There are many mysteries about God.

[Bruce.Leiter]

Nowhere in the bible says faith and intellect are incompatible. Jesus taught through a lot of relatable parables to the crowd, is the kingdom of heaven literally a wheat field or a drag net? Actually, if you don't reason it through, if you only process the Scripture without studying and experiencing it, you'll end up like the shallow soil, you'll be smothered by the trials and tribulations. And if you do go as the bible goes, it is written in the bible that Babylon the Great is a mystery, God is not a mystery, he manifested through Jesus, who revealed his true self and the fate of humanity to apostle John.

You're right that we need to use our intellects; I agree. However, are the Bible's teachings and history primary in your reasoning, or is your logic primary in deciding what it means.

For example, in deciding the meanings of words in the Bible, do you use word studies of the passages and their contexts in which they appear determine their meanings, or do you think your reasoning can figure that out on your own?

Do you let some teachers' ideas control your understanding of the Bible's meaning, or do you approach it without prior ideas? Are you always testing your understanding with the Bible's history and teachings and letting God change your thoughts and life?

Are you saying in your last sentence that God is one Person shown in Jesus, not three Persons in one God, as shown in the Gospel of John?

 

[Bruce.Leiter]

It's based on human doctrine, not Scripture. You're putting God in the box of trinitarian theology. Mine on the other hand is based on Gen. 1:1 and Ex. 3:14, anything else, including his triune nature, derives from there.

You do realize I've never said "eternal creation", don't you? How can creator NOT be at the core of his identity when He created time and space out of nothing, ex nihilo? I cling to his identity revealed by himself in Gen. 1:1 and Ex. 3:14 instead of speculating with my own intellect. If there's a pre-existing nature of His being, that's the mystery OP talks about, it's not for you or I to speculate.

No surprise, typical tactics, accusing your opponent of your own guilt.

Again, you're not in a place to speculate God's motive of creating the universe. You were not there, and you are not self-existent. The Trinity is a mechanism to know his identity, in and of itself it's NOT his core identity. Enlighten me on one thing, was Gen. 1:1 written first or Jn. 1:1? If you admit it's Gen. 1:1, then his core identity is the eternal creator. I cling to apostle Paul's teaching when he preached God to the Areopagus, wherein God's identity, according to Paul, is the eternal Creator.

God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands. (Acts. 17:24)

Carry_Your_Name, you're always referring to Exodus 3:14 and Genesis 1:1. If I can show you conclusively that Jesus repeatedly identifies with the God who has appeared to Moses in the burning bush by claiming, therefore, that he is fully God, would you finally agree that God is Triune at his essence?

Here I go: First, Jesus makes seven "I am" claims in the Gospel of John as metaphors comparing his divine nature with that same God's spiritual reality:

Jhn_6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Jhn_8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jhn_8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Jhn_9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jhn_10:7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
Jhn_10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

Jhn_10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Jhn_10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

Jhn_11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Jhn_14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

NOTE: When Jesus says, "I am (ego eimi) the good Shepherd," he claims that he is David's divine Shepherd (Psalm 23:1).

Jhn_15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Jhn_15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Second, now, what connects Jesus' claims with Exodus 3:14? In the Greek Old Testament, which is the Septuagint, God's word of "I AM" as his name is "ego eimi." The word "eimi" would be sufficient to be translated "I am," but God adds the word "ego," which is properly translated "I," for emphasis "I, I AM."

In New Testament Greek, Jesus does exactly the same thing by saying seven times, "ego eimi" to claim deity and divine actions and qualities. He uses the exact same words as the God of the burning bush does to name himself, as you rightly point out.

Third, therefore, Jesus claims to be that one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit seven times in the Gospel of John, thus revealing God to us.

 

[Bruce.Leiter]

Carry_Your_Name, you're always referring to Exodus 3:14 and Genesis 1:1. If I can show you conclusively that Jesus repeatedly identifies with the God who has appeared to Moses in the burning bush by claiming, therefore, that he is fully God, would you finally agree that God is Triune at his essence?

Here I go: First, Jesus makes seven "I am" claims in the Gospel of John as metaphors comparing his divine nature with that same God's spiritual reality:

Jhn_6:35 Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

Jhn_8:12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Jhn_8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
Jhn_9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Jhn_10:7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
Jhn_10:9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

Jhn_10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Jhn_10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

Jhn_11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,

Jhn_14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

NOTE: When Jesus says, "I am (ego eimi) the good Shepherd," he claims that he is David's divine Shepherd (Psalm 23:1).

Jhn_15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
Jhn_15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

Second, now, what connects Jesus' claims with Exodus 3:14? In the Greek Old Testament, which is the Septuagint, God's word of "I AM" as his name is "ego eimi." The word "eimi" would be sufficient to be translated "I am," but God adds the word "ego," which is properly translated "I," for emphasis "I, I AM."

In New Testament Greek, Jesus does exactly the same thing by saying seven times, "ego eimi" to claim deity and divine actions and qualities. He uses the exact same words as the God of the burning bush does to name himself, as you rightly point out.

Third, therefore, Jesus claims to be that one God with the Father and the Holy Spirit seven times in the Gospel of John, thus revealing God to us.

Carry_Your_Name, I'm still waiting for your response to my post. If you don't respond, I will assume that you agree with me.