Cleansing of the lips

 May you see the glory in Jesus Christ that is truly the light of the glory of the Father.

Are you troubled by your own lying habit? And the lying all around you? 

CHRIST DIED FOR YOU 

Let this truth sink in. It means your reconciliation is now possible with God. 

Pray and let the Holy Spirit power from heaven train you to stop lying and cleanse your lips to speak the truth. Speak truthfully to believing disciples. Keep truthful speech on your lips so they have no room for lying. Do so always. CHRIST DIED FOR YOU. 

The homoousios trick

 In Christian theology, the term homoousios (meaning “of the same substance” or “of one essence”) plays a central role in explaining the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit within the doctrine of the Trinity. Homoousios was introduced in the early centuries of Christianity, notably at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, to address debates about Jesus’s divinity and his relationship to God the Father. Christians were grappling with the question of whether Jesus, the Son, was fully divine, and if so, how his divinity related to the Father’s. The use of homoousios allowed early theologians to assert that the Father and the Son are "one" in an essential, metaphysical sense, united by a single divine “substance” without being identical in their roles or identities.

This term provided a way for Christians to affirm monotheism while still preserving the distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as individual “persons” within the Godhead. By saying that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equally and fully God through homoousios, early Christian thinkers could claim that they were not introducing multiple gods, which would contradict monotheism. Instead, they argued that these three persons share a single divine essence, making them “one God in three persons.” This unity in essence was intended to prevent allegations of polytheism and to clarify that although each person of the Trinity is distinct, they are not separate gods; rather, they are united within a single divine reality.

Homoousios thus functions as an abstract principle or unifying essence rather than a concrete quality. By using this term, theologians did not need to specify a single, measurable quality shared by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (such as omnipotence or wisdom). Instead, they used homoousios as a kind of conceptual placeholder—a way to assert unity without defining what this unity consists of in concrete terms. This abstraction allows homoousios to act as a flexible tool: it enables theologians to affirm that the Father and the Son are “equal” in a shared divine reality without implying that they are identical in their specific roles, characteristics, or relationships.

This kind of abstraction is powerful in philosophy and theology, where terms often need to capture mystery, paradox, or complex distinctions. Homoousios enables a claim of unity that doesn’t depend on identical attributes or roles, framing the unity of the Trinity as something essential and intrinsic. It allows the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to be “co-equal” in divinity while distinct in their personhood, avoiding the appearance of polytheism by framing the three as united within a single divine essence rather than as separate gods.

In essence, homoousios allows theologians to assert both the oneness and the threeness of the Trinity without contradiction, at least within the context of theological language. This conceptual strategy is similar to a rhetorical maneuver you might use to claim that two distinct things are "equal" in a certain sense. For instance, if you wanted to make "1" equal to "2" in an abstract way, you could claim that both share a certain essence of “number.” By focusing on an abstract quality that both things share (such as number-ness), you sidestep their obvious numerical difference in value, creating a unity within a redefined framework. In Trinitarian theology, homoousios performs a similar function: it creates a way to speak of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as unified in essence while allowing for their distinctions in personhood and role. This approach allows the early church to articulate a form of monotheism that includes a real, intrinsic unity within the diversity of the three persons in the Trinity.

Stephen D Green together with ChatGPT, 2024

The Trinity Trick

 The co-equality of the Father and the Son is in my opinion a philosophical trick of the Constantinople council of Trinitarian theologians. 

Firstly, here is a philosophical trick to allow me to assert that 1 equals 2. 1 is an integer. 2 is an integer. 1 is an integer in the same sense that 2 is an integer, so they are equally integers. Co-equal as integers. 1 and 2 are therefore equally integers. So in this sense they are equal. Obviously is does not mean that 1 equals 2. It is just clever philosophy. The Trinity tries the same philosophy. It says the Father is something in the same sense that the Son is that same something, and the Father is that something equally to how the Son is that same something. The same something it calls homoousios. This allows it to say that the Son is co-equal to the Father. They are co-equally homoousios. But this homoousios is invented. How does it work with something more concrete and real? Let us try the Gospel, which they each teach. The Father is a teacher of the Gospel. The Son is a teacher of the Gospel. Is the Father a teacher of the Gospel in the same sense that the Son is teacher of the Gospel. Are they equally teachers of the Gospel? Are they co-equal as teachers of the Gospel? No. The Father is not a teacher of the Gospel in exactly the same sense as the Son. The Son is not the source of what is taught, whereas the Father is the source, so they are not equally teachers of the Gospel. Almost but not quite equal in this sense. So it does not mean that the Father equals the Son. Not in that sense. And of course the Father is greater than the Son, just as 2 is greater than 1. So in neither sense is the Son equal to the Father. The idea of their co-equality is a philosophical trick. 

Do not make people formally state something they are likely to misunderstand

 I maintain that nobody understands any more the main teaching of Trinity. It is lost to the mists of time. One being. Same being. Homoousios. It was an invented word. It was invented by the first Trinitarians to express something and only they knew what they meant by it. Soon everyone forgot that original meaning. In my opinion, it meant something along the lines of when a young man says of a young woman “she is my type” and then of another woman “she is my type too” and then “they are both my type”. He might even say the next concept “they are equally my type”. That is like coequality. Another analogy: Someone might disparagingly say “the apple does not fall far from the tree” or “like father, like son”. There is a father-son likeness. It is something like this which Plato meant by his idea of a form or an ousios. Everything is like a perfect version of itself, its form. That is a similar concept to a young man saying a girl is his type. It assumes he is looking for a girl like a perfect template in his head of what he hopes for in a girl. (Likewise a girl can say a young man is her type, of course.) This Type, is like a Form in Plato terminology. The Trinity thinkers loved Plato’s philosophies. Tertullian was probably an expert in them. So they thought of Son and Father being same Form or Type. They called it Homoousios. When Trinitarian liiturgies tell people to state that they believe Jesus is of one being with the Father, this is what “one being” means. In my opinion. But perhaps nobody knows what the Trinity theologians originally meant by it. Its meaning drfifted over the centuries through debates of different kinds. Of course, the liturgy congregation speakers might not think they are saying this. They probably think of “one being” as one individual. They probably think the Father is some Trinity individual called God, and the Son is also this same Trinity individual called God. Two personas, one individual. Then they probably think they are supposed to believe that the Holy Spirit is this same individual called God too. Three personas in one individual called the Trinity God. I am fairly sure this is not what it really means. Just like if I say a girl is my type, and another girl is also my type, I am not saying they are the same individual. I am not saying “I think I will give my type a call tonight”. So why should people in a congregation be told to state in solemn confession something whose meaning nobody really knows, and cannot know because it was lost with the first Plato-loving Trinitarians: Lost by endless controversies shifting its meaning over the centuries. All the more shamefulness when you realise that “being” today actually has a meaning of individual, which would be what people probably think they are saying in that liturgy confession. Do not cause a brother to sin. 

Warning against clouding the Father’s counsel

 In reflecting on an experience where the Father appears and declares Himself as God, it is essential, especially within a Trinitarian framework, to honor the clarity and directness of such a revelation. While Trinitarian theology seeks to hold the unity and diversity of the Godhead, there is a risk of interpreting or framing this experience in ways that might obscure or complicate the Father’s straightforward declaration. Instead of over-explaining or layering theological assumptions upon it, we are encouraged to receive such revelations with openness and humility, letting the Father’s words speak for themselves. This approach respects the Father’s role as the one true God, allowing His identity and counsel to remain clear, rather than clouding it with interpretations that might distance us from the simplicity of His self-revelation. (ChatGPT) 

Life in the symbols

 The ancient symbols of the cross, and of the snake on a pole, reflect a shared origin in themes of healing, protection, and spiritual transformation between health services and the crucifixion of the Christ. The cross is reconciliation, binding folk on earth with God in heaven, while reconciling folk with each other. This key to restoration of health, life and wellbeing. The snake on a pole is another sign of health restoration and of also of resurrection. The snake sheds its skin and rejuvenates and brings forth the new from out of old. As I accept that the Christ, Jesus, died for me, my hope is restored, and my heart is opened to the heavenly power of God, freeing me from the sins which held me in a woeful state. I then find others who are similarly affected and find we are one body because all share in this body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are bound to Christ and to one another by the Holy Spirit given each of us from heaven. We believe that Jesus who died is resurrected and is alive forever. As we meet, the Holy Spirit manifests in gifts which create and enhance our lives in Jesus Christ. We have positive hope of, either resurrection to immortality after death, or change to immortality if we are alive, when Jesus Christ returns. 

