holy ground

who are you saying that I am?
In recent weeks I have posted a number of blogs, with as a red line, the question: Who is Jesus Christ? Similar to Jesus once asking His disciples, “Who do people say I am?’ And after having received several answers, He asked: “But who do you say I am?”. To which Simon Peter’s response was: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That was a ‘direct hit’! Not based on human opinion and tradition, but on what God, Himself, reveals in His Word (Mat.16:13-17).

one God, the Father
More and more I discover that, through all kinds of theology, we have gotten far, yes, very far away from the simple statements of Scripture, such as that there is “one God, the Father, OUT OF Whom all things are” (1Cor.8:6). And that Jesus Christ is “the Son of God”, literally born of Mary. Theological formulations which have been declared holy, are most terribly concealing and denying these truths, ever so deeply. If God is three-in-one, then the Father is NOT “the only true God” (John 17:3). And if Jesus Christ is the Son OF God, then He is not ‘God the Son’, what is what they have made of Him. It is believed that thereby they honor Him, but in reality they do the opposite and dishonor Him by twisting His statements. I realize that I’m touching sacred cows – but it are the Scriptures that speak this way. Our Jewish friends are perfectly correct, when they reject the trinity doctrine, as being incompatible with their “Shema”:  “Hear, Israel! the Lord our God is one Lord.” (Mar.12:29, CLV; Deut.6:4)

words of human wisdom
In the weblogs that I recently wrote, I shared my latest discoveries in Scripture. It is a difficult process to break away from “words of human wisdom”. And also from all kinds of assumptions, which have been spoon-fed into us for years, but which cannot endure the critical touchstone of truth: “it is written”. The ‘pre-existence of Christ” – a term that cannot even be found in the Bible – has kept me rather busy. Two blogs, have I written about it, this week. The first one under the title, “the Word became flesh” (John 1) and yesterday one about, “the disposition of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2). Not everyone is happy with these, and I can understand that readily. It is also different from what I’ve always thought and taught. But, is it better, therefore, not to write about it? May I only signal misconceptions of others? Would that be fair?

original
For the record: the question is not whether the Son existed “before all things” (Col.1:17). Instead, the question is: what does it mean that the Son of God, only after (roughly) four thousand years of human history, is begotten? In what sense was He “before all things”? Indeed, as “word” (logos) … Anyway, in the coming days, you can certainly expect additional new findings about Scriptures, which deal with this (Colossians 1, Hebrews 1, John 17, etc.). Read these critically. Not my opinion or that of tradition or that of the group to which you belong, counts, but only “Scripture”. My motive to enter these holy grounds, is to be (in the true sense of the word) original. That is to say: back to the origin, the source. Not to Athanasius, or Arius, or to any other favorite theologian, but to the words of Paul, Peter and John. When we stand on holy ground, one thing is commanded, “take your shoes off your feet!” (Ex.3:5). Let us lay aside all human creations, in order to listen to what God, Himself, has to say.

Delen: