UPON CREATION

Gen.1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…." Gen. 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them….”

The pronoun "us" is again used when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruits of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Gen. 3:22 " And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: "

Again, when God saw the people building the tower of Babel :

Gen. 11:7 “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Literally speaking how could man, a physical being, be in the image of a Spirit God? Surprisingly, by divine revelation, it is the use of the pronoun “us and our” that God will shed light on His true identity. Like the parable of the "destruction and building of the temple" where Jesus Christ explained it by demonstration, through His words God will similarly explain "us and our" by demonstration. If the Natural Man perceives plurality for their use, on the contrary, these will pinpoint the identity of the One True God and His Chosen.

HUMAN UNDERSTANDING AND PERCEPTION

“Us, our,” indicates that there could not be one creator, but at least two or more. Thus the following conclusions:

1st Interpretation:

That God is referring to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This gave birth to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity where God is believed to have three distinct and divine persons. Each person is God but one person is not any of the other two. With the use of the senses and intellect, this doctrine is bolstered at the baptism of Jesus:

Matt. 3:16 “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

This belief is further substantiated in the Old Testament when Abraham met “three men” telling him and Sarah that they would have a son:

Gen. 18:1 “And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre… 2And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, 3And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant: 9And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. 10And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. 11Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. 12Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? 14Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

However, the apparent "plurality" is negated with the "singularity" of the Creator in the following:

Gen. 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

The "singularity" of the Creator is validated in the following:

Neh. 9:6 “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein…”

Isa. 44:24 “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer…I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”

Hence, the doctrine of one God with three divine persons but whose clear identification is considered a great mystery:

1 John 5:7 (KJV only) “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, theWord, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

If asked to identify God, the foregone conclusion is, “The identity of the infinite God is beyond comprehension with the finite mind of man.”

2nd Interpretation:

That “us, our” refer to angels, they being created before the creation of man. However the question remains, how could angels be co-creators with God when they themselves are created beings?

Spiritual discernment

Where lies the contradiction, in the Truth or only in the mind of the Natural Man?

1 Cor. 2:14 " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

"Spiritual discernment" should be distinguished from "intellectual, instinctive, emotional, and intuitive perceptions." Here is God's direction in reading the Holy Bible that will guide to "spiritual discernment:"

Isa. 28:10 KJV " For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little."

"Spiritual discernment" is endowed to the "babes or suckling." This is already proof that God is speaking in parables requiring "spiritual discernment."  To act as a "babe," a man is tested whether he can disengage himself from his intelligence as an "adult." It is to the "infants" that God is endowing divine knowledge and wisdom:

Isa. 28:9 [KJV and Bishops Bible only] " Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts."

Matt. 11:25 " At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."

God has this to say regarding spiritual discernment:

1 Cor. 2:13 " Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."

Who is the One True God?

What is the TRUTH if Christianity teaches monotheism or the worship of One God? Where is one intended benefit from the New Testament when God promised His Chosen to “Know Him from the least to the greatest of them?”

Jer. 31:31 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house o Israel… 33 …After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them…”

This is one thing that many sincere bible believers overlooked, and one truth being ignored. God is revealing "spiritual things" hidden from many people:

Col. 1:26 “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.”

Only God through His words can unravel the mystery of His real identity. And only God can explain to whom the pronoun “us, our” refer. God is speaking in parables, so was Jesus Christ prophesied to speak dark sayings of old.

Ezek. 20:49 " Then said I, Ah Lord GOD! they say of me, Doth he not speak parables?"

Psa. 78:2 " I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:"

It was foolishness to the detractors of Jesus Christ to say, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up again,” to refer to His body (John 2:19 -22). Could it not also be foolishness to the Natural Man for the pronoun “us, our” to refer to the very identity of the One True God? Due to the intelligence of being an "adult," the following questions keep on lingering in the minds of searchers of the truth that have yet to find definitive and authoritative answers:

1.   Who is the LORD that created the heavens and the earth “alone,” and who said, “I am the LORD that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself?”

2.   Who is the One True God in the Holy Bible?

3.   Who is the God of Abraham and Paul?

4.   Who is Jesus Christ?

5.   Who is the God that the chosen will be meeting in heaven and to be with in eternity?

6.   Who is GOD?

The "image" of the invisible God?"

It is written Jesus Christ is the "express image of God."

Heb. 1:3 " Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Here is the "image of God" in Jesus Christ as prophesied in the book of Isaiah:

Isa. 42:1 " Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him…"

The prophecy was fulfilled in the 1 st century when Jesus Christ preached and was seen by many people. Matthew wrote:

Matt 12:18 " Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him…"

In person therefore, Jesus Christ is made up of a human body, with a soul, and the Spirit of the Father. Here are His components:

BODY - consisting of the senses and all parts and faculties related thereto

SOUL  - having the attributes of the intellect and feeling (soul is also known as the spirit of man)

SPIRIT - refers to the Spirit of God

This must be the "image of man" upon creation of which was said, " So God created man in his own image ." The Fall however separated man from the Tree of Life, a symbol for the presence of God, His Spirit .

Gen. 3:24 "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

The Fall meant the "loss" of the Spirit of God (SPIRIT), that man now consists only of BODY and SOUL. This is the "image of the Natural Man." As a result, there could be no "spiritual discernment" for this comes from the Spirit of God.

1 Cor. 2:14 " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

God's plan of salvation

God's plan of salvation is to bring back or restore His Spirit in man. This is accomplished by making a testament. So God made a covenant with Abraham and his offspring:

Gen. 17:7 " And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."

In the view of the Natural Man the covenant covers only the physical "seeds of Abraham." However, since God is speaking in parable or "spiritual things," He reveals the true children of Abraham in the following:

Gal. 3:28 " There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."

The criterion to being "seeds of Abraham" therefore is to belong to Christ. People believing in the Holy Bible profess to know Jesus Christ, and all of them claim to belong to Him. Unknown to many, recognizing Jesus requires the "revelation of the Father." This was demonstrated in Simon Peter, an apostle of Jesus.

Matt. 16:15 “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

Therefore it requires a "miracle" to know Jesus so as to give credence to what He told His listeners:

John 8:19 " …Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."

How many who profess to know Jesus can also claim to know the Father? Don't we hear people say God is a mystery incapable of clear identification?

Man identifying Jesus Christ

Proving that it requires "spiritual discernment" to identify Jesus Christ, people cannot agree on His identity, and this gave rise to three major beliefs about Him:

1. That Jesus is both God and man, and He is the 2 nd person of the Holy Trinity.

2. That Jesus is only a man and not God, and the derivative belief that Jesus is just a minor or mighty God for there is a greater or Almighty God.

3. That Jesus is the Father and the Holy Spirit, and the derivative belief that Jesus is also the Father and the Holy Spirit is only a force of God.

When Jesus went to Caesarea Philippi, people there saw and heard Him speak and, like today, they had diverse perceptions of Him.

Matt. 16:10 “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.”

The foregoing attests to the truth that indeed the "word has not passed away.” Now could it still be said that it is easy to identify Jesus Christ? Perhaps the physical Christ, but how about the spiritual Jesus? Acting like a "babe" God expects a true searcher of the truth to simply ask question and let Him answer everything about His true identity. After all it is written:

Deut. 29:29 “The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

The “secret things” are those that God had not caused to be written as the “seven thunders.”

Rev. 10:4 " And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."

However the sixty-six books of the Holy Bible is replete with things about God, the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Therefore God's identity must be a "revealed truth." The serious searcher of the truth is reminded that for God to endow divine knowledge and wisdom, one needs to act "like a babe."

Psa. 119:130 “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

Isa. 28:9 (KJV and Bishops Bible only)  “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts."

Matt. 11:25 “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

a. What is this if it were not parable, for how could literal infants learn about God and His words? Infants therefore must refer to the “poor in spirit” (Matt. 5:3) as Christ’s Apostles and Disciples were, who were endowed with divine knowledge and wisdom.

b. This was revealed to Paul but many people just do not mind it, or perhaps having their misgivings.

2 Tim. 3:15 “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Here is God's direction in search for the truth in His words:

Isa. 28:10 " For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: 11For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. 12To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”

Let God introduce Himself

God’s instruction in reading the Holy Bible is not book by book, or verse by verse, as to get the context of the story.  Rather, have a definite topic or question and let God "speak" through the “lines ” interspersed from the word both in the Old and New Testament books. Example, for God to identify Himself, this is what is written. Acting "like babes," we will just ask questions without any preconceived idea to the answers, for God to give us understanding.

1. Lord, how many God/s are there?

Eph. 4:6 " One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

1 Tim. 2:5 " For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

1 Cor. 8:6 “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things…”

Lord, is there no "other god?"

2 Cor. 4:3 " But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

2 Cor. 11:14 " And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." ( the falsechrist:!)

Rev. 12:9 " And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

2. Father God, how did You express Your planned salvation to those who will humble themselves “like little children” (Matt. 18:3)?

Gen. 17:7 “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”

3. Father God, You directed your covenant to Abram (later named Abraham) and to his offspring. How about us who belong to other nationalities?

