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Featured The Nature of the Incarnation - Dual or Single?

Discussion in 'Baptist Theology & Bible Study' started by humblethinker, Jun 8, 2012.

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  1. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
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    Jesus Christ already appeared in the Old Testament - and was pointedly quoted in the New Testament as "Jesus" and "Christ".

    Secondly, if you say that Christ retains His human flesh now (I assume you do, right?) then we have now a major change for the Son of God. If before he was "divinity" (which I agree with) He would now be divinity 2.0 or divinity+.

    Do you see the problem with this?
     
  2. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    I'm not Yeshua1 but I believe Christ is in His resurrected and glorified body at this very moment. The Logos is Spirit but He has a body.

    I don't see a problem with this. God is God and does as He pleases Tom, you know this.

    The life force of His Body is now spirit and not oxygenated blood.

    Which leads to this question: If Christ is not in the same post resurrection body (the one with which He met, talked and ate with the disciples and later ascended in) what then happened to that post resurrection body?

    HankD
     
  3. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
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    I remember this spiritual habeus corpus question last time you asked it. I didn't have an answer then, nor do I have one now. However I don't see that as even an issue. If you want, I could also ask questions along those lines, but they really wouldn't be productive questions.

    But getting back to your first comment: You don't see a problem where I do see a problem. Whenever you say "A is X but he has Y" you imply a degree of disunity - not union. You also place the Y below the X. Twofold disunity.

    Assuming that you see Christ as the Logos (which I do too, of course), you put something that is not spirit with spirit. However you want to term it "body" cannot be spirit. To that degree this Christ you postulate would not be spirit. Yet Christ says "God is Spirit". To go along these lines is to take something away from God's own deity.

    There is a more fundamental problem. This is not a matter of God's doing, but His being. God can do whatever He wants - except deny Himself. He cannot cease altogether to be God.

    "The life force of His Body is now spirit and not oxygenated blood."

    I'm not sure where you get this. I would not say there was ever a time when His "life force" (for want of a better word) was anything other than His own spiritual essence.
     
    #43 asterisktom, Jun 12, 2012
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 12, 2012
  4. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    Well brother using your own rebutal, I also do not see any disunity then for the temporal "days of His flesh" while He walked the earth neither then "sitting" at the right hand of God. If there was no disunity then during the days of His flesh, there would be no disunity now in that same post resurrected body.

    ibid - above.
    If His incarnation did not cause Him to cease to be God here on earth neither would it if that presence is in heaven.

    I am speaking of the blood in the veins and arteries of His mortal body that was subject to death (proven by His crucifixion)- The life of the flesh is in the blood.

    I guess we are at a stalemate as you disagree that He is not therefore in that same body (howbeit resurrected and glorified) - that selfsame post resurrection body here on earth which is my belief - which belief you consider problematic. That body which appeared to the disciples, ate a meal with them, showed the scars of the crucifixion to them and in that same body ascended into heaven according to the scriptures of which we are told:

    Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.​


    The ascension was bodily and we are told so also the return.

    He also made a post return promise to his disciples/apostles:

    Luke 22
    29 And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me;
    30 That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.​

    More promises:

    Romans 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.​

    1 John 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.​


    I too have a problem therefore with the lack of explanation of the disposition of that body if my beliefs are not true.

    Again a clash of opinions/beliefs/whatever between the literal and the figurative I suppose.

    HankD
     
  5. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    We are told that when he appears, at that time we will be as he now is!

    cannot mean will be God, nor that we will be spiits only, as he will come in a Body!

    And in the Incarnation, God the Son assumed Human form AND Humanity, along with keeping his divinity..

    Why would he discard the Body once in heaven, as he said that He, JESUS, will be coming back to this earth?

    This seems to be dubiously close to JW teaching here as what some hold to, as they hold to Micheal coming in form of jesus, then he died, and his physical body poofed away, and was raised back as Micheal in spirit form again!

    Is Tom saying that the Logos/Word became in appearance, but was still jusy God walking around in a human form?

    Died, than discarded the physical human shell, and went back to heaven as JUST the Logos again?

    That would seem tobe highly unscripturally if held to, as God FULLY became human, even adding to his divinity a perfect human nature!
     
  6. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    Tom has expressed doubt as to the Logos retaining His resurrected, glorified body (at least as a material entity).

    We will just have to wait to see if he will flesh out the details of his belief.

    I await his answer to the question of the disposition (or whatever descriptive word is appropriate) of the post resurrected body of Jesus Christ.

    Or perhaps another full preterist can explain this or Tom can find a few quotations?

    HankD
     
    #46 HankD, Jun 13, 2012
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2012
  7. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
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    Not a good beginning, my friend. Perhaps you would like to be more careful as to what I believe - and doubt?
     
  8. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
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    Just a quick comment before I leave the computer for now: This verse you quoted is much more familiar than known. We are so used o the sound of it that we do not consider the arresting syntax.

