Not One or Three but Two?

Post by **_AARONDISNEY** » Tue Sep 19, 2006 4:49 pm

I don't even know if this exists....But with all the different takes on seemingly every different theological issue....I was wondering if there were any groups that believe in a God existing in 2 persons....such as a Father and Son and that the Father is Spirit and therefore the Spirit is always the Father Himself....

Or is there some other similar idea of 2 instead of 3 or 1.

Not that I care...I'm a trinitarian and can't see any other way as possible, I was just curious.

Post by **_Thomas** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:05 am

Actually yes. It was a teaching of Herbert W. Armstrong and his Worldwide Church of God. It still exists in some of the splinter groups (300 or so) that came out of this. One of it's proponents is Gerald Flurry and his Philadelphia Church of God.

From thier website:

We believe in one God, eternally existing, Creator of the heavens and Earth and all that is in them (Gen. 1:1). The Godhead is actually composed of two personages: the God who became the Father of Jesus Christ, and the Word who was made flesh and became God's Son (John 1:1-14).

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and of Christ Jesus-the power of God (Acts 1:8; Rom. 15:19) by which all things were created and made.

Also believed by Church of God (Seventh Day) , United Church of God and the Living Church of God .

Beware of anything with Church of God as part of it's name.

The present WWCG has become trinitarian. This idea originated with the SDA but seems to have been dropped a long time ago.

Thomas

Post by **_Steve** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 8:54 am

There are two groups (a least, perhaps more as well) that call themselves "Church of God" (Anderson, Indiana and Cleveland, Tennessee) which hold to the trinitarian view and are not cultic.

Post by **_TK** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:41 am

i have a cousin that attends the anderson, IN church of god and she is definitely not in a cult. as far as i know her chruch's doctrine is sound.

TK

Post by **_Thomas** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 1:31 pm

My mother attends the Church of God (Anderson). I am not disparaging them at all as they are fine. However this name is being used by others who are not trinitarian.

Thomas

Post by **_AARONDISNEY** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 7:02 pm

I am a member of the Cleveland TN based Church of God and we are very trinitarian. Guess it's a popular denomination name.

Post by **_Paidion** » Wed Sep 20, 2006 10:50 pm

Statement of the Philadelphia Church of God:

We believe in one God, eternally existing, Creator of the heavens and Earth and all that is in them (Gen. 1:1). The Godhead is actually composed of two personages: the God who became the Father of Jesus Christ, and the Word who was made flesh and became God's Son (John 1:1-14).

We believe the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and of Christ Jesus-the power of God (Acts 1:8; Rom. 15:19) by which all things were created and made.

I have never heard of the Philadelphia Church of God before, but the statement expressed above is exactly my own belief, with two exceptions.

First, I believe the Holy Spirit in not only "the power of God", but that the Spirit is also personal. The Spirit is the Persons of the Father and the Son. Jesus promised that He and the Father would make their dwelling with the disciples. That personal presence of the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, God didn't become the Father of Christ. He was the Father of Christ from the beginning of time when He begat His only Son.

Call me a heretic if you will, but I came to this understanding through my reading of the statements of Jesus, the apostles, and second-century writers. Trinitarianism didn't develop until the fourth century.

Post by **_Rae** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:13 am

Call me a heretic if you will, but I came to this understanding through my reading of the statements of Jesus, the apostles, and second-century writers. Trinitarianism didn't develop until the fourth century.

I would really like to look at the second-century writings that convinced you of this. I guess Trinitarianism "officially" developed in the 4th century, but I was always taught that it was a teaching from the beginning, just officially recognized as the truth (and anything else as heresy) in the 4th century. But, thanks to Steve's influence, I'm at least willing to look at it. Could you help me out with more information?

Thanks!

Post by **_SoaringEagle** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:23 pm

Paidion,
Does the idea that Trinitarianism wasn't invented until the 4th century entail that Jesus was not worshipped as God (in the same way Trinitarians today worship him) until then?

Post by **_chriscarani** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:31 pm

The Trinity as far as I know was first mentioned by Tertullian who lived in between the second and third century, although I am not sure when he made the deduction.