Truth Eternal

2

Following the exciting experience of sins forgiven, a Christadelphian assailed my beliefs, asserting that I was astray, Churches were all false, and Christadelphians alone, were right. The Trinity has many assailants - Hindu, Islam, Bahai, Watchtower, Christadelphian, Church of God, etc.

Attempting to rationalise the Almighty generates many distortions. We will identify Bible Truth relating to the incomprehensible Deity.

Five Truths

Truth No. 1: GOD IS ETERNAL. 'The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth!' Isaiah 40:28. The eternal God (Elohim) is your refuge and underneath are everlasting arms!’ Deut. 33:27. Elohim is eternal. He inhabits eternity, Isaiah 57:5.

Truth No. 2: GOD IS UNCHANGING. God is what he has ever been and will forever be. He is eternally the same. 'I am The Lord, I change not, Malachi 3:6. 'I Am what I Am' Ex. 3:14 (I will be what I will be - Margin). 'For he that cometh to God must believe that he is', Heb. 11:6 - God 'IS'. Truth and error draw swords here. Error insists that God becomes, which opens a floodgate of speculation. Pagan religions have Gods begetting Gods etc. Truth stands fast. God 'is'. HE doesn't 'become' something that He isn't now. He does not mutate or multiply! 'I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God', Isaiah 44:6. 'I am who I am.' 'I am the Lord I change not.'

Truth No. 3: GOD CREATES. 'I am the Lord, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself ', Isaiah 44:24. God didn't employ sub-creators or angels to do his works as was suggested by Plato. Creation exhibits omnipotence. God spoke and it was so. 2 Pet. 3:5; Heb. 1:3.

Truth No. 4: GOD IS HOLY. 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.' Isaiah 6:3. God's holiness is underived and absolute, I Sam. 2:2. He is 'the Holy One', Isaiah 40:25.

Truth No. 5: GOD IS ONE. 'There is no God but one. For although there may be so called gods in heaven (Acts 7:42) and on earth - as indeed there are many 'gods' and many lords' yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ; through whom are all things.’ I Cor. 8:4-6

There is ONE, ETERNAL, UNCHANGING GOD Who created all things.

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The advertisement in The Advertiser which persuaded the editor of INVESTIGATOR Magazine to host a written Bible debate. Seven debaters participated. This article contains the exchange between John Hutchinson (Baptist) and Jim Luke (Christadelphian).

DO THE SCRIPTURES TEACH THE EXISTENCE OF A TRINITY?

John Hutchinson (Baptist)

(From: Investigator Magazine #42, 1995 May)

Thank you for inviting me to this subject. Over the years I have aired various issues with Christadelphians. I refer to their assertion: 'It is very difficult to rid our minds of bias, but it is necessary if we would find the truth' (Who is Jesus Christ? p.15). I ask that you follow that and get bias out of your mind and seek God's Truth.

I respond because at the age of 14 I accepted Christ as my personal saviour, and became a new creation in Christ. I experienced what Paul meant when he said "If any man is in Christ he is a new creature, old things have passed away and behold, all things have become new!" 2 Cor. 5: 17, I was 'born again', and became a partaker in the divine nature. All things, for me, became new in Christ.

In 1995/1996 Investigator Magazine hosted a theological debate on the unity/trinity of God. The invitation, acceptance, debate and aftermath comprised 19 items totalling 22,500 words. Below is the exchange between John Hutchinson and Jim Luke and the Christadelphian refusal to continue: