Any Other Gospel Other Than the Trinitarian Gospel Is a False Gospel.
guest post by: Bobby Grow
originally posted at: White To Harvest
There are certain "Christian" belief systems that assert that the Trinity is a man-made distortion of who God is. They assert that Jesus is either: a creation of God, an exalted Angel, a demiurge, a mode or expression of the one God. They assert much more, and there are many more views of who Jesus is, that are under or beyond whom Jesus really is as disclosed in Scripture. Conversely, it is those who make such assertions about who Jesus is, whom preach a different gospel -- since Jesus is the gospel. And if we get who Jesus is, wrong, then we get the Gospel wrong. If Jesus isn't the second person of the Trinity, then we end up with a gospel that necessarily starts with man. It took God assuming humanity to himself to bridge the gap between sinful man, and a holy God. If Jesus is just a creation, or a mode, then he is unable to bridge this gap ... since He "really" cannot represent us before God -- this requires a God-Man. Thankfully Jesus is the second person of the Trinity, which makes the Gospel a predicate of the Trinity. The Gospel is necessarily Trinitarian. Vanhoozer says this way more succinctly than I:
In sum, the Gospel is ultimately unintelligible apart from Trinitarian theology. Only the doctrine of the Trinity adequately accounts for how those who are not God come to share in the fellowship of Father and Son through the Spirit. The Trinity is both the Christian specification of God and a summary statement of the Gospel, in that the possibility of life with God depends on the person and work of the Son and Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity thus serves both as an identification of the dramatis personae and as a precis of the drama itself. "He is risen indeed!" (Kevin Vanhoozer, "The Drama of Doctrine," 43-44)
This illustrates my point above, that in order for man to truly be brought into the presence of a holy God, requires that God bring us into his very life! Which He did, in Christ. Unfortunately, this means that LDS, Jehovah's Witnesses, Apostolic Oneness Pentecostals, Unitarians, et al. all preach a different gospel than the one proclaimed by the Apostles in the New Testament. The Gospel is exclusive by definition, to Trinitarians.
Labels: Bobby Grow on the Trinity
22 Comments:
Amen!
Angela :-)
February 11, 2008 12:49 AM
Angela, I'll second your Amen!
February 11, 2008 7:26 AM
"that in order for man to truly be brought into the presence of a holy God, requires that God bring us into his very life!"
Amen!
February 11, 2008 7:33 AM
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all involved in the gospel. This is the foundation as you have pointed out so well.
February 11, 2008 10:03 AM
Bobby, you are a man after mine own heart! Great post, and I love the quote from Vanhoozer.
February 11, 2008 3:48 PM
Thanks everyone, our God is indeed an awesome God!
And if I am a man after Jonathan's heart, I must be heading in the right direction ;-)!
February 11, 2008 5:06 PM
> The Gospel is exclusive by definition, to Trinitarians.
Do you think that God intends it to be so exclusive?
February 12, 2008 4:20 AM
maalie,
Jesus says, "Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light." Matt. 11:28-29
He calls to all who are heavy laden.
February 12, 2008 6:34 AM
>He calls to all who are heavy laden
Fair point, Donsands, that appears to be what is written. However, does that mean that those who are joyous and happy and who are not burdened with troubles are not called to him?
February 12, 2008 6:38 AM
"does that mean that those who are joyous and happy and who are not burdened with troubles are not called to him?"
That is a fair assessment.
I answered your question only because it may be on other people's minds who are true seekers. You have been asked to stay away from this blog. Any future comments from you WILL be deleted.
February 12, 2008 7:11 AM
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February 12, 2008 7:20 AM
To all:
Jesus came on the scene preaching repentance (change of mind, leading to change of lifestyle wherein He is submitted to as King of your life). That message is for today as well. If you feel the pangs in your heart, the pangs of conviction that you are a sinner before a holy God, then Christ invites you to come to Him for rest for your souls. He wants us to learn of Him, and to take His yoke upon us (surrendering control of your life to Him).
February 12, 2008 7:23 AM
"However, does that mean that those who are joyous and happy and who are not burdened with troubles are not called to him?"
Everyone is laden with sin.
And I ditto Mark's exhortation. Jesus calls us to repent and believe. Amen.
February 12, 2008 7:54 AM
However, does that mean that those who are joyous and happy and who are not burdened with troubles are not called to him?
When a person does not think he has any need for God, then he has not been called yet. I spent most of my life thinking I had no need for God or Jesus. Then things changed when I was effectually called.
February 12, 2008 8:09 AM
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February 12, 2008 9:04 AM
"Did Jesus really say we shouldn't be happy and joyous?"
Nope.
Those who have come to Christ have the joy of knowing they are forgiven of all there sins. As far as the East is from the West, the Lord has removed our sins.
Sin is the problem.
We, mankind, have to deal with our sin. Sins of commission, and omision.
The bottom line is love. Do we love Christ with all our heart, mind, and soul, and do we love our neighbor as ourself. And our neighbor is all people.
No one does this. Jesus did it. He was sinless. He is the Son of the living God, the second Person of the Trinity, whom the Father gave to us as a sin offering. And the Holy Spirit, the third person is here in the Church declaring the Gospel, or this Good News of John 3:16, and all who turn from their sin, and turn to Christ and trust Him, will receive forgiveness of sin, and will become a new creation in Christ.
And this joy is above all other joys on earth. And is a joy we will have throughout eternity!
February 12, 2008 9:51 AM
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February 12, 2008 10:52 AM
Most people I know lead good law-abiding lives and if they inadvertently cause hurt they apologise.
Anyone who looks at the state of the world and sees this is most defintely deluded or were you talking about your immediate neighborhood. If you were then you must consider the world as a whole to see the true picture.
February 12, 2008 12:17 PM
Sin is falling short of God's standard of holiness. That standard: Jesus Christ. If one is not in Christ (being born again, forgiven, redeemed, declared righteous) then one is to face God's eternal judgement in the Lake of Fire.
February 12, 2008 12:42 PM
Jill,
I hope to answer your question when I'm feeling better, perhaps tomorrow.
Mark
February 13, 2008 1:22 PM
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February 20, 2008 5:42 AM
o
February 20, 2008 10:54 AM
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