Another Christian Group Targeted in Gaza

From The Berean Call

Another Christian/Western Target Attacked in Gaza

At least ten armed men blew up a YMCA library in the Gaza Strip, destroying thousands of books early Friday. This appears to be the latest attack by Muslim fundamentalists against either Christian or Western targets.

An estimated 10,000 books, some of them very old, were destroyed when an explosive device was placed in the Young Men Christian Association's library in Gaza City before dawn on Friday, said Isa Saba, director of the YMCA there.

The Palestinian news agency Maan said that more than 10 armed men had broken into the library after midnight, overpowered the guards and abducted them. The gunmen then returned to blow up the library, the report said.

Over the last few years, a number of Christian and Western interest have been attacked in Gaza, including the local Bible Society, a church and Internet cafes.

Saba told Cybercast News Service in a telephone interview he did not know who was behind the attack but he did not believe it had anything to do with the fact that the YMCA is Christian. He said the organization has never been threatened or attacked before this.

The YMCA has been serving Gaza's Palestinian and Arab society for 55 years. It has an art school, a library, summer camps and youth exchanges, which benefit both the Christian and Muslim communities, Saba said.

There are an estimated 3, 500 Christians living amid 1.4 million Muslims in the Gaza Strip.

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=/ForeignBureaus/archive/200802/INT20080215d.html

Bishop warns of no-go zones for non-Muslims [Excerpts]

From The Berean Call

Islamic extremists have created "no-go" areas across Britain where it is too dangerous for non-Muslims to enter, one of the Church of England's most senior bishops warns today.

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester and the Church's only Asian bishop, says that people of a different race or faith face physical attack if they live or work in communities dominated by a strict Muslim ideology.

Bishop Nazir-Ali warns that attempts are being made to give Britain an increasingly Islamic character.

The Muslim Council of Britain today described his comments as "frantic scaremongering", while William Hague, the shadow foreign secretary, said the bishop had "probably put it too strongly."

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said the idea of no-go areas was "a gross caricature of reality".

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Bishop Nazir-Ali compares the threat to the use of intimidation by the far-Right, and says that it is becoming increasingly difficult for Christianity to be the nation's public religion in a multifaith, multicultural society.

Bishop Nazir-Ali, who was born in Pakistan, gives warning that attempts are being made to give Britain an increasingly Islamic character by introducing the call to prayer and wider use of sharia law, a legal system based on the Koran.

David Davis, the shadow home secretary, has accused Muslims of promoting a kind of "voluntary apartheid" by shutting themselves in closed societies and demanding immunity from criticism.

Bishop Nazir-Ali, whose father converted from Islam to Catholicism, was criticised by Ibrahim Mogra, of the Muslim Council of Britain. He said: "It's irresponsible for a man of his position to make these comments.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=BDZVD2NMKCW0LQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2008/01/06/nislam106.xml

[Unfortunately, as we have learned from the experience of other nations, the Bishop's statements simply reflect reality. The "no go" areas of France received attention during the Islamic riots of a few years ago. At the same time Scandinavian nations acknowledged the same problems.]

Ten Plagues

The Ten Plagues of Egypt:
Yahweh vs. the 'Gods'

Plague 1. Nile River (Exodus 7:14-25):

Aaron stretched out his staff over the Nile River and it was changed to blood. Hapi was the god of the Nile. He was supposedly the spirit of the Nile in flood and "giver of life to all men." The annual innundation (when the Nile was in flood stage) was called "the arrival of Hapi".

The Nile water was thought to be the transformed life-blood of Osiris (god of the dead who was second only to Ra; he was also the father of Horus and husband of Isis). The fact that the Nile turned to blood, which was abominable to Egyptians, was a direct affront to one of their chief gods.

The fish-goddess was Hatmeyt, yet she was shown to be powerless when all the fish in the Nile River died.

To illustrate the fact that the plagues of the Exodus were directed against the gods of Egypt, we note some Egyptian prayers to those gods. (The reference to "Nine Gods" apparently did not include pharaoh. It may be of interest that there were just nine plagues before Yahweh killed the sons of pharaoh.)

Praise to thee, 0 Nile, that issueth from the earth and cometh to nourish Egypt . . . That watereth the meadows, he that Ra hath created to nourish all cattle. That giveth drink to the desert places, which are far from water . . . When the Nile floodeth, offering is made to thee, cattle are slaughtered for thee, a great oblation is made for thee . . . Offering is also made to every other god, even as is done for the Nile, with incense, oxen, cattle, and birds upon the flame . . . All ye men, extol the Nine Gods, and stand in awe of the might which his son, the Lord of All, hath displayed, even he that maketh green the Two Riverbanks. Thou art verdant, 0 Nile, thou art verdant. He that maketh man to live on this cattle, and his cattle on the meadow . . ." (Adolph Erman, The Ancient Egyptians, 1966, p. 146.)