Gal. 3:28 “ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. 29And if ye be Christ’s,then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

4. Father God, what is required in Your covenant or testament?

Heb. 9:16 “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”

5. Father God, how could You fulfill Your Testament with death when You are a Spirit (John 4:24 )?

1 Tim. 3:16 (KJV and Bishops Bible only) “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…”

Jesus Christ the “image of the Spirit God”

1. Continuing our search for the identity of God and Jesus Christ, we ask, “Father God, who are You when You manifested Yourself in the flesh?

Matt. 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”

Phil 2:6 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

2. Father God, is this what you mean in the following?

Heb. 1:3 “Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

(The image of God in Jesus Christ as the " fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9) was not seen while He was still physically on earth. The "fulness of the Godhead bodily" therefore should refer to the visible form of God after His plan of salvation is fulfilled, where His design of having eternal companions is finally realized.)

3. Father God, we have many more questions. While You say You are Jesus Christ in Your human manifestation, how could You be the same person when, “Jesus sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (several verses). We hope You will make all these clear with Your explanation.

4. Father God, how could You prove that You are indeed Jesus Christ who died on the cross?

1 John 3:16 (KJV and Bishops’ Bible only) “Hereby perceive we the love of God, becausehe laid down his life for us…”

Isa. 52:6 [Father God speaking]“Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.”

John 8:24 [Jesus speaking] “ I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”

5. Father God, we want to convince ourselves that You are indeed Jesus Christ in the flesh. Please make it definite.

Heb. 9:16 “For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”

1 John 3:16 (KJV only) “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us…”

(To note is the provision of the Testament or Covenant that requires the death of the maker or testator. There is only one God, the Father (1 Cor. 8:6a). God is the maker of the testament, and the Son Jesus Christ fulfilled the testament. Very clearly the Father took the form of a man to fulfill His testament. Otherwise under the requirement of the covenant it should not have been fulfilled by the death of Jesus Christ if He is viewed as another entity or person.)

6. However, human rationality (intellect, senses, and feeling) dictates that the Son Jesus could not have been the Father because at the baptism of Jesus there are “three perceived entities” involved. More so, many verses show the interpersonal relationship between the Father and the Son:

John 5:19 "… Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."

Luke 23:34 " Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do…" (plus many more verses).

We read the Father and the Son Jesus relating and talking to each other, even to the extent of the Son telling Magdalene:

John 20:17 “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

7 . Father God, don't You have another reason for manifesting Yourself in the flesh? [As human being, the Chosen need to follow an example, a model. This we see in Jesus Christ showing the Way (John 14:6), by example (1 Pet. 2:21 ), as model (Rom. 8:29 ).

John 14:6 “ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way …”

1 Pet. 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.”

Rom. 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

No one is worthy of this role for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God:

Rom. 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

Rom. 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”

All these however are against the dictate of the intellect and senses, the attributes of the Natural Man:

1 Cor. 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned .”

Spiritual discernment is not the dictate of the feeling or senses and intellect, but divine revelation through the word:

1 Cor. 2:12 “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

8. Who could “open our eyes” to identify the One True God” but He alone as demonstrated in Simon Peter. How could we comprehend what God is saying if He will not “open our ears to hear His voice?” The Holy Bible is “close” with this great mystery of the identity of the Father “and” the Son Jesus Christ. God therefore requires our trust in Him like that of a “babe” (Matt. 11:25 ), or an “infant” (Isa. 28:9 KJV only).

James 1:5 " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

Prov.3:5 “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”

9. Then, as promised, this mystery that is hidden for ages would be revealed:

Col. 1:26 “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:”

10. All these things about the identity of God which is impossible for anyone to comprehend is related to what John the Apostle saw as he was exiled in the island of Patmos :

Rev. 5:1 “And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? 3And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon. 4And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. 5And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David , hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.”

Seven (7) is the number of God for it was on the 7 th day that He finished His creation and rested (Gen. 2:1-3). Seven (7) therefore indicates completeness, and 7 seals means total close up for the “book held at the right of Him that sat on the throne.” This must be God holding the book.  “No man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon” made John cry for not being able to “see” the contents thereof.

As it is stated God is speaking in parables (Ezek. 20:49 ), so is Jesus Christ prophesied to speak dark sayings of old (Psa. 78:2).  The angel revealed that it is “the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David , hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. ” There is no other book but the Holy Bible that consists of the word of God expressed in parables. The word of God therefore requires divine deciphering. Jesus Christ is referred as the “Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David . ” Who can accept that only Jesus Christ can and should explain the words in the Holy Bible?

Mark 4:34 “But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.”

It would be hard for the Natural Man to accept this because feeling and intellect dictate that he can understand what is written in the Holy Bible as it is with other books. Shrouded is the following warning:

Jer. 17:i9 " The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

1 Cor. 3:18 " Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." [God must be referring to religious wisdom]

When Jesus Christ said, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up….” No one including His Disciples knew what He meant.  The Scribes and Pharisees understood it LITERALLY. However, the Disciples waited until the meaning was revealed when Jesus Christ resurrected from the dead on the third day (John 2:19 -22). Just as it is foolishness to the detractors to accept that Jesus Christ was referring to His body, so are the pronoun “us, our” at creation do not refer to number (plurality) but to the very identity of God,and His plan for the Chosen to be “ fashioned after His  image.” Eventually, the following will find its true meaning:

Gen. 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

Since Jesus Christ is the “expressed image of the invisible God,” man was in that image upon creation. As earlier stated, man upon creation had BODY, SOUL, and the SPIRIT of God. After the FALL however, man turned into a Natural Man  (1 Cor. 2:14 ) and from thereon consists only of BODY and SOUL. The fulfillment of the testament of salvation opened the Way to the restoration of the SPIRIT of God to whoever will humble himself/herself "like a little child."

Matt. 18:3 "A nd said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Promised Inheritance in the Testament

In the Testament of Salvation, God promised Himself to be the INHERITANCE:

Ezek. 44:28 "And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance…"

The frightening God (Exo. 20:18 -19) fulfilled this promise by taking the characteristics of a dove now called the Holy Ghost. This is the Tree of Life that became inaccessible after the Fall:

Gen. 3:24 "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

Now the free gift of salvation is offered to all that are willing to humble themselves. This is what Jesus said of the "poor in spirit," referring to the spirit of man or the SOUL (Matt. 5:3).  Nicodemus is a good example when he met our Lord one night and was told to be “born again.”

John 3:3 "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

More specifically, to be “born of water and of the Spirit.”

John 3:5 "Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

Where "water" refers to the word of God and the Holy Spirit:

Eph. 5:26 “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by theword,”

John 7:38 “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost…”)

1. “Born of Spirit” means the “birth” of SPIRITUAL LIFE in the real believer. If before the Natural Man has only BODY and the SOUL (also called the spirit of man) composing the PHYSICAL LIFE, now hand in hand with it is the SPIRITUAL LIFE consisting of the SOUL and the SPIRIT of God.

2. Having a SPIRITUAL LIFE, the real Christian becomes the temple of God :

1 Cor. 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God , and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

1 Cor. 6:19 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

3. Only the person having both PHYSICAL LIFE and SPIRITUAL LIFE can be called a true Christian where “light” is now upon him/her.

2 Cor. 6:14 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? 15And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

This is what John the Baptist said about the "separation of wheat from the chaff.”

Matt. 3:11 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 12Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

"Born again" means restoration to the “image of Jesus Christ” with the re-accessibility of the Tree of Life that was taken off after the Fall (Gen. 3:24). With the reinstatement of the SPIRIT of God, the Natural Man is now converted into a Spiritual Man. From hereon, the real Christian will begin to see things of God and His words that seem to be hidden before. Suddenly the folly of human wisdom on matters pertaining to God and His words are exposed.

The Natural Man:

1 Cor. 2:14 " But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. "

The Spiritual Man (real born-again):

1 Cor. 2:15 " But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. 16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. "

Like Jesus Christ, the Spiritual Man has two kinds of life:

1. PHYSICAL LIFE consisting of the body and soul (or spirit of man), and
2. SPIRITUAL LIFE composed of the Spirit of God and the soul

The Spiritual Man has "spiritual discernment," as such, can see "cleanliness of the inside of the cup."  The Natural Man is limited only to "intellectual, perceptive, and instinctive discernment." Jesus Christ and the Apostles typify the Spiritual Man -- the Scribes and Pharisees the Natural Man. Spirituality in contrast with Religiosity. The Natural Man sees only "cleanliness of the outside of the cup."

Matt. 23:26 " Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness."

Matt. 23:13 “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”

Matt. 23:33 “Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”

Read the whole Matthew 23 and God will open the eyes to see the distinction between Spirituality and Religiosity.  For details, read:

CLEANLINESS ON THE "OUTSIDE" AND "INSIDE"
- Who can distinguish SPIRITUAL CONVICTION from CONSCIENCE
- How does our Lord explain INSIDE in rebuking the Scribes and Pharisees for cleaning only the OUTSIDE? http://www.purechristianity.org/cleanlin.htm

The temple of God

While many people claim the following, they are now made clearer and lose their simple meaning:

1 Cor. 3:16 “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God , and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”

1 Cor. 6:19 “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”

Never are chapels, churches, and cathedrals the temples of God:

Acts 7:47 "But Solomon built him an house. 48Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, 49Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord… "

Acts 17:24 "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands."

