Quote:
Originally Posted by OBW
When I read the Bible, I see facts and I see intent, commands, etc. To a great degree, the things about what we package together into this teaching of "trinity" is mostly about the facts. God is. The Father is and does. The Son is and does. The Spirit is and does. Figuring them out and systematizing it into the best doctrinal statement does not change who they actually are. And since we only know what we can read in the scripture, then putting more definitions around it, then telling some stories that are not from the Bible but are supplied to support extra-biblical theory, the only conclusion that I can reach is that we are trying to force something into the reading of scripture that is not there...
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The Spirit is and does... well that is what I am after here. The Holy Spirit is what and does what? Is the Spirit the Angel of the Lord, and how does this relate to the holy angels of God? Because they are also spirits. They also are, and do.
Look in Revelation 22: in verse 7 the Lord Jesus says, "Behold I come quickly", then in verse 8 and 9 it is the messenger angel speaking. Then in verse 13 it is "Behold I come quickly" (Jesus) again, and verse 14 is "I am the Alpha and Omega" again. So the speaking goes from Jesus to the messenger back to God. This happens in the scriptures again and again. First God, then an angel, with no obvious transition. Or vice versa: the person calls the angel "God". And they are all spirits. God is Spirit, and angels are spirits. There is the Holy Spirit and the holy angels of God.
How does this matter? If we understand better (assuming our hearts are pure, of course) we might cooperate better. In Luke chapter 7, the Roman Centurion saved Jesus a trip: "You just say the word". It seems like that statement saved Jesus a few hours of walking. Because later they asked what time the servant was healed and it was the same time Jesus spoke. So obviously He wasn't 100 yards away. He was at quite some distance. The Centurion's understanding of the divine dynamic apparently increased its functional efficiency dramatically. And the Centurion, it seems, wasn't talking about the Holy Spirit ("I also have servants under me").
Maybe if we understood more we might be more effective in our ministry. It's one thing to inherit your father's car. It's another thing entirely to know how to drive it.