Hi,
I had written this to Nehemiah in post 444, page 23:
We must go back to this to establish the right order.
Response: ---
We can understand that the Word, and the Logos are synonymous. The Logos is the ‘all knowing power and wisdom of God’ (Theov). And the Word (Logos) was with God in the beginning. --- Also, the Word was the only begotten Son of God. This is borne out in the Greek terms for God.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God (Theov), and the Word was God Theos).
John 1:18 No one has seen God (Theov) at any time. The only begotten God (Theos) who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him
--- Notice two things, --- The Word was ‘begotten of God’ and was called both God (Theos), and ‘the begotten Son of God,’ so it is a ‘unique’ position that no one else can ever attain unto
--- The second thing to notice is that God (Theov) is identified as ‘Father,’ so not only the Father of the Word, who is in His bosom, or in ‘the closest relationship with Him.’ --- But the Eternal Father. --- So when we say, ‘out Father in heaven,’ we are speaking of “The First Cause.” --- The Father of all.
So the ‘Three in heaven are, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit.
GodisOne responded in 445 using these verses from 1 John 5:
6 He is the one who came by means of water and blood, Yeshua the Messiah - not with water only, but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth
7 There are three witnesses
8 the Spirit, the water and the blood - and these three are in agreement
Verse 7 is very short because the Manuscript used when the Verses were numbered would obviously have contained the full verses.
The Latin Vulgate published by the Scholar Jerome about 400 AD had the whole verses, so therefore the Douey-Rheims Catholic Bible, which was translated from the Latin Vulgate about 1600 says this;
5:7 And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one.
8 And there are three that give testimony on earth: the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three are one.
Also the King James Bible which was translated from Greek Manuscripts in 1611, says:
5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
These were the two Authorized Bibles for the hundreds of years since they were published, and are still used today.
The New King James contains both verses, but my NKJ Study Bible includes a footnote saying some mss do not include
...in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. 8 And there are three that testify on earth, the Spirit -
The NASB says: 7 For there are three that testify: 8 [
j]the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.
The footnote [j] says: A few mss have
…’in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. 8 And there are three that testify on earth, the Spirit’
The NIV says the same as above.
But the truth is there whether some want to believe it or not.
Also the phrase, “And these three are one,” has distorted the idea of a trinity, rather than --- ‘three in harmony and purpose.’
Next I will give an example from Deuteronomy 6:4.