If You want to download, click on the link!!: WHAT DOES THE SCRIPTURE SAY ABOUT THE IDENTITY OF THE MESSIAH?
1. What does the Scripture say about who the Messiah/Christ Will be?
Key Verse- Matthew 16:13-19 “When Jesus came into the region of
Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”
So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others
Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God.”
Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
(NT Word- “Christ” comes from the Greek Word “Christos” defined by
“Thayer’s” as “anointed, Christ was the Messiah the Son of God.”
OT Word- “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew Word “mashiyach” defined by
“Brown-Driver-Briggs” as “anointed one”.)
What was Peter implying when he said this? Let’s take a look at the scripture.
Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” Which is translated in Matthew 1:23 by the angel that came to Joseph
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call
His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Genesis 49:10-11 KJV “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come;
and unto him shall the gathering of the people be. Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine; he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes.”
(“Shiloh” A city in Ephraim, which in Joshua 18:1 was the first place they set up the tabernacle, when they went into the promise land. The prophecy of Jacob didn’t mean the place of the tabernacle in Ephraim, but was saying “the Messiah would be the tabernacle of God”!!)
Isaiah 35:4-6 “Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, With the recompense of God;
He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then the lame shall leap like a deer, And the tongue of the dumb sing. For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.”
Which God Explains greater in Isaiah 42:1, 6-7 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.” “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.”
(“Put” Merriam Webster defines as “To cause to endure, or suffer something. To impose or inflict” another definition said “to devote oneself to activity or end. To cause to perform a action.”)
Isaiah 11:1-2 “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”
Isaiah 61:1-3 say’s something very similar “The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Which also in Luke 4:17-19 Jesus quotes also in the synagogue at the beginning of His ministry. Although, He stopped at verse 2 of Isaiah 61:2. “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
Isaiah 45:3-6 “Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O Mighty One,
With Your glory and Your majesty. And in Your majesty ride prosperously
because of truth, humility, and righteousness; And Your right hand shall teach You awesome things.
Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the King’s enemies;
The peoples fall under You. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.”
Psalms 68:18-19 “You have ascended on high,
You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the Lord God might dwell there. Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation!
(Thayer’s gives the meaning of “Jesus” which comes from the Hebrew Word “Yehoshua”. “Jehovah (God) is salvation” Jesus the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind God incarnate.” As the angel stated in Matthew
1:21 to Joseph “she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”)
Corner Stone:
Psalms 118:20-22 “This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter. I will praise You, for You have answered me, And have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”
(The “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance” translates the word “salvation” from the Hebrew word “yeshuah” meaning “salvation.”)
Jesus refers the chief priests and scribes back to Psalms 118:22 in
Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10, and Luke 20:17. He says in verse 18 “Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
The Apostle Peter refers also to Psalms 118:22 in Acts 4:11-12 but in verse 12 he sheds forth a new revelation. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Isaiah 28:16 “Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; whoever believes will not act hastily.”
Which is explained by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:19-20 “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone.”
The Apostle Peter also references Isaiah 28:16 in 1 Peter 2:6 and in 7-8 (KJV) he expounds on “Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.”
Isaiah 11:10 (KJV) “in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.
The word translated here as “ensign” comes from the Hebrew word “nes”. “The Strong’s exhaustive concordance” defines this as “banner, pole, sail, ensign, standard.” Just as what was stated in Exodus 17:15 (KJV) “And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi.” Which the
Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Defines as “Jehovah is my banner.”
(*For more info on the rest, look at Isaiah 28:11-12, and Hebrews 3:7- 4:11.)
Isaiah 25:8-9 “He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.
And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord;
We have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
Isaiah 53:2-6 “For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; he was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Jeremiah 23:6 (KJV) “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, the Lord our Righteousness.”
The words translated as “the Lord our Righteousness” comes from the
Hebrew words “Yehovah Tsidqenu”. Which the “Brown-Driver-Briggs’s Lexicon” defines as “Jehovah is our righteousness, a sacred name symbolically applied to Jerusalem and the Messiah.”
Isaiah 49:6-9 “Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Thus says the Lord,
The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers:
“Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen You.”
Micah 5:2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”
Isaiah 59:16-17 “He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. For He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; He put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak.”
Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Which is fulfilled in all four gospels Matthew 21:2-11, Mark 11:2-10, Luke 19:30-40, and John 12:12-16.
