Why I believe in the Eternal Son (Eternal Sonship)

true, as it refers to something/someone being called that at a definite point in time!

 

The Nicean Creed and other Creeds seem to be implying that Jesus was eternally begotten, but that seems to be assuming that His existence is dependent upon God the father!

 

Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin!

 

notice that John did not write, "in the beginning (eternity past) was the Son...Son...Son". IF, the eternal sonship were true, then we would have expected this to be the reading here. Also, as I have said elsewhere, there is no God-Son realtionship mentioned in any part of the OT. Don't you think that it is rather strange that such an important teaching, as some suppose, would be not in the OT?

 

in places these "creeds" are heretical, like in, "God from God", "Light from Light", True God from True God", where in each case the Greek preposition used for "from", is "ek", denoting the Son is "out of" the essense of the Father! This makes Jesus in His essential Deity, in the Trinity, to be "subordinate" to the Father, and therefore cannot be God in the fullest sense of the word. Such was the heresy of Origen, which sadly some of the orthodox adopted!

 

Jesus while on earth had submitted to the limitations of the human flesh, so was temp subordinate , but once ascended and back in glory, no longer!

 

I thought this went against the sonship argument.

 

That's the point Mac is making. It's not the blood per se, but the shedding of blood (death) that atones for us.

IOWs, he could not have saved us by merely donating a few pints.

 

John Calvin did not agree with the chosen language of the Creeds, as he thought that they affirmed Jesus somehow being less than true God!

 

he needed to shed blood, if he had a stroke or heart attack on the Cross would not have worked!

 

it does, as Jesus was not eternally subordinate....

 

I'm sure that's true, in fact, prophecy had to be fulfilled that he would shed blood. But you would you agree that blood apart from death would also not save us?

That's the only point MacArthur clarified. Otherwise he has years of preaching about the blood of Jesus.

 

But if God sent the Word to become flesh, doesn't that mean the Word had to comply prior to becoming flesh? And doesn't that imply subordination?

I don't think subordination and equality are mutually exclusive.

 

As John 1:1 speaks of "eternity past", there is no "becoming" involved, as Jesus Christ IS always THE WORD, but it very clearly does not say "the Son"!

 

nice to hear that of Calvin, at least he got this one right, though his understanding of the Greek in John 10:30, is way off!

 

'Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah; Deut 6:4
A Psalm of David. The affirmation of Jehovah to my Lord: 'Sit at My right hand, Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.' Psalms 110:1

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Ex 3:14 KJV
I am that I am - אהיה אשר אהיה Eheyeh asher Eheyeh
John Calvin commentary - .I am that I am. The verb in the Hebrew is in the future tense, “I will be what I will be;
Adam Clarke - As the original words literally signify, I will be what I will be,

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Not sure about your question but mine would be; Did the Word, I will be what I will be, become flesh, when the Son of the Highest was conceived in and brought forth from, the seed of the virgin woman, Mary?

 

The Second Person in the Holy Trinity, the Lord Jesus Christ, also known in the OT as The Angel (Messenger) of the Lord", Who is Himself also YAHWEH, and 100% equal to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.