found 6 items matching Ephesians 1.3
John 1.1 Caveat Lector (Reader Beware) [13 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.6 (6 votes so far)
In all probability John has been "turned on his head." What he intended was to stave off all attempts to introduce a duality into the Godhead. For John the word was the one God Himself, not a second person. The later, post-biblical shift from "word" as divine promise from the beginning, the Gospel lodged in the mind and purpose of the one God, to an actual second divine "person," the Son, alive before his birth, introduced a principle of confusion and chaos from which the church has never freed itself. This shift was the corrupting seed of later Trinitarianism. God became two and later, with the addition of the holy spirit, three. It remains for believers today to return to belief in Jesus as the human Messiah and in the One God of Israel, his Father, as the "one who alone is truly God" (John 17:3). God is one person not three.
The Doctrine of God and Christ [52:40]
by Steve Katsaras rated at 2.0 (7 votes so far)
Citing more than 60 verses, Steve Katsaras of Australia thoroughly explains the biblical doctrines of God and Christ before telling the story of how these truths were corrupted in the ecumenical counsels of the fourth and fifth centuries.
Yahweh is one, not two or three, and there is no God besides him. The Bible uses singular pronouns in reference to God thousands upon thousands of time, a fact that clearly teaches God is a singular individual. This one God is the eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent creator of heaven and earth.
Jesus is the human mediator who called God his Father. Jesus had a beginning in time and is the miraculously born son of God. Jesus recognized his Father as the only true God who was his superior. Jesus admitted to possessing limited knowledge; he was a mortal man who experienced temptation, hunger, thirst, weariness, suffering, death, and resurrection.
The doctrines of God and Christ mutated over time and continued to develop in new and unbiblical ways after the New Testament was written. Steve talks about the first four ecumenical counsels (Nicea in a.d. 325, Constantinople in a.d. 381, Ephesus in a.d. 431, and Chalcedon in a.d. 451) to demonstrate how these doctrines evolved over time.
Jesus has a God [3 pages]
by Sean Finnegan rated at 1.4 (6 votes so far)
Jesus says the words 'my God' several times in Scripture. Thus, Jesus has a God, one that He worships. If Jesus has a God, then can he be God? Does the Father ever call Jesus, 'my God?' Join Sean Finnegan as he surveys the texts in which Jesus says 'my God.'
Who is Jesus? (Booklet) [25 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 3.9 (20 votes so far)
It is a striking fact that Jesus never referred to himself as "God." Equally remarkable is the New Testament's use of the word "God"--in Greek ho theos--to refer to the Father alone, some 1325 times. In sharp contrast, Jesus is called "god" in a handful of texts only--perhaps no more than two. Why this impressive difference in New Testament usage, when so many seem to think that Jesus is no less "God" than his Father?
Proud of our God [67:46]
by Victor Gluckin rated at 3.2 (13 votes so far)
An honest appeal for zealousness in understanding and proclaiming our one God to the nations. Let us not cower nor be lifted up with pride, but with compassion preach with boldness that God is a singular individual--the Father of Jesus Christ.
books
These books, written by people from diverse backgrounds, express the simple truth that God is one. Some of them are more scholary while others are more autobiographical. In addition, a few of them are available to read online. If you would like more in depth treatment of christian monotheism, these books are the next step to take. Note: if you know of other books, not listed here, please leave us feedback.