Jesus Christ depicted as a CARPENTER (Mark 6:3) actually refers to His "construction" of spiritual temples, and these are His Chosen few. For details, read:

CHAPELS, CHURCHES, AND CATHEDRALS
- What did Jesus Christ and the Apostles build as "temples" for God?
- Who is exalted in the chapels, churches, and cathedrals? http://www.purechristianity.org/chapels.htm

SALVATION

The restoration of the “image of Jesus Christ” in a person marks the beginning of salvation. This is the awesome meaning of the following:

Belief in Jesus Christ:

John 3:16 “ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Why is Jesus Christ called the “only begotten Son of God?” Does not identifying the Son by divine revelation, as demonstrated in Simon Peter (Matt. 16:16 -17), follow the clear identification of the Father also? How many people recognize Jesus as Simon Peter did to prove the following?

John 8:19 " Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."

Is not the Father the testator or maker of the testament (Gen. 17:7)? Does not the testament require the death of the testator (Heb. 9:16 )? Did not the Son with His death on the cross fulfill the testament of the testator? Thus,

1 John 4:1 " Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."

Who is “Jesus Christ come in the flesh?” Is He the Father or the Son?

Salvation in the NAME of Jesus Christ:

Acts 4:12 " Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

How easy salvation is made to appear by simply invoking the name Jesus Christ. But to identify Jesus Christ will lead to the identity of the Father also (John 8:19 ) is not that simple, for this needs the "revelation of the Father" (Matt. 16:16 -17). Thus, salvation is not easy contrary to popular belief:

Matt. 7:13 " Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

It is now a choice between man's perception on the identity of Jesus Christ and God's revelation of His words identifying Him.  Warning:

2 Cor. 11:4 " For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

Salvation by confessing the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ:

Rom. 10:9 " That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

1. Does “confessing with thy mouth” simply mean believing Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again from the dead?
2. What is the significance of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross? Just what everybody is saying, “He bought us with His blood?”
3. Does not a Testament require the death of the maker or testator? (Heb. 9:16)
4. Who is the testator or maker of the testament (Gen. 17:7)? Is He not the Father?
5. Who is the “Lord Jesus” who died on the cross that fulfilled the testament of the Father?
6. Does not this prove that "knowing the Son should follow the identification of the Father also? (John 8:19)

First Stage - The chosen "In the image of the Son Jesus Christ"

Once a person is truly "born again," the journey to eternal life begins. It is called the "spiritual walk" leading to the "image of Jesus Christ."

Col. 2:6 " As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him."

Jesus as model called the "eldest Son of God" (Rom. 8:29 ) showed the Way (John 14:6) by example (1 Pet. 2:21 ):

Eph. 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

1 Pet. 2:21 “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:”

Rom. 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”

Jesus Christ, the “express image of God,” is called “Son of God.” The beneficiaries to the Testament by virtue of the promise thereof are also called “sons of God.”

John 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.”

Gradually, God is showing the light to His statement, “So God created man in his own image." God had to manifest Himself in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ in order to be a perfect model. Therefore Jesus is 100% man otherwise He cannot be an ideal model:

1 Tim. 2:5 " For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

No created being can take that role, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23 ). Here is the Way shown by Jesus Christ:

Jesus' total reliance on God for SPIRITUAL LIFE

Showing the Way as model, Jesus Christ humbling Himself was seen praying (John 17) and fully submissive to the Father.

John 5:19 “ Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

John 6:38 “ For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”

Paul, following the Way shown by Jesus Christ, enjoins fellow believers to observe his example. The former Saul of Tarsus is the opposite of the Scribes and Pharisees in meekness and humility for theirs is conceit and self-adulation:

1 Cor. 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”

1 Cor. 2:3 “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

1 Cor. 15:9 “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle…”

For SPIRITUAL LIFE, God is all in all:

Eph. 4:6 " One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

For details, read how a real believer conducts his/her SPIRITUAL LIFE.

THE WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS -- For Spiritual Life
- Nobody wants to be a foolish builder.
- But because of spiritual blindness like the Scribes and Pharisees, unwittingly, we may be foolish builders in the eyes of God.
- Who, then, are the wise builders from the point of view of God? Men? http://www.purechristianity.org/wise_and_foolish_builders_part_1.htm

Jesus' self-reliance for PHYSICAL LIFE

However to show the Way for PHYSICAL LIFE, Jesus Christ was never seen praying to the Father asking for His material-physical needs. He earned His living as a carpenter, and for other matters, He used His intellect and human capabilities.

Mark 6:3 “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us?”

Like Jesus Christ, Paul earned his living as a tent maker (Acts 18:3) and never did he pray for his physical-material needs:

Acts 20:33 “I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. 34Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.”

2 Thes. 3:10 “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

This truth had been preached since the Old Testament:

Prov. 6:6 " Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?"

For details, read how a real believer conducts his/her PHYSICAL LIFE:

THE WISE AND FOOLISH BUILDERS -- For Physical Life
- What are the things the Father provided before we asked Him (Matt. 6:8)
- What lesson does God want His Chosen to learn from the ants
http://www.purechristianity.org/wise_and_foolish_builders_part_2.htm

The prayer taught by our Lord in Matt. 6:11 , " Give us this day our daily bread," refers to spiritual bread, the "living word," for the great message that only God can give. True “born-again” should be known for spiritual humility and total subjection to the control of God for SPIRITUAL needs. They are however expected to be self-reliant for PHYSICAL needs with the use of human capabilities and resources as demonstrated by Jesus Christ and Paul. Miracles should be viewed in the light of how Jesus Christ elucidated it in the man born blind after opening his "eyes."  Is it for the body or the soul?

John 9:38 " And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him."

In contrast those people, typified by the Scribes and Pharisees, whose eyes are open (not blind) since birth did "not see" Jesus and therefore did not recognize the Father also .

John 9:39 "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind. 40And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these words, and said unto him, Are we blind also? 41Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin: but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth. "

The "letter of the word" for the miracles performed by Jesus Christ benefited the body. Jesus Christ, however, told His Disciples:

John 6:63 (KJV only) " It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life."

Jesus fed 5,000 out of 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes, with 12 baskets of fragments remaining (John 6:1-14). To the Natural Man (1 Cor. 2:14 ), this is already miracle. But what is the message that Jesus Christ wants to impart to those who benefited from this miracle?

Jon 6:26 " Jesus…said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled. 27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life…"

Does not our Lord want to show something beyond the literal feeding of 5,000 men with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes? Was it  for the body or the soul?  This is where distinction is made between miracles and wonders. For details , read:

MIRACLES AND WONDERS
- Two super beings are performing supernatural acts: God and Satan!
- How many people can distinguish miracles from wonders? http://www.purechristianity.org/miracles_and_wonders.htm

Jesus as mouthpiece of the Father

Jesus acted only as spokesman of the Father.  He told His listeners that He was just voicing what He hears from the Father.

John 8:38 " I speak that which I have seen with my Father…"

He was just a simple carpenter. Yet many people who heard Him speak were amazed. This would be seen in His Disciples afterwards.

Mark 1:22 " And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes."

He does not claim authority of what He is saying. According to Him He only shares what He hears from the Father. It is like Jesus is simply acting as "speaker system" and the Father speaking "over the microphone." On His own He can speak nothing. To show the example that He did not claim to impart knowledge, He referred to the HOLY SPIRIT as the real Teacher.

John 16:13 " Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak…"

This is precisely the "image of the Chosen ." They only act only as "speaker system" and never do they take the role of "God speaking over the microphone." Depending on the circumstances and occasion, they may either be "apostles, evangelists, prophets, pastors, and teachers."

Eph. 4:11 " And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers."

"Rabbi" means lord, Teacher, Head, Shepherd, Pastor, or one in authority. None of Christ's Disciples appropriate these titles for He told them:

Matt. 23:8 " But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, evenChrist."

Christ means "Anointed one, Messiah, Savior, Redeemer." And nowhere in the Holy Bible have the Apostles or Prophets taken in these titles. When Jesus Christ sensed some of His Apostles were tempted to distinguished themselves from the rest, He admonished them:

Luke 22:25 " And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. 26 But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger..."

James 2:9 " But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors."

"CHRIST" as earlier revealed refers to Savior, and it is the FATHER who claims to be the only Savior in:

Isaiah 43:11 (Father God speaking) " I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."

How contemptible for anyone to seize honorific titles solely belonging to God! Only God deserves the praise of being called "Holy" and "Reverend."

Psa. 111:9 " He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."

Not even Jesus Christ accepted being called good if only to show the example of true spiritual humility.

Luke 18:18 " And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God."