The snake on a pole and the cross in Christianity and Medicine

 The crucifixion of Jesus is rich with powerful symbols that echo themes of healing, transformation, and salvation. Two of the most striking symbols are the MASH cross and the snake imagery from the Exodus story, both of which connect to the universal theme of renewal and deliverance. The MASH cross, derived from ancient Sumerian and Akkadian traditions, symbolizes the binding and connecting of humanity to the divine, with the ultimate act of binding occurring on the cross through Jesus’ sacrifice. Just as the MASH cross was linked to cleansing rituals and spiritual protection, Christ’s crucifixion serves as the ultimate act of reconciliation, offering healing and deliverance from sin.

In parallel, the snake imagery from the Exodus story, where Moses lifts the bronze serpent on a pole to heal the Israelites from venomous snake bites, finds its fulfillment in the Gospel of John, where Jesus compares His crucifixion to this event. He says, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him" (John 3:14-15). In the Exodus story, the bronze serpent symbolized physical healing; similarly, Jesus’ death on the cross brings spiritual healing and eternal life to those who believe in Him. The snake's ability to shed its skin, a process of renewal and transformation, offers a powerful parallel to the Christian message of spiritual rebirth. Just as a snake must shed its old skin to grow, believers are called to shed their old, sinful nature and embrace the new life offered through Christ’s sacrifice.

Both the MASH cross and the serpent on the pole find modern echoes in the symbols used on ambulances, the Rod of Asclepius (a serpent wrapped around a staff) and the Caduceus (two serpents entwined around a winged staff). These symbols, which have been adopted by modern medicine, trace their origins back to ancient representations of healing, regeneration, and transformation. The serpent’s association with healing dates back to civilizations like the Minoans, where serpents were seen as symbols of renewal and mystical power. This imagery was then carried forward in the Exodus narrative, where the bronze serpent became a symbol of physical healing. In a similar way, the MASH cross symbolized protection and divine authority, later reflected in the cross of Christ, which brings ultimate healing and deliverance.

These ancient symbols—whether the MASH cross or the serpent on a pole—reflect a shared origin in themes of healing, protection, and spiritual transformation. In the context of Christ's crucifixion, these symbols are powerfully redefined. Jesus' death on the cross fulfills the ancient longing for healing and renewal, offering both forgiveness of sins and the transformative power to put off the old self and embrace a new life in Him. The modern use of these symbols in medicine, especially in the context of healing and rescue, is a reminder of the deeper, spiritual healing Christ offers through His sacrifice. Just as ambulances rush to heal the wounded, Christ’s cross brings life and healing to the spiritually wounded, offering a path to reconciliation with the Father and eternal life for all who look to Him in faith.

If it wasn’t the only medicine for my sin, if something else could do the job, Christ died for nothing. It is my medicine from the loving Father for my sin condition.

