If there was no difference between LORD and Lord, then why would Psalm 110:1 use both clearly demonstrating that "LORD" was referring to YHWH and "Lord" was referring to his Son.
There is a difference in the OT between 'LORD' and 'Lord' and in the NT we must be careful when 'Lord' is used. But you don't seem to be following the argument I have made and it's importance.
The point is that
in the NT, OT quotes
speaking of YHWH, or 'LORD,' 'LORD' is always translated as 'Lord,' and in some instances is directly applied to Jesus. This is significant. In the example I gave of Rom 10:9-13, Paul states that one must confess "Jesus is Lord" (vs 9) and then applies a passage from Joel 3:32:
Rom 10:9-13, 9 because,
if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13
For "
everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (ESV)
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass that
everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls." (ESV)
It seems clear that the confession that "Jesus is Lord" is closely tied to calling "on the name of the LORD," that is to say, the confession in Rom 10:9 should be understood as "Jesus is LORD."
That is my point.
D4Christ said:
Also, I have pointed out the verses from the Bible that tell us what to do in order to be saved. I am not sure why you feel it necessary to add more to that equation. Clearly there are other things we must know after we get saved because we should continue to grow and mature in the Christ.
I have 'added more' because the Bible 'adds more.' I am simply trying to give
all that the Bible states regarding belief for salvation. We
cannot just take one or two verses "that tell us what to do in order to be saved," since there are clearly more then those and verses that speak of additional things to be believed, as Romans 10:9 clearly points out.
D4Christ said:
I think I have stated quite clearly that the Son made everything in "creation" from the sky to the people, to the kingdoms, etc. I am not skipping any verses but like I said before I cannot quote the entire bible. I think it is obvious that "creation" as told in Gen 1 was not an everlasting on going event. It had a starting point. And when it started the Son created "all that was made" during creation.
Okay, here we are in agreement.
D4Christ said:
My point is simply this....just because the Son was used by the Father to create everything that was made during the "creation" does not mean that he had anything to do with anything that may have occured prior to the starting point of creation. Therefore it is illogical to suggest that the Son could not have be created(born, birthed, or made) prior to an event in which he (the Son) is reported to have been the creator. Verse 3 is pointing to the "creation" of the world and everything that was made within it. It could not possibly be in reference to anything that happened prior to that event and it would belittle God to think that he wasn't capable of doing anything prior to ordering the creation of "our" known world.
But here is where it falls apart. Now you are going beyond Scripture and making it say things it does not say. What we have Scripture clearly saying, and indeed it could not be said any clearer, is that the Son was involved in creating everything that has ever been created:
John 1:3
All things were made through him, and
without him was
not any thing made that was made.
Col 1:16 For by him
all things were created,
in heaven and
on earth,
visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--
all things were created through him and for him.(ESV)
And very importantly:
1Cor 8:6 yet for us there is one God,
the Father,
from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord,
Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
If you want to keep saying that "all things" means everything but Jesus, then logically it follows that Jesus may not have come through the Father, nor anything else that may have been created before 'the Beginning.' This leads to all sorts of serious issues, not the least of which is that it opens the door for the Father having been created.
But,
if, we understand that "all things" in reference to the Father means that everything that has
ever been created, it follows that this same idea applies to Jesus and, therefore, it is logically impossible that he was ever created, at any point, ever.
The significant problem is that you want to go beyond what Scripture states and introduce some time of creation when the Son was created. But that idea is utterly foreign to Scripture. The creation of all things, of everything that has ever been created, starts at Gen 1:1. Going with what the Bible says, as we should, that is what we have.
D4Christ said:
My translation is just fine thank you and per the TOS, I have as part of my signature, that all verses I use are NLT.
The NLT. :bigfrown It is much too loose of a translation for any serious study. Regardless, don't rely on just one translation.
D4Christ said:
Col 1:16 even further proves my point by showing that "all things" were the things created during creation. Logically if Christ existed before the creation started then it would be an error to apply the "all things" logic to a time period that preceeded the event for which he is given credit. Christ pre-dates creation. Col 1:16 is a reference to creation and the creation only.
We agree and disagree. Yes, Col 1:16 applies to all things "created during creation." However, since this is
the only creation and Jesus predates it, it logically follows that he is not created. I don't follow the rest of your argument. I have been arguing that the creation in Gen 1:1 is the creation of everything that has ever been created. That is what Scripture says. If Jesus "predates creation," then he is uncreated. It's as simple as that.
D4Christ said:
We only find life in the Son of God. Do you not think it strange that Wisdom states in verses 34 an 35;
35 For whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the Lord.
36 But those who miss me injure themselves.
All who hate me love death.â€
And this is verified in 1 John 5;
11 And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.
If Wisdom is not referring to the Son of God then this scritpure is pointing to another and different way to "life" thereby contradictiong NT scritpures.
