GOD OR TRIUNE GOD. WHICH?

In defining God most people would start with Genesis 1:1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. With this starting point God is further described as the Great being who is all powerful, all knowing, omni present, "all everything" and so great and distant, seperated from man, unknowable, non human and nothing like a human, and only to be revered, feared, worshiped, receiving continual praise and adulation. And, man has come up with all kinds of descriptions and inventions attributed to God and gods. Also, a God who rewards for good works and punishes--even forever--bad works and deeds. The sad thing is that many people STOP here at Genesis 1:1 with how they see God.

John 1:1, a scripturally parallel verse to Genesis 1:1, REVEALS a much different kind of God. THE TRIUNE GOD. Note, " In the beginning was the WORD and the WORD was WITH God and the WORD was God. Along with the Holy Spirit, the Word--the Son--and the Father were the Eternal Triune God. Always having lived in a loving, harmonious, peaceful, and beautiful RELATIONSHIP existing in a relationship WITH each other, but not only with each other but face to face. Intimate. In agreement. In Love. In appreciation. Without competition. In Joy. In peace. PERFECT UNION AND RELATIONSHIP. Not in need of anything.

This Triune God John reveals is the God who desired to share this LOVE RELATIONSHIP with created sons and daughters--humanity--and purposed a plan from BEFORE CREATION to do just that. ( Ephesians 1:3-14). The Plan was to Adopt and Include humanity into the very life of God THROUGH Jesus Christ. The Adoption was not meant to just give a name to the children, but to include them into the very life and circle of God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus came to "make it happen".

Jesus came to reveal, not some 'Omni-being' way out in the cosmos someplace, but to reveal the FATHER who He had known from all Eternity AND to reveal that the Father was love and desired to share His love with His children FOREVER in RELATIONSHIP. This Jesus makes Plain in His message. He came to reveal the Father and His love and the absolute certainty of its outcome.

When we start to define Who or What is God, we MUST begin with the Perfect relationship that has always existed in the Triune God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then we can understand His love and what He has planned for all of us His children from Before the Foundation of the World.

This is all why the INCARNATION is so important. It reveals how God came to man's life to take man into God's life. The bridge is crossed. The Union is made. Jesus said it best in John 14:6, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE--No one comes to the Father except by me!

Maybe this will give all of us a little better view of our Heavenly Father who loves us dearly. The Heavenly Father Jesus came to reveal. The Heavenly Father who plans to live eternally with His children in Perfect Relationship and Love.

See much more of this discussed at our church web site, www.newlifewcg.org , and the other links listed there.

blessings,

Paul

TWO GREAT STUMBLING BLOCKS

Ignorance and vanity are, it seems to me, two of the greatest personal forces mitigating against one coming to understand more of the Love of God, the Grace of God, and the Trinitarian Adoption and Inclusion Gospel message of scripture. The other day I was at my health club and became engaged in a brief discussion with a nice man who happened to have a mainline Protestant denominational background. He wasn't attending church anywhere presently so I thought I would encourage him in the area of God's Love for ALL HUMANITY from before the creation of the world. Of course I could not get too detailed in the discussion since this is a LARGE subject. I did refer to a number of scriptures which pointed out God's Love for all humanity from before the creation of the world, ( Ephesians 1:3-14) and that Jesus died for ALL humanity and that actually He saved EVERYONE and Included all humanity in the life of God. And, that one must come to understand and believe just WHO they are IN Jesus. ( This Trinitarian Theology -- THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST -- is discussed in detail on the sites listed at my church site, www.newlifewcg.org, and is made much more plain.)

I referred to some of the greatest theologians of the last 2000 years who embraced THIS theology. Athanasius, Irenaus, Karl Barth, Tom Torrance, J.B. Torrance, Baxter Kruger, and others.

I was amazed that he held to HIS opinions which pictured God as love on the one hand, but a vicious, vindictive hanging judge on the other just waiting to fry sinners forever in ( Plato's) hell fire. Sad.

His last comment to me was that this 'different' theology which I was sharring with him was "just the OPINION " of all these men and no more correct than what he--untheologically trained as he was--thought!

It is amazing to me how we in defence of our personal thoughts and opinions will put down the greatest TRUTH OF ALL TRUTHS simply because we don't understand it from the old pardigm structures we have always held. " I did not come up with this, so it must NOT BE TRUE", is the thought of the day for many. Sad.

Our vanity and ignorance when admitted to ourself can be the greatest obstacles removed for the Holy Spirit to teach us His message which will set us free at last. " Free at last. Thank God Almighty we shall be free at last." MLK

WHERE THE "HELL" DID IT COME FROM?

I wanted to take this Blog space here to point all of you to the various links on the NEWLIFE web site. www.newlifewcg.org. This time I especially want to direct you to the link for
CHRISTIAN ODYSSEY and the lead article "Sinners in the Arms of a Loving God".

This article by Paul Kroll addresses the concept of "Hell" in our lives and beyond from a realistic
Biblical viewpoint. As you may know, the Western Christian Theological teaching of an ever burning, torturing Hellfire was a concept taken from the Greek Philosopher Plato from the 4th Century B.C. It was introduced into the Christian Church by St. Augustine ( Augustine of Hippo) in the 5th Century A.D. Augustine was an avid reader of Plato. Augustine saw that the FEAR tactic of a torturing Hell would keep individuals in the church walking the " straight and narrow".
Dante further embellished the concept of Hellfire in the 13th Century in the Divine Comedy.

Unfortunately this type of "Hell" and "Hellfifre" pictured God the Father as some type of blood thirsty monster just waiting to fry His children who did not measure up. The Truth of the Gospel is something quite different and is echoed over and over on the various LINKS that are listed on the Newlife web site.

The Adopted Life link is a wonderful link with MUCH inspiring information on this very subject of God's Amazing Love for ALL of His children.

What you are about to discover will CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER. And you will be GLAD it does!!!

Richest Blessings to you ALL,

Pastor Paul
April 21, 2007

WELCOME TO THE BLOG

Welcome to Pastor Paul's Interactive Blog. Isn't technology wonderful? I want to encourage you to check out all of the New Life Christian Fellowship web site at www.newlifewcg.org .

I have never seen so much information on one site. You could stay busy for days on end linking to and reading the available sources presented there.

In introducing this first blog let me just say that our loving God, Father, Son, and Spirit, the Triune God, loves you beyound your greatest imaginings. He has made the arrangements for you to be with Him forever in a state words can not desribe.

What you will discover on this link, www.newlifewcg.org, will transform your thinking and your LIFE. You are NOT reading this by accident!!

May God richly bless you and yours in Jesus Christ.

Pastor Paul