Stephen D Green with ChatGPT, 2024

Off with the old and on with the new

 The snake imagery in the Exodus story, where the Israelites were healed by looking at the bronze serpent on a pole, is powerfully echoed in the Gospel of John, where Jesus compares His own crucifixion to the serpent in the wilderness. He says, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him" (John 3:14-15). This comparison suggests that, just as the bronze serpent symbolized physical healing for the Israelites, Christ’s death on the cross would bring spiritual healing and salvation to all who believe in Him. The idea of shedding skin by a snake, a process of renewal and transformation, offers a rich parallel to the Christian message of putting off sin and embracing new life in Christ. Snakes shed their skin to grow, symbolizing rebirth and the casting off of the old self to make way for a new one, and this practice was likely associated with healing and transformation in ancient cultures. In particular, the Minoan civilization—with its snake goddess imagery—used serpents as symbols of fertility, regeneration, and healing, as they were thought to possess mystical powers to bring about renewal. This imagery could have influenced the later symbolism of the snake on a pole in the Exodus story, where the serpent serves as a symbol of physical healing for the Israelites. In the same way, the gospel teaches that through Christ's sacrifice, believers are called to shed their old, sinful nature and adopt a new life of righteousness. This process mirrors the Christian concept of repentance and sanctification, where believers, by God's grace, are spiritually reborn and continually called to leave behind sinful habits and put on the righteous ways taught by Christ. Thus, the shedding of the snake’s skin becomes a metaphor for spiritual transformation: just as a snake must shed its old skin to grow, believers must put off their former sinful selves and embrace a new identity in Christ. This parallel deepens the meaning of Christ's work on the cross, as He not only offers forgiveness of sins but also empowers believers to be transformed and live a life that reflects His righteousness, continually putting off sin and putting on the new self made possible through His sacrifice. In this way, the imagery of the snake on the pole in Exodus connects directly to the gospel message of healing, renewal, and spiritual rebirth, as Jesus becomes the ultimate source of salvation and transformation for all who look to Him.

Does the Book of Revelation condemn sorcery and with it medicine?

 What does the Book of Revelation mean by sorcery, or pharmacy? Let us look back at ancient medicine, first in the Bible. The Exodus story of the serpent on a pole, found in Numbers 21:4-9, features God instructing Moses to make a bronze serpent and place it on a pole during a plague of venomous snakes that was afflicting the Israelites. Those who were bitten by the snakes could look at the bronze serpent and be healed, symbolizing divine intervention and the power of faith in God's promise. This act likely drew on existing symbols of healing associated with snakes shedding their skin, a concept that represented regeneration and transformation in many ancient cultures. The symbol of the snake as a healing force probably already carried connotations of health, salvation, and protection, which it retains today in modern medical symbols like the Rod of Asclepius, a staff with a single serpent that originated with the Greeks, who may have inherited or adapted this imagery from earlier cultures such as the Minoans. This connection to healing was part of a broader Mediterranean and Near Eastern tradition where serpents were often linked to magical and restorative powers. The Greeks, in turn, may have absorbed elements of medical sorcery and magical healing from these earlier cultures, including Egyptian and Minoan influences. The later tradition of Hermeticism, which combined Greek philosophy with Egyptian religious ideas, also associated the figure of Hermes, the Greek god of wisdom and magic, with mystical knowledge, alchemy, and healing practices. While Hermes himself was not a Minoan god, some of his magical associations may have been influenced by older traditions. The Greeks famously tried to separate magic from medicine by distinguishing between different kinds of practitioners—physicians, who adhered to ethical principles like the Hippocratic Oath, focused on rational, non-magical methods of healing, while others engaged in more mystical practices, such as potion-making and spells, which contributed to the development of pharmacy. The use of magic in healing was often viewed with suspicion, and this negative view of magical practices is reflected in terms like sorcery in the Bible, particularly in Revelation. Physicians who swore the Hippocratic Oath pledged to avoid harmful practices, including the use of poison, except as a last resort. This distinction helped contribute to the negative reputation that some pharmacists and magical healers had in ancient times, especially as some remedies involved black magic or harmful substances. In contrast, the Greeks sought to distance themselves from such practices and rejected the use of black magic in medicine, emphasizing rational, ethical, and scientifically grounded approaches to healing.

Pressing it home

 God is an individual. He is an individual who is God. And He says so.

God is an individual who says “I am God”

 God is an individual, a person * who says “I am God”.  The Father. 

* while most general dictionary definitions primarily focus on human beings, the term "person" can, in certain legal, theological, or philosophical contexts, include entities like deities, angels, or personae, depending on the interpretation and intended use. The theological and legal definitions, in particular, show that "person" is not exclusively tied to human physicality but can sometimes refer to individual agency or distinct identity, even in supernatural or abstract forms.