The Nile flooded every year, making the land fertile. If the Nile did not flood enough there was famine; if it flooded too much there was famine. The Nile was, indeed, the lifeblood of Egypt, and thus it became one of their gods. Heathen gods often have some connection with the economics of daily life, but especially in the case of the sun.

Plague 2. Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15):

The land was so filled with frogs that they became objects of loathing. Heqt, the frog-headed goddess, played a part in "creation." Hers was one of the oldest fertility cults in Egypt. Though she was the goddes of frogs and fertility, she too was discredited when she failed to control the fertility of a these frogs. Because of this plague they became a stench to the Egyptians.

Plague 3. Lice (Exodus 8:16-19):


The land of Egypt was supposed to be sacred to nearly all of the Egyptian gods. But when it was defiled by lice it revealed their weakness to protect it. Crops and animals were also affected, reducing the food supply. In addition to being the god of the dead, Osiris was the god of vegetation.

The Egyptian magicians, unable to duplicate this plague, attribute it to "the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19), and they withdrew.

Plague 4. Flies, or Beetles ("insects" -- Exodus 20 - 32):


Although it is not clear which insect the Hebrew word arob refers to (it can be literally translated as swarms), this plague may have been against the beetle-god Khephira, a scarab-headed god regarded as a manifestation of Atum or Ra. Khephira was supposed to be god of the resurrection. Priests wore scarabs as charms.

Plague 5. Disease Upon Cattle (Murrain or Anthrax) (Exodus 9:1-7):


This judgment against the bull god, Apis. It was also against Hathor, the cow-headed love goddess. The pharaoh worshipped Hathor, whose name means "house of Horus," bringing special reproach against him when she failed to protect the "sacred cattle of Hathor."

Other gods associated with cattle were Ptah and Amon.

Great cemeteries of embalmed cattle have been excavated. The symbol of the bull was the symbol of pharaoh himself. In the "Hymn to Amun," it is difficult to distinguish the Pharaoh from the bull. The title is: "Adoration of Amunre (Amun-Ra), Bull of Heliopolus, chiefest of all gods, the good god, the beloved, who giveth life to all that is warm, and to every good herd."

Praise be to thee, Amunre, Lord of Karnak, who presideth in Thebes. Bull of his Mother, the first on his field! Wide of stride, first in Upper Egypt. . . . Greatest of heaven, eldest of earth, lord of what existeth, who abideth in all things. Unique in his nature among the gods, goodly bull of the Nine Gods, chiefest of all gods. Lord of Truth, father of the gods, who maketh mankind, and createth beast. (Erman, p. 283.)

Plague 6. Boils (Exodus 9:8-12):


This plague was especially against the god of healing, Im-Hotep, an outstanding nobleman of the Old Kingdom, later deified. But he could do nothing to help the Egyptians. The goddess Sekhmet was also known for her healing ability. This plague also affected animals and livestock, once again discrediting Anis and Hathor. Also Anubis, the jackal-headed god.

Plague 7. Hail (Exodus 9:13-15):


The sky goddess Nut was "the mother of the sun-god Ra, whom she swallowed in the evening and gave birth to again in the morning". She was especially culpable in this plague in that she was supposed to protect the land from destructions which came down from heaven. Exodus 9:31 mentions that the flax and barley were hit. Destruction of the flax was trying because it was used to wrap mummies and to make clothes.

Other gods discredited were, again, Apis and Hathor (the hail struck lifestock), and Osiris, god of vegetation.

Plague 8. Grasshoppers, or Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20):


The locust-headed god was Senehem. During the plague, the locusts were so thick that the "eye of the earth" was darkened (Exodus 10:5). One of the epithets of the sun-god Ra was "the eye of Ra." By causing darkness while the sun was shining, Ra was discredited. Osiris, too, was once again shown to be powerless.