    The passage, if it is to be support for your position, ought to read "the redemption of our bodies". As it is, we have a plural pronoun (our) coupled with a singular noun (body). The answer is not a lapse in grammar on Paul's part I have actually read that explanation from a commentary!), but an insight on what Paul's emphasis is, both here and in the 1 Cor resurrection chapters - the corporate body of Christ.

    Nowhere does Paul - or any other writer in the NT - refer to bodies (plural) being physically resurrected.

    In fact, as good beginning study, look up the word "bodies" in the New Testament and see which ones can fit into your paradigm.

    Take care.
     
  9. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
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    No, we are not told that. We are told we will be like Him. We need to be carefully to distinguish what Scripture says from what we think/assume/hope Scripture says. We can't depart from the ink of the Word, so to speak, reading between the lines.

    We shall be like Christ. There is a word for that: Christlikeness. To say the word is already to conjure up the right direction our thinking should go in:

    In this life we are to be like Him in spiritual character, modeling all those communicable attributes He has engraced us with, Christ being formed in us.

    In the next life - the real life - we will be like Him, pure spirit, being very much individual persons, but unencumbered by physicality.
     
  10. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    Did God resurrect jesus in a physical/glorified body?

    Jesus said that he was NOT spirit, a ghost, and that he would rise up SAME body 3 days later!
     
  11. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    the glory of that will be that we will always see his nail scarred hands as eternal reminder of How much he loves us!
     
  12. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
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    Does Jesus need to wear a human body like a spacesuit to come to Earth? He didn't in the Incarnation. We need to stop thinking along earthly lines, but follow what the Bible actually says.
    It seems like JW to you because you have absorbed a mere tradition that masquerades as essential Christian doctrine.

    And, no, Tom is not saying what you say I am saying. That would be the heresy of Docetism, along with a couple other heresies.

    If you have any other questions about what I believe don't ask others, ask me. I am a person on this board, not a potted plant in the corner.
    "JUST"? Jesus was just the Logos throughout eternity past.
     
  13. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
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    This is all modern sentimental pseudo-Christian myth. You would make the spiritual Christ have eternal physical fleshly scars forever - and call it glorious.
     
  14. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    Do you still see jesus as being Jesus, the God/man?

    Or did he discard His humanity, and went back to being JUST God, that his play acting as a man was done with?
     
  15. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
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    deleted for now
     
  16. asterisktom

    asterisktom Well-Known Member
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    "Play acting"? I already answered your last question. Furthermore, do you want respectful discussion, or do you want to keep doing what you are doing? Let me know, because if the latter, I am not going to waste my time on you when there are plenty here who actually know the difference between being disagreeable and disagreeing.

    "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" 1 Tim. 2:5

    There is the answer to your first question.
     
    #56 asterisktom, Jun 13, 2012
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  17. HankD

    HankD Well-Known Member
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    From your post #16
    To see - in one of it's uses in the English language implies understanding, I'm sorry for a misuse of "doubt" or "believe".

    So in your understanding Tom does Jesus now reside in heaven as the God-man with/in the same post resurrection body with which He appeared to the apostles, ate a meal, showed His scars and later ascended into heaven?

    If not what happened to that post resurrection body that ate, retained scars, ascended into heaven, etc?

    "I don't know" or "I'm not sure yet" is acceptable (to me anyway).
    However a more comprehensive answer would be better.

    Tom, I consider you a brother and a friend, It's a debate question to understand your full preterist point of view and expand upon the full preterist view of the post-resurrection humanity of Christ.

    Am I looking for and pointing out weaknesses of full preterism?

    Yes, from my position, it has its weaknesses like every other defined theological point of view.
    But not only am I looking for weaknesses but also for understanding.

    I'll try not to ask again (I hope I remember that promise, remind me if I break it, old age you know) unless at your behest or answer.

    Thanks
    HankD
     
    #57 HankD, Jun 14, 2012
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2012
  18. humblethinker

    humblethinker Active Member

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    What would you propose that the writer is saying? Looking at the context, in no way does this understanding conflict.


    In CONTEXT, the writer was saying that they will not learn of a different Jesus than the one their 'leaders' taught (vs 7 and 17). He was not addressing the idea of whether Jesus did not have a physical body before he was born. It seems the writer was not speaking in a way that would support how you've used your quote.

    Correct I don't have any problem with those verses. Are you saying that you DO believe that Jesus experienced a temporal action?

    I agree but I don't see how this addresses our disagreement. I do admire your commitment to philosophical consistency. :)
     
  19. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    Do you see the Man Christ jesus in heaven right before, interceding as our high priest than?
     
  20. Yeshua1

    Yeshua1 Well-Known Member
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    jesus was born 2000 years ago, as that was the humanity of the God/Man, but His divine nature was from eternity past, as he was with God and was God, and now forever united as God/man!

    That is the great mystery and glory, that God would allow himself to become fully man, a being 100 % both god/man, and yet willing to taste physical death, and forever be remaining as God/Man!

    that allows him to be our high priest, as neing still a man and God, able to fully understand our problems/identifing with us..

    How great a saviour we have, and we will always be reminded of that when we see his nail scarred wrists/feet!
     
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