Devotion
BY Herschel Smith
3 years, 11 months ago
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him; and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
John 1:1-4
“In the unity of the Godhead there be three persons, of one substance, power, and eternity; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten, nor proceeding: the Son is eternally begotten of the Father: the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.”
Westminster Confession of Faith, 2.3
It is truth. All denial of this leads to perdition.
On January 20, 2021 at 11:16 pm, Keyser Soze said:
Is 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 mighty God,
The *everlasting Father*, The Prince of Peace.
Inseparable, undeniable. What can be seen of the Father is in the express image of the Son. The Lord Jesus Christ in pre-incarnate form spoke the heavens and the earth into existence. Then came as a man, and died for the sins of the entire world. And I long for the return of the God-Man (only begotten, monogenes). I look forward to the serious whup-ass He’s gonna hand out to those who persecuted His chosen people, Israel. And the church in this age.
I’m just Biden my time…
On January 21, 2021 at 10:31 am, Fred said:
Wow, that WCF 2.3 is painful. I might have explained the Trinity a dozen different ways but not that second sentence. That takes about 15 verses to deconstruct and put back together.
Simply, I usually explain the Trinity by showing Matthew 3:16-17 where we see all three persons of the God head.
“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: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
Then to 1 John 5:7 where we see that all three persons are one.
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”
So, God is three distinct persons but one. Don’t ask me to pretend to fully understand this. I just know that it’s so.
And, speaking of the Word, 1 John 5:7 was a nice reference since John 1 is the topic.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God, all things were made by Him, and just to be sure that you get it; nothing was made that wasn’t made by Him.
People use Collosians 1:15 to make up a religion in which they state Jesus is a created being, but if they simply read verse 16 they would know that by Him all things were created. Therefore, He must precede all things.
But, John 1:5 is one of my favorite verses. I have a fond memory of it being one of the very first times, that God grabbed me by the shirt collar and said; look here boy!
“And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
This caused me to realize that I didn’t come to God on my own, but that he had revealed Himself to me, convicted, and chosen me out of darkness to be His, but how some (most) remain under the power of darkness having their eyes blind to Him, not comprehending the God of creation. What a thing.
Why me? I’m probably the worse choice. I sure wouldn’t have chosen me. I don’t understand how some can claim to be, and by all appearances they look to be saved but God requires nothing of them. He is relentless with me, requiring ever more work, and even in specific manners and through specific things and places and people. He doesn’t seem to care that I’m uneducated and basically retarded. I suppose one can truly quench the Holy Spirit but I can’t get away from Him, not that I want to, but I admit to being told several times about some things, big things.
And the Word was (is) God.
On January 21, 2021 at 10:40 am, Herschel Smith said:
Thanks Fred.
What you’ll find if you study the reformed creeds is that every word, every sentence, is carefully constructed to both (a) purvey a doctrine, and (b) make sure that it’s contrary heresy is denied.
On January 21, 2021 at 1:07 pm, JF said:
Wow, Fred — way to praise God!
I identify with “I’m probably the worse choice. I sure wouldn’t have chosen me.”
2 Cor 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
No only wouldn’t I have picked me. I wouldn’t have called me righteous and Jesus sin. Thank you God that you did what I couldn’t, wouldn’t — and what no one else could or what!
On January 21, 2021 at 4:18 pm, scott s. said:
Or alternatively, the Ist, IInd, and Vth Articles of Religion (Ist, IInd, and IVth for methodists who omit “Of the going down of Christ into Hell”).