The term 'Holy Trinity', not known to the writers of the Bible, is still an elusive term to use nowadays, especially when one first reads the New Testament in light of the Old Testament and not ...immediately in light of the Creeds and Statements of Faith. This article discusses the roles of Θεός (God) and 'Father' in the New Testament with reference to the Holy Trinity. The conclusion is that the New Testament does not depict a Holy Trinity, but rather portrays Θεός as a coordinator, bringing a harmony between his anthropomorphic assignments 'Father', 'Son' and 'Holy Spirit', as well as all the followers of Θεός on Earth. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications On the first level, this article covers the disciplines of Old Testament, New Testament (NT) and Practical Theology. On the second level, it makes use of philosophy and logics to help determine the 'truths' in the Bible. Who is Θεός? We propose that the NT depicts him as coordinator of his three revelations, 'Father', 'Son' and 'Holy Spirit'. Using anthropomorphic terms, Θεός reveals himself to his followers on Earth. The Bible is used as the main source, with references to the three Creeds and four Statements of Faith.
Key words: glory, Spirit, groaning, intercession, afflictions, image, conformity, new creation, Romans (ProQuest: ... denotes non-USASCII text omitted.) Rich themes abound in Romans 8, a perennial ...favorite within the Pauline corpus: no condemnation in Christ; adoption as sons of God; glory through suffering; God's providential working of all things for the good of believers, just to name a few. In other words, we have failed to live in a way that reflects the nature and character of God (i.e. his glory) in our lives, the very purpose for which we, as image-bearers, were created.2 Just as sin is explained with reference to glory, Paul also presents redemption in Christ in relation to glory. Because believers have been justified by faith (5:1), they once more have "hope of the glory of God" (5:2). Believers once more have "hope of the glory of God" (5:2) and will be "conformed to the image of God's Son" (8:29), which is another way of saying that they will be "glorified" (cf. 8:30).4 Thus glory becomes an eschatolog- ical hope and expectation for believers, a realization of God's purpose for Adam and for Israel to see and to show forth the glory of God.5 God's glory shared with humanity is a significant aspect of Paul's gospel as he presents it in Romans, and the hope of eschatological glory is the central theme of Romans 5-8. In Rom 5:5, Paul says believers' hope-which in context refers to their "hope of the glory of God" (5:2)-does not put them to shame "because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us."
The Filioque is a theological issue that has caused a divide in the Christian Churches, with the Western Churches (Latin Church) and Eastern Churches having different understandings of the procession ...of the Holy Spirit. The Western Churches believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son, while the Eastern Churches believe that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone. The Western Churches have a strong emphasis on the one divine nature, while the Eastern Churches have a strong focus on the monarchy of the Father. This difference in theological perspective has created complications in the theological dialogue between the two regions. Despite these differences, the two theological traditions share the same faith perspective and can bear valuable fruit in theological thinking. The Filioque debate has been a longstanding issue in the Christian Churches, and despite efforts to regain unity, the problem remains unresolved.
One of the tasks of the church's vocation in this world is to preach the gospel or testify about Christ (Marturia), which is to preach the good news about the salvation of the Lord Jesus to a world ...filled with sin. That is why every Christian who has received salvation must be His witness in the midst of this world, so that those who do not believe have a part in the kingdom of God in Christ Jesus. But often there is failure and despair by the Evangelists, because they have given all the best efforts in evangelism but there is no soul that believes. This happens one of them because many evangelists do not understand and believe in the role of the Holy Spirit in evangelism. Therefore this article was written to provide an understanding of the role of the Holy Spirit in Evangelism based on the Gospel of John 16: 4b-15.
Johann Gerhard (1582–1637) was a Lutheran pastor and university professor in Germany whose writings on scripture stand as some of his most important theological contributions. In these works, he ...developed the doctrine of scripture in several significant ways. This essay addresses one such development: Gerhard’s understanding of the sacramentality of scripture. Though scripture is not a sacrament properly speaking, the relationship of its external form to its internal divine meaning and purpose presents an interesting sacramental analogy. In speaking of sacramentality, Gerhard is concerned with the status of scripture as a means of grace and the efficacy of the word in itself. This essay will focus on the continuity of Gerhard’s views on the efficacy of scripture, especially in the face of an episode known as the Rahtmannian debate. Two points will be stressed throughout: (1) Gerhard took a consistent approach to the efficacy of scripture throughout his writings and (2) this approach provides a helpful foundation upon which to establish a theology of the sacramentality of scripture.
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