Isaiah 62:11 “Indeed the Lord has proclaimed
To the end of the world: “Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Surely your salvation is coming; behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.’”
Zechariah 11:12-13 “Then I said to them, “If it is agreeable to you, give me my wages; and if not, refrain.” So they weighed out for my wages thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—that princely price they set on me. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord for the potter.”
Which in the law in Exodus 21:32 it states “If the ox gores a male or female servant, he shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver, and the ox shall be stoned.” This was fufilled in Matthew 26:14-15 “Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.
Isaiah 63:1 “Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from
Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel,
Traveling in the greatness of His strength?— “I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
Zechariah 12:10 “I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”
This is also referenced in John 19:37, and also Revelations 1:7 “behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.
Even so, Amen.”
Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.”
The messenger is prophesied of also in Isaiah 40:3. Which is fulfilled in John the Baptist see Matthew 3:1-3, Mark 1:2-5, Luke 3:2-6, and John
1:19-27. Which John the Baptist testified of himself in John 1:23 (KJV) “He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.”
In Isaiah 40:3 the word translated as “Lord” is the Hebrew word “yehôvâh”.
Numbers 24:17-19 “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and batter the brow of Moab, and destroy all the sons of tumult.
“and Edom shall be a possession; Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession, while Israel does valiantly. Out of Jacob One shall have dominion, and destroy the remains of the city.”
Zechariah 13:7 “Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,
Against the Man who is My Companion,” says the Lord of hosts.
“Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered;
Then I will turn My hand against the little ones.”
Deuteronomy 18:15 “The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.”
Zechariah 14:9 “the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— “The Lord is one,” and His name one.”
This is also seen in Revelation 21:3 penned by the Apostle John “I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”
The word translated here as “Lord” is once again “yehôvâh”.
Conclusion- John 4:22 “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.”
2.What in Scripture does God say about Himself?
Key verse- Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”
Mark 12:29 “Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is:
‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
Isaiah 43:10-13 “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, and there was no foreign god among you; therefore you are My witnesses, ”says the Lord, “that I am God. Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?”
Isaiah 45:18 “For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens, who is God, who formed the earth and made it, who has established it, who did not create it in vain, who formed it to be inhabited: “I am the Lord, and there is no other.”
Isaiah 42:13 “The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies.”
Isaiah 45:5-6 “That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none besides Me. I am the Lord, and there is no other; I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the
Lord, do all these things.’”
Job 38:4-6 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements?
Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone.”
Isaiah 40:13-14,18 “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him? With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of justice? Who taught Him knowledge, and showed Him the way of understanding? To whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will you compare to Him?”
Isaiah 40:25 “To whom then will you liken Me, Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
Isaiah 66:1 “Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, and all those things exist,” says the Lord.”
Hosea 13:4 “Yet I am the Lord your God ever since the land of Egypt,
And you shall know no God but Me; For there is no savior besides
Me.”
Isaiah 45:21-22 “Tell and bring forth your case; yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me.
“Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.”
Isaiah 44:8 “Do not fear, nor be afraid; have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me?
Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ ”
The Apostle Paul knew this when He declared in 1 Corinthians 10:4 “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the
Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God.”
(“I am the first and the last” is used 6 times in Isaiah 44:6, Isaiah 41:4, and
48:12 by the Father. It’s also said by Jesus in Revelations 1:11,
Revelations 1:17, and Revelations 22:17.)
Isaiah 48:11-16 “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; for how should My name be profaned? And I will not give My glory to another.
“Listen to Me, O Jacob,And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last. Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has stretched out the heavens; when I call to them, they stand up together. “All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear! Who among them has declared these things? The Lord loves him; He shall do His pleasure on Babylon, And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans. I, even I, have spoken; Yes, I have called him, I have brought him, and his way will prosper. “Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord
God and His Spirit have sent Me.”
Isaiah 43:3 “For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place.”
Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake.”
Isaiah 44:24 “Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself.”
Isaiah 46:5 “To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal and compare Me, that we should be alike?”
Isaiah 46:9-10 “Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.”
Isaiah 45:22-23 (KJV) “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return,
That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”
This the Apostle Paul went back to in Romans 14:11 saying “For it is written: “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Then he reveals in a greater measure in Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Isaiah 12:1-3 “in that day you will say: “O Lord, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.’”
(Jesus= “Jehovah is salvation”)
Conclusion- Deuteronomy 4:35 “To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord Himself is God; there is none other besides Him.”