Jesus carried a heavy cross

Jesus Christ fulfilled the testament of salvation of the Father at the cross! The cross was too heavy that the soldiers asked Simon of Cyrene to help Him, thinking He might not make it to the place of crucifixion (Luke 23:26 ). If to the Natural Man the cross is just a heavy burden carried on the shoulder, to God it means more than that. The crosssymbolizes TRUTH. This is revealed to Paul when he said:

Phil. 3:17 " Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. 18(For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. "

1 Cor. 1:18 " For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. "

Again, distinction between man's perception and the explanation of God of His words is evident in the following:

Matt. 11:28 " Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

Who would not think that "heavy burden" refers to problems in life (financial, physical, emotional, etc.), that many people ask our Lord to help them carry? However, Paul received the revelation again that "yoke" is another name for cross that binds the believers together, as in:

Phil 4:3 " And I entreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life."

Now it is getting clearer what our Lord meant when He told the people to carry the cross. This is to gather strength and perseverance to carry on the TRUTH!  Again, to deny oneself has a deeper meaning and this is to submit to God "like a little child."

Mark 8:34 " And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. "

Jesus Christ knows how hard it is to carry this "heavy burden of TRUTH," that He extends His invitation. The requirement is " learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart. " This is Matthew 18:3 where our Lord gives the condition for entering the kingdom of heaven, " Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven . "

Further meaning of Christ's invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 is for the "rest of the SOUL," no doubt refers to salvation.  This is contrary to the Natural Man's understanding of "rest for the body." Thus, Sabbath rest means more than rest for the body. For details, read:

LORD OF THE SABBATH
- What really is the significance of Sabbath that God gave it as an “eternal sign” for His chosen people?
- God imposes death penalty for its violation, as the man caught gathering sticks on the Sabbath? How is the penal provision executed?
- What did Jesus mean in saying, “I am the Lord of the Sabbath?”        http://www.purechristianity.org/lord_of_the_sabbath.htm

Jesus Christ showed the Way, by example, as model to His Chosen in "carrying the heavy cross" or TRUTH.  Here is His total submission to and dependence on the Father:

John 5:19 "… Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. "

Carrying the cross or TRUTH is not just a one-time load. It should be daily in order to overcome.

Luke 9:23 " And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

Rev. 3:5 " He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. "

Just as Christ carried the cross going to Golgota for His crucifixion, so are the Chosen required to carry the TRUTH to their own spiritual "Golgota" (Gal. 2:20).  Is it easy to be a Disciple of Christ? According to the Natural Man, it is.  However, to God it is hard. But "many" rely on men and only a "few" truly believe in God.

Luke 14:27 " And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. "

Matt. 7:13 " Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. "

Jesus with a crown of thorns

When Jesus Christ was crowned with thorns (Matt. 27:29), the Natural Man simply sees this as pain inflicted on Him. However the word of God gives a deeper message beyond its literal meaning. This was revealed to Paul as he groaned in his tribulation.

2 Cor. 12:7 " …there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong."

If the "Son of God" was inflicted with "thorns," so also are the "sons of God." And just as He was crucified on the cross, so also are they being crucified with Him:

Gal. 2:20 " I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

Literally, Jesus Christ died on the cross. The Chosen "die daily" not physically but spiritually of the "old man" in them:

Rom. 6:6 " Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."

Very clearly, the "Son of man," Emmanuel that means "God with us," the Father in the flesh, is showing the Way as model. While Jesus admonished His Disciples, " Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:48 ), He however did not admit that He is good.

Luke 18:18 " And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 19And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God."

The lesson our Lord is giving His Chosen is real spiritual humility from the beginning to the end. He exemplified this when He told His listeners that John the Baptist, who was sent to prepare the way for Him, cannot claim what many people assert to be:

Matt. 11:10 " For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

While still in this " kingdom of Satan " (2 Cor. 4:4), Paul bewails the continuous battle raging within himself.

Rom. 7:15 “…but what I hate, that do I. 16If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 17Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 18For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 19For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 20Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 22For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”

Real believers are subjected to constant rebuke and chastening:

Heb. 12:5 “…My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.”

They are also put to severe trials as Job was, to expose hidden defect like self-righteousness. Job's claim for taintlessness was not heard from Jesus Christ. Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and the prophets, are not exempted from iniquity and sinfulness (Rom. 3:10 -12). Man indeed is a sinful being:

Isa. 64:6 " But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags…"

God therefore chastens His Chosen in fire as “gold and silver” to remove the dross.

Zech. 13:9 “And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”

God manifesting Himself in the flesh to the level of sinful men is getting clearer. He did this to gradually fashion His Chosen to "His image.”

Titus 2:14 “Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, andpurify unto himself a peculiar people…”

Paul spoke of "dying daily," not physically but referring to the "old man" in him, with the objective of attaining absolute humility and trust in God as to be weaned from sin.

1 Cor. 15:31 “…I die daily.”

Eph. 4:22 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts.”

Rom. 6:6 “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”

The physical or mortal body is but a temporary tabernacle to be dissolved upon death:

2 Cor. 5:1 " For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."

The message is clear that the Chosen should never claim spiritual perfection while in their corruptible bodies. God’s message is simply for the Chosen to aspire spiritual perfection at this stage. The plan was laid down, and God Himself in His human manifestation showed the way. All these are for the Chosen to know and remember that God wants true spiritual humility from the beginning to the end of their life. The self-righteous are sharply rebuked.

Matt. 11:11 “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

Spiritual perfection is manifested in Paradise (Luke 23:43 ), at the bosom of Abraham (Luke 16:22 ), where the Chosen are made to wait till the resurrection of the dead. This is the Second Heaven. At the resurrection of the dead the Chosen will have Jesus' glorified body.

1 John 3:2 " Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. "

For details read:

FIRST-SECOND-THIRD HEAVEN
- If Paul spoke of the 3 rd heaven, there must be 1 st and 2 nd heaven (2 Cor. 12:2).
- Where are these three heavens located?
- What are the "mansions" promised by Christ for the real believers? http://www.purechristianity.org/first_second_third_heaven.htm

Our eyes therefore are focused on the immortality of the body when our “image” would be perfected as that of our Lord.

1 Cor. 15:53 " For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

These are the Chosen in the "image of Jesus Christ."  His death opened the way to His glorified body of which the Chosen will have theirs in the THIRD HEAVEN. How difficult for Jesus' detractors to comprehend what He said, " Destroy this temple and in three days I raise it up," where temple refers to His body.  So it is equally difficult for the Natural Man to comprehend "us, our" at the creation of man referring to the STAGES upon which the Chosen are fashioned in the "image of God," and never to the number of creators. Otherwise God remains a mystery even to His Chosen. "The Chosen in the image of Jesus" is the FIRST STAGE!

Rom. 8:29 " For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Col. 3:10 “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after theimage of him that created him:”

SECOND  STAGE - In the "image of the Holy Ghost"

God in His testament of salvation promised Himself to be the INHERITANCE (Ezek. 44:28, Psa. 16:5) to the PRIESTS (Ezek. 44:15-16). It was revealed to Peter (1 Pet. 2:5) and to John (Rev. 1:6) the PRIESTS are the Chosen few.

Ezek. 44:28 “And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance:”

Psa. 16:5 “ The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup”

Ezek. 44:15 “But the priests the Levites…they shall come near to me to minister unto me… saith the Lord GOD: 16They shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge.”

1 Pet. 2:5 “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

Rev. 1:6 “And hath made us … priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.”

The frightening God in His Father manifestation cannot possibly give Himself as INHERITANCE.

Exo. 20:18 “And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and …the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

Therefore the Father God had to take the characteristics of a dove to be acceptable to the beneficiaries. This is the HOLY SPIRIT that the Chosen or spiritual priests would receive. This was confirmed at Pentecost.

John 7:39 “(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

Acts 2:1 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4And they were all filled with theHoly Ghost,…”

In the FIRST STAGE, God manifested Himself in the flesh to show the Way by example to the Chosen . In the SECOND STAGE, God in His manifestation of the Holy Ghost as in the FIRST STAGE is sent by the Father for the purpose of completing His plan of restoring His image in man upon creation.

John 14:26 " But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

Singularity vs. plurality / Manifestations vs. persons

If it is difficult for Jesus' detractors to comprehend, "the temple referring to His body," it must equally be difficult to the Natural Man to comprehend the Father sending both the Son and the Holy Ghost to represent Himself to complete His plan of salvation. Example, to prove that manifestations are not persons. Who can accept that the Holy Ghost purchased us with His own blood?

Acts 20:28 " Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God , which he hath purchased with his own blood. "

Does not this affirm that Jesus Christ is the Holy Ghost?

2 Cor. 3:17 " Now the Lord [Jesus in 1 Cor. 8:6b] is that Spirit [Holy Ghost in John 7:39 ]: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [liberty from spiritual bondage due to spiritual blindness]. "

Since Jesus Christ is the Father In the flesh, Emmanuel that means "God with us," the "His death on the cross" marks the fulfillment of God's testament of salvation. There is only One God: "to us there is but one God, the Father" (1 Cor. 8:6a). No wonder Jesus Christ warned His listeners:

John 8:24 " I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins."

