Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: cadence!stevep@uunet.uu.net (Steve Peterson) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: How does the Godhead function? Message-ID: Date: 11 Dec 90 06:26:52 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Cadence Design Systems, Inc. Lines: 32 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article Our moderator writes: >..............[discussion of God being revealed in differnt "modes" deleted] >Many people have a hard time relating these technical discussions to >the portait of Jesus in the NT. But it's clear that what started the >Church down this line was statements in John, Colossians, and Hebrews >talking about Jesus as having a preexistence. The obvious way to ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >interpret this is as I believe the JW's do: that the Son is a separate ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >quasi-divine entity that existed "in the heavens" and then came down >to earth and lived as Jesus. The problem is with things like "I and >the Father are one"........ Yes, I agree that this is the obvious way to understand this. There is no problem with Jesus' statement: "I and the Father are one". (John 10:30) When Jesus said this did he mean that they formed some sort of Trinity? Some Trinitarians say that he did. But at John 17:21, 22, Jesus prayed regarding his followers: "That they many all be one," and he added,"**That they may be one even as we are one**." He used the same Greek word (hen) for "one" in all these instances. Obviously, Jesus' desciples do not all become part of the Trinity. But they do come to share a oneness or purpose with the Father and the Son, the same sort of oneness that unites God and Jesus... "**That they may be one even as we are one**"........... Interesting..... Best regards..... Steve Peterson stevep@cadence.com or ........uunet!cadence!stevep