Fundamentalists, Do I have this right?

Question

God came down to Earth took on human form and was called Jesus. Jesus (a.k.a. God) often prayed to God (a.k.a. Jesus) while here. Jesus (a.k.a. God) performed miracles in the name of God (a.k.a. Jesus). Jesus's other alias God demanded a sacrifice to cleanse man's sins , so Jesus (a.k.a. God) obeyed himself and was crucified. While on the cross, Jesus (a.k.a.God) cried out to God (a.k.a.Jesus) why had he ( Jesus) been forsaken by God (a.k.a.jesus. )..................Hold on ,the plot thickens. In order for any man to enter Heaven He must believe in God (a.k.a Jesus ) and believe in Jesus(a.k.a. God) Man can't believe only in God who is also Jesus or only in Jesus who is also God even though they're one and the same without running the risk of burning in hell for eternity.

I didn't throw in the Holy Ghost as I was getting confused as it was.

I am a believer, just not in this indefensible nonsense. Is it any wonder so many reject God and Jesus?

multiplexity1: I don't feel you understood the question. I think you missed the point.

Answer 1

Yes, nothing like taking a man of simple teachings on love and acceptance and morphing him into a deity whose essence nobody can really understand.

Answer 2

Three points.
The first point is that I believe that the risk of "hell" is
...being destroyed for all eternity by being burned up (ie destroyed) in a "lake of fire" not burning in hell for eternity (as in punishment and torture forever). This is a somewhat subtle point in that being destroyed is probably worse if you really do understand what you are missing. Even the lake of fire is figurative for being utterly wiped from God's memory (to use a more modern figure of speech). This belief of mine is meant to be a correction to fundamentalist theology. You are right, fundamentalists tend to believe AND teach this to modern unbelievers with the predictable disastrous effects. (This point of view worked in the past and like a lot of things that work for the wrong reasons has gotten enshrined as "truth")

The second point is that by not carrying through with the Holy Spirit arguments you missed the part that actually ties this complicated theological structure together with some semblance of completeness. The Holy Spirit in us is also God/Jesus so in some sense we are becoming "sons (and daughters) of God" and thus the situation by being even more confused actually simplifies to "God is Love" which now makes sense of the complex interelationships that allow for Love to be expressed. Since Love is the very nature of God, the Trinity and our separate selves exist so that we can receive the Love of God and love in return.

Third point is that it seems that you and I share a personality trait which makes it hard to understand why so many people need all this complicated stuff. It seems like the scribes and Pharisees (aka theologians) have taken over Christ's message which can be understood by a child and made it into something that requires real effort to sort out. Shame isn't it. Which I believe was the point of your question.

Answer 3

You forgot the Holy Spirit because God is a Trinity. The Trinity God can branch out into Jesus and the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament Jesus is called The Branch in one book.

We can't ever limit God because He is capable of doing many things. If you really want to know God, take a look at the universe and its power. It declares His glory.

Answer 4

Close, but that only counts in horseshoes....

The Bible teaches that God exist in a triune (three person) form. That is the reason that he made man the same way. According to Genesis 2:7 God formed a 1) body from the elements of the earth, breathed into it a 2) spirit and the union caused a living 3) soul.

Three parts of man, each operating in a different realm, for a different purpose, and by different laws. The body touches the physical and is limited by physics, time and space. The soul controls the mind, will and emotions, and works in the mental realm. It is not subject to the limits of physics. The spirit communicates with the heavenly or spiritual realm in which the throne of God is currently lcoated. Each part is just as much "him" as any of the other parts. They communicate and work together to accomplish things. None is superior or inferior to the others.

So God operates in each of those same three realms. In the spiritual realm he is called God the Father. In the physical realm he appeared for a time as God the Son (also called Jesus). In the hearts of men he operates as God the Holy Spirit. One person, operating in three different realms.

While in the physical realm, Jesus was subject to physics, time and space. He operated by the same forces available to any other human, prayer, faith, fasting, the scriptures, etc. He needed to communciate with God the Father, the same as your body needs to communciate with your mind to get things done. What miracles he performed were done by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the same as is available to any other person.

Once of the principles that God put into the universe when he started it is the principle of "free will". It is the ability of a human to make decisions, but then to have to live with the consequences of those decisions. If a person jumps off a cliff, he lives with the consequence of "gravity". If a person cheats on his spouse, he lives with the consequences of that action when she finds out. If a person helps, supports and encourages another to a better life, that person lived with the consequences (rewards) of that action.