Who else does Jesus Christ refer to "He" but the Father in the following. Therefore, people denying that Jesus Christ is the Father in the flesh, the testament of salvation has not been fulfilled them.

Isa. 52:6 " Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I."

This is the basis for "testing the spirits" whether they are of God or having the spirit of the antichrist:

1 John 4:1 " Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the fleshis not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."

Jesus Christ has come the 2nd time!

If Jesus were not the Holy Ghost, how could He fulfill His promise to be with His Disciples till the end of the world?

Matt. 28:20 " Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."

Jesus Christ has come the SECOND TIME! The skepticism of the Jews regarding Jesus as the promised Messiah is being replayed today. The Jews did not recognize Jesus Christ who was in front of them. Today, people are waiting for the 2 nd Coming of Christ, when He is right with us not being recognized as the Holy Ghost.

What is stated is in perfect harmony with what is written about God's plan of salvation -- spiritually discerned by those who believe.  Many people cannot accept what "is written" because it contradicts human rationality (intellect, senses, intuition, feeling, etc.).  Example, the Disciples watching Jesus ascending into heaven (Acts 1:9-11), and Jesus' promise of "coming back again" (many verses).

By divine revelation through the word (1 Cor. 2:13 ), the Chosen of God who have recognized Jesus like Simon Peter in Matt. 16:16-17 are just waiting for His SECOND APPEARANCE!

Heb. 9:28 " So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

Col. 3:4 " When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."

1 Pet. 5:4 " And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away."

1 John 3:2 " Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."

The Chosen in the "image of the Holy Ghost"

God is the Teacher, so is He in His manifestation as Holy Ghost:

Psa. 25:5 “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation…”

1 John 2:27 “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth...”

John 14:26 " But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

God’s Chosen for being “spiritual infants or babes” are endowed with divine knowledge and wisdom :

Isa. 28:9 KJV only “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.”

Matt. 11:25 “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

As a result thereof, the Chosen reflect the “image of being teachers” also.

Exo. 24:12 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.”

Matt. 28:19 “ Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” (Mark 16:15 , plus many more verses)

Mark 16:15 " And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

2 Tim. 3:15 “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Hence, we see the following function in the Chosen of God who are appointed according to His wisdom. The appointment comes from God and never from any of the Chosen :

Eph. 4:11 “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.”

So we find in many verses where God’s Chosen are enjoined to teach, but not the kind the Natural Man understands. It is analogous to God speaking over the microphone and the Chosen acting only as speaker system. It is God who is the Teacher. The Chosen are merely teachers. Example, Paul speaking:

1 Tim. 2:7 “Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher…”

2 Tim. 1:11 " Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles."

God is revealing "Man is created in the image of God" as a teacher. Honorific titles though such as “Father” and “Rabbi”

(that means Teacher, Pastor, Shepherd, or one of authority) should never be appropriated by anyone for these solely belong to God (Matt. 23:8-9); so are the exalted titles of Reverend and Holy that are exclusively for God’s exaltation:

Psa. 111:9 " He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name."

Nowhere in the Holy Bible where prophets and Apostles are addressed: Father, Pastor, Reverend, Eminence, or Holy.

The appointing authority Ephesians 4:11 is absolute. That is, only Jesus can and should appoint " apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers."  To be noted is, it was Christ who appointed Paul as an apostle. At the time no longer was He physically present, confirming that indeed He is the Holy Ghost:

Rom. 1:1 " Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God."

And, it was Jesus Christ who taught Paul, according to him.  

Gal. 1:11 " But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. 12For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ."

The Apostles attempted to appropriate this appointing authority. This was before receiving the Holy Ghost at Pentecost (Acts 1:16 -26). They appointed Matthias to take the place of Judas Iscariot. But nowhere in the Scriptures can we find the appointee performing that function.

If Jesus Christ appointed Paul as an apostle and taught him in His physical absence, can He not do the same in our time -- all the time? Is this not the power of God that we read in the Holy Bible?

God in His Holy Spirit manifestation as Comforter

Isa. 61:2 “To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn.”

Before Jesus left His Disciples, He told them:

John 16:7 “ Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”

John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”

By virtue of the divine knowledge and wisdom endowed to God’s Chosen , they also comfort their brethren in sorrow through the word of God. Now we understand “God creating man in His image” as comforter.

2 Cor. 1:3 “Blessed be God…the God of all comfort; 4Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.”

God in His Holy Spirit manifestation as Guide:

Psa. 48:14 “For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death.”

John 16:13 “ Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak…”

By virtue of their humility, God endows His Chosen with divine knowledge and wisdom. This is true in the Old Testament as seen in Noah, Moses, David, Solomon, and the prophets.

Isa. 28:9 KJV only “Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.”

So also with the Apostles and Disciples of Christ:

Matt. 11:25 “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.”

As such therefore, they serve as “guide” to other Chosen of God who are veering out of the Way. Now we understand “God creating man in His own image” as Guide. Moreover, the spiritual “babes” or the “poor in spirit” are reflections of the “image of the Holy Ghost” in humility with the characteristic of a DOVE.

God revealed how in the FIRST STAGE manifested Himself in the flesh taking the form of man to be a model to the Chosen . He fashions them into His image as the Potter molds the clay (Jer. 18:1-6). In the SECOND STAGE , God manifested Himself with the characteristics of a dove, symbol for meekness and one to yearn for. Again God fashions His Chosen reflecting that image. In the THIRD and final STAGE , God fashions His Chosen in His visible form.

THIRD STAGE -- In the "image of the resurrected Christ"

After God completed His plan of salvation to have eternal companions, He will appear in His visible form in the person of JESUS CHRIST!

Col. 2:9 " For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. "

God is now clearly identified:

Isa. 9:6 " For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mightyGod, The everlasting Father "

No other "child" is referred to but Jesus Christ born in Bethlehem . "Government upon his shoulder" is referring to the "right hand of the power of God" or the fullness of the Godhead. "Counsellor" is another meaning for Comforter, the Holy Ghost. And now Jesus is called God and everlasting Father. There is only One God, the Father (1 Cor. 8:6a).

When God talked to Abraham, He identified Himself as the Almighty God.

Gen. 17:1 " And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God… "

When Jesus talked to John in the island of Patmos , He said the same thing of Himself:

Rev. 1:8 " I am Alpha and Omega , the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. "

To note, there is only One God and One Lord.

1 Cor. 8:6 " But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. "

This is the God that the Chosen recognize both in the Old and New Testament:

Deut. 6:4 " Hear, O Israel : The LORD our God is one LORD: 5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. "

Mark 12:29 " And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, OIsrael ; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength… "

Finally, as in the example of the Potter, God completely fashions His Chosen in the image of the resurrected Christ where they will also have His glorified body.

1 John 3:2 " Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. "

Jesus did not admit He was good while in His corruptible body (Luke 18:18 -19). Jesus' body did not suffer corruption because He is spotlessly clean (Psa. 49:9). With His glorious body after everything planned is fulfilled, people will realize He is the Almighty God and the sole Creator. Even those who pierced Him on the side will be greatly amazed:

Rev. 1:7 " Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. "

If the Chosen cannot profess spiritual perfection in their corruptible body, they will with their glorious body:

1 Cor. 1:8 " Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Then everything will be cleared, that while Jesus was called the "Son of God" in His visible form, as model, the Chosen will likewise be called "sons of God" by adoption:

Gal. 4:5 " To redeem them…that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

Jesus, Emmanuel, the Father in the flesh, is the "only begotten Son" to show the Way by example. He will be the FATHER of all when He assumes the power and authority of the Almighty God.

Eph. 4:6 " One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

Then more than the lip service that is heard from people who do not even know Him is the reality of His power and majesty:

Phil. 2:10 " That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord… "

This is where it is written, the "Son is sitting/standing at the right hand of God," (many verses) where "right hand" means power:

Mark 16:19 " So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God."

Exo. 15:6 " Thy right hand, O LORD, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O LORD, hath dashed in pieces the enemy."

Luke 22:69 " Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God."

And this is where the fullness of the Godhead is found in JESUS CHRIST:

Col. 2:9 " For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

"Ye are gods"

With the great revelation of God of His identity and His plan to have eternal companions, mysteries that have been hidden for ages are now made known.

Col. 1:26 " Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:"

God's words will finally show their sacredness. They are not just stories or events in the past that the Natural Man has been trying to comprehend and explain. Rather they are parables that only God can decipher and elucidate (Mark 4:34 ). Example:

Gen. 1:25 " And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind…"

God in His human manifestation, Jesus Christ, is called the "only begotten Son of God." That is why He accepted worship since childhood (Matt. 2:11 ). He is the Lord and God. Therefore the Chosen , by being adopted as "sons," are called "sons of God."

Rom 8:14 " For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15For ye have not received the spirit of bondage…but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

Now it is understandable why God calls His chosen, "ye are gods."

Psa. 82:6 " I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."

Jesus Christ quoting the book of Psalms spoke of this to the Jews who accused Him of blasphemy for saying He is the Son of God.

