What is your understanding concerning the Triune God?
Question:
What is your understanding concerning the Triune God?
Answer:
The concept of the Trinity is one that can’t be answered in a few short paragraphs but I will provide a brief initial response and at a later date post more on my web site on this important and oft misunderstood and underappreciated doctrine. Firstly, we must define the term Trinity as it comes from the Latin “Trinitas” which means three in one. The word Trinity was first found in a reference text in the writings of Theopolius of Antioch in AD 180. We see expansion of usage of this term by Tertullian in AD 200 when he accurately refers to “tres personae, una substantia” (three persons, one nature/substance). The value in understanding the textual usage in history is because some have incorrectly claimed the Trinity is a recent invention of Christians.
Additionally, as we look to the Trinity it is important to understand the Trinity as one and not three. Often the term Trinity is mistaken for tritheism where one mistakes it for stating there are three Gods (as the Muslims mistakenly understand Christianity). Another common mistake is that of understanding God playing 3 roles which is referred to as Modalism (or oneness theology) – God does not change roles (Malachi 3:6).
Muslims often vacillate between tritheism and modalism or even Arianism. Arianism is an ancient theological error that appeared around the year 320. It taught that God could not appear on the earth because he was too pure, that Jesus was not eternal and was created out …
Define the nature of sin and discuss its consequences both temporally and eternally.
Question:
Define the nature of sin and discuss its consequences both temporally and eternally.
Answer:
When evaluating sin we must understand it in the context of our humanity. John 8:44 says “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
We can understand that by nature we are objects of God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:3) and this is so because our father is the devil until God adopts us into His family (Ephesians 1:5). We also understand that since the origin of sin is the devil and our identity is initially found in him we must strive to examine the characteristics of Satan. In the above passage (John 8:44), we can clearly see that the natural implications of our hereditary makeup in the devil is to carry out his desire and inherit his other traits (sin). With this understanding of the origins of sin we can then posit the contrary premise that if our God is our Father than we must “carry out [His] desire” and this would be the opposite of sin. Thus, sin is doing something that is contrary to God our Father’s will – in effect aligned to Satan’s desire/will.
Additionally, as we would inherit the traits of the devil (once our father) we would then inherit …
Please discuss both the original and current nature of humanity.
Question:
Please discuss both the original and current nature of humanity.
Answer:
In order to understand the original and current nature of humanity, we must venture right to the beginning of our creation. In Genesis 1:26-30, we see the creation account where God decides to create man in His image and provides for them everything that is needed. Interestingly, in Genesis 1:31 we see God’s proclamation that “it was very good”. This is not just a simple classification but an escalated declaration of God’s assessment of His created works. If we look to just prior to the account of man’s creation in Genesis 1:25, we see that preceding our creation God has declared his works “good” not “very good”. Something special had occurred and that was the entry of man a unique element of His creation that shared in His image (more information on what this means in this post on being made in the image of God).
Original state:
Man’s nature contained an intrinsic resemblance of God’s divine nature. Both male and female were made with God’s hands and thus no lack of equality is present. Some even have cleverly presented that woman was created after man as God’s final creation act and thus in verse 31 declares it all “very good”. At this time free will was given to man and a command was given to not eat of the tree.
The fall:
Interestingly, Eve makes a mistake even when confronted by Satan saying that God said not to …
How is Jesus Christ both fully God and fully man?
Question:
Discuss how Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man.
Answer:
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.” - Colossians 2:9-10
This question is one that can be approached from several angles. By demonstrating that the Trinity indeed exists throughout Scripture or by defending the truth that Christ is indeed God and Man or by simply explaining how this mysterious understanding can manifest itself. For the sake of this question we will look at each of these elements in a concise manner.
Firstly, let us look to the direct question of Jesus being fully God and fully man. This teaching is known as the hypostatic union (comes from the Greek word hypostasis which means sediment, foundation, or substance). It states that the Word of God put on flesh and is Jesus Christ. This means that Jesus is not just man, not just God, not half man and half God but that He is fully divine and fully human. John 1:1 and 1:14 lays this out for us in a very succinct fashion:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
This is …
Discuss the meaning of being “saved by grace”.
Question:
Discuss the meaning of being “saved by grace” in Ephesians 2:8-9.
Answer:
Before we can begin to talk about what it means to be “saved by grace” we must understand that which presupposes this need – that is the condition in which we find ourselves – dead and under God’s wrath. It only takes a cursory reading of Romans to see how Paul begins with God’s nature and then speaks of His wrath presenting an accurate context with which we must understand our reality. God is sovereign and righteous and His wrath is upon us (Romans 1:17-18). Furthermore, we see the state of all humanity clearly expressed as we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12).
Once again, in Ephesians, we see Paul start with the cold hard fact that we are “dead in [our] transgressions and sins”. We also see in verse 2 that we had once followed the ways of the world and the “ruler of the kingdom of the air”, which is especially harsh wording as that is the opposition to God on both a spiritual and physical level (note: opposition doesn’t imply God can’t do away with Satan if God wished it). We are called to always be heavenly focused on God’s will and not to be caught up in the world – remember we are in the world not of the world. And the spiritual charge is that the “ruler of the kingdom of the air” is Satan himself and we once followed …