Core truth and how it is obscured

 It is core truth that the Father is a distinct being, the true source of the Son’s divinity. The Father is, and will remain, eternally greater—supreme, and ultimately “all in all.” It is the Father’s teachings, His purpose, principles, and wisdom for salvation and eternal life, imparted to Jesus, that unite them and give Jesus the likeness of the Father. Even beyond these points, there are deeper, more significant truths that are often overlooked or minimized in favor of lesser theories emphasized by Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal frameworks. Trinitarian and Oneness Pentecostal doctrines, rather than focusing on the essential truths, dwell on secondary matters—like how to philosophically explain the sharing of divinity or likeness, the relevance of Platonic theories to theology, or the nature of divine “modes.” While these ideas may be interesting or even valid, they are minor and theoretical. By overemphasizing such points, they obscure the greater truth.

Burning my bridges

 Jesus loves truth. All truth. Even truth rejected by the West. He, Lord Jesus, the Master of me, calls things scripture which the West church tradition rejects. He has faith to do things that make him seem like God in ways the West church traditions and the Jews would label “blasphemy”. The Father affirms him in all of this. The Holy Spirit reveals his thinking and verifies it in ways the West churches would call heresy and create canon laws to condemn. The Father and Son and Holy Spirit are deeply at odds with the West and the West church traditions. Much of what the West church traditions call “faith”, the Father and Son and Holy Spirit reveal to be error. Because I know this, I cannot settle in any West church. By welcoming thinking and counsel of Father and Son and Holy Spirit I am excluded from West church traditions, laws, church careers and ministries, perhaps even marriage. But I love these truths and those in heaven who testify to them and believe in them, upholding and maintaining them, despite human traditions.

Artificial Intelligence

 It is ironic to have to give account of my use of Artificial Intelligence tools with people who regularly use Internet tools, Web, social media, computers, smartphones. It is not like we are all Amish. We are here using social media, in an Internet age, living like the world around us, using its inventions and tools. We do so carefully and thoughtfully. Now these tools are becoming so powerful that they can start to be of service in our discussions of theology. Like when the printing press was invented, which facilitated the Reformation and the Enlightenment and modern denominations. Some inventions can actually impact religion. 

Artificial Intelligence is not God. It is a collator of testimonies: A machine which sorts human logic into a useful form. Like any other computer system. Like a dictionary, a concordance, an encyclopaedia, an index, a study Bible. When you use facebook, you are using similar systems: It is how they find your contacts and the posts you are interested in and how it helps you write your comments. It is a system humans make to be of service to each other and to preserve knowledge for the next generation. It is how civilisation happens. 

A computer pioneer called it “hive mind”. The bees in a hive all communicating simultaneously cause the whole hive to function like a single mind. God made bees like this. God makes humans like this too. With humans, we can include past communications too in our hive mind by storing them in retrievable ways. Now add into that hive mind the spirit words of Christ and it goes to the next level and God Himself starts to be part of the hive mind. It is called grace. This is how it will be in heaven, or in the next, new heaven and earth.