3.What does Jesus say about Himself?
Key Verse- John 3:34-35 (KJV) “For He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him. The Father (the Spirit) loveth the Son (the flesh), and hath given all things into His hand.”
Acts 9:1-5 “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
John 14:28 “You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.”
John 6:62-63 “What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where
He was before? (Speaking of the Deity, “the Spirit of God” John 4:24, Isaiah 11:2, Isaiah 42:1, Isaiah 61:1, Isaiah 48:16) It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
The word translated here as “words” comes from the Greek Word “rhēma”. Which the “Thayer’s Greek Lexicon” defines as “that which is or has been uttered by the living voice, thing spoken, word.”
Who Caused the Resurrection?
John 2:19 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
While in Romans 8:11 it says that “if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
While Peter says clearly in Acts 5:30 “The God of our fathers raised up
Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.”
Then Romans 6:4 says “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
The Apostle Paul who wrote both Romans 8:11, and Romans 6:4, says again in Galatians 1:1 “Paul, an apostle (not from men nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead).”
John 5:17-18 (AMP) “But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now [He has never ceased working], and I too am working.” This made the Jews more determined than ever to kill Him, for not only was
He breaking the Sabbath [from their viewpoint], but He was also calling
God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”
The word translated here as “equal” comes from the Greek word “isos”.
Thayer’s defines that as “equal in quantity, or quality.”
John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.”
John 5:43 “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.”
John 6:46 “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from
God; He has seen the Father.”
John 14:9-10 “Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.”
John6:35-36 “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.”
Jesus said also in John 6:48 (KJV) “I am that bread of life.” (Revealing that the manna that fell on the children of Israel was a typology of His coming.)
John 7:28-29 “Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, “You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know.
But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.”
The word translated here as sent comes from the Greek Word “apostelló”.
(It’s where we get the word “apostle”.) “The Strong’s Exhaustive
Concordance” defines it as “to send out properly, on a mission literally or figuratively — put in, send, set at liberty.”
John 7:37-39 (KJV) “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
The word translated here as “belly” comes from the Greek Word “koilia”. Which the “Thayer’s Greek Lexicon” defines as “the womb, the place where the foetus is conceived and nourished until birth. The innermost part of a man, the soul, heart as the seat of thought, feeling, choice.”
Revelations 21:5-7 Jesus says this “Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
Which John testified of Himself in John 1:4-9 as he stated in verse 4-5 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”
John 8:16-19 “And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.” Then they said to Him, “Where is Your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither
Me nor My Father. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
John 8:23-24 “He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
(*Note every time in the KJV, Or the NKJV you see a word italicized it’s not in the original text. Take away the He, and what do you have?!!!!) In Exodus 3:13-15 we see this “Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I Am that I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” The Word translated here as “I Am” comes from the Hebrew Word “hayah”. The “Brown-Driver-Briggs’ Lexicon” defines it as “To Be.”
In light of John 8:23-24, Isaiah 43:10-13 translates who Jesus is “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me.
I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior. I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed,
and there was no foreign god among you; therefore you are My witnesses,” says the Lord, “that I am God. Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand; I work, and who will reverse it?”
John 8:28 “Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.”
The word translated here as “taught” comes from the Greek Word “didaskó”. The “Thayer’s Greek Lexicon” defines this as “to teach one; to impart instruction; to instill doctrine into one.”
John 8:58 “Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before
Abraham was, I AM.”
John 9:35-37 “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”
John 10:9-11 “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
John 10:14-15 “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
John 10:25 “Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me.”
John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.”
John 10:34-38 “Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, “I said, ‘You are gods” ’? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
The word translated here as “know” is translated from the Greek Word
“ginóskó”. Which the “Thayer’s Greek Lexicon” defines as “to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of.” While, the Word translated here as “believe” comes from the Greek Word “pisteuó”. The “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance” defines it as “by implication, to entrust, believe, commit, to trust, put in trust with.”
So the last line could be very well translated as “that you may perceive and trust that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
John 12:32 “I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to
Myself.”
John 12:44-45 “Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees
Him who sent Me.”
John 13:13 “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.”
John 13:19 “Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.”
John 13:31 “So, when he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.”
John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”
John 14:6-7 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”
John 14:14 “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
John 14:15-18 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
The Word translated as “orphans” comes from the Greek Word “orphanos”. The “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance” defines this as “Parentless — comfortless, fatherless.”
