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Trying to explain the God head to a friend. Help me out if you think I made any mistakes.

rodm1974

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Who is God, and who is Jesus? Without a personal interpretation, here is what I read in the scriptures, and believe to be true.


1). God the father is Holy and He is Spirit (thus we have the Holy Spirit). "Father" would be His title, but the essence of who He is, is Spirit.

2). He created all things by His words, these words existed in the beginning with God, those words "BECAME FLESH". This is who we call "Jesus".

3). Those words, that became flesh (i.e., a physical Body, via virgin birth), it is this body of flesh, that, we call Jesus. "God the Father's Son".... Jesus.

That son is full of God's Spirit, without measure, so in His spirit, the son is the same nature as His father, they are one. But in the physical body, Jesus is a descendant of Abraham/David. God does not have a body of flesh. Jesus is that body of flesh, that died as a sacrifice for us. Like us (You and I) Jesus is flesh and spirit (but no sinful nature, just God's Spirit without measure).

So, we have one God, and Father, who is Spirit, filling His son without measure, and filling us IF WE are His children.

How did I do, explain it simple enough for a non-Christian ?

*My Goal.... There is a difference between God saying to Moses "Tomorrow you will go to Egypt" and God Saying "Tell Pharaoh Thus saith the Lord, I will smite Egypt today" OR "Light Be" and light became. But THE WORD of God, is who Jesus is, as in "Light Be" per John Ch 1..... But I was trying to just state facts in an easy "reader Digest kind of way, to a non-believer, about what the scriptures proclaim about the Godhead, without an interpretation of those statements.
 
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HTacianas

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Who is God, and who is Jesus? Without a personal interpretation, here is what I read in the scriptures, and believe to be true.


1). God the father is Holy and He is Spirit (thus we have the Holy Spirit). "Father" would be His title, but the essence of who He is, is Spirit.

2). He created all things by His words, these words existed in the beginning with God, those words "BECAME FLESH". This is who we call "Jesus".

3). Those words, that became flesh (i.e., a physical Body, via virgin birth), it is this body of flesh, that, we call Jesus. "God the Father's Son".... Jesus.

That son is full of God's Spirit, without measure, so in His spirit, the son is the same nature as His father, they are one. But in the physical body, Jesus is a descendant of Abraham/David. God does not have a body of flesh. Jesus is that body of flesh, that died as a sacrifice for us. Like us (You and I) Jesus is flesh and spirit (but no sinful nature, just God's Spirit without measure).

So, we have one God, and Father, who is Spirit, filling His son without measure, and filling us IF WE are His children.

How did I do, explain it simple enough for a non-Christian ?

You seem to be confusing the Word with "words". The Word is not the spoken word as we usually think of it, but is the divine creative power of God the Father. Philo of Alexandria gave -I think- the most compelling and comprehensive description of the triune nature of God. Look over section eleven of the table of contents of this encyclopedia entry:

Philo of Alexandria | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
 
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disciple Clint

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Who is God, and who is Jesus? Without a personal interpretation, here is what I read in the scriptures, and believe to be true.


1). God the father is Holy and He is Spirit (thus we have the Holy Spirit). "Father" would be His title, but the essence of who He is, is Spirit.

2). He created all things by His words, these words existed in the beginning with God, those words "BECAME FLESH". This is who we call "Jesus".

3). Those words, that became flesh (i.e., a physical Body, via virgin birth), it is this body of flesh, that, we call Jesus. "God the Father's Son".... Jesus.

That son is full of God's Spirit, without measure, so in His spirit, the son is the same nature as His father, they are one. But in the physical body, Jesus is a descendant of Abraham/David. God does not have a body of flesh. Jesus is that body of flesh, that died as a sacrifice for us. Like us (You and I) Jesus is flesh and spirit (but no sinful nature, just God's Spirit without measure).

So, we have one God, and Father, who is Spirit, filling His son without measure, and filling us IF WE are His children.

How did I do, explain it simple enough for a non-Christian ?
OK lets see if I can do this without causing confusion.
there is one God but that one God is made up of three persons all with the same will (they all want the same things, there is no confusion or disagreement) Those three persons are all equally God and equal in power and authority. They are all eternal they have always existed and always will exist. the group of the three persons are called the Holy Trinity

The three persons are:
God the Father (Honored by the Son and Holy Spirit as any Father would be, while they are equal in power and each is God.

