THEOLOGY VII. God the Trinity - C: Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit has a personality so we use the personal pronoun “he” when referring to the Holy Spirit. He is not merely a force, so we do not refer to the Holy Spirit as “it.” The Holy Spirit thinks and guides (see Acts 15:28), and grieves (see Ephesians 4:30). The Holy Spirit is God, so he is omnipotent (see Genesis 1:2), and omnipresent (see Psalm 139:7-10). The Holy Spirit participated in the creation of life (see Genesis 1:26,27; Psalm 104:24,30).

From the time of the Feast of Pentecost described in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit has indwelled believers. Prior to that time, he came upon people and left them at will (see Numbers 11:17,25,26; Proverbs 1:23) .

Jesus died on behalf of all who believes in Him

Friends, the birth of Jesus Christ was first foretell by God Himself in the beginning after creation,after the fall of man in sin, which is recorded in Genesis 3:15  wherein God told the originator of sin Serpent(Satan), ^“ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers( her offspring here is Jesus); he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Here,God told Satan that Jesus would be born through a woman and He would punish Satan. This means Jesus will defeat Satan and save Man(human being) from Satan’s power. God is just and Holy. He must punish sin and its originator. He cannot live with sin in His side. Therefore, God sent out Man from His place so that He can purify man from sin. God’s intention is to punish sin and originator of sin, Satan. Any human being with sin must also be punished.

Surgical doctors also cut off and discarded the disease part of human organ in their operation. Likewise, if any person is disease with sin, he or she must also get punishment along with sin. But God love His created human beings and wants to save them. That is why He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ to this world more than 2000 years ago. Jesus got the punishment we ought to receive and died on our behalf. Jesus died on the Cross. Cross at that time was made by the then ruler of the world, Roman Government to punish the most wanted (the worst sinner). Jesus Christ died on the Cross signify that His dead was for and on behalf of all, including the worst sinners. However, the words of God, the Bible says that only those who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved.

Friends, we all are sinners since the beginning, even the best person is counted by God as sinner if he or she does not believe in Jesus Christ. So, forget your shortcomings, your bad habits, your wrong doings; come to Jesus Christ, confess to Him in prayer secretly to Him that you are sinner ( knowing that even if you are good enough, you are still counted by God as sinner because you don’t believe in, and confess your sin to, Jesus Christ); invite Him to be your Lord and Saviour; pray to Him to bless you and make you God’s child and be ready to celebrate His coming in this world ( only to save you from the power of sin) on Christmas Day, 25 December.

If you already received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour(or have just done as requested above) write ‘Amen’ to praise His name. May God bless you.

Do some Christmas traditions have pagan origins?”

Answer: There is no doubt that some of what we now refer to as Christmas traditions can be traced back, in some form, to pagan cultures and celebrations. The ringing of bells, for example, is generally thought to have had its origin in the early pagan winter celebration of ringing of bells to drive out evil spirits. In later centuries, bells were rung on Christmas Eve to welcome in the spirit of Christmas with joyful noise (Psalm 95:1). When Christians enjoy the beauty of a glorious bell choir ringing Christmas carols, we are reminded of the coming of Jesus into the world, not the driving out of evil spirits.

THEOLOGY : VII. God the Trinity - B. Son.

Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16). The name “Jesus” is the Greek form of the Hebrew “Joshua,” meaning “Jehovah—saved.” So the name Jesus infers that He is the Savior. “Christ” means “the Anointed One,” from the Hebrew “Messiah.” (Daniel 9:25,26).

In Old Testament times, prophets, priests, and kings were anointed with oil when they were appointed to office. Jesus is the Prophet that God promised would come (Deut. 18:18; see Luke 13:33; John 6:14). A prophet proclaims the word of God. Jesus is our Priest (see Hebrews 7:21). As our priest, Jesus intercedes between God the Father and mankind. He is the advocate for believers. Priests in the Old Testament offered sacrifices to reconcile sinners with God. Jesus came as the one perfect sacrifice to reconcile us with the Lord.

