the Son of God.

 

[FreeinChrist]

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