God the Son: eternally begotten by the Father. Was made incarnate and is Jesus ( also called the Word) See the Gospel of John for more detail. He made everything but the Father and Holy Spirit were with Him and in cooperation.

God the Holy Spirit: proceeds from the Father and Son. The Holy Spirit is responsible for calling us to belief in God and sanctifying us as we grow in God. Each of us has the guidance of the Holy Spirit within us.

There is more to tell you about the Holy Trinity but lets stop here and see what questions you have.
 
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GreekOrthodox

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Oompa Loompa

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Who is God, and who is Jesus? Without a personal interpretation, here is what I read in the scriptures, and believe to be true.


1). God the father is Holy and He is Spirit (thus we have the Holy Spirit). "Father" would be His title, but the essence of who He is, is Spirit.

2). He created all things by His words, these words existed in the beginning with God, those words "BECAME FLESH". This is who we call "Jesus".

3). Those words, that became flesh (i.e., a physical Body, via virgin birth), it is this body of flesh, that, we call Jesus. "God the Father's Son".... Jesus.

That son is full of God's Spirit, without measure, so in His spirit, the son is the same nature as His father, they are one. But in the physical body, Jesus is a descendant of Abraham/David. God does not have a body of flesh. Jesus is that body of flesh, that died as a sacrifice for us. Like us (You and I) Jesus is flesh and spirit (but no sinful nature, just God's Spirit without measure).

So, we have one God, and Father, who is Spirit, filling His son without measure, and filling us IF WE are His children.

How did I do, explain it simple enough for a non-Christian ?
The Father is not the Holy Spirit.
 
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GreekOrthodox

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I believe that Pastor Fiene should get a subsidy from those of us at CF for all of his videos :) True story, "Horus ruins Christmas", uses the church I grew up in and was married at as its background.
 
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public hermit

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Who is God, and who is Jesus? Without a personal interpretation, here is what I read in the scriptures, and believe to be true.


1). God the father is Holy and He is Spirit (thus we have the Holy Spirit). "Father" would be His title, but the essence of who He is, is Spirit.

2). He created all things by His words, these words existed in the beginning with God, those words "BECAME FLESH". This is who we call "Jesus".

3). Those words, that became flesh (i.e., a physical Body, via virgin birth), it is this body of flesh, that, we call Jesus. "God the Father's Son".... Jesus.

That son is full of God's Spirit, without measure, so in His spirit, the son is the same nature as His father, they are one. But in the physical body, Jesus is a descendant of Abraham/David. God does not have a body of flesh. Jesus is that body of flesh, that died as a sacrifice for us. Like us (You and I) Jesus is flesh and spirit (but no sinful nature, just God's Spirit without measure).

So, we have one God, and Father, who is Spirit, filling His son without measure, and filling us IF WE are His children.

How did I do, explain it simple enough for a non-Christian ?

That's not bad for thinking it through on your own. That said, you would not be explaining the doctrine of the Trinity as traditionally understood. I think, if you presented the traditional doctrine, you would not be able to explain it. The traditional doctrine entails a certain amount of logical tension that can't be explained away, and if it is, it's not the traditional doctrine, fwiw.

Traditionally, the divine essence has been understood as inscrutable, i.e. it cannot be comprehended by our cognitive powers, which makes sense. How could we comprehend the eternal, the infinite? The essence of God is sui generis, we can speak in analogies, but whatever we say or think about it, no matter how sublime, there is an infinite gap between what we think and the reality. This is why God must be revealed.

According to the traditional doctrine, all the members of the Trinity have one divine essence. It is the exact same essence, but those three members are not identical. If they were identical they would share exactly all the same properties, but they don't. The distinct difference between the three is causal: the 1P is eternally ungenerated (unbegotten), the 2P is eternally generated (begotten), and the 3P eternally proceeds (with disagreement between east and west on exactly how that happens). So, the members of the Trinity are the same essence but not identical, both one and three. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. Yet, essentially, they are One. If you can hold those ideas together, you should experience some logical discomfort lol, which also makes sense. The inscrutability of the divine essence ensures that if we comprehend the Trinity, then we have not understood it.
 
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Maria Billingsley

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Who is God, and who is Jesus? Without a personal interpretation, here is what I read in the scriptures, and believe to be true.