John 10:34 " Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law , I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken."

But because of spiritual blindness, all these meant foolishness to the Scribes and Pharisees and their followers without realizing that some would become "sons of God" also and therefore called "gods." These are His Chosen few, the "poor in spirit" and over-comers.

Rev. 3:5 " He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."

Looking at the plan of God to have eternal companions, from creation, then the Fall, and up to its realization; everything is embodied between these two verses. This therefore may be said to summarize the spiritual history of mankind.

Gen. 1:26 " And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…"

Gen. 1:27 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. "

Jesus' prayer to the Father is finally fulfilled:

John 17:23 “ I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

"Plurality or singularity"

The visible God in the person of Jesus Christ (Col. 2:9) is composed of BODY, SOUL, and SPIRIT, where each component represents God in different forms needed to fulfill His testament of salvation.

• BODY - corresponds to God's visible manifestation in the "image of Jesus Christ."

SOUL - for His manifestation in the "image of the Holy Ghost."

SPIRIT - for His manifestation in the "image of the Father."

• From this three manifestations does God say, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness," first upon the creation of man, thereafter to His Chosen who, in the end, are truly "created in His own image." As in the parable of "destroy this temple," this parable of "let us, in our image" is also demonstrated graphically on the Chosen of God. Not all see it, but only the Elect as with Christ's Disciples for the parable of "destroy this temple."
• Is it "plurality? Yes, referring to the THREE STAGES upon which God fashions His Chosen in "His own image." Is it "singularity?" Yes, referring to the One True God after whom the Chosen are "modeled and molded."
• Does "plurality" refer to persons? No, otherwise the identity of the One True God is a mystery. In truth, God gave His words (Deut. 29:29) primarily for His identification, that the Chosen would KNOW Him (Mark 12:29 ) and thereafter LOVE Him (Mark 12:30 )

Deut. 29:29 " The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. "  [Only those not written are secret - Rev. 10:4]

Mark 12:29 " And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, OIsrael ; The Lord our God is one Lord. "  [This is not just belief in One True God]

James 2:19 " Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe… " [This is a sharp rebuke to those who cannot identify the God that they profess to worship]

Mark 12:30 " And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength… " [This is what everybody is professing! Can we not see the great deception of Satan in Rev. 12:9?]

The "parable of the TEMPLE "

• Is it difficult to accept "us, our" representing the THREE STAGES upon which the Chosen are "fashioned in the image of God?" Yes, just as it is difficult for the detractors of Jesus Christ to accept, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up," where temple refers to His BODY.
• To Christ's Disciples it was easy and clear that the TEMPLE represented His BODY. By graphic demonstration, it must equally be easy and clear to God's Chosen to comprehend that "us, our" represent the STAGES after whom they are being transformed in "His image."
• The "parable of the temple" was a snare to the detractors of Jesus Christ, and later became His persecutors.  The parable of "Let us make man," must equally be a snare to people who would not want to humble themselves as to simply listen to what God is saying of Himself. Like Christ' s detractors they are now the persecutors of the TRUTH.
• Did the detractors to the "parable of the temple" recognize JESUS CHRIST? Do the detractors of the parable of "Let us make man" recognize JESUS CHRIST that represents the visible God? Like the Disciples who would later had no reason to question and doubt the meaning of the "parable of the temple," so also are the Chosen of God have no reason to doubt for they themselves, by demonstration, already see the "shadow" of what they will be in eternity.

It is finished!

Ultimately, God’s plan of having eternal companions is accomplished. The history of mankind, from the creation of Lucifer to the White Throne judgment, is but a dot in the graphic presentation of creation.  At this stage the Elect are in the perfect “image of God.” God created man (male and female) in "His own image," with the plan of having eternal companions as His Bride.

Gen. 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

The Elect, now having the glorified body of Christ, no longer can be distinguished as to gender. Rather, they are all spiritual female as the Bride of God (Rev. 21:9, 17). Christ rebuked the Sadducees for spiritual ignorance telling them:

Matt. 22:29 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. 30For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”

Is it not written God appeared to Gideon as an angel?

Judges 6:22 “And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. 23And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.”

This is with reference to Moses talking to God.

Exo. 33:20 “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”

Looking at the overall plan of God, it was “temporarily interrupted” when Eve succumbed to the temptation of the Devil in the Garden of Eden. For details:

SIN OF ADAM AND EVE
- What made the Tree of Knowledge (of good and evil) so abominable to God?
- Does nakedness (before the Fall) indicate innocence?
- Or, spiritual nakedness of the "robe of righteousness" for not eating the fruits of the Tree of Life?
http://www.purechristianity.org/sinofeve.htm

The plan of God had to be fulfilled and finds its finality at the White Throne judgment. This is the spiritual history of mankind. Ultimately, true to what God said, “man is created in His own image,” but this is accomplished in stages:

1 st  Stage, God in His human manifestation.

2 nd  Stage, God in His Holy Spirit manifestation

3 rd   Final Stage, God in His visible form together with His Elect:

Rev. 21:1 " And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

The name of God

How many people have pondered on this, the Father God saying,

Isa. 56:2 " Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I." (As earlier noted, God was referring to Jesus Christ in John 8:24 KJV.)

Therefore contrary to human understanding, God had not yet given His NAME in the Old Testament! Yahweh, Jehovah, Lord, "I am that I am," El Shadai, Lily of the Valley, Rose of Sharon, etc. are just titles and descriptions of God. Example: "I am that I am" actually is God's revelation of Himself and could well be:

" I AM(for the Father) THAT (for the Holy Ghost) I AM" (for the visible God in the person of JESUS CHRIST)

Many times our Lord Jesus Christ kept on repeating " I AM" but the Jews were "deaf" to the message. They asked Him and He answered. Like a "little child," let us submit ourselves to God and let Him "open" the great message of what He is saying in the following:

John 8:13   "The Pharisees therefore said unto him, Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true. 14Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go. 19Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.

23And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. 25Then said they unto him, Who art thou? 27They understood not that he spake to them of the Father. 28Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he…29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone ... 31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free .

33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 42Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil...and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

47 He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. 48Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? 49Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me. 54Jesus answered… it is my Father that honoureth me;of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him … 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was , I am."

John 17:1 "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: 2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 4 …I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do."

6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world…and they have kept thy word. 8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee…"

26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

Are not these that Jesus told the Jews about Himself in perfect harmony with what is being discussed? But only a few truly believe in Him because the Jews loved to follow their religious leaders who were spiritually blind like them. Jesus gave the clue to the name of God before He left His Disciples. But without the Holy Ghost revealing the truth, they themselves did not know the NAME of God.

Matt. 28:19  (KJV) " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the nameof the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:"

The command is to baptize in the "name." Therefore in order to follow the instruction the Disciples needed to know the "name of the Father," "name of the Son" (this they knew it is JESUS CHRIST), and the "name of the Holy Ghost." Simon Peter, to whom was revealed the identity of Jesus (Matt. 16:16 -17), was to him brought to light the NAME of the Father and the NAME of the Holy Ghost. Consequently, when he preached the gospel:

Acts 2:38 " Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

It is clear that people who do not truly identify God are forced to simply "repeat" the command. Thus, baptizing "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."  The counterfeiters baptize their "converts" in the "Name of Jesus Christ" but the identity of God still remains a great mystery. Their conscience will continuously bother them. These are the followers of the "Oneness or Jesus only doctrine."  

Wake-up call for Christianity

Due to these two verses (Gen. 1:26 and Gen. 1:27), Christianity has been divided into denominations with divergent doctrines about God and Jesus Christ. As a result, different "ways of salvation" are preached and followed. People walk with confidence hoping to become the Bride of Christ. They are unmindful of the deception the great dragon also called Satan is doing:

Rev. 12:9 " And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

Who would think that the very people preaching the word of God are the instruments of this great deception gladly being called "apostles of Christ?"  People are enticed to their preaching of "easy and bewitching way of salvation" -- concealed this is the lure of the "angel of light?"

2 Cor. 11:13 " For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 14And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into anangel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness…"

Without God's revelation, the Natural Man is limited only to the moral aspect of the word believing that is all for it. This is man's concept of Godliness. Unseen is the spiritual aspect that completes God's standard of righteousness. For details read:

CLEANLINESS ON THE "OUTSIDE" AND "INSIDE"
- Who can distinguish SPIRITUAL CONVICTION from CONSCIENCE?
- How does our Lord explain INSIDE in rebuking the Scribes and Pharisees for cleaning only the OUTSIDE?
http://www.purechristianity.org/cleanlin.htm

"The first of all the commandments"

Here is a typical example of humble and proud preachers of the word of God.

The humble Scribe (Scribes are the equivalent of our priests, pastors, ministers today):

Mark 12:28 " And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? 29And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. 32And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he."

The proud Lawyer (Lawyers are experts on the word of God, the equivalent of our Bible scholars and theologians today):

Luke 10:25 " And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour? 30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan…"

The humble Scribe with all sincerity asked our Lord the "first of all the commandments." In contrast, the lawyer skipped the "first of all the commandments" and went straight to the last, that of "love thy neighbour."

