When God put all things under Christ it is manifest that God is excepted, being the One who put things under the feet of Christ (1Cor. 15:27). When Christ subdues all things, then shall Christ himself be subject to God, who put all things under Christ so that God may be all in all (panta en pasin, 1Cor. 15:28, not as per RSV). Thus, the Platonist doctrines that seek to merge God and Christ in the Trinity are metaphysical nonsense which contradicts Scripture. Christ will sit on the right hand of God, by direction of God (Heb. 1:3,13; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1Pet. 3:22) and share God’s Throne as the elect will share the throne given to Christ (Rev. 3:21), which is a throne of God (Ps. 45:6-7; Heb. 1:8 or God is thy Throne translated Your throne O God, see fn. to annotated RSV). God who sends is greater than he who is sent (Jn. 13:16), the servant not being greater than his Lord (Jn. 15:20). It is the utmost absurdity to suggest that a being could be a sacrifice unto itself. Such an act, logically, is suicide or, within Trinitarianism, a partial mutilation. Hence, the doctrine denies the resurrection, especially from 1Corinthians 15. Thus, the distinction in the crucifixion and resurrection is mandatory and complete. The resurrection had to be in the flesh involving translation as the Wave Offering, otherwise there is no salvation and no ongoing harvest. The preparation of Christ for the ascension to his God and our God, who is our Father (Jn. 20:17), was real and distinctive. Christ achieved his capacity to be God and achieved the fullness of the Godhead bodily from the operation of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the doctrine of the Sonship from baptism is true and complete. Having established the biblical position at the time of Christ, we are able to see how this position was present during the first and second centuries. From the texts of Justin Martyr and Irenaeus available to us, we know that the understanding extended into the early Church. Justin Martyr states that God taught the same thing by the prophets as by Moses, and this is borne out above (see Dialogue with Trypho, Ch. XXVII, ANF, Vol. I, p. 207f.). Justin taught that God begat, as the beginning, a certain rational power from Himself that is called, by the Holy Spirit: now the Glory of the Lord, now the Son, again Wisdom, again an Angel, then God (Theos), and then Lord and logos. Justin identifies him as the Captain of the Army of the Lord who appeared to Joshua (ibid., LXI). This section was drawn in exposition of Proverbs 8:12ff., where Wisdom was identified as Messiah, who was made by God, and God’s will was then executed by Messiah. Justin holds (ibid., LXII) that in the creation God conversed with entities numerically distinct from Himself. Thus, Moses was held to declare that the creation involved at least two Beings numerically distinct from one another. Ditheists attempt to isolate this to two, and Trinitarians merge it into three indistinct hypostases. The elohim were in fact more numerous, from the other texts referred to above, especially Psalm 45:6-7, which ascribes partners to Christ. Irenaeus (ca. 125-203) wrote on the question of the extension of the term elohim (or theoi in the Greek) to mankind. Irenaeus is important because he was taught by Polycarp, the disciple of John (see Butler, Lives of the Saints, Burns & Oates, UK, 1991, p. 56). Thus, we can be fairly certain that Irenaeus’ understanding (short of forgery) approximated that of the early Church. He certainly supported the Quartodecimans and mediated in the Passover controversy (Butler, ibid., p. 197); although he was isolated from Asia Minor, being in Lyon. In his work Against Heresies he expounded the concept that the elect would exist as elohim. Irenaeus held that the angels and the creator of the world were not ignorant of the supreme God seeing that they were His property and His creatures and were contained by Him (Bk. II, Ch. VI, ANF, p. 365). Irenaeus did not refer to the creator of the world, who was Messiah, as God the Most High or the Almighty (ibid., Ch. VI:2). From this work it is shown that the Greek concepts of the Demiurge and the Pleroma had invaded the concepts of that which are termed Aeons and had sought to infuse the biblical concepts with Greek metaphysics, thus destroying them. The Gnostics were forced underground, being part of the Mysteries and finally developed into the Trinity. This is developed elsewhere. Irenaeus (and Justin) taught that the resurrection was physical, and then God would render the bodies incorruptible and immortal (ANF, Vol. I, p. 403). God is held to be the Creator (ibid., p. 404) as opposed to Christ, who created the world under this God (ibid., p. 405). Irenaeus held that the Holy Spirit had designated both the Father and the Son (from Ps. 45:6-7) as Elohim or Theoi – the Father appointing the Son. Irenaeus held that Psalm 82:1 referred to the Father, the Son and the elect (those of the adoption as the Church) when it said: God stood in the Congregation of the gods (theoi), he judges among the gods (Adv. Her., Bk. III, Ch. VI, ANF, Vol I, p. 419). He did not fully understand the extent of the brotherhood of the elect, which extended to all of the Host, who are brethren in the Kingdom. Revelation was given to John in exile on Patmos after he had trained Polycarp. Revelation 12:10 holds the angels to be the brethren of the elect. Revelation 4 and 5 show that the elect have been ransomed to the Council of the Elders to become kings and priests among the Host. Christ states that the elect are to become equal to the angels (isaggelos from isos and aggelos (Lk. 20:36) which has the concept of being part of them as an order). Christ confesses us before his brethren in the Host.
Posted on: Sat, 06 Dec 2014 12:40:00 +0000
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