1). God the father is Holy and He is Spirit (thus we have the Holy Spirit). "Father" would be His title, but the essence of who He is, is Spirit.

2). He created all things by His words, these words existed in the beginning with God, those words "BECAME FLESH". This is who we call "Jesus".

3). Those words, that became flesh (i.e., a physical Body, via virgin birth), it is this body of flesh, that, we call Jesus. "God the Father's Son".... Jesus.

That son is full of God's Spirit, without measure, so in His spirit, the son is the same nature as His father, they are one. But in the physical body, Jesus is a descendant of Abraham/David. God does not have a body of flesh. Jesus is that body of flesh, that died as a sacrifice for us. Like us (You and I) Jesus is flesh and spirit (but no sinful nature, just God's Spirit without measure).

So, we have one God, and Father, who is Spirit, filling His son without measure, and filling us IF WE are His children.

How did I do, explain it simple enough for a non-Christian ?
Isaiah describes our Creator the best. The Godhead is our Creator.
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
 
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enoob57

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The Being as One God existing in three Persons:
upload_2022-3-9_9-19-40.png
 
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rodm1974

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You seem to be confusing the Word with "words". The Word is not the spoken word as we usually think of it, but is the divine creative power of God the Father. Philo of Alexandria gave -I think- the most compelling and comprehensive description of the triune nature of God. Look over section eleven of the table of contents of this encyclopedia entry:

Philo of Alexandria | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
No I understand what you mean and I agree. There is a difference between God saying to Moses "Tomorrow you will go to Egypt" and God Saying "Tell Pharaoh Thus saith the Lord, I will smite Egypt today" OR "Light Be" and light became. But THE WORD of God, is who Jesus is, as in "Light Be" per John Ch 1..... But I was trying to just state facts in an easy "reader Digest kind of way, to a non-believer, about what the scriptures proclaim about the Godhead, without an interpretation of those statements.
 
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rodm1974

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OK lets see if I can do this without causing confusion.
there is one God but that one God is made up of three persons all with the same will (they all want the same things, there is no confusion or disagreement) Those three persons are all equally God and equal in power and authority. They are all eternal they have always existed and always will exist. the group of the three persons are called the Holy Trinity

The three persons are:
God the Father (Honored by the Son and Holy Spirit as any Father would be, while they are equal in power and each is God.

God the Son: eternally begotten by the Father. Was made incarnate and is Jesus ( also called the Word) See the Gospel of John for more detail. He made everything but the Father and Holy Spirit were with Him and in cooperation.

God the Holy Spirit: proceeds from the Father and Son. The Holy Spirit is responsible for calling us to belief in God and sanctifying us as we grow in God. Each of us has the guidance of the Holy Spirit within us.

There is more to tell you about the Holy Trinity but lets stop here and see what questions you have.

I AGREE WITH THIS and you did a much better job, that myself....But I was trying to just state facts in an easy "reader Digest kind of way, to a non-believer, about what the scriptures proclaim about the Godhead, without an interpretation of those statements.
 
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rodm1974

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The Father is not the Holy Spirit.

He is Holy and He is Spirit, so I guess we agree, unless you are saying God has more than one spirit? as in himself plus His 2nd spirit, which we call "The Holy Spirit", or am I misunderstanding, maybe you are saying God is not Holy, but His Spirit is Holy?
 
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rodm1974

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That's not bad for thinking it through on your own. That said, you would not be explaining the doctrine of the Trinity as traditionally understood. I think, if you presented the traditional doctrine, you would not be able to explain it. The traditional doctrine entails a certain amount of logical tension that can't be explained away, and if it is, it's not the traditional doctrine, fwiw.

Traditionally, the divine essence has been understood as inscrutable, i.e. it cannot be comprehended by our cognitive powers, which makes sense. How could we comprehend the eternal, the infinite? The essence of God is sui generis, we can speak in analogies, but whatever we say or think about it, no matter how sublime, there is an infinite gap between what we think and the reality. This is why God must be revealed.

