/christian/ - Christian Discussion and Fellowship

>>587408

may the Lord bless and keep you

>>587409

>>587411

>>587412

I've only been going a few weeks when my friend invited me. I still have a lot to learn about the Bible though. I was raised in an atheist household, so going with my friend a few weeks ago for the first time was my first time ever being in a church in my entire life. Yesterday, I accepted Jesus into my heart at Bible study. They told me that I should get baptized ASAP and so we decided to do it today, the day after I got saved. They dunked me under water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, which is the Trinity. Sometimes I find the Trinity a little confusing still, but I hope I learn more.

>>587408

wait, I remember a post with exact same text several months ago with exact same meme

>>587415

????????????

>>587415

That was me.

I was chrismated.

>>587422

oh, well then

>>587413

>Sometimes I find the Trinity a little confusing still, but I hope I learn more.

The key to understanding the Trinity is that it is one God in three persons. Perhaps that sounds paradoxical, but that's only if one fails to take into account God as infinite. There is only one infinity. Infinity cannot logically be divided, for then it would not be infinite, but finite and subject to division. Therefore can logically be no difference between the three persons of the infinite. Nonetheless, there must logically be relations, not separate infinities but merely internal relations, for God to be God. If God could not look upon God, he would not know God. But God is all knowledge. Therefore when the Father looks upon himself he begets the Son, the Logos (think logo, i.e. a symbol or representation, except in this case the symbol perfectly represents God because it IS God), the perfect image of the Father through whom all things are. This did not happen at a specific point in time, for God is beyond time, therefore the Son is eternal as the Father is eternal. With knowledge, God can create of his own free will, and indeed we know that does because, as the perfect one, God is completely self sufficient, not reliant on realizing any sort of potential because God is all potential realized, and therefore no potential at all. Yet, as pure action, God eternally acts to sustain himself and all things, and therefore, with the power inherent in the Father and the wisdom begotten of the Son, we have the Holy Spirit, which created the Earth in Genesis 1:2 and works through the faithful to perform miracles. None of these persons has exclusive right to power, wisdom, and action, for that would be the heresy of modalism; each is God, yet through the relations of self-knowledge and self-action God knows and God acts.

I know this is heavy philosophy, even as I try and explain it as simply as I can my brain warps and I fear that I have stated these truths heretically (please correct me if I'm wrong), but the Trinity is a divine mystery above human comprehension. Nonetheless, I pray I was able to lay the basic groundwork of the doctrine and I pray that you may come to understand it. God bless!

>>587426

That's a lot to take in. I'm just going to ask my pastor questions and hopefully he can give me a good Bible answer.

The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Isaiah 60:19

>>587432

Ok. But just be aware that most of this argument is derived from Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica, and every point he makes he makes sure to back up with a Bible verse, so you can trust me when I say this is biblically sound.

>>587426

>If God could not look upon God, he would not know God. But God is all knowledge. Therefore when the Father looks upon himself he begets the Son, the Logos (think logo, i.e. a symbol or representation, except in this case the symbol perfectly represents God because it IS God), the perfect image of the Father through whom all things are.

>as pure action, God eternally acts to sustain himself and all things, and therefore, with the power inherent in the Father and the wisdom begotten of the Son, we have the Holy Spirit,

Pretty rad way of describing it, may have heard the trinity being described in similar terms like that before I can't remember, v neat all the same

Also, to clarify

>sounds paradoxical

>is a divine mystery

For baptoanon vid related and the enxt one in the series may help in highlighting the distinction between contradiction, paradox and mystery (as correctly stated in your post of the three the trinity is a mystery). Indeed the series as a whole will proably prove a good viewing for baptoanon at some point, although, while still introductory in nature there's probably some other stuff that covers more important basics that he could find more useful at what sounds a v early stage in his fatih.

O, and congrats baptoanon

>>587434

>>587437

Thank you everyone, I hope this furthers my walk with Christ my Lord and my God who died for me and you because he loves us. :)

>>587426

>we have the Holy Spirit, which created the Earth

That directly contradicts the Creed

>>587443

None of the persons of the Trinity were absent in creation and all were integral, I mention the Spirit specifically because of Genesis 1:2 and his association with God's action in general.

>>587443

wrongo

party in Heaven because a son who was lost has returned. But do not fall into complacency.

>>587450

>>587455

The Creed literally, literally says that all things were created through Jesus. I think you're just plain wrong.

>>587458

*literally

>>587458

>>587459

And also the Father

>I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.

Why do God and God get credit for creation, but not God?

>>587460

Because the Spirit is mentioned as giver of life, not a source or means of creation.

>>587461

>the Holy Spirit is giver of life except in creation

>>587426

You probably shouldn't be giving a new believer advanced theology

>>587461

But the Spirit is the Lord, just as the Father and Son are, and the Lord is the one who said "let there be light," one verse after the Spirit, aka the Lord, is invoked as present over formless creation. The fact that the Creed doesn't say explitly say something doesn't mean Bible dosen't.

>>587432

I recommend The Forgotten Trinity by James R. White, it's written specifically to help people at a popular level understand the trinity.

>>587464

We know the primitive Church didn't call the Spirit creator in any way, and that's a fact.

>>587465

>Bobby White

ep*c

>>587468

But the Bible does, and that is a fact.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" -2 Corinthians 3:17"

"And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light."-Genesis 1:3

>>587472

maybe you're just reading it wrong

crazy huh

but I'm not a good theologian by any means so I'll just stop here

>>587473

I'm not reading God as not God so yeah, I don't think I'm reading it wrong. It's cool, just watch the blasphemy in the future.

>>587408

Nice