However, God is not a God of confusion. He made sure that the NT readers would understand that the way to life spoken about by Wisdom in Proverbs was directly linked to God's Son in 1 Cor 1;
24 But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.
30 God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself.
I don't know how much clearer this could be.
It is an exegetical error to equate the use of a word in one part of Scripture with it's use in another part without a basis for doing so. We cannot simply say that what is meant by 'life' and 'Wisdom' as used in some NT passages is the same as what is meant in Proverbs, some other OT passage, or even some other NT passage.
We simply cannot just draw lines linking passages with the same words to make them say something since they very well may not be saying that at all.
I'll have to get back to this when I have more time.
D4Christ said:
The Trinity does say The Son is co-equal to the Father, a fact that he consistently denies in scriptures but you still believe it. Saying the Son is not co-equal does not imho deny his divinity. He possess the essence and character of God which makes him God. But the Son is in the role of Mediator and High Priest, foresaking any claim to be God. This is why he calls the Father his God and never says that of himself. 'One God, and one Mediater, who is Christ.....'
Jesus implies more than once that he is God. Again, Phil 2 is key to understanding the relationship of the Father and the Son. And, again,
difference in function does not indicate an inferiority of nature. The Son is co-equal with the Father. The Son is God so it is impossible for him to not be co-equal. That is speaking in ontological terms, that is, of the nature of the being of God. As Phil 2 states, the Son "emptied himself" to become human and in doing so,
submitted himself to the Father.
D4Christ said:
I am not divorcing anything. The Son of God straight up tells us the True God is his Father. Why argue that point? How could you possibly say I'm arbitrary when I am quoting what the scritpures say. And they don't just say it here. The Son tells us in Revelation that God is his God and our God. And we are told in Corinthians that the Son is not greater than God who gave him his authority. And the Son will turn the Kingdom over to God the Father.
In fact God the Father is not an arbritrary statement for it is mentioned in scritpures all the time. Were those who were inspired by God to write down his Word confused? If you can find me one verse that says God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit, then maybe I wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
But see, you are divorcing such passages from Scripture. We have already seen that the Son is not a created being. This means he has always existed, which is obviously a characteristic of God alone. Therefore, Jesus is God, and can be properly called God the Son. This phrase need not appear in Scripture in order for it to be true.
Again,
we must take into account all that Scripture says about God and reconcile it.
D4Christ said:
1 Cor 8:
6 But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.
You know what's really scary. Scriptures state rather clearly that there is one God, one True God, the Father. The Son also states this as well as the apostles in the greetings in the beginning of scriptures. Yet most Christians state that there is One God made up of the God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
How is that for a contradiction?
And yet you want to ignore what is clearly stated in that very verse and the points that I have made regarding it. I'll post them again:
1. If we understand 1Cor 8:6 to mean that only the Father is God, it logically follows that only the Son is Lord, despite the many other passages that say the Father is Lord.
2. If "all things," meaning everything that has ever been made, were made by the Father, then it logically follows that everything that has ever been made were made through the Son. The only logical conclusion is that the Son cannot have ever been made and that he is also, therefore, God.
We have to be very careful in exegeting such things about the nature of God. I do not think that this passage was written to state anything regarding the nature of God but is Paul's exposition of the Shema.
D4Christ said:
I'm confused....the scriptures clearly state that the creation the Son was involved in included the heavens and earth and everthing in them. And to my knowledge the only creation story we have, Gen 1, clearly starts with the creation of our world and everything ever created in our world. Are you claiming to know what was going on prior to Gen? How could you possible know what the Son or his Father were doing prior to beginning the creation of our world. It's not like the Son did not exist...we know he existed before he got started creating?
Huh?
You have been the one arguing that the Son was created prior to Gen 1.
You are the one "claiming to know what was going on prior to Gen," not I. My point was simply that Gen 1 speaks of the entirety of Creation--"the heavens and the earth"--not just "our world".
D4Christ said:
Now, as to the matter of whether he came into being or always was....Prov 8 clears that up....but of course that is quickly dismissed by those who tie their salvation to a belief in the trinity.
It only clears it up if you ignore the several passages of Scripture which we have already discussed showing that the Son is uncreated.
D4Christ said:
Wow...that reminds me of those who used to believe that the earth was the center of the universe and everything revolved around it. There was no time before Genesis....how would you know, where you there? It may not be time like we experience but to suggest that the Father and Son had nothing else going on is limiting for such a powerful God and his Son.
How would I know? Because the Bible suggests it. You are intermixing concepts of time with concepts that don't include time. Most importantly
the Bible never even implies or suggests that there was a point of creation prior to Gen 1. Never. You are inserting your own ideas into the text to make the Bible say more than it does, for some unknown reason.