I found no need for ideas such as immanent Trinity and Economic Trinity.
You really should, Joseph. Until you understand it you will never get to where you think you are going. It is not just an idea. It is the very definition of God.
come on everyone, let us reason on the trinity doctrine using the bible!.
you know there has to be at least 3 big long trinity threads on here per month... so i figured i'd go ahead and start one for november.. the bible says that there is only one true god who is god by nature, the only god who deserves our worship and prayer.
jesus taught that his father is god.
I found no need for ideas such as immanent Trinity and Economic Trinity.
You really should, Joseph. Until you understand it you will never get to where you think you are going. It is not just an idea. It is the very definition of God.
come on everyone, let us reason on the trinity doctrine using the bible!.
you know there has to be at least 3 big long trinity threads on here per month... so i figured i'd go ahead and start one for november.. the bible says that there is only one true god who is god by nature, the only god who deserves our worship and prayer.
jesus taught that his father is god.
But I have a big problem with this, (if I understand you correctly). You offer no scripture to support this, in the face of scripture that says the human Jesus was and still is God.
You haven't read a word I wrote. 2000 years of Christian theology support immanent and economic Trinity. It is not some far-fetched novel idea. And you have displayed a complete inabilility to grasp the nature of the hypostatic union; the nature of the God-man Jesus. You should educate yourself before you draw your own conclusions, please. The information provided is rife with citations.
i don't mean go back to a kingdom hall, i mean other religons any of them.
can anybody think of a reason that they might do this?.
i', begining to feel curious about the church up my road, just curious, thought about popping in there one sunday, i will probably run out screaming 5 mins later but there you are....
i will probably run out screaming 5 mins later but there you are...
Why would you do that? That is part of the JW brainwashing. Try listening to the sermons on the radio. Good stuff there even if you don't believe all of it.
come on everyone, let us reason on the trinity doctrine using the bible!.
you know there has to be at least 3 big long trinity threads on here per month... so i figured i'd go ahead and start one for november.. the bible says that there is only one true god who is god by nature, the only god who deserves our worship and prayer.
jesus taught that his father is god.
Jonathan Dough, check your pm pls.
How do I do that?
come on everyone, let us reason on the trinity doctrine using the bible!.
you know there has to be at least 3 big long trinity threads on here per month... so i figured i'd go ahead and start one for november.. the bible says that there is only one true god who is god by nature, the only god who deserves our worship and prayer.
jesus taught that his father is god.
Are the basic ideas of immanent Trinity and Economic Trinity too difficult for people to grasp? I routinely post information on that topic and not once in the last year has anyone mentioned these two concepts. This is fundamental to the Trinity doctrine, and explains SO MUCH. But most of you just spin around in circles and fall for that same old JW claptrap of "Jesus can't be (or is) God" without understanding what that Trinitarian phrase means.
I'll post an explanation again that should hopefully move this discussion where it belongs.
At the outset it is crucial to understand two key concepts. You must distinguish between immanent Trinity (theological Trinity) and economic trinity, and understand how they relate to each other. This is not difficult. The Jehovah's Witnesses fail to separate them and erroneously combine the two concepts. This error lies at the root of the Jehovah's Witnesses’ harsh attacks on the Trinity and allows them to get away with distorting Trinitarian teaching. It is the means by which they are able to convince many people, who otherwise would know better, that the Trinity is utterly illogical and false when it is true and reasonable, even if certain aspects are grounded upon a measure of faith.
Immanent (theological) Trinitarianism, refers to the essence of God the Almighty, his hypostatic three-fold nature and his absolute and perfect being, before creation. It deals with the “infinite, blessed communion of the divine Persons among themselves, without reference to creation,” (B. Brobrinskoy, The Mystery of the Trinity [New York, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1999], 2, 3) (Mystery). It is the triune God as he is in himself (J. Moltmann, The Trinity and the Kingdom of God [Munich, Germany, SCM Press, Ltd., 1981], 151) (Trinity and the Kingdom).
This should not be confused with economic Trinitarianism (God for us), the concerted activity of the three Persons in creation as they “maintain and restore the created world to a state of well-being and communion with God” (ibid., 2). “Economic” refers to “divine management of earthly affairs” (The Encyclopedia of Religion [New York, Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987], 54) (Encyclopedia of Religion). “It is oriented to the concrete history of creation and redemption: God initiates a covenant with Israel, God speaks through the prophets, God takes on flesh in Christ, God dwells within as Spirit” (ibid., 54). It is also called revelatory Trinity because the triune God reveals himself through his dispensation of salvation (Trinity and the Kingdom, 151).
Accordingly, much Trinitarian theological discussions about the “One God in three Persons” deals with immanent Trinity, not economic Trinity. The economic aspect of the Trinity includes the created humanity of Jesus, who was not God (The New Catholic Encyclopedia [Washington D.C., The Catholic University of America, 1967], 943) (Catholic Encyclopedia) and not part of the immanent Trinity. But that is precisely where the Jehovah's Witnesses mistakenly inject him resulting in a great deal of unnecessary confusion.
