Moses,

 

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. (Ephesians 1:2&3)

 

I would like to start by saying this…I have spent years of my life in search of "truth."  In my search I have discovered that once we obtain the precious "hidden" treasures to be found in the Word of God--that it is quite bitter-sweet.   Truth sets us apart…and does a work in our lives.  We shortly after come to realize that everyone isn't so interested in truth…and they reject and deny it vehemently.  Acceptance and approval of humanity is more important to most then standing alone on truth.  It is my opinion that "truth" is allegorized as being "hidden" because it is so difficult to find—it's rare (not widely accepted).  The reason it is so difficult to find is none other then man-made religion.  We have Rome (Babylon; confusion) to thank for the many distortions of the nature of God and Jesus Christ.  Rev. 17:5 discusses, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER (Rome that sits on the 7 hills discussed) OF HARLOTS (PROTESTANT CHURCHES) AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."  History and the Bible solidify the fact that both the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant churches are the tool by which Satan (the god of this age) deceives the hearts and minds of men.  This has been done through man-made dogmas. 

 

It is at your request that I respond to the following.  I will be taking it slow and address only part of your email at this time.  

 

 At this point, I was really hoping to hear more from you about what you believe about the Trinity, or rather the nature of God, of Christ and of the Holy Spirit, and especially to have some scriptural justification to ground your beliefs because not much has been provided. God is a spirit It is my belief that "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24)…(Numbers 23:19) "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it?..." (Numbers 23:19) The verses that I just cited clearly reveal the "nature" of God--He is spirit.     Jesus on the other hand is a man...he was divinely conceived by a miracle of the Holy Spirit and born flesh and blood.  In order for the promised Messiah to be suitable "atonement" for the first Adam, the second Adam had to be capable of sinlessness and death. "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead."  (I Cor. 15:21).  Jesus nature is without doubt that of a human man.  James 1:13 states that God cannot be tempted. Jesus was tempted Heb. 4:15   "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…"  Jesus was the prophesied Messiah, "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me.." (Acts 3:22-24).  Jesus, during his earthly ministry taught that he was in fact the promised Messiah " And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself."   (Luke 24:27).  Jesus promised that after he was glorified (why would God need to be glorified?) and the individual believed him to be the Christ, that they would receive the Holy Ghost.   Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, of a truth this is the Prophet." (John 7:39&40).

The Holy Spirit is not another role in a 3 person Godhead, but rather the power and force by which God reconciles, communicates and works in his subjects.  "But if the spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."  This verse reveals that it was the spirit of him that raised Jesus from the dead that dwells in the believer. (The Holy Spirit).  The question that then arises is, who raised Jesus?  "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead."  (Col. 2:12) God clearly rose Jesus from the dead.  "Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places." ( Eph. 1:20)  "That thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." (Romans 10:9).   (Nothing in that verse necessitates belief in a Triune God for salvation)     Adhering to the scripture and the flow of the resurrection account, we can conclude that God raised Jesus from the dead, and he did so by and through his spirit.  Thus God and the Holy Spirit are one and the same. The Holy Spirit is NOT another role in a 3 person Godhead, neither did God raise the 2^nd role or person in the Godhead from the dead.  God (The Father, creator of all things) raised Jesus (the man who died, the promised Messiah) from the dead…and later sent his Holy Spirit to indwell those who believe exactly what Romans 10:9 states. 

 

I hope I adequately explained to you what I believe about the Trinity and the natures of God and Christ…and the Holy Spirit.  That is it for now, next I will address the subordination of Christ.