According to the traditional doctrine, all the members of the Trinity have one divine essence. It is the exact same essence, but those three members are not identical. If they were identical they would share exactly all the same properties, but they don't. The distinct difference between the three is causal: the 1P is eternally ungenerated (unbegotten), the 2P is eternally generated (begotten), and the 3P eternally proceeds (with disagreement between east and west on exactly how that happens). So, the members of the Trinity are the same essence but not identical, both one and three. The Father is not the Son, the Son is not the Spirit, and the Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. Yet, essentially, they are One. If you can hold those ideas together, you should experience some logical discomfort lol, which also makes sense. The inscrutability of the divine essence ensures that if we comprehend the Trinity, then we have not understood it.

Yes I agree with this...
 
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Clare73

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Who is God, and who is Jesus? Without a personal interpretation, here is what I read in the scriptures, and believe to be true.
1). God the father is Holy and He is Spirit (thus we have the Holy Spirit). "Father" would be His title, but the essence of who He is, is Spirit.
[2). He created all things by His words, these words existed in the beginning with God, those words "BECAME FLESH". This is who we call "Jesus".

3).
Those words, that became flesh (i.e., a physical Body, via virgin birth), it is this body of flesh, that, we call Jesus. "God the Father's Son".... Jesus.
Actually, that is not the meaning of Jesus as the Word.

Jesus never called nor referred to himself as the Word.
Nor does the Bible tell us why Jesus is called the Word.

That is a name given him by John, who was writing for Gentile Greeks.
In Greek philosophy, Logos (word) was the First Cause, the great Intelligence and Reason behind the universe.
John opens his gospel with the astounding declaration that the despised and crucified man, Jesus of Nazareth, is the eternal Logos, source of all wisdom and power, who became flesh in order to reveal God to us.

The "word of God" as used in the Bible refers to the gospel, to the Scriptures and to the preaching/teaching thereof.
That son is full of God's Spirit, without measure, so in His spirit, the son is the same nature as His father, they are one. But in the physical body, Jesus is a descendant of Abraham/David. God does not have a body of flesh. Jesus is that body of flesh, that died as a sacrifice for us. Like us (You and I) Jesus is flesh and spirit (but no sinful nature, just God's Spirit without measure).

So, we have one God, and Father, who is Spirit, filling His son without measure, and filling us IF WE are His children.

How did I do, explain it simple enough for a non-Christian ?

*My Goal.... There is a difference between God saying to Moses "Tomorrow you will go to Egypt" and God Saying "Tell Pharaoh Thus saith the Lord, I will smite Egypt today" OR "Light Be" and light became. But THE WORD of God, is who Jesus is, as in "Light Be" per John Ch 1..... But I was trying to just state facts in an easy "reader Digest kind of way, to a non-believer, about what the scriptures proclaim about the Godhead, without an interpretation of those statements.
 
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Fervent

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As funny as this is it seems to miss that trinity itself is an analogy since "persons" were derived from "persona" with the idea being how characters in plays were represented. It's similar to if we took a popular actor and two of their most identifiable characters(such as Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and Harrison Ford) and stated that they are not the same thing but that they are all of one "essence." Taking it beyond analogous and instead actually descriptive renders it heretical, but that doesn't mean the analogy isn't of value.
 
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rodm1974

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Actually, that is not the meaning of Jesus as the Word.

Jesus never called nor referred to himself as the Word.
Nor does the Bible tell us why Jesus is called the Word.

That is a name given him by John, who was writing for Gentile Greeks.
In Greek philosophy, Logos (word) was the First Cause, the great Intelligence and Reason behind the universe.
John opens his gospel with the startling declaration that the despised and crucified man, Jesus of Nazareth, is the eternal Logos, source of all wisdom and power, who became flesh in order to reveal God to us.

The "word of God" as used in the Bible refers to the gospel, to the Scriptures and to the preaching/teaching thereof.

Well I can think of many other places, here is one:

The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied. The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled."
Also are you saying John spent 3 years with Jesus, and didn't know for sure who Jesus was? Or that the information John got FROM JESUS was wrong?
 
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Clare73

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Well I can think of many other places, here is one:
The word of the LORD came to me: "What do you see, Jeremiah?" "I see the branch of an almond tree," I replied. The LORD said to me, "You have seen correctly,
for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled."
Which is God's spoken word.
Also are you saying John spent 3 years with Jesus, and didn't know for sure who Jesus was? Or that the information John got FROM JESUS was wrong?
I am saying precisely what my post stated. . .no more and no less.

Please demonstrate any error therein.
 
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