“How should Christians respond to the “War on Christmas”?”

Answer: Many people perceive that there is a concerted effort to eliminate the word “Christmas” from public discourse—sort of a “war on Christmas.” The stories seem to be coming more frequently: a grade-school choir sings “We Wish You a Happy Holiday” instead of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” for their “Winter Concert.” A library invites “holiday displays” from the community provided the displays have no religious connotation—the stable may have animals in it, but no people. It is possible to do all one’s Christmas shopping and never see or hear the word “Christmas” in the stores.

THEOLOGY : VII. God the Trinity : A. Father.

God the Father is the eternally existing God. When Moses asked God to reveal his name, God said that he is “I Am” (from a Hebrew word meaning “to exist”). See Exodus 3:14.

Jesus referred to God as “Father.” See the Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9ff. God is both transcendent and immanent. God is transcendent—he is superior to the universe. Through His Son, He created the universe (see Gen. 1:1, Col. 1:15,16), and the Holy Spirit was active in the Creation process (see Gen. 1:2). He is all-powerful (omnipotent). See Psalm 33:6-11. God is all-knowing (omniscient). See Job 37:14-16.The Lord never changes (immutable). See Malachi 3:6. God is light. See 1 John 1:5. God is a Spirit. See John 4:24.

God is immanent —he is present throughout the universe (omnipresent). He is here with us. See Acts 17:24-27. Since God is a Spirit, he cannot be seen. But God has revealed himself through theophanies. A theophany is a visible appearance of God. Examples of this include God appearing as a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21), and as a burning bush (Exodus 3:4). God is personal—not merely a force. God’s personality is shown by the fact that he loves (1 John 4:8) and hates (Proverbs 6:16-19). (For details and for free course visit <www.missionstraining.org>)

True meaning of Christmas

The true meaning of Christmas is love. John 3:16-17 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” 
The true meaning of Christmas is the celebration of this incredible act of love.

THEOLOGY VII. God the Trinity

THEOLOGY

VII. God the Trinity - Before studying the Trinity, let us consider various concepts of God. Theism is the belief in one or more gods. Classical theism is the belief in one infinite God, which is distinguished from the cosmos; and this God created, sustains and guides the cosmos. In classical theism, God is both transcendent (removed from the universe) and immanent (present in the universe). Classical theism includes Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Deism holds that God created the cosmos, but God does not continue to guide it. In deism, God is transcendent, but not immanent. Pantheism is the idea that God is the universe. In pantheism, God is immanent, but not transcendent. Polytheism is the belief in more than one god. Monotheism is the belief in one god. Classical theism is monotheistic.

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD- Intellectually, God is Omniscient, Faithful, and Wise

THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD- 
Intellectually, God is Omniscient, Faithful, and Wise
 
God differs from other spirits not only in being but also in knowledge.  His intellectual capabilities are unlimited, and He uses them fully and perfectly.
 
God is omniscient.  God knows all things (1 John 3:20).  Jesus has this attribute of deity also, for Peter says, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You” (John 21:17).  God knows all inward thoughts and outward acts of humanity (Psalm 139).  “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to Whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:13).  Isaiah distinguished the Lord of all from idols by the Lord’s ability to predict the future (Isaiah 44:7-8, 25-28).  Clearly the Lord’s knowledge of the future was communicable in human concepts and words.  In the context of Isaiah He made predictions concerning Jerusalem, Judah, Cyrus, and the temple.  These concepts were inspired in the original language and are translatable in the languages of the world.

Should Christians celebrate Christmas?”

Answer: The debate about whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas has been raging for centuries. There are equally sincere and committed Christians on both sides of the issue, each with multiple reasons why or why not Christmas should be celebrated in Christian homes. But what does the Bible say? Does the Bible give clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated by Christians?