I never believed in Three Gods
 

Hi all! New here. I'm so new, I'm even sure that this is where I would post a topic like this, but here goes.

I was raised baptist and even began my ministry in a small baptist church. I was filled with the Holy Ghost at a very early age (and yes I had evidence-speaking in tongues and I prophesied). It was there that I got a GREAT start and a firm foundation.

I became an Apostolic preacher while in college. I was able to appreciate the strong teachings about holiness, prayer, deliverance..etc. However, they always said "we- Baptist folks" believed in three Gods, and I NEVER did.

I just thought that this would be interesting.

I don't know what has or what has not been discussed but...

I thought I'd give it a go.

:) Thanks!

Re: I never believed in Three Gods
 

Baptists don't believe in three Gods. Baptists primarily believe that there is only one God who is revealed in three eternal persons, each exhibiting a distinct persona of God (God as Father, God as Son, and God as Spirit). Each are distinct persons... but the same God.

Re: I never believed in Three Gods
 

GASP! You mean there is no three headed god seated on the throne? My Sunday School teacher has failed me. ITS A JOKE!!! :heeheehee

Okay, yeah many of them do. However, even this much is not usually taught. It's just assumed I guess. Anyway...thanks for your reply.

Re: I never believed in Three Gods
 

oneness pentacostals claim trinitarians are trithiestic because they define God as three persons. One God shown in 3 diferent persons.

when the new thing came into place. Oneness view. There was alot of pride behind it, with comments like we are the true trinitarians. and many behind it disfellowshiped with other trinitarians because of it.

today there is a sour taste in the pentacostal camps between each other. some from both sides calling each other heritics and cults. when in fact trying to understand the Godhead isnt a slavational issue.

and so the battle has been raging for the last 90+ years with radicals from both sides making it worse.

each side saying we got the truth, when actuallity we all are looking through a darkened glass, but one day face to face.

Re: I never believed in Three Gods
 

Yup. I've concluded the same. Both are just ATTEMPTS in TRYING to understand God. ATTEMPTS...at best. Jesus is. That's after my degree in Theology and everything. I just arrived at a point in which I said you know what--I BELIEVE JESUS. That's cool for me. Just thought I'd mention it though. :)

Oh, and girls who don't wear skirts all the time don't end up pregnant. lol

Re: I never believed in Three Gods
 

I should have named this...

I don't believe in Three God's (and other myths about Trinitarians-- and I never knew I was a trinitarian until I was Apostolic) lol

Re: I never believed in Three Gods
 

I became a Christian on March 28, 1955. Shortly after that I joined a local Baptist Church in our small town. I also participated in a couple of correspondence courses from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois. One of them was on Romans and one of them, called The Bible Says, was on doctrine. God was described as being three persons but one God. I was told that just as there is no way you could contain the whole ocean in a teacup, there is no way our small human brain could understand God. I often wondered if there were three separate spirits in God, if one of them (the Son) took on humanity to die on the cross, and if so, what happened to that body in heaven --was it stuck off in the corner somewhere while the spirit who was the Son was kneeling at the right hand of the Father's throne praying to the Father.

On December 6, 1955 (my 18th birthday) I prayed before going to bed as usual. As I got off my knees and was getting into bed I received what I believe to be a "revelation." Some how I "saw" (but not a literal picture) that God is one invisible Spirit who visited planet earth in a human body to pay the penalty for my sin and is now living in us as the Holy Spirit. I saw that Jesus was God manifested in flesh and whatever we find Jesus doing or saying could be as God or could be as man. Now, this did not answer all my questions but it helped me see that God acts and moves in various ways but is not three separate spirit beings in heaven.

I've since come to the conclusion that our word "person" came from a word meaning "persona" or "mask" or "role" and that one God can be three "persons" if we take that as meaning that one God plays all three roles --Father, Son, and Holy Ghost-- in the drama of redemption.

I still go along with the teacup and the ocean thing. We humans cannot reduce an infinite God into a package small enough to fit into our puny brain and into our human understanding and explanation or theological package. I don't really like the labels oneness and trinity and don't like to categorize people that way. I think we all believe in one God who came to us in the person of His Son and who lives in us as the Holy Spirit.

Re: I never believed in Three Gods
 

there is a few of us here that has went through the oneness camp and came out differently

Re: I never believed in Three Gods
 

AND AGAIN SAM...WE AGREE! Thank you!!!

Re: I never believed in Three Gods
 

I see. It's refreshing. :)