John 14:20-21 “At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
The word translated as “manifest” comes from the Greek word “emphanizó”. Which “Thayer’s Greek Lexicon” defines as “to indicate disclose, declare, make known.”
John 14:23-24 “Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.”
John 16:15 “All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.”
John 16:32 “Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”
John 17:26 “I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.”
John 18:5-8 “They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
Jesus said to them, “I am He.” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I have told you that
I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,”
John 20:17 “Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’ ”
Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the
End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the
Almighty.”
The word translated here as “Almighty” comes from the Greek Word
“pantokratór”. Which the “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance” defines as
“the all-ruling, God as absolute and universal sovereign — Almighty, Omnipotent.”
“Sovereign” is defined as “possessing supreme or ultimate power.”
Revelation 1:11 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,” and, “What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
Revelation 1:17-18 “when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid
His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”
Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”
Luke 24:46-47 (KJV) “He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
Which Matthew 28:18-20 (KJV) records it this way “Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Mark 16:15-18 (KJV) further expounds by saying “He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.”
Conclusion- The Apostle Peter said in Acts 2:38-39 (KJV) “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
4.What did others say about Jesus?
Key Verse- John 20:28 “Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”
1 Timothy 3:16 “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.”
The Word translated here as “controversy” comes from the Greek Word “homologoumenós”. The “Thayer’s Greek Lexicon” defines as “by consent of all, confessedly, without controversy.”
Matthew 1:18 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”
While Luke 1:35 says plainly “the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
1 Corinthians 8:5-6 “For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
Romans 3:29-30 “Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.”
Philippians 2:9-11 “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
John 1:14 “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
The word translated here as “begotten” comes from the Greek Word “monogenés”. The “Thayer’s Greek Lexicon” defines it as “single of its kind.” Brother Marvin D. Treece said it could be translated “the Unique son of God, there has never been another one like Him.”
John 1:18 “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.
The word translated here as “declared” comes from the Greek Word
“exégeomai”. The “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance” defines it as “unfold
– declare”. The definition on “Merriam-Webster.com” for “unfold” is “to open to the view : reveal; especially : to make clear by gradual disclosure and often by recital.”
Hebrews 1:1-3 (KJV) “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
The word here translated as “person” comes from the Greek Word
“hupostasis”. Which “The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance” defines as
“essence, or substance.”
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God, He was in the beginning with God (“The Father”).”
The word translated here as “Word” comes from the Greek word “logos”. The “Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance” defines it as “something said, including the thought; by implication a topic, subject of discourse, also reasoning the mental faculty, or motive.”
Titus 3:4-7 “when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
John 11:27 “She said to Him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the
Christ, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”
Acts 4:11-12 “This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Galatians 3:16-17 “Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect.”
Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Colossians 1:15-20 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.”
Colossians 2:8-10 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.”
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.”
2 Peter 1:16-18 “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from
God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”
Revelation 19:11-6 “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.”
Adam Clarke stated that “The Jews thought that the Divine name, the Tetragrammaton Yehovah, should not be uttered, and that it is absolutely unlawful to pronounce it; indeed they say that the true pronunciation is utterly lost, and cannot be recovered without an express revelation. Not one of them, to the present day, ever attempts to utter it; and, when they meet with it in their reading, always supply its place with Adonai, Lord.”
1 Timothy 6:15-16 “which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power.”
Revelation 19:11-16 and 1 Timothy 6:15-16 reveal further Deuteronomy
10:17 “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.” And Psalms 136:2-3 “Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever.”
1 John 2:13-14 “I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children,
Because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the wicked one.”
1 John 2:22-23 “Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”
1 John 3:24 “Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.”
1 John 4:2-3 “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.”
1 John 4:14-15 “we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”
1 John 5:1 “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.”
1 John 5:5 “Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”
1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.”
1 John 5:13 “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.”
Which John Says in his gospel in John 20:30-31 “truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”
1 John 5:20 “we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
Revelations 22:1-4 “he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him. They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.”
Conclusion- 2:11-13 (NET) “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, as we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
5.The Creeds/And Quotes
If Jesus died in 33 A.D. and the day of Pentecost was 50 days later. The day of Pentecost was a festival that took place 50 days after the Passover. That has Acts 2 taking place in 33 A.D., which would be the beginning of the church. How long after did the creeds come from that most churches follow these days?