Like it or not, the consequence of sin is always death. If a person sins, death will result - just as sure as stepping off a cliff will make a fall result. But God build in an "Escape clause". Someone who is total innocent can except the consequences for another. Of course, it would mean that the innocent person would die.

Because of his love for all of mankind, God could not permit anyone to do that. So he did it himself. He entered the physical realm as God the Son (while still remaining in the spiritual realm as the Father and the heart realm as the Holy Spirit). He gave up his power and subjected himself to all the limitations of humanity so that he could be that total innocent human. And then he took death for everyone else. The consequences were meet, but the freewill was not taken from anyone. A perfect solution.

But it requires more than just believing "God" exist. A person can believe that God exist and then totally reject or refuse to follow him. (Church people do that all the time). God is looking for more than just acknowledgment of his existence. He is looking for surrender to his will. That begins by acknowledging the sacrifice of Christ and permitting him to be the Lord of your life. When you do, the Holy Spirit is able to enter and cause a new birth which puts you in connection with God on all three levels, spirit, soul and body.

Since man, like God, exist in three parts or realms, salvation needs to happen in all of them.

Answer 5

Jesus was a myth character created by JK Rollings type great great grand ancestors..
there were jesus type preacher/healer characters who spread the bulls||it crap like walking on water and the son of goD stories with the help of his companions to make a handsome living by fooling dumb villagers.
still there are people like sathya sri sai baba who make a living by fooling indians...he can create ashes from his hand, but he ran away when he was challanged by Abrahm Choor.

Answer 6

If you say so,I'm not a fundamentalist and sorry to burst your bubble but FAITH HAS ALREADY BEEN PROVEN.Just ask billions of people worldwide,they'll be happy to give you some insight.Oh I forgot,you don't believe any of them.Your superior intellect a.k.a ego won't allow it,very sad.

Answer 7

The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God (cf. John 8:58, 10:38, 14:10; Col. 2:9). And yes, Jesus DID say he was God. In John 8:58, when quizzed about how he has special knowledge of Abraham, Jesus replies, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am"—invoking and applying to himself the personal name of God—"I Am" (Ex. 3:14). His audience understood exactly what he was claiming about himself. "So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple" (John 8:59). In John 5:18 we are told that Jesus’ opponents sought to kill him because he "called God his Father, making himself equal with God."

In John 20:28, Thomas falls at Jesus’ feet, exclaiming, "My Lord and my God!" (Greek: Ho Kurios mou kai ho Theos mou—literally, "The Lord of me and the God of me!")

Philippians 2:6 says that Jesus "who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped" (New International Version). So Jesus chose to be born in humble, human form though he could have simply remained in equal glory with the Father for he was "in very nature God."

Also significant are passages that apply the title "the First and the Last" to Jesus (Rev. 1:17). This is one of the Old Testament titles of Yahweh: "Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of armies: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides me there is no god’" (Is. 44:6; cf. 41:4, 48:12).

This title is directly applied to Jesus three times in the book of Revelation: "When I saw him [Christ], I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the First and the Last’" (Rev. 1:17). "And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the First and the Last, who died and came to life’" (Rev. 2:8). "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the beginning and the end" (Rev. 22:12–13).

This last quote is especially significant since it applies to Jesus the parallel title "the Alpha and the Omega," which Revelation earlier applied to the Lord God: "‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty" (Rev. 1:8).

But did the early Christians believe this? YES! Here are some quotes:

Ignatius of Antioch: "Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to the Church at Ephesus in Asia . . . predestined from eternity for a glory that is lasting and unchanging, united and chosen through true suffering by the will of the Father in Jesus Christ our God" (Letter to the Ephesians 1 [A.D. 110]).

Aristides: "[Christians] are they who, above every people of the earth, have found the truth, for they acknowledge God, the Creator and maker of all things, in the only-begotten Son and in the Holy Spirit" (Apology 16 [A.D. 140]).

Clement of Alexandria: "The Word, then, the Christ, is the cause both of our ancient beginning—for he was in God—and of our well-being. And now this same Word has appeared as man. He alone is both God and man, and the source of all our good things" (Exhortation to the Greeks 1:7:1 [A.D. 190]).

Answer 8

If your asking if I believe in the trinity the answer is yes.

Answer 9

offf by a long shot, study the triune theory read augustines de trinitate and you might have an idea

Answer 10

As a fundamentalist minister it is my opinion that you have it 100% correct.