Trinity

Truths of the Earliest Christianity that Mutated Leading to Formation of Later Divisions

This is an outline of the first part of my attempt to link early errors of organized Christianity to the state of the modern world–specifically, in this part, by explaining some of the foundations of the earliest Christianity from which later errors diverged. Links will be added as future posts are written.

From Early Christianity to Islam and Back–2. Negative Developments in Christianity Before Muhammad

Between the end of the First Century CE and the end of the Sixth Century, Christianity grew but also deteriorated in a number of ways. The deterioration arose mainly from the infiltration of Greek philosophy, a change in emphasis to mass evangelism and the politicization of Christianity, followed by the questionable conversion of Constantine. These changes set up many of the specific parts of Christianity that Islam either adopted, or reacted strongly against. They also set up mucj of later European history.

From Early Christianity to Islam and Back — 1. The Earliest Christianity

This post is the first in a series of six outlining a broad view of how things in the Church and the world got to be as they are now, including contributions early Christianity and Islam made to each other. This post attempts to outline the basic positions of early Christianity. Comments are invited!

Humans “Male and Female” and Marriage as Pictures of God’s Unity in Diversity

The creation of humans as male and female, marriage and reproduction are all a part of the image of God in human beings, and are all an intelligible picture of God’s unity in diversity. They also point to our unity iwith each other and God n the Church.

Unity in Diversity as an Attribute of God

God is a complex unity–Three in One by nature–and is also one with us who believe, by adoption. He is not an absolutely simple unity, as is often taught. This false teaching comes from early efforts to make the Gospel more acceptable to the upper classes of Roman society by introducing Neoplatonist philosophy into it. But it instead destroys the Gospel by making God incapable of having any real unity with his children.

The Trinity in Which We Share

The three persons who eternally and inseparably comprise the One God are God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit.  The Father is God.  In John 6:31, Jesus called him “God the Father.”  In John 4:21-23, Jesus identified “the Father” as the God the Jews and Samaritans both worshipped.  Jesus also prays to his “Father” in numerous places1–2,…
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Jesus’ Words about Dependence on God in the Sermon on the Mount

The Sermon on the Mount taught complete dependence on the Father, which Jesus’ life on earth also exemplified.

Memorial Day: The Case for Mourning

There are those who say that a good Christian should always rejoice because of anything that happens, and must never grieve. These people are wrong. Our instructions are to grieve physical death, and to grieve the sinful condition of our world that leads to it, as God himself does, but to do so in a way that expresses our hope in the resurrection. Do not deny grief, but show hope in grief. Groaning is not a sin.

What We Lose If Jesus is Not Human as shown by Jesus’ Preparation for his Ministry

If Jesus is not human, like us, we also lose the promise of the Holy Spirit, the invitation to live by the direction and power of the Spirit like Jesus did while he was here, and everything that flows from that. Fully discussing this topic will require several posts. While Jesus lived among us bodily, he did not rely on…
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Why Jesus’ Full Humanity is Important 1: Our Freedom, Truth, Victory, New Birth and Adoption in Christ

Jesus is fully human. When he was born as a man, that man was in every way like us, except that he was without sin… The fact of Jesus’ full humanity is important because without it we have NOTHING–no life, no forgiveness, no peace with God, no promise of God’s kindness or guidance, no power, no resurrection, no hope.