Dear Associates, Students and Friends:
This attached article “Elohim and the Son of God – Part 2” is the second portion of the complete 2-part article for October 2007. So, you are receiving a double dose, a bonus article this October. It is our pleasure to provide you with this material. It is important for you all to receive both portions close together in time as a sort of one-two punch of teaching. I wanted you to read and digest Part 1, and then be ready for Part 2. Still later in this month of October 2007 we will make available the “One God Conference Q & A.” This was the question and answer portion of the lecture. It shows the immediate audience reaction by the audience to my presentation. It will be published as a Commentary on the ASK homepage.
Part 1 concentrated mostly on the subject of Elohim, reflecting that portion of the title “Elohim and the Son of God.” Part 2 which you have now, concentrates mostly on “the Son of God.” It discusses who He is and a few aspects of His nature. My purpose in this lecture and these articles was to be “increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10). The Greek word “knowledge” is epgnosis which really means “full knowledge” or “recognition.” It is a goal we should all strive for, to know God and Christ better, moving toward a full knowledge of them both, as Peter writes:
“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge [epgnosis, full knowledge] of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power has given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge [epgnosis, full knowledge] of him that has called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, …”
2 Peter 1:2–4
The purpose of the One God Conference is to provide anti-Trinitarian information and discussion. While this is a worthy aim, in my view they are mistaken in some matters and deny some important biblical concepts. Surprisingly, several of the participants admitted that they believed Christ in His present glorified state does possess a kind of undefined divinity or deity. Yet they hesitate to use the common Old Testament term identifying Jesus as an “Elohim.”
Is Christ “God”? Yes, from our limited human perspective. When we reflect on God, we can only consider and know Him through Christ. We see Christ. Is Christ “God” from the perspective of God the Father? No. When God the Father considers us, He sees a man. Christ is unique in every way as mediator: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Christ was, and is, an Elohim and the Son of God before His birth from Mary, before He was “made flesh” by the will of God (John 1:13–14; Romans 1:3, 8:3; Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 5:7, 10:19; 1 John 4:2–3; 2 John 1:7).
“[God] has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, [1] by whom also he made the worlds [eons]; Who [2] being the brightness of his glory, and [3] the express image of his person, and [4] upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Hebrews 1:2–3
Jesus is also “the brightness of his [the Father’s] glory, and the express image of his person” (Hebrews 1:3). The image cannot be superior to the original. Christ is both inferior and subordinate to the Father. The apostles were clear that Christ was flesh. Note what Peter writes about Christ’s suffering and death in flesh:
“Forasmuch then as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he [meaning you] that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.”
1 Peter 4:1
“For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”
1 Peter 3:18
It is my understanding that most participants at the conference identify themselves as unitarians, defined as those who believe there is one God (1 Corinthians 8:6), and that God is not a trinity of any description. This is true. Jesus is considered by some at the conference to be a “mere man” who God graced to give salvation to the world as Messiah (Christ) and Lord. In general there is a denial that Jesus existed before He was born to Mary. This is not true as I show in Part 2.
It took a considerable amount of time to compile and put together the information for the PowerPoint slide presentation for the conference lecture, and for the video and DVD to be produced. I am extremely pleased with the result. Our grateful thanks go to Stephan Lieber who worked tirelessly and professionally to record and produce the video for the DVD. It was a new endeavor and remarkable effort for him and we have received many compliments for the quality of the video work and production.
Likewise it took a great deal of time and effort to produce the written portions of Part 1 and Part 2 even though the basics of the message were in the PowerPoint presentation. Each item to be done (PowerPoint, video, word processing, typesetting, editing and fact checking) takes its own amount of time and effort. But that is what we do. You receive the benefit.
Thank you for making it possible for us to produce meaty material while we continue to put out Dr. Martin’s terrific material that he researched, studied, wrote, spoke, and preached for over 40 years. In putting out this material I have done over 70 internet radio shows with Ms. GeorgeAnn Hughes on The Byte Show. I am told that our shows are listened to more than any other on her small but growing international audience. Furthermore, Ms. Hughes has allowed us to put ASK programs independently on our website. This is a tremendous benefit. People tell us they enjoy my reading and presenting Dr. Martin’s material. Occasionally I present material that I have written as well.
These programs present great biblical teaching and I am gaining excellent experience learning voice control, modulation, presentation, and timing. I am learning by doing. While not a trained communicator as Dr. Martin was, your comments indicate that I get the message across. The internet radio shows are linked to their relevant articles, so you can “read along” as I speak. All of The Byte Show programs are listed at http://www.askelm.com/audio/index.asp. We do about one show per week, sometimes more, sometimes less. There will be more.
The excellent biblical information by Dr. Martin is going to the world, reaching new people, and is used by God to impact lives, one person at a time. This is the opposite of “mass marketing.” Each month we receive comments to the effect that an article we published answered questions they were asking, or was the information that they needed at that moment in their life. Such comments are extremely gratifying. Your contributions make that possible, not just to provide you with biblical study material, not just to reach new people with this material, but to provide the means so that ASK material can be available to the world ten, twenty, thirty years in the future, and even longer. God willing, we intend for ASK material to continue to be accessible to the world, so that people can learn to read their Bible as God intended. Thank you for your financial contributions, your prayers, and your encouragements.
David W. Sielaff
David@askelm.com
|
© 1976-2021 Associates for Scriptural Knowledge - ASK is supported by freewill contributions |