I will quote the Encyclopedia Britannica on the Trinity “Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Hebrew Scriptures: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4). The earliest Christians, however, had to cope with the implications of the coming of Jesus Christ and of the presumed presence and power of God among them—i.e., the Holy Spirit, whose coming was connected with the celebration of the Pentecost. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were associated in such New Testament passages as the Great Commission:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19); and in the apostolic benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14). Thus, the New Testament established the basis for the doctrine of the Trinity.
The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. Initially, both the requirements of monotheism inherited from the Hebrew Scriptures and the implications of the need to interpret the biblical teaching to Greco-Roman religions seemed to demand that the divine in Christ as the Word, or Logos, be interpreted as subordinate to the Supreme Being. An alternative solution was to interpret Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as three modes of the self-disclosure of the one God but not as distinct within the being of God itself. The first tendency recognized the distinctness among the three, but at the cost of their equality and hence of their unity (subordinationism); the second came to terms with their unity, but at the cost of their distinctness as “persons” (modalism). It was not until the 4th century that the distinctness of the three and their unity were brought together in a single orthodox doctrine of one essence and three persons.
The Council of Nicaea in 325 stated the crucial formula for that doctrine in its confession that the Son is “of the same substance
[homoousios] as the Father,” even though it said very little about the Holy Spirit. Over the next half century, Athanasius defended and refined the
Nicene formula, and, by the end of the 4th century, under the leadership of
Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus (the Cappadocian Fathers), the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since. It is accepted in all of the historic confessions of Christianity, even though the impact of the Enlightenment decreased its importance.”
There were seven ecumenical councils. That took place from 325787 A.D. While the seventh council The Second Council of Nicaea’s whole purpose was to “affirm the use of icons and images”. Out of the seven councils, there was four creeds written. According to the world-wide church the first creed they follow they say comes from 150-180. While I can’t find the absolute date on that. The Encyclopedia Britannica says that “according to tradition, it was composed by the 12 Apostles, but it actually developed from early interrogations of catechumens (persons receiving instructions in order to be baptized) by the bishop.”
The Apostles Creed:
“I [We] believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I [We] believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I [We] believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.”
Then there came the Nicene Creed which dates from 325 A.D. I quote the Encyclopedia Britannica on this also which says “Until the early
20th century, it was universally assumed that the Niceno-
Constantinopolitan Creed (the more accurate term) was an enlarged version of the Creed of Nicaea, which was promulgated at the Council of Nicaea (325). It was further assumed that this enlargement had been carried out at the Council of Constantinople (381) with the object of bringing the Creed of Nicaea up to date in regard to heresies about the Incarnation and the Holy Spirit that had arisen since the Council of Nicaea. Additional discoveries of documents in the 20th century, however, indicated that the situation was more complex, and the actual development of the NicenoConstantinopolitan Creed has been the subject of scholarly dispute. Most likely it was issued by the Council of Constantinople, even though this fact was first explicitly stated at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. It was probably based on a baptismal creed already in existence, but it was an independent document and not an enlargement of the Creed of Nicaea.
The so-called Filioque clause (Latin filioque, “and the son”), inserted after the words “the Holy Spirit,…who proceeds from the Father,” was gradually introduced as part of the creed in the Western church, beginning in the 6th century. It was probably finally accepted by the papacy in the 11th century. It has been retained by the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant churches. The Eastern churches have always rejected it because they consider it a theological error and an unauthorized addition to a venerable document.”
The Nicene Creed:
“I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son,.
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.”
Then came the Chalcedonian Creed written in 451 A.D.
Creed of Chalcedon:
“Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Onlybegotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.”
Then came the Athanasian creed, which took place in about 500 A.D.
Athanasian Creed:
“Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith. Which faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the substance.
For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.
Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The
Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they are not three eternals, but one Eternal.
As also there are not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated, but one Uncreated, and one Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Spirit Almighty. And yet they are not three almighties, but one Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet they are not three gods, but one God.
So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Spirit Lord. And yet not three lords, but one Lord.
For as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge each Person by Himself to be both God and Lord, so we are also forbidden by the catholic religion to say that there are three gods or three lords.
The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Father, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.
So there is one Father, not three fathers; one Son, not three sons; one Holy Spirit, not three holy spirits.
