Quote:
Originally Posted by Aquila
All that matters is what is in Scripture. Who would doubt that the Father is manifest in the humanity of the man, Jesus Christ (who is the express image of His own person)? Jesus described His oneness with the Father as follows:
John 10:30
30 I and my Father are one. (KJV)
John 10:38
38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. (KJV)
John 12:45
45 And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. (KJV)
John 14:7-10
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
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 dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. (KJV) There is also another verse that is quite powerful:
2 Corinthians 5:19
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. (KJV) Imagine actually walking with Jesus for three years. How would you experience Christ's Oneness with the Father first hand? I like to explain it like this:
If you walked the earth with Jesus, you'd get to know Him as a man. He'd teach. He'd laugh. He'd eat. He'd use the restroom. He'd sleep. He'd rest. He'd pray to, and speak of, His Heavenly Father. He'd fast. He'd cry. He'd sweat. He'd bleed. However... at times you'd feel something otherworldly emanating from deep within Him. Something emanating from the very core of His being. Something powerful. Something that has authority over all creation. Something that speaks to the winds... bringing them into total and absolute obedience. Something that raises the dead and heals all manner of sickness. Something indescribable. Something "other". You'd sense the Father Himself at the core of Christ's own person. You'd realize that this man is far more than just a mere man. You'd realize that this man is... also God.
However, keep in mind...God did not reside in Christ as though He were merely a human vehicle. He didn't reside in Christ as a cat in a box. That would be Unitarianism. No, God abides in and permeates Christ's very being. A Oneness so complete, so majestic, and so divine that in Christ it can be said that God became a man... and that this very same man (from conception) was also God. In Christ Jesus, God elevated human nature into union with His own divine nature. In addition, His very own divine nature condescended to establish union with human nature.
No other religion elevates Christ to such an infinite height of majesty and honor. No other religion expresses Christ's true person to such an infinite degree. Most religions merely make Christ a prophet or seek to establish Him as being some second co-eternal divine being or person. No... Christ was not just a prophet. Christ was not a second co-eternal divine being or person. Christ also wasn't God shape-shifted or morphed into the mere appearance of a man who only pretended to pray. Christ was the authentic human tabernacle of God Himself. To deny this imperils the soul... and reduces Christ to being either a lunatic or a liar.
All authority and power has been delivered to Christ Jesus. He will judge Krishna. He will judge Buddha. He will judge Mohammed. He will judge Nanak. He will judge the followers of every false prophet and madman. He will judge all men in accordance to the Father's will as it relates to the Gospel. Through Him, the Father will judge. Because they are one. |
I hate to burst your bubble, friend, but Hinduism actually states its demiurge is markedly similar to Socinian or Sabellian partialism by placing their false Brhama over Siva and Vishnu, thus actually making their so-called triad much akin to the Oneness view, which is not the three-one definition of classic trinitarianism where the three subsistences are the same singular essences, equal in power and glory but not rank (
I John 5:6-9). Again, I'm not going to debate with you in this opening thread, but you can see the
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological & Ecclesiastical Literature for that. Frankly, I would rather begin with a discussion of baptismal regeneration as stated in the debate section.
Much thanks to Esaias for that information. I am a former Trinitarian charismatic (read charis-maniac) so I know how thin and useless that term can be. Despite being altogether backslid at the time, for my oratory they wanted to vaunt me to the zenith of their system, but I declined. How can one occupy the bishopric if they are not qualified? They even compared me to Leonard Ravenhill. The various Oneness orders are not well known there and infrequently discussed since trinitarianism is taken for granted. In all my years therein, I do not recall a full sermon dedicated to McAlister's Oneness doctrines, not to mention the various denominations. They still loathe me to this hour for asking questions, including about we Poor Men of Lyons and our beliefs. The fundamentalists likewise did not enjoy questions despite having read broadly their writings such as Dr Ian Paisley, GC Morgan, RA Torrey, Dr DA Waite, Dr DW Cloud (some of his books just came in the mail), WB Riley, Bishop Ryle, Lester Roloff, RG Lee et al ad infinitum.