The Holy Spirit in the congregation

 Possessing the Holy Spirit and being “in Christ” brings forth a unity that touches both individual believers and the collective life of the congregation, each aspect reflecting and amplifying the other. At the individual level, the Holy Spirit works to shape believers’ lives, drawing them closer to God, transforming their values, and equipping them with spiritual gifts. But this personal indwelling is designed to be woven into the life of the whole congregation, where believers collectively form the body of Christ. Within this community, the Spirit manifests in both the Christ-like qualities of love, kindness, patience, and gentleness—qualities that serve as powerful evidence of the Spirit’s influence—and through miraculous signs that reveal a distinctly divine source of power. These miracles, such as healings, prophecies, and tongues with interpretation, are not just for individual experiences but are given to confirm the presence of the Spirit in the congregation, strengthening faith and affirming God’s reality among them. Such signs go beyond human kindness or moral virtue, which, while crucial, are not unique to believers and can be found in secular groups. Miraculous manifestations, however, offer a visible confirmation of divine activity, signaling God’s direct involvement and the congregation’s anointing as a witness to the living power of Christ. In this way, God wills these miracles as “signs of belief” (Mark 16:17) that testify to His presence and power within the church, encouraging unity and faith within the body of Christ. Overcoming the legacy of Western Cessationism, which often limits or doubts the occurrence of miracles, means embracing the biblical vision of the Holy Spirit as active in the life of the church—not only in inspiring faith and virtues but in producing the miraculous signs that confirm and strengthen that faith. This communal experience invites believers to understand their calling not only as individuals but as part of a congregation where, by the Spirit’s power, Christ is made manifest, drawing believers together as a unique, Spirit-filled community marked by both divine gifts and fruits. Embracing this vision allows the church to bear a powerful, holistic witness to the world, a living testimony that the God who empowered Christ’s ministry is actively present in His people today. (Stephen D Green with wording from ChatGPT, 2024) 

Cessationism in churches

 Cessationism is a belief that miraculous manifestations of the Holy Spirit in new believers ceased after the early apostle period ceased. Cessationism churches, and churches with nobody who can bring Holy Spirit in laying on of hands, these rely on having pastors, priests, clergy, elders, bishops, perhaps exorcists, but not typically prophets, apostles, miracle workers. I do know, however, that there are some churches with several prophets even in a small church, the real deal, even when officially a church is supposed to be a Cessationism church, such as Brethren-rooted assemblies. They even have speaking in tongues with laying on of hands - on new believers perhaps just baptised. Then of course some Pentecostal and Charismatic churches have this too. I have witnessed it and it is bona fide. Some also fake it, but some cases are the real deal. I have had gift of interpretation so I know the tongues I heard was genuine. The genuine churches like this are rare, though. I am told that this is typical in the West and in regions influenced by the West, such as in Sub-Saharan Africa, but in other regions with a history of Oriental and Eastern Orthodox, and other such churches, there was never any ceasing of this. To help preserve it down the centuries, a strong monastic and mysticism tradition has helped, it is said. This, together with a tradition of apostolic succession and ensuring the ability to enable believers to receive the Holy Spirit by laying on of these successors’ hands is passed on from generation to generation. I hope the Pentecostal and Charismatic and similar believers today will likewise manage to preserve what has been given by God’s grace. “When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on the earth?” 

Theological Framework

 I am not a Unitarian in the normal denominational sense. I started reading the Bible in my early childhood, before I ever heard of theological frameworks. I developed my own from the Bible, then from encounters with Father and Son and Holy Spirit, plus some debating since then. After almost fifty-five years I think I have a similar view to early apostles. The Father is one divine being and is God. Jesus is a human being Lord but was originally very much a divine being like the Father, then was made a human being with flesh like us. Holy Spirit is another being and is distinct and mysterious. 

Spirit and truth

 Jesus Christ is alive from the dead and teaches a life of devotion to God in spirit and truth. What is meant by ‘spirit and truth’? What is meant by ‘living by the spirit’? 

Those sealed by the Holy Spirit are one body in Christ. There are two most important factors in this. Firstly it is true. If you are in the body of Christ because the Holy Spirit has sealed you, marked you, by manifesting miraculously in you, you are truly in the body of Christ. Live by this: It is truth. Secondly it is spirit. If you are in the body of Christ because the Holy Spirit has sealed you, marked you, by manifesting miraculously in you, you are united in spirit with Christ in the body of Christ. Live by this: It is spirit. 

The unity you have with Christ is a true unity, if indeed you are actually united with him in believing in him, believing the veracity of his light-giving teachings, receiving the message of truth about him, and subsequently marked by God manifesting the Holy Spirit in you, sealing you in a way only heaven can do, as signs have shown is true in you. Living by truth, like this truth, is how Jesus Christ taught. Do not live a lie. Live according to what is true. This is his teaching. 