And in the Trinity none is before or after another; none is greater or less than another, but all three Persons are co-eternal together and co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped.
He therefore that will be saved must think thus of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is, that we believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man; God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of the substance of his mother, born in the world; perfect God and perfect man, of a rational soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father, as touching His godhead; and inferior to the Father, as touching His manhood; who, although He is God and man, yet he is not two, but one Christ; one, not by conversion of the godhead into flesh but by taking of the manhood into God; one altogether; not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ; who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into heaven, He sits at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the quick and the dead. At His coming all men will rise again with their bodies and shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting; and they that have done evil into everlasting fire.
This is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved.”
Jude says in 1:3 “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
Dr. W. R. Matthews said in his book “God in Christian Thought and Experience page 180” “the doctrine of the Trinity … formed no part of the original message. St. Paul knew it not, and would have been unable to understand the meaning of the terms used in the theological formula on which the Church ultimately agreed.”
Emil Brunner wrote in his book “The Christian Doctrine of God” that “Certainly, it cannot be denied that not only the word “Trinity”, but even the explicit idea of the Trinity is absent from the apostolic witness to the faith.”
September 9/10/1990 Mark A Noll wrote in “Christianity Today” a article titled the “Doctrine Doctor”. He wrote about a historian Jaroslav Pelikan that the article says “has written a history of the Christian tradition on a scale no one else has attempted in the twentieth century.” It also reported that this man “The Library of Congress has awarded its annual John W. Kluge Prize in the Human Sciences to Yale University historian Jaroslav Pelikan (along with French philosopher Paul Ricoeur). The $1 million award focuses on those academic disciplines not covered by the Nobel prizes and has only been awarded since 2003.”
Mr. Pelikan said that “For those who believe that you don’t need tradition because you have the Bible,” he reflects, “The Christian Tradition has sought to say, ‘You are not entitled to the beliefs you cherish about such things as the Holy Trinity without a sense of what you owe to those who worked this out for you.’ To circumvent Saint Athanasius on the assumption that if you put me alone in a room with the New Testament, I will come up with the doctrine of the Trinity, is naive.”
Walter Martin said in the 1985 debate on the “John Ankerberg Show” “The eternal son is a heresy created by Origen in 230 A.D.”
He also said in his book “Kingdom of the Cults” “The Scripture nowhere calls Jesus Christ the eternal Son of God, and he is never called
Son at all prior to the incarnation, except in prophetic passages in the Old
Testament. The term “Son” itself is a functional term, as is the term “Father” and has no meaning apart from time. The term “Father” incidentally never carries the descriptive adjective “eternal” in Scripture; as a matter of fact, only the Spirit is called eternal (“the eternal Spirit” in
Hebrews 9:14), emphasizing the fact that the words Father and Son are purely functional as previously stated.”
Robert L Reymond said in his book “The Justification of Knowledge:
An Introductory Study in Christian Apologetic Methodology” “Now, no matter how one prefers to translate logos in this passage (word, account, esteem, ratio, reason, formula, debate, speech, deliberation, discussion, oracle, sentence), I agree with Gordon H. Clark when he writes, “Any translation of John 1:1 that obscures…emphasis on mind or reason is a bad translation.”
“The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia, Moody Press, Chicago, IL, Volume 2 pages 1046-1047 states”
“Many scholars have argued that the apostle John had this philosophical development (of the Greek philosophical LOGOS) in the back of his mind when he wrote the prologue to his Gospel and that he actually tried to impart some of these (Greek Philosophical) concepts. For a long time many have contended that the background of the fourth Gospel was essentially Hellenistic rather than Hebraic. In dealing with such an assertion we may note that studies in the Dead Sea scrolls have tended to confirm the traditional conservative position that the cultural orientation of the Gospel of John was Hebraic. Moreover, we must observe that John was a
simple fisherman from Palestine … there is no evidence that he imbibed any Greek pagan philosophical orientation in John Chapter 1. If he intended to be philosophical in the first few verses, he certainly was not anywhere else. We may argue that John used the word ‘logos’ in its ordinary meaning.”