Plague 9. Darkness (Exodus 10:21-27):


The greatest god of Egypt was the sun. The sun-god Amun-Ra was the principle deity of the pantheon. He made all growth possible. Pharaoh was considered himself to be the incarnation of Ra. With three days of darkness, the principle deity was scorned, while the Hebrews in Goshen were not affected by this plague. One of many hymns to the sun may help us feel their devotion to this deity:

Beautiful is thine appearing in the horizon of heaven, thou living sun, the first who lived. Thou risest in the eastern horizon, and fillest every land with thy beauty. Thou art beautiful and great, and glistenest, and art high above every land. Thy rays, they encompass the lands, so far as all that thou hast created. Thou art Ra, and thou reachest unto their end and subduest them for thy dear son [the Pharaoh]. Thou art afar, yet are thy rays upon the earth . . . etc., ad nauseum. (Erman, p. 289.)

Horus, son of Osirus, was also associated with the sun.

Plague 10. Pharaoh (Exodus 11-12):


The last plague was not only directly against the supreme god of Egypt, Pharaoh himself supposedly being the incarnation of Amun-Ra, but also against the future pharaoh, his son, the very next god of Egypt. He was to die on the same level as animals (not as a god), for the prophecy was that the firstborn of man and cattle would die.

Hymns of worship to many pharaohs have been found. Here is one to Rameses II:

The good god, the strong one, whom men praise, the lord, in whom men make their boast; who protecteth his soldiers, who maketh his boundaries on earth as he will. . . . (Erman, p. 258.)

Concerning the divinity of the pharaohs, William Edgerton notes:

As for the organization and powers of the government, everyone knows that the Pharaoh was an absolute monarch and that his authority rested theoretically on his supposed divinity. He is constantly called"the good god." One of his most frequent titles designates him as the son of the sun-god Ra, and we know that his claim of divine parentage was not a mere figure of speech; it was meant to be taken literally. Theoretically, of course, the Pharaoh's right-to-rule rested on his divinity. He was begotten by the sun-god Amon-Ra, who took the form of the previous king for this purpose, and Amon-Ra with the enthusiastic approval of the other gods placed him on the throne and decreed a long and brilliant reign for him. No doubt those theological fictions helped to strengthen the Pharaoh's position. But the really solid basis of his power was his control of the machinery of government, including the army and police. (Edgerton, Journal of Near Eastern Studies: 6, 1967, pp. 153-4.)


A great majority of the historical monuments were intended as official propaganda with the purpose of transmitting to posterity a "correct" impression of the glory and power of the pharaohs. Crises of revolution and that type of inner strife so common in the Orient, as well as military defeats in foreign wars, were either passed over completely or were interpreted so that the monuments conveyed impressions much distorted and unduly colored to the credit of the Egyptians. (Steindorff and Seele, When Egypt Ruled the East, p. 6, our emphasis.)

So, since the judgment was for both man and animals, Pharoah/Ra, and all of the animal-gods were once again exposed as completely and utterly helpless in the shadow of Yahweh. Only those who put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts were safe that night.

By Kristina Y. (some portions taken from internet sources)

666 raises its ugly head in British House of Commons [Excerpts]

From The Berean Call

Whether or not you are a student of prophecy, a conspiracy theorist, or dabble in the art of biblical numerology, you may find interesting or disturbing the fact that a motion calling for the disestablishment of the Church of England has been listed in the British House of Commons as 666 -- the Number of the Beast.

According to Ruth Gledhill, Religion Correspondent of The Times, Labour Member of Parliament (MP) John Austin, who has repeatedly tabled Early Day Motions urging disestablishment, put down his latest motion last night as MPs debated scrapping Britain's blasphemy laws.

The British Houses of Parliament building in London.

The motion appeared on the House of Commons order paper numbered 666, the number associated with the Antichrist in the Book of Revelation. Some scholars believe 666 referred to the Emperor Nero, Gledhill reported.

The King James Bible renders Revelation 13:8 as: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six."

Bob Russell, Liberal Democrat MP for Colchester and one of the signatories, said: “It is incredible that a motion like this should have, by chance, acquired this significant number. This number is supposed to be the mark of the Devil. It looks as though God or the Devil have been moving in mysterious ways."

Russell added: “What is even stranger is that this motion was tabled last night when MPs were debating blasphemy.”

http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2008/s08010088.htm

What Are the Elements of Man?

By Kristina Y.

 

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." -1 Thessalonians 5:23

 

The question of how many elements there are to man has been an important factor in every culture, religion, and people group over the centuries. It ranges from one (the physical body) to five or more. The most common belief, however, is that we consist of two parts: the physical body, and another non-physical element known as the spirit, soul, or mind; this is the seat of our thoughts, feelings, imagination, affections, etc.

