The Trinity and time

[Guest]

The Holy one

Exactly.

Flesh + Divine spirit = ( Fully MAN and Fully God)

[Guest]

Flesh + Divine spirit = ( Fully MAN and Fully God)

And by the same token Flesh + human spirit = Fully MAN and Fully.... fully....what?

Your perception of "spirit" seems to be that which inhabits the flesh. That conception is consistent with Plato's teaching and other Greek thought. But it is not historically Christian thought.

I see man as a unity. The terms "body", "soul", and "spirit" are merely ways of describing various aspects of the whole human being.

Jesus, being fully human, didn't have a divine spirit which replaced the human spirit. Rather Jesus was fully human. He retained his identity as the Son of God, for He was begotten before all ages. But in every other respect He was human. By sumitting to the will of His Father in every respect, He showed what is possible for any healthy human being to do.

If He had been simply "God in human flesh", then He could not have sinned when He was tempted by Satan .... and therefore that temptation was a sham. Also, Christ's prayers to His father would have been a meaningless charade.

[Guest]

Hi Paidion,

If He had been simply "God in human flesh", then He could not have sinned

Jesus Christ never sinned. Satan tried to tempt him but Jesus never sinned.

Jesus, being fully human, didn't have a divine spirit which replaced the human spirit. Rather Jesus was fully human

Actually I was already thinking about what you just said. I think Jesus has a Human Spirit and at the same time a Divine Spirit dwelling in his flesh. This Idea does not contradict the Bible.

[Guest]

Well, I've been reading these forums for a couple of years now, I guess it's time to start contributing. (Hopefully something helpful) I have not reached any sort of final concensus in my own mind about how God relates to time but I have a feeling it is probably akin to how He relates to space.

We all would agree that God, in some sense is omnipresent. He can also hear prayers of millions of people, often offered simultaneously. What I wonder is if the big mystery doesn't lie with God but with time. Most theologians I have read that discuss this issue treat time as if it were a static, unalterable dimension that proceeds inexorably, unaffected by anything (or Anyone).

Physicists, especially those involved in astronomy, have concluded that time is relative and can be affected by other forces such as gravity. It has been experimentally proven that a clock at the top of Mount Everest runs at a different rate than one at sea level. To be sure, the difference is small but, when this phenomenon is expanded over the distances of the known universe, one can calculate huge differences in elapsed time rates for things at the edge of our universe as compared to things near its center. This effect is such that, at the event horizon of a black hole, time as we know it literally stands still.

We don't limit God with respect to place. I am not a physicist but, from what I have learned about time, I don't feel I can limit Him with respect to time either. One could say that, "time is not an independent variable". It is affected by other forces and, as such, can be manipulated by God or perhaps even suspended by Him as he does miraculously with other forces.

I have personally decided to take passages that talk about God interacting with His creation within the space-time continuum at face value. I also accept those scriptures which talk about the timeless aspects of God at face value. Somehow He knows the future. Whether that is the "knowable future" or the "complete future" I haven't come to a final conclusion. Who knows, I may never actually reach that point this side of Heaven.

On another note I have appreciated the discussions on these forum pages very much. You folks have a lot of wisdom. Thanks for sharing it.

In Him,

Jess from Corvallis