The Doctrines of the Trinity & The Deity of Christ

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The Doctrines of the TrinityThe Deity of Christ
as revealed in Johns prologue
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No man has seen God at any timethe one and
only God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He
has explained Him.
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Arent there records in the OT where people claim
they saw God?
Yes.
Genesis 16.13 Hagar asked, Have I even remained
alive here after seeing Him (the LORD)? Genesis
32.30 Jacob said, I have seen God face to face,
yet my life has been preserved. Judges
13.22 So Manoah said, We shall surely die,
for we have seen God.
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Doesnt the Bible record cases where people saw
God?
Exodus 24.10-11 and they saw the God of
Israel under His feet there appeared to be a
pavement of sapphireYet He did not stretch out
His hand against the nobles of the sons of
Israel they beheld God, they ate and
drank. Numbers 12.8 God says of Moses, With
him I speak face to face, he beholds the form
of the LORD.
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Doesnt the Bible say the LORD appear to people?
Yes. In a voice In smoke In fire In visions In
His glory
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Doesnt the Bible state no one has/can see God?
Yes.
Exodus 33.20 God said to Moses, You cannot see
My face, for no man can see Me live. John
6.46 Not that any man has seen the Father,
except the One who is from God He has seen the
Father. John 1.18 No man has seen God at any
time
How are we to reconcile this apparent
contradiction?
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Visions, theophanies, His glory
In the 3 occasions of persons claiming to see God
it was the Angel of the LORD they saw.
The name of the LORD is in this angel.
Exodus 23.20 Behold, I am going to send an
angel before you to guard you along the way, and
to bring you into the place which I have
prepared. Be on your guard before him and obey
his voice do not be rebellious toward him, for
he will not pardon your transgression, since My
name is in him.
Ex. 33.19 I will proclaim the name of the LORD
before you
what He is like
Ex. 34.6 Then the LORD passed by in front of him
and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God,
compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in lovingkindness and truth
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Sometimes the angel God are treated as one and
the same
Compare Genesis 16.10 to 16.13 Moreover, the
angel of the LORD said to her, I will greatly
multiply your descendants so that they shall be
too many to count. Then she called the name of
the LORD who spoke to her, Thou art a God who
sees for she said, Have I even remained alive
here after seeing Him?
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Compare Exodus 3.1-6 14
And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a
blazing fire from the midst of a bush He said
also, I am the God of your father, the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to
look at God.
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In some verses, the Angel and God are clearly
distinct
Zechariah 1.12-13, the Angel and God converse in
prayer Then the angel of the LORD answered and
said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt Thou have
no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of
Judah, with which Thou hast been indignant these
seventy years? And the LORD answered the angel
who was speaking with me with gracious words,
comforting words.
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How did these people see God and yet not see God?
As in the case of Moses, they saw His attributes,
but not His face.
Exodus 34.6 Then the LORD passed by in front of
him and proclaimed, The LORD, the LORD God,
compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and
abounding in lovingkindness and truth
Moses wasnt asking to see another theophany, but
to relate to God personally as any one of us
would want to know Him.
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In what way did the incarnate Logos uniquely
explain the God?
Specifically as a Father.
Children of God/child of God is not found in the
OT. Sons of God is used 3 times in Job speaking
of those who presented themselves before the LORD
along with satan. It is used 2 times in Gen. 6
as those who took wives from the daughters of men.
God relating to individual believers as a Father
is seen only after the incarnation.
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Jesus came to explain God as a Father
Jesus reveals His relationship to the
Father. Their relationship is the model for the
relationship the Father has with all who believe
in the Son.
The Logos became flesh to secure this relationship
John 1.12-13 But as many as received Him, to
them He gave the right to become children of God
the Father, even to those who believe in His
name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but born
of God.
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Jesus reveals God as Father to us
John 1.12 But as many as received Him, to them
He gave the right to become children of
God John 3.16 For the Father so loved the
world John 3.17 For God did not send the Son
into the world to judge the world, but that the
world should be saved through Him.
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Jesus reveals God as Father to us
John 5.19 Jesus therefore answered and was
saying to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the
Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is
something He sees the Father doing for whatever
the Father does, these things the Son also does
in like manner. John 5.36 for the works which
the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very
works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the
Father has sent Me. John 6.32 Jesus therefore
said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, it is
not Moses who has given you the bread out of
heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the
true bread out of heaven.
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Jesus reveals God as Father to us
John 6.44 No one can come to Me, unless the
Father who sent Me draws him and I will raise
him up on the last day. John 8.28 Jesus
therefore said, When you lift up the Son of Man,
then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing
on My own initiative, but I speak these things as
the Father taught Me. John 8.42 Jesus said to
them, If God were your Father, you would love
Me for I proceeded forth and have come from God,
for I have not even come on My own initiative,
but He sent Me.
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Jesus reveals God as Father to us
John 10.18 No one has taken it away from Me,
but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have
authority to lay it down, and I have authority to
take it up again. This commandment I received
from My Father. John 10.27-29 My sheep hear
My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me
and I give eternal life to them, and they shall
never perish and no one shall snatch them out of
My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is
greater than all and no one is able to snatch
them out of the Fathers hand. John 12.26 If
anyone serves Me, let him follow Me and where I
am, there shall My servant also be if anyone
serves Me, the Father will honor him.
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Jesus reveals God as Father to us
John 12.49-50 For I did not speak on My own
initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me
has given Me commandment, what to say, and what
to speak. And I know that His commandment is
eternal life therefore the things I speak, I
speak just as the Father has told Me. John
14.9-10 Jesus said to him, Have I been so long
with you, and yet you have not come to know Me,
Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father
how do you say, Show us the Father? Do you not
believe that I am in the Father, and the Father
is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not
speak on My own initiative, but the Father
abiding in Me does His works.
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Jesus reveals God as Father to us
John 14.16 And I will ask the Father, and He
will give you another Helper, that He may be with
you forever John 14.21 He who has My
commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves
Me and he who loves Me shall be loved by My
Father, and I will love him, and will disclose
Myself to him. John 14.23 Jesus answered and
said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My
word and My Father will love him, and We will
come to him, and make Our abode with him.
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Jesus reveals God as Father to us
John 16.15 All things that the Father has are
Mine therefore I said, that He takes of Mine,
and will disclose it to you. John
16.25-27 These things I have spoken to you in
figurative language an hour is coming when I
will speak no more to you in figurative language,
but will tell you plainly of the Father. In that
day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to
you that I will request the Father on your
behalf for the Father Himself loves you, because
you have loved Me, and have believed that I came
forth from the Father. John 17
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Jesus reveals God as Father to us
John 20.17 Jesus said to her, Stop clinging to
Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father
but go to My brethren, and say to them, I ascend
to My Father and your Father, and My God and your
God.
Hebrews 1.3 And He is the radiance of the
Fathers glory the exact representation of His
nature. Colossians 1.15 He is the image of the
invisible God.
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The Fathers love for Jesus is His love for us
1 John 3.1 See how great a love the Father has
bestowed upon us, that we should be called
children of God and such we are. Romans
8.15-18 For you have not received a spirit of
slavery leading to fear again, but you have
received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we
cry out, Abba! Father! The Spirit Himself bears
witness with our spirit that we are children of
God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God
and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer
with Him in order that we may also be glorified
with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the glory that is to be revealed to us.