Thursday, January 9, 2014

Talking Trinity with a J's Witness (or anyone else...)

This past Saturday was our last non-youth-sports Saturday in January so we were pleasantly enjoying the morning sun and the nonsensical notion of me building a tree fort (which, miracle!, happened much to the chagrin of two fingers on my left hand), r when I heard folks knocking at my office door. The gentleman and his wife were friendly, intelligent, and determined to ask me about whether I would want their literature. I admired their conviction and boldness knowing I can learn something from them about both. After saying, "I'll take it but my interest is mild in the literature itself but I'm interested in how it affects you," we soon approached a fork in the road when I admitted: "I think we share differences in what we believe about Jesus and the Trinity."

Jehovah's Witnesses espouse that all Christians believe, as the Mormons do, not in a Trinity but a Triad of gods (three separate gods with the same essence in various degrees). In fact, they'll try and convince you that the "Trinity" originates not in Christianity but from three ancient Egyptian gods: Osiris, Isis, & Horus. 

So I'm posting a wonderful little article called: Is God a Trinity or a Triad? from my friends at carm.org - not simply because I'm concerned how we respond to a Jehovah's witness but also because I'm finding little hints from dear friends in the church who are questioning if Jesus really is God or just a really, really blessed Son who is an important example and even died an effective death for our sake. The above article on the Trinity gives a simple yet brilliant analogy stating that the universe is composed of three elements - space, time, and matter - each of which reflects the Triune God who created them in that each has three manifestations. If this sounds complicated, it's not and I think you'll find it helpful for both yourself and to pass on. Check it out above.  

I recognize people are often afraid to ask such questions even if they are milling around in their own minds - but they need not be. We all have them, especially as we just begin to grow in Christ. So don't be afraid to ask your pastor(s) questions and, in conjunction, carm.org is also an excellent resource for reference.

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (II Corinthians 13:14).

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