C. Pearl and R. Brookes wrote in their book “A Guide to Jewish Knowledge, pages 96,97” “Having affirmed the existence of God, Judaism really lays down only one basic idea about Him which is a recognised dogma – the Unity of God. ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.’ This is immediately a negation of the polytheism of the ancient world with its numerous deities. It is a repudiation of the idea that there are two gods or two creative sources of existence, one of good and the other of evil. It is also a clear denial of the idea of a trinity – three gods in One which is the established doctrine of Christianity. For Judaism there can be absolutely no compromise at all in this fundamental concept of the Only One God who is the ultimate creative source of all life and death, the elements of nature and history and the power behind all forces, physical and spiritual.”
Dr. Benjamin B. Warfield said in his book “Biblical Doctrine” that “The term “Trinity” is not a Biblical term, and we are not using Biblical language when we define what is expressed by it as the doctrine that there is one only and true God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three coeternal and coequal Persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence. A doctrine so defined can be spoken of as a Biblical doctrine only on the principle that the sense of Scripture is Scripture. And the definition of a Biblical doctrine in such unbiblical language can be justified only on the principle that it is better to preserve the truth of Scripture than the words of Scripture. The doctrine of the Trinity lies in Scripture in solution; when it is crystallized from its solvent it does not cease to be Scriptural, but only comes into clearer view. Or, to speak without figure, the doctrine of the Trinity is given to us in Scripture, not in formulated definition, but in fragmentary allusions; when we assembled the disjecta membra into their organic unity, we are not passing from Scripture, but entering more thoroughly into the meaning of Scripture. We may state the doctrine in technical terms, supplied by philosophical reflection; but the doctrine stated is a genuinely Scriptural doctrine.”
Edmund J Fortman said in his book “The Triune God” that “The Biblical witness to God, as we have seen, did not contain any formal or formulated doctrine of the trinity, any explicit teaching that in one God there are three co-equal divine persons. Rather it contained the data from which a doctrine of this kind could be formulated. And it would take three centuries of gradual assimilation of the Biblical witness to God before the formulation of the dogma of one God in three distinct persons would be achieved.”
“The New Catholic Encyclopedia”, 1967, Volume 14, page 299: “The formulation ‘one God in three Persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.”
“The History of Christianity”, by Peter Eckler: “If Paganism was conquered by Christianity, it is equally true that Christianity was corrupted by Paganism. The pure Deism of the first Christians, (who differed from their fellow Jews only in the belief that Jesus was the promised Messiah,) was changed, by the Church of Rome, into the incomprehensible dogma of the trinity. Many of the pagan tenets, invented by the Egyptians and idealized by Plato, were retained as being worthy of belief.”
Oxford University Professor J. N. D. Kelly: “During the first three centuries of its existence, the Christian Church had first to emerge from the [monotheistic] Jewish environment that had cradled it and then come to terms with the predominantly Hellenistic (Greek) culture surrounding it. … “Most of them exploited current philosophical conceptions. . . They have been accused of Hellenizing Christianity (making it Greek in form and method), but they were in fact attempting to formulate it in intellectual categories congenial [suited] to their age. In a real sense they were the first Christian theologians.”
“Dictionnaire Lachatre” “The Platonic trinity, itself merely a rearrangement of older trinities dating back to earlier peoples, appears to be the rational philosophic trinity of attributes that gave birth to the three hypostases or divine persons taught by the Christian churches. . . . This Greek philosopher’s conception of the divine trinity . . . can be found in all the ancient [pagan] religions.”
Encyclopedia Britannica (1976): “Such a Hellenization did, to a large extent, take place. The definition of the Christian faith as contained in the creeds of the ecumenical synods of the early church indicate that unbiblical categories of Neoplatonic philosophy were used in the formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity.”
“The 15-volume Dictionnaire de Theologie Catholique”: “It seems unquestionable that the revelation of the mystery of the Trinity was not made to the Jews.”
Jesus says plainly in John 4:22 “You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.”
Arthur Weigall, in his book “The Paganism in Our Christianity, p. 198” “”In the Fourth Century B.C. Aristotle wrote: ‘All things are three, and thrice is all: and let us use this number in the worship of the gods; for, as the Pythagoreans say, everything and all things are bound by threes, for the end, the middle, and the beginning have this number in everything, and these compose the number of the Trinity.'”
Millard J Erickson “Christian Theology” (P. 321) “In the doctrine of the Trinity, we encounter one of the truly distinctive doctrines of Christianity. Among the religions of the world, the Christian faith is unique in making the claim that God is one and yet there are three who are God. In so doing, it presents what seems on the surface to be a self-contradictory doctrine.