Now, I must admit, I did not know just how common the dualistic (two-parts) belief was in Christendom until about a year and a half ago. I was listening to a Christian radio program and the subject of how to define the trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) came up. The host was giving various analogies, and some people called in to give their opinion. One of the people calling in suggested that we use man (meaning the human being) as an example. He said that man is made up of body, soul, and spirit, and yet is one man. I was expecting the host to agree with this, but instead he quickly brushed the idea aside saying matter-of-factly that man is not a trinity, so therefore you cannot use man to describe the Holy Trinity. This surprised me to say the least. Up until then I had always assumed that most Christians (especially fundamental) believed in a triune human nature, and it was only those with humanistic, naturalistic beliefs who would deny a second non-physical element. No honest person can get around the fact that thoughts and feelings are non-physical, but that's about as far as most unbelievers will go.

So, that is what prompted me to start researching the subject of man's elemental nature. The first thing that came to mind was the familiar phrase found in both Testaments, "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength." For some, this alone would be enough to prove that man is more than two parts. Here it lists four distinct attributes we are to use to focus on God. However, after further investigation, I found the argument against that to be rather strong. Those on the dualistic side say that it was only meant for emphasis. Even though each word has a different meaning both in English and the original Greek or Hebrew, it isn't enough to convince those who hold strongly to the dualistic approach.

 

However, that isn't the only Scriptural support for a triune nature. There are many passages that don't even mention the soul or spirit which demonstrate how man must consist of more than two parts. For example, John 13:3-11:

"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, 'Lord, are You washing my feet? Jesus answered and said to him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.' Peter said to Him, 'You shall never wash my feet!' Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.' Simon Peter said to Him, 'Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!' Jesus said to him, 'He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.' For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, 'You are not all clean.'"

 

The obvious question now is, what part of the human nature does this feet washing apply to? Christ Himself said that once you are bathed you are completely clean, except for your feet. Bathing here must refer to salvation, being cleansed from one's sins. It is quite frankly absurd to think that Christ is speaking of literal, physical feet. Therefore, if you believe that man is a dual nature, it must be concluded that it is your spirit (which has become a new creation and is covered by the blood of Christ) which has become dirty and in need of cleansing, even though this is a direct contradiction of what Jesus said in the text. Your "hands and head" are already clean, and will always be clean. It is just the this one part of you, the metaphorical feet, which needs washing. What could it be?

Here is another passage which may put things into perspective. Romans 12:1-2:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

  

Here Paul is asking his "brethren" (fellow Christians) to "present your bodies a living sacrifice.," and to "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." What then is our mind? If it is our redeemed spirit, why does it need to be renewed? It sounds like this "renewing of the mind" is the same thing Christ was demonstrating in the washing of the feet. There is some part of us which is touched, non-physically, by the world and needs to be washed or renewed.

  

Yet another passage from a Pauline epistle shows us a battle between two non-physical human elements. Romans 7:14-25:  

"For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

"I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

"So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

Are we to believe that Paul was being held captive to his physical body? It is your stomach which hungers, but it is your hand which picks up the food and puts it in your mouth.

What does the hand care if your stomach is hungry or not? Or what physical need does the body have for a fancy car, big house, or fine clothes. Is it not our ego, our self (which we are to deny daily) which desires these things? It appears to me that there must be two sides to our non-physical nature, which are constantly warring with one another for control over our physical body.

 

Here is a commentary on 1 Thessalonians 5:23 from the Scofield Study Bible, written in 1909:

Man a trinity. That the human soul and spirit are not identical is proved by the facts that they are divisible (Heb. 4:12), and that soul and spirit are sharply distinguished in the burial and resurrection of the body. It is sown a natural body (soma psuchikon = "soul-body"), it is raised a spiritual body (soma pneumatikon), 1 Cor. 15:44. To assert, therefore, that there is no difference between soul and spirit is to assert that there is no difference between the mortal body and the resurrection body. In Scripture use, the distinction between spirit and soul may be traced. Briefly, that distinction is that the spirit is that part of man which "knows" (1 Cor. 2:11), his mind; the soul is the seat of affections, desires, and so of the emotions, and of the active will, the self. "My soul is exceeding sorrowful" (Mt. 26:38; see also Mt. 11:29; and John 12:27). The word translated "soul" in the O.T. (nephesh) is the exact equivalent of the N.T. word for soul (Gr. psuche), and the use of "soul" in the O.T. is identical with the use of that word in the N.T. (see Deut. 6:4; 14:26; 1 Sam. 18:1; 20:4,17; Job 7:11, 15; 14:22; Psa. 42.6; 84:2). The N.T. word for spirit (pneuma), like the O.T. ruach, is trans. "air," "breath," "wind," but predominantly "spirit," whether of God (e.g. Gen 1:2; Mt. 3:16) or man (Gen 41:8; 1 Cor. 5:5). Because man is "spirit" he is capable of God-consciousness, and of communication with God (Job 32:8; Psa. 18:28; Prov. 10:27); because he is "soul" he has self-consciousness (Psa. 13:2; 42:5, 6, 11); because he is "body" he has, through his senses, world-consciousness. See Gen 1:26, note.