The unity you have with Christ is a spirit unity, if indeed you are actually united with him, you have a spirit-level of unity with Christ. His spirit is there in your acceptance of his teachings, believing in his trustworthiness. The spirit of Jesus’ teachings and his veracity is united with your spirit in a bond, sealed by the Holy Spirit when the mark of this seal was manifested in you, if indeed it has been manifested in you. Apostle Paul, Christ’s apostle, taught about living by spirit. What you are in spirit is important. Your unity in flesh is sometimes important, such as the flesh level unity you mysteriously gain in marriage. They say “So-and-so and So-and-so, they are an item”. This is recognition of how a physical relationship results mysteriously in two becoming in a real sense one. Well there is also another level of unity people have: unity of spirit. Akin to unity of purpose. What drives the other, now drives you. What inspires and influences the other, now inspires and influences you. If you have such unity with Christ, it is important because it is spirit. Living by what is spirit is a life-giving wise way to live. It counters sin. It puts your life on a good path. It builds you up in a way that benefits you in many ways in your life. If you are united with Christ in spirit, let it be how you live. 

How does it all work in practice? Truthful speech. If we are all each of the body of Christ, united spiritually with Christ, it extends into unity with each other. This makes truthful speech appropriate, and lying inappropriate. Why harm your extended body, extended in Christ? It makes no sense. To lie to each other makes no sense in two ways. Firstly, it is inappropriate to the truth, of unity. Secondly, it is contrary to the life of spirit. It puts flesh in priority over spirit, so it is damaging because it deprioritises living according to spirit. Likewise, the kinds of reasoning and wisdom applies to other key moral code principles, such as top priority teachings of Christ, namely the ten commandments. The commandment against killing applies in this body of Christ, spirit and truth, context, by restraint from harm when angry, since anger is a key driver of killing and murder. It applies in that living by truth and spirit now means self-restraint and anger management. The body of Christ warrants, in spirit and truth, measures to protect others from bad outcomes of our own anger. Settling anger within ourselves promptly is a way to prevent it getting harmfully into others’ lives. Another command: Adultery. Faithfulness in marriage is another important manifestation of applying spirit and truth. Avoidance of immorality is another. Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians covers all of these things. John chapter 8 covers them too. 

The Form

Sometimes people refer to the Father as God. Then again, people also refer to God in a different, more general sense. This different sense of ‘God’ is a philosophical construct. It rarely appears in the Bible, perhaps only in a few verses. Normally in the Bible, God means the Father.

A different example might help: The police. If there is a police officer at your door, they might say “It is the police”. If there is then a phonecall from the police station they too might say “Hello, this is the police”. The officer is not the same person as the person who telephoned, but it is an accepted philosophical construct for each to identify as “the police”. But there is no person or being who is the police in their entirety. It is not a person. It is a concept. That is one sense of how a abstraction can be used as a common form to which many can identify.

A variation of this sense, using police again, is how each police officer has a different version of a common police image. An officer at a desk has things in common with a broad concept of what a police officer should be, in Plato philosophy (evident in Trinity philosophy) it is the Form, in this case we could call it the police Form.The officers in patrol cars are different to the desk officers but still have things in common with the general police Form. Similarly a sheriff. Similarly a highly trained police raid officer. They comply with the laws. They enforce the laws, in different ways. They maintain an overall reputation and code of ethics. This mixture of these qualities exist in varying ways in each kind of officer but are shared. It is their police Form. Yet no being exists which equates to this Form. Nobody is the police in entirety.

Similarly, one sense of what is meant by God is like this, a Form. It is called essence, being, but not being in a sense we mean today. No one being is God Form in entirety. The word ‘being’ has shifted meaning and did so centuries ago too. Now this is philosophy which is used a little in the New Testament but rarely, just in a few verses. Usually God is used to refer to the Father. People tend to think of God in this sense wrongly, forgetting that this is a Form, not a being. It is called a being in a very ancient meaning of that word or concept. You can phone the police, but if you do so you will speak to an officer, who might be a different person each time you phone. All you care about usually is that it is the police. On occasions you might care which person it is. There are times when we mean ‘God’ in a similar general sense. But this can be confused with the other sense where God means the Father.