Furthermore, this doctrine is not overtly or explicitly stated in Scripture. Nevertheless, devout minds have been led to it as they sought to do justice to the witness of Scripture.”
W. Fulton “Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics” “The term “Trinity”, is not found in the Bible. Theophilus of Antioch around 180 A.D. first used the
Greek term trias (a set of three) in reference to God, his Word, and his Wisdom. However, Tertullian in 215 A.D. was the first one to state this doctrine using the Latin term, Trinitas (Trinity), referring to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
“The Story of Civilization”: Part III, page 595: “Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity.”
“The word triad, or trinity, was borrowed from the pagan schools of philosophy and introduced into the theology of Christians of the middle second century by Theophilus, Bishop of Antioch.”-Bibliotheque Ecclesiastique, Dupin
“Nouveau Dictionnaire Universel”: “The Platonic trinity, itself merely a rearrangement of older trinities dating back to earlier peoples, appears to be the rational philosophic trinity of attributes that gave birth to the three hypostases or divine persons taught by the Christian churches. This Greek philosopher’s conception of the divine trinity . . . can be found in all the ancient [pagan] religions.”-Volume 2, page 1467
Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”
Pg 53
“The early church always baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus until development of Trinity doctrine in the 2nd century.”
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA
Vol 2, Pg 263
“Here the Catholics acknowledged that baptism was changed by the
Catholic Church.”
HASTINGS ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF RELIGION
Vol 2, Pg 377
“Christian baptism was administered using the words “In the name of
Jesus”.
Vol 2, Pg 378
“The use of a Trinitarian formula of any sort was not suggested in early
Church history.”
Vol 2, Pg 389
“Baptism was always in the name of Lord Jesus until the time of Justin
Martyr when Triune formula was used.”
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA
Vol 8
“Justin Martyr was one of the early Fathers of the Roman Catholic Church.”
HASTINGS ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION
Vol 2, Pg 377 on ACTS 2:38
“NAME was an ancient synonym for “person”. Payment was always made in the name of some person referring ownership. Therefore one being
baptized in Jesus Name became his personal property. “Ye are Christ’s.” “ NEW INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Vol 22, Pg 477
“The term “Trinity” was originated by Tertullian, a Roman Catholic Church Father.”
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGION AND ETHICS
(1951), II, 384, 389
“The formula used was ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ’ or some synonymous phrase; there is no evidence for the use of the triune name…
The earliest form, represented in the Acts, was simple immersion….in water, the use of the name of the Lord, and the laying on of hands. To these were added at various times and places which cannot be safely identified, (a) the triune name (Justin)….”
INTERPRETERS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE
(1962) I, 351
“The evidence … suggests that baptism in early Christianity was administered, not in the threefold name, nut ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus’.’
A HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN THOUGHT (Otto Heick)
(1965), I, 53
“At first baptism was administered in the name of Jesus, but gradually in the name of the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
HASTINGS DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE
(1898), I, 241
“[One explanation is that] the original form of words was ‘into the name of Jesus Christ’. Baptism into the name of the Trinity was a later development.”
A HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Williston Walker, (1947), Pg 58
“The Trinitarian baptismal formula … was displacing the older baptism in the name of Christ.”
THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGIOUS
KNOWLEDGE
(1957), I, 435
“The New Testament knows only baptism in the name of Jesus …, which still occurs even in the second and third centuries.”
CANNEY’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGIONS
(1970), Pg 53
“Persons were baptized at first ‘in the name of Jesus Christ’ … or ‘in the name of the Lord Jesus.’… Afterwards, with the development of the doctrine of the Trinity, they were baptized ‘in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.”
ENCYCLOPEDIA BIBLICA
(1899), I, 473
“It is natural to conclude that baptism was administered in the earliest times
‘in the name of Jesus Christ,’ or in that ‘of the Lord Jesus.’ This view is confirmed by the fact that the earliest forms of the baptismal confession appear to have been single – not triple, as was the later creed.”
ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA
11TH edition, (1910), Vol 2, Pg 365
“The Trinitarian formula and triune immersion were not uniformly used from the beginning… Bapti[sm] into the name of the Lord [was] the normal formula of the new Testament. In the 3rd century baptism in the name of Christ was still so wide spread that Pope Stephen, in opposition to Cyprian of Carthage, declared it to be valid.”
Hebrew 2:1-4 “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?”