Psa. 119:21 “Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.”

Prov. 11:2 “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.”

Prov. 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

Identification comes before love

The proud Lawyer presumed he already knew God and had loved Him that he went to ask for the last commandment. This is "love thy neighbor as thyself" and he is asking for the identification of his neighbor. The Lawyer was too presumptuous purporting to have obeyed the "first of all the commandments," and this refers to the identity of the One True God. Unknown to him, the FIRST of the Ten Commandments likewise requires the identification of God in order to avoid worshipping a false god/s:

Exo. 20:2 “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt , out of the house of bondage. 3Thou shalt have no other gods before me."

This is actually Jesus' answer to the query of the humble Scribe."

Mark 12:28 " …Which is the first commandment of all?"

Who would think the answer of our Lord is a commandment at all?

Mark 12:29 “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, OIsrael ; The Lord our God is one Lord: ”

Many people think this is just a statement of fact that, "The Lord our God is one Lord," and feeling satisfied by simply believing in One God. However, it was revealed to the Apostles that plainly believing in one God without knowing Him is not enough:

James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe…”

That is why Jesus Christ rebuked the Scribes and Pharisees and the religious people for not knowing the God they claim to worship:

John 8:54 " Jesus answered… it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him …"

John 8:19 " … Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."

Before, God also rebuked the people entrusted with His words for not knowing Him.

Jer. 4:22 “For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding…”

Hosea 4:6 " My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me…"

After Jesus Christ gave “The first of all the commandments,” He followed it with:

Mark 12:30 “ And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

Therefore, both the Ten Commandments and the Two Great Commandments have this as the proper sequence that perhaps many people have overlooked. The sequence cannot be reversed or rearranged.

1 st – Know or identify the One True God

Will real Christians be at peace simply believing in one God without identifying Him? That is what the Apostles felt before Jesus introduced Himself:

John 14:8 “Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. 9Jesus 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, Show us the Father? 10Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?…”

It was demonstrated in Simon Peter that it needed a “miracle” or the revelation of the Father to identify Jesus (Matt. 16:16 -17). The only requirement is to humble oneself like “a little child” (Matt. 18:3) and from thereon God will guide the person to spiritual perfection by endowing divine knowledge and wisdom (Matt. 11:25 ). How many people are willing to obey "The first of all the commandments?"  Many or only a few?

Human wisdom is inadequate to identify the One True God:

1 Cor. 1:19 “…I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God…”

God condemns philosophy and human wisdom in spiritual matters:

1 Cor. 3:18 “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”

Col. 2:8 " Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy…after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. "

Emotion is a great snare, a stumbling block for the acceptance of truth in the word:

Jer. 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”

The word of God is absolute on matters pertaining to Him and His words. Opinion, assumption, feeling should be set aside for God to be given a free hand in revealing the TRUTH.

Isa. 8:20 " To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

For details to God's introduction of Himself, read:

JESUS OF THE ORIGINAL APOSTLES
- Who is JESUS in the 1st century -- the JESUS of the Apostles? "JESUS is the TRUTH, the WAY, and the LIFE".
- With the different identities of JESUS being "peddled" today, Christianity has become a "market place" for truths and ways to eternal life.
- How and where can we find, and who can tell us the "teachings of the Apostles about Jesus?"
http://www.purechristianity.org/jesusof.htm  

GOD OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT
- Can people accept that it is not enough to simply believe in one God?
- What is the PREREQUISITE to "loving God," according to Jesus Christ? http://www.purechristianity.org/godofthe.htm

2nd – Love God

What is true love of God? Since God is represented by His words, love for Him should be reflected through His words.

John 14:23 " Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him."

But just as it requires a "miracle" to identify God, so are the message of His words by divine revelation. Now we can see how Christianity that is divided into denominations, each claiming love for God, cannot be one since to each is own interpretation of His words.

People love to praise and honor God with their lips. It is written it is through His words that God can truly be praised. However even Satan quotes the word of God (Matt. 4:6). Therefore, it is the TRUTH in the word that “love of God” can be truly expressed. Without the truth there can be no true love for God. Hence,

Psa. 56:10 “In God will I praise his word: in the LORD will I praise his word.”

3rd – Love thy neighbor

Who is my neighbor? This is the query of the Lawyer in Luke 10:25-29. Is neighbor the same as fellowman?  For details and demonstration, read:

THE "LOVE" OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN
- Why did it take a Samaritan to "love a neighbor" rather than the PRIEST and the LEVITE?
- Were not the PRIEST and LEVITE the epitome of righteousness and holiness?
- What great message does our Lord want to convey in the parable aside from the general lesson being preached?
http://www.purechristianity.org/love_of_the_good_samaritan.htm

If we are really zealous in search for the meaning of what God says in His word, He is willing to grant us on condition that we truly trust Him:

James 1:5 " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. 6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. 7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. 8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

God is not looking at the stature, capability, or position of a person. True spiritual humility is the only requirement. Who would accept Mary Magdalene, from whom seven devils were cast out (Mark 16:9), typify the ideal believer? No other character did our Lord say the same thing in extolling her in:

Matt. 26:13 " Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her."

For details of the inspiring message of her story, read:

MARY MAGDALENE PERSONIFIES THE IDEAL BELIEVER
- Who would think that Mary Magdalene typifies the ideal believer?
- Have you read that from her acts and the privilege accorded to her by our Lord, Magdalene occupies the premier position among the apostles and disciples?
http://www.purechristianity.org/mary_magdalene_personifies.htm

Trinity doctrine - Persons of God for "us, our"?

The Trinity Doctrineteaches that the pronoun"us, our" refer to the Three Divine Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each person is God but one person is not the other two. This doctrine was successfully defended at the Nicaean Council of 325 called by Constantine I. With many verses, it is proven that Jesus is God. Following is a summary of the doctrine of the Trinity:

"The central and characteristic Christian doctrine of God is that He exists in Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. ("Holy Ghost" is the traditional English translation of Sanctus Spiritus and means the same as "Holy Spirit.") At the same time, the Christian church insists that God is One in "substance" (Latin substantia, existence or inner essence), and thus combines in a "mystery’ (a formula or conception which really transcends human understanding) the truth set forth in the Holy Scriptures. It is held that although the doctrine is beyond the grasp of human reason, it is, like many of the formulations of physical science, not contrary to reason, and may be apprehended (though may not be comprehended) by the human mind.

"The simplest affirmation is that God is ‘Three in One, and One in Three...’ GOD IS FATHER, AND THE FATHER IS GOD; GOD IS SON, AND THE SON IS GOD; GOD IS SPIRIT, AND THE SPIRIT IS GOD... (But the Father is not the Son and the Spirit, the Son is not the Father and the Spirit, and the Spirit is not the Son and the Father, and yet there is only ONE GOD.)"

"The full development of TRINITARIANISM took place in the West, in the Scholasticism of the Middle Ages, when an explanation was undertaken in terms of philosophy and psychology, especially of the recovered ARISTOTELIANISM of the 13th century. The classical exposition is found in the works of St. Thomas Aquinas, whose views on this subject had dominated most of later Christian theology, both Roman Catholic and Protestant." (Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 27, Page 116-117, 1967 Edition)

Comments on the Trinitarian Doctrine

1. Why did it take more than 200 years from the Apostles to formulate a doctrine for the identity of God? Did not the Apostles of Christ, in 30-96 A.D, expound on the singularity of God and Jesus Christ? Was God a mysterious being to the Apostles?

2. Why did the work of Aristotle, a noted pagan philosopher, find its place in this doctrine?

3. And why did the academe, "Scholasticism of the Middle Ages," become the center for the development of this concept? Is God’s revelation confined only to a special place like the schools, and to a certain sector of society, like the intellectual elite? This is what is written:

John 16:12-13 "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth..."

James 1:5-8 " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."

4. Why did it need philosophy to expound on the identity of God?

Colossians 2:8 "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

5. Is the Holy Scripture not enough to fully introduce God? Is not God represented by His words?

Isaiah 8:20 "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."

"Mysteries" spawned by the Trinity Doctrine

The doctrine teaches that the Three Divine Persons of God -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit -- are coequal in omniscience, in omnipotence, in omnipresence, and in everything.

1. Why did the Son say that the Father is greater than He is if they are coequal in omnipotence?

John 14:28 "... I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I."

Thus, the mystery!

2. Why did the Son say that the Father knows something that He does not know if they are coequal in omniscience?

Mark 13:32 "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."

Thus, the mystery!

3. The doctrine teaches that the Son is omnipresent as the Father and the Holy Spirit. Why was the Son not found in different places of Israel at the same time? Thus, the mystery!

4. The doctrine teaches that the Holy Spirit is coequal in omniscience with the Father and the Son. Why does the Son say that the Holy Spirit cannot speak on His own?

John 16:13 " Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak..."

Thus, the mystery!

5. The doctrine teaches that the Son will be seen in heaven "sitting at the right hand of the Father." Since the doctrine also teaches that the person of the Son is not the person of the Father, and each person is God, how could there be one God sitting on a single throne?

