In the Bible book of 1 Thessalonians, God and Jesus and spoken of as separate and distinct. Let’s examine this distinction in some of the verses in 1 Thessalonians.
“In God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1:1) Here, God and Jesus are referred to as two separate and distinct individuals.
“Before our God and Father… inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 1:3) God, the Father, is one person, and the Lord Jesus Christ is another person.read more
We continue our series about what is stated concerning Jesus in the various books of the New Testament. We will examine the book of Philippians. Notice the distinctive relationship between God and Jesus throughout this book of Philippians, especially the superior role of God compared to Jesus.
“To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi.” (Philippians 1:1) God is always the one in control, and using Christ to gather his people.
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:2) God and Jesus are separate and distinct. Holy Spirit, since it is not a person, does not give greetings.read more
Trinitarians focus on a few scriptures in which the holy spirit is personified, which, when taken literally, make it appear to be an actual spirit person. Let’s examine the uses in John of the word spirit, wherever it means the holy spirit.
“John bore witness, ‘I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and it remained on him'” (John 1:32 ESV)
The holy spirit is not personified, but said to be “as a dove,” the figure of speech called simile, being used here, involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind. There is no indication of personhood being applied to the holy spirit.read more
Holy Spirit & the Trinity – Greetings & Praises From/To in the New Testament Letters?
In the New Testament letters, greetings are given from God and Jesus. We know that God the Father and Jesus Christ are both persons, so we should expect to see their greetings, and we do. But what about the Holy Spirit and the Trinity? If the Holy Spirit is a person, or if the Trinity is a real entity, we should expect to see greetings from the holy spirit, or the Trinity, and praises to the holy spirit, or Trinity, as well. But is this the case? Let’s examine these greetings in the letters to find out.read more
Is Jesus Christ Almighty God, or Part of a Trinity? – Ephesians
This article is one of a series about what is stated concerning Jesus in the various books of the New Testament, the book of Ephesians. Almighty God and the holy Spirit are also discussed to see if there is any evidence of a Trinity doctrine in this Biblical letter, which is all about doctrine. A key component of the Trinity doctrine is that the holy Spirit is a person. In this article, we’ll see what Ephesians indicates about that.
Ephesians 1:1,2 – “…apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God . . . from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” God are Jesus are separate individuals. “To God’s holy people… in the Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice how many times in this letter God and Jesus are both mentioned, but as separate and distinct, with God being superior and Jesus as inferior. Why is Paul not also an apostle of the holy Spirit or the Trinity? Why is the letter not also from the holy Spirit or the Trinity? It’s because the holy Spirit is not a person, and the Trinity does not exist!read more
There is no explicit evidence of infant baptism in the Bible. The earliest historical reference to infant baptism is in the third century, by Origen.
More importantly, what do we learn from the Bible?
“You must therefore go and make disciples of people of all nations my disciples. You must baptize them.” (Matthew 28:19 Barclay) People would have to become disciples of Christ prior to qualifying for baptism. A disciple is a taught one, a believer, a follower, in this case, of Jesus Christ.read more
History says Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote the books with those titles. People seem to have a highly variable standard in their assessment of what ancient writings are genuine, especially the Bible. What do we mean? Here is an example:
Most people accept Alexander the Great as a real historical figure. Yet, the two earliest biographies of Alexander the Great were written by Arrian and Plutarch more than 400 years after the Great One’s death 323 BCE. Legends about him developed centuries after these two writers. Yet, Alexander’s true, accurate history is viewed as being preserved for hundreds of years prior to these legends.read more