They argue, to take one illustration, that Jesus could not be God yet be with God; and he could not be the Father whom he prayed to (Should You Believe in the Trinity? [New York, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1989; http://www.watchtower.org/e/ti/index.htm], Chapter 7) (Should You Believe). But this is a classic example of the Jehovah’s Witnesses mixing apples and oranges. The man of the God-man Jesus, the created humanity who was not God (Catholic Encyclopedia, 943), could rightfully pray to God the Father and did regard himself as inferior; this He performed in the context of economic Trinity.
The idea that the preexistent Word (God the Son) was with God stems from John 1:1:
In the beginning was the Word,
And the Word was with God,
And the Word was God.
Even though John 1:1 speaks in the context of pre-creation immanent Trinity, the Jehovah’s Witnesses have swapped out God the Son, the preexistent Word, with the created humanity of Jesus. This is not accurate Bible teaching nor does it properly reflect the doctrine of the Trinity. John 1:1 does not claim to say that the created humanity of Jesus was God or was with God in the beginning.
If you keep this distinction in mind you will be in a much better position to navigate the Jehovah's Witnesses’ maze of misleading tactics and come to a better understanding of what the Trinity doctrine actually means.
come on everyone, let us reason on the trinity doctrine using the bible!.
you know there has to be at least 3 big long trinity threads on here per month... so i figured i'd go ahead and start one for november.. the bible says that there is only one true god who is god by nature, the only god who deserves our worship and prayer.
jesus taught that his father is god.
Wobble asked:
If the trinity is so plain, why only two thrones, God and Jesus side by side, as seen by Stephen and the writer of Revelation, why no throne for the H.S ?
Which two thrones is Wobble referring to? Can he cite chapter and verse? I thought they sat on one throne, not two.
This question illustrates a complete lack of undertanding of the God-man Jesus, and that the risen Christ did not cease being human in heaven. Basic Christian theology teaches that the creature Jesus, the created humanity, the man of the God-man equation, is not God Almighty. In that sense He is distinct visually, down here as well as up there. Therefore the Lamb can be seen as standing beside God. I think there is too much being read into the visions of Revelation. After all, God is spirit and invisible. You have a spirit, but just because you can't see it doesn't mean it does not exist. "Father" ususally is a synonym for the triune God, not the first Person of the Trinity. So the God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity teaches that the Lord (Jehovah NWT) is the Spirit, so the Spirit is on the throne, even if you can't see it. Don't Read Revelations too literally. And don't wag the dog by the tail. There is a tremendous amount of proof supporting the Trinity. Read and study it ALL. Don't just stop at the first bump in the road because it seems difficult to understand.
come on everyone, let us reason on the trinity doctrine using the bible!.
you know there has to be at least 3 big long trinity threads on here per month... so i figured i'd go ahead and start one for november.. the bible says that there is only one true god who is god by nature, the only god who deserves our worship and prayer.
jesus taught that his father is god.
I am not a Trinitarian, at least I don't believe that understanding or agreeing with the trinity doctrine is needed for salvation.
But can one gain salvation if one believes that Jesus was nothing more or less than a man, like the JWs teach?
come on everyone, let us reason on the trinity doctrine using the bible!.
you know there has to be at least 3 big long trinity threads on here per month... so i figured i'd go ahead and start one for november.. the bible says that there is only one true god who is god by nature, the only god who deserves our worship and prayer.
jesus taught that his father is god.
That is why I studied the matter for myself. I posted this at: http://home.earthlink.net/~jmalik/beytrin.htm and while it is not a complete work it resolved many of the difficulties that I and others have found with such thinking.
I'm not sure I understand your point; I don't think we disagree, but one can't separate logic from Scripture. I also studied this issue exhaustively and compiled a 60,000 word treatise which you can find here:
http://144000.110mb.com/trinity/index.html
The Trinity doctrine is logical, and scriptural, even if it requires some faith to believe. It is reasonable to believe in the Trinity.
i hope i am posting in the right board.. anyway, i am newly out of the org, and have a dear friend who i've been speaking to all along about my thought process/decisions.
she has been hesitantly receptive (how's that for confusing?!
lol) and when i brought up 607bce to her yesterday, she was truly intrigued and had not heard of this as a false date before.. she is still half in/half out, so i know she isn't going to do a lot of naughty independent research on her own.
Babylon was the dominant power for 70 yrs- yes...609-539...at which poin tthe 70 yrs ended and they were called to account. It does not say Jeru will serve the King of babylon 70 yrs, its says these nations.
Yes, definately. Nail in the coffin.
come on everyone, let us reason on the trinity doctrine using the bible!.
you know there has to be at least 3 big long trinity threads on here per month... so i figured i'd go ahead and start one for november.. the bible says that there is only one true god who is god by nature, the only god who deserves our worship and prayer.
jesus taught that his father is god.
The Trinity is an unfathomable, and yet unmistakable doctrine in Scripture.
I completey agree with you, except that it's very fathomable. It is very reasonable to have faith in the Trinity doctrine. It's logical though can be difficult to grasp in some respects, but it was figured out a long time ago. It all starts with proof texts that Jesus was, and is, God.