Rev. 4:2 " And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne."

Thus, the mystery!

6. Jesus Christ revealed to John the apostle that there is only one throne in heaven, and the one in the midst of the throne is the "Lamb of God" (Rev. 5:6).  How can the doctrine explain the three distinct persons of God, in relation to the single throne, and the one in the midst of the throne? Thus, the mystery!

7. God states in the Old Testament that there is only "One God and one Lord," (Deut. 6:4) and this truth is confirmed by Jesus Christ in Mark 12:29 . Since the doctrine teaches that the person of the Father, who is God, is not the person of the Son and the Holy Spirit; and whose individual persons are also God, how could there be ONE LORD AND ONE GOD? Thus, the mystery!

8. The Bible states that it was the Father who made a TESTAMENT, or the Testator:

Gen. 17:1 "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God..."

Gen. 17:7 "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."

This covenant requires the death of the Testator!

Heb. 9:16 "For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator."

How could the Testament or Covenant of the Father be fulfilled by the death of the Son, when the doctrine teaches that the person of the Son is not the person of the Father? Thus, the mystery!

9. The doctrine teaches that the person of the Father is not the person of the Holy Spirit. The Father promised Himself to be the INHERITANCE in His Testament.

Ezek. 44:28 "And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance..."

Why did the Son say that it is the HOLY GHOST who is to be received as inheritance by the real believers?

John 7:39 "(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"

At Pentecost the Disciples, indeed, received the Holy Ghost confirming both the statements of the Father and the Son. Thus, the mystery!

10. The doctrine teaches that the person of the Son is not the person of the Holy GHOST. Why is it written that the "Holy Ghost purchased us with His own blood?" Thus, the mystery!

ACTS 20:28 "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God , which he hath purchased with his own blood."

11. The Father revealed to prophet Isaiah that He is the only Savior.

Isa. 43:11 "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."

Why did Luke write that the Son is also a Savior?

Luke 2:11 "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

Since the doctrine teaches that the person of the Father is not the person of the Son, how could there be one Savior? Thus, the mystery!

These are some enigma about God propagated by the Trinitarian doctrine. No wonder the doctrine teaches that God is a great mystery, contrary to what is written:

Jer. 24:7 " And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the LORD: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart."

Jer. 31:34 " And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD…"

Heb. 8:11 " And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest."

The eminent proponents recognize the inadequacy of the doctrine in clearly identifying God and Jesus Christ, with the admission that, "The understanding of the Trinity is a mystery, a formula or conception which really transcends human understanding." Statements like the following are attributable to great theologians and Bible scholars advocating the doctrine: "If you try to understand the mystery of the Holy Trinity, you will lose your mind; but to deny it will mean the loss of your soul." This is purely a human conjecture.

God cannot have three divine persons. Otherwise the One True God becomes a mysterious entity. God never intended to hide His identity. Or else He would not be rebuking the people entrusted with His words for not knowing Him.

Jer. 4:22 “For my people is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish children, and they have none understanding…”

John 8:54 " Jesus answered… it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: 55 Yet ye have not known him…"

Therefore, the use of the pronoun “us, our” cannot be used as excuse for not knowing the identity of the One True God. It is written that the things revealed are for us to know, and only the secret things belong to God. Is it far-fetched to presume that the doctrine instills "spiritual blindness" among the adherents so as not to "see" God? The doctrine failed to consider the basic truth well established in the Holy Scripture. This refers to the knowledge and wisdom about God and His words:

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Isaiah 48:16 "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this ; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning..."

Deut. 29:29 "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law."

The sixty-sixty books of the Holy Bible are replete with things about the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. The identity of God therefore is a revealed thing. It is the utterance of the 7 thunders that God did not cause to be written that are considered "secret things."

Rev. 10:4 " And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not."

IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:

Col. 1:26 "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, butnow is made manifest to his saints :"

Heb. 8:11 "And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord : for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest."

True to the promise of God that He did not speak in secret, His chosen people are given the understanding to know Him. To know Him fully and clearly is a prerequisite to loving Him, as our Lord stated in:

Mark 12:29 -30 " And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is , Hear, O Israel ; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength… "

But the Trinity doctrine is a much-vaunted concept of recognizing God. The victory of the proponents of the doctrine, in the Nicaean Council of 325 A.D called by Emperor Constantine I, marked the beginning of the spread of the creed throughout the world. Thus, majority of the known Christian world is dominated by religious sects preaching this gospel of the Holy Trinity. Where now is the truth, "Many are called, but few are chosen?"

Suggested reading:

DECIPHERING GOD’S SPIRITUAL LANGUAGE
- God is a Spirit, immortal and heavenly. Man is physical being, mortal, and earthly.
- God spoke and is represented by His words.
- Who can explain God’s words? How?
http://www.purechristianity.org/decipher.htm  

TOWER OF BABEL & "The Religious Languages"
- Did not people before try to "reach God"?
- Are not people today doing the same thing? Can they "understand" each other?
http://www.purechristianity.org/towerof.htm

Two tests for spirits

TEST 1 - For Jesus' identity

WHO IS  "JESUS CHRIST COME IN THE FLESH"?

1 John 4:1-3 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."

People believing in the Holy Bible all confess that "Jesus Christ is come in the flesh" regardless of their divergent identification of Jesus Christ.  Among these are the following:

1. Jesus Christ is only a man and not God (Arian doctrine).

2. Jesus Christ is also the Father and the Holy Spirit is only a force of God (Heraclian doctrine).

3. Jesus Christ is only a minor or mighty God for there is a greater or Almighty God (Jehovah doctrine).

4. Jesus Christ is the Father and the Holy Spirit (Oneness or Jesus only doctrine).

5. Jesus Christ is both God and man, and He is the 2nd person of the Trinity (Trinity doctrine).

Who is "Jesus Christ come in the flesh" that would also identify the Father that God no longer is a mystery, and give credence to what our Lord said in the following?

John 8:19 "Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."

It is written there is only one God, and this is the Father:

1 Cor. 8:6a "But to us there is but one God, the Father..."

Yet it is written:

1 John 5:20 "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

Jesus Christ warned His Disciples of their impending persecution.

John 16:1 " These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you [1 John 3:15 , Matt. 5:22 ] will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them…"

TEST 2 - Distinguishing the voice of the "LAMB" from the voice of the DRAGON

HOW DOES JESUS CHRIST SPEAK? DOES SATAN OR THE DRAGON UNDERSTAND HIM?

Rev. 13:11 "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon."

The "language" of the Lamb or Jesus Christ is revealed when He fasted 40 days and 40 nights (Matt. 4:1-2). Satan or the Dragon simply perceived Jesus' empty stomach that he told Him:

Matt. 4:3 "And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."

Clearly revealed is the Dragon or Satan's LITERAL-PHYSICAL LANGUAGE or "voice."  Compare this with what Jesus told him about His fasting:

Matt. 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, butby every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

True to what is written, the LAMB OF GOD or Jesus Christ is speaking His "spiritual tongue" conveying the message of His fasting to mean: HUNGER FOR THE TRUTH IN THE WORD OF GOD. This is confirmed in the following:

Jer. 15:16 "Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name..."

Amos 8:11 "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD: 12And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the LORD, and shall not find it."

How does the Natural Man (1 Cor. 2:14 ) perceive the fasting of Jesus Christ Suggested reading:

CHRIST AND SATAN IN CONTRAST
- Who would say, "I hate Jesus Christ and love Satan." Or, "I hate truth and love falsehood?"
- Perhaps nobody in his right mind would say that. However, Christ saw it in His time.
- The truth is, people do not know what they are saying.
http://www.purechristianity.org/christ_and_satan.htm

HOW DO WE RATE OURSELVES ON THE BASIS OF WHAT IS WRITTEN?

The separation of God's Chosen is only in spiritual matters (for SPIRITUAL LIFE) to be distinguished from social, economic, political, and scientific matters (for PHYSICAL LIFE).

Infliction and reward now

As Jesus told His Disciples in John 15:20 " Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." The Chosen will surely come to realize this warning. Because of their conviction, and being in the minority, they will be sneered at, isolated, and discriminated. People would be blind to their good disposition, and this will further kindle their hate on them, as our Lord warned:

John 16:1 " These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you[Matt. 5:22 , 1 John 3:15 ] will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them... "

What our Lord saw in His time is equally seen today. That is why He said, “heaven and earth will pass away, but God’s word will never pass away.”

Matt. 5:18 “ For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

But the spiritual peace rewarded to the Chosen, that money cannot buy nor fame and power can give, is enough to sustain them in this chaotic world -- the "kingdom of Satan" (2 Cor. 4:4). Our Lord showed the way to overcome the world.  If misery loves company for the enemies of Christ, the opposite is more than true to the Chosen of God.  Thus, they labor without material remuneration, sans any honor, for glory and praise belongs to God. Thus the meaning and fulfillment of what God said long ago is revealed:

Isa. 55:1 " Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you…"

END