testify_to_the_father john Of greatest import to the Christian should not be the question of whether or not Christ was God, but whether the Son should come before the Father in our hearts. Understand that the entire purpose of Christ's life, death and resurrection was to prove beyond any doubt that the Father, who gives life to all, will give Life to those who remain faithful and obedient to Him. Whether or not Christ was possessed of the Lord's Spirit is a game to be played by scholars, little more. Let them bat their philosophies and their conjectures back and forth. Whether Christ's death was one of symbolic, blood-letting sacrifice or not, again is a distraction and little more. For if we are not obedient to the Father, how then can we be worthy of the Son's sacrifice? Won't we, instead be mocking His sacrifice and His example by not following that example? Let the scholars argue until the day of judgement about who Christ was and what He did. The best they can hope to do is to shed light on a question that only a fool would engage, the worst they can hope to do is to embrace a lie, leading others away from the Will of our Father, Lord God Creator. Their egos, their opinions and their rhetoric are their gods. Again and again we are reminded by these "scholars" of the multiheaded nature of their perception of God. He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit they assure us. If that is true, then should we not give allegiance to the Father before the Son? Was it not He who sacrificed the Son? Was it not His Spirit that was sent through the Son? Is it not His Spirit that can fill our lives? Was it not His Spirit that guided the Son to Calvary? Was it not His Hand that brought about Christ's resurrection? Why then do they insist that we address the Son before the Father? Why then do they claim that we cannot be saved except through the Son? Was it the Son's power that saved Him? Or was it rather the Power of the Father that brought Life back to that lifeless body? The alternative is to believe that the Son died without faith in His own Father. That He simply knew He could bring Himself back to life. That He was capable of His own resurrection, and that therefore His sacrifice and faith were only the illusions of sacrifice and faith. What faith is there if one knows that one can bring one's self back from the dead? What sacrifice is to be found there? Why, none at all. This notion reduces the enormous faith of which Christ was possessed to little more than a parlor trick. That is not philosophy, that is not theology. That is blasphemy. It is only through the Power and Spirit of the Father that the Son was risen, that the Son was able to raise others. It was only through obedience to the Father that the Son was resurrected. He did not know he would live again, he had faith that he would live again and was obedient to the Father no matter what the outcome would prove to be. "Thy will be done" might have been Christ's motto, not "I will do it because I know that I will live again." It is only through obedience and loyalty to the Father, and faith in the Father, that we can hope to be saved. To address the Son in hope of salvation, is to address He who led the way, but who did not bring about the miracle. To address the Son before the Father is a fool's gamble, a roll of a three-sided die brought to you, not courtesy of the Son, nor of the Father, nor of the Holy Spirit, but brought to you by men. By pompous, pretentious philosophers, and so-called scholars who have overlooked the most obvious of Christ's gifts to us: His message. That message is this: If you are obedient to God the Father as was Christ, you will not die, but will live again and again for the Father will not let you die. He will bring you back to life. Cherish the Son, but keep your eyes, heart, loyalty, love and faith with the Father, always. All glory to the Father! Amen 031102 ... magicforest Sh'ma Yisrael! Adonai Eloheynu, Adonai Echad. Believe where your heart is going already. Doesn't matter as much as they will tell you. In the end we're just looking for something to have faith in. 031102 ... Dafremen I just gotta say, because it needed to be said. Wow. How that point about Jesus being able to bring himself back to life escaped modern theologists is beyond me. How it escaped ME is beyond me. Kudos and bravo...er Amen 031104 ... have nice trines although the mother would never have you "testify" to her. also, i've been dealing with tired muslims with headaches lately. 031104 ... Christ without the cross Wow. Woes John still blathe? I haven't heard someone speak like that in a long time. i have to admit, by personal conviction that my first reaction was irrritation. But wen your head is swollen with your own thoughts sometimes you become mentally deaf to the words of others. I am inspired by your passion and i am moved by your integrity. And i understand your point. 061204 ... Did you mean ... "Yes daddy!" 061206 ... Shinnokxz don't forget to drop the coins in the dish this evening 061207 what's it to you? who go blather from