-C.I. Scofield, The Old Scofield Study Bible, 1909

Now, here is the passage being commented on, 1 Thessalonians 5:23:

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit^G4151 and soul^G5590 and body^G4983 be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

Here are the definitions of the Greek words highlighted, taken directly from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

     G4151 - pneuma:

pnyoo'-mah

From G4154; a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, daemon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy spirit:—ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Compare G5590.

 

G5590 - psuche:

psoo-khay'

From G5594; breath, that is, (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew [H5315], [H7307] and [H2416]:—heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

 

G4983 - soma:

so'-mah

From G4982; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively:—bodily, body, slave.

One would think that all of this would be sufficient evidence for a triune nature to man. However, that is not the case for some. As with many issues within Christendom, no matter how much evidence one presents, straight from Scripture, there will always be those who deny it.

Another argument the dualistic side gives is that there is no evidence in the creation story of God giving man three natures. I beg to differ. Here are two passages out of the creation story which refer to both animals and humans, and the elements God created in them.

Genesis 1:24:

" And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living^H2416 creature^H5315 after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast^H2416 of the earth after his kind: and it was so."

Genesis 2:7:

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed^H5301 into his nostrils the breath^H5397 of life^H2416; and man became a living^H2416 soul^H5315."

Here are the definitions of the Hebrew words highlighted, taken directly from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

     H2416 - chay:

khah'ee

From H2421; alive; hence raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively:— + age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life (-time), live (-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, + merry, multitude, + (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.

      H5301 - naphach:

naw-fakh'

A primitive root; to puff, in various applications (literally, to inflate, blow hard, scatter, kindle, expire; figuratively, to disesteem):—blow, breath, give up, cause to lose [life], seething, snuff.

      H5315 - nephesh:

neh'-fesh

From H5314; properly a breathing creature, that is, animal or (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental):—any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, X dead (-ly), desire, X [dis-] contented, X fish, ghost, + greedy, he, heart (-y), (hath, X jeopardy of) life (X in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortality, one, own, person, pleasure, (her-, him-, my-, thy-) self, them (your) -selves, + slay, soul, + tablet, they, thing, (X she) will, X would have it.

      H5397 - n^eshamah:

nesh-aw-maw'

From H5395; a puff, that is, wind, angry or vital breath, divine inspiration, intellect or (concretely) an animal:—blast, (that) breath (-eth), inspiration, soul, spirit.

You should be able to tell from the passage and definitions above that both man and the animals held two things in common upon creation: A body, "chay" (H2416), and a soul "nephesh" (H5315).

However, there is one thing God gave Adam which He did not give the animals: The breath (spirit) of life, "neshamah" (H5397). God breathed, "naphach" (H5301), something different and special into Adam.

So, according to Genesis 1 and 2, the animals have a body and a soul. But man has a body, soul, and spirit.

Thank you for reading this. I feel I have made my case to the best of my ability. Ultimately you must look at the evidence for yourself and decided what you believe. Obviously, this is a non-essential doctrine, and your view on this does not affect your salvation or status in the body of Christ. So, I will just leave you with a few more passages of Scripture to think about, and a simple illustration of how I believe man's trinity could be different from God's trinity. I encourage your feedback, positive or negative. I would like to hear from both sides proofs and arguments.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18:

"Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord."

Galatians 6:15:

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation."

Ephesians 2:15:

"Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace."

Ephesians 4:23-24:

"And be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

Colossians 3:9-10:

"Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him."

Romans 7:23,25:

"But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members… So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."

1 Thessalonians 5:23:

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

You can see from these oversimplified drawings how the "Holy Trinity" could be understood as different from the human "triune nature." All persons of the Holy Trinity are interconnected: Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Whereas with human nature, the body is not directly connected to the spirit. This is only a theory, however, and should not be taken as fact.

Kristina Y.

January 13, 2008