Those who deny Jesus and live in their sin will be cast out of His presence to hell. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
So there are two natures — the divine and the human — inseparably joined in one person. Image: Wikimedia. Probably a Heresy About Jesus, Current Issue November Subscribe. Read This Issue. Free Newsletters Your daily news briefing from the editors of CT. Reply on Twitter. Join the conversation on Facebook. Posted by: Jeremy Weber ctnewseditor October 16 , SHARE tweet link email print.
Christians believe that God possesses all three of these attributes — that the deity is loving, omniscient and omnipotent. However, the survey finds sizable differences in the way various Christian subgroups perceive God. Evangelicals and those in the historically black Protestant tradition are also more likely than members of other major U.
Christian traditions to say that God has personally protected, rewarded and punished them. But across all subgroups, Christians are far more likely to say God has protected and rewarded them than to say God has punished them.
See Chapter 2 for details. But there are stark differences based on how, exactly, members of this group describe their religious identity. None of the survey respondents who describe themselves as atheists believe in God as described in the Bible. Self-described agnostics look very different from atheists on this question. Just three-in-ten say there is no higher power in the universe.
But young adults are far less likely than their older counterparts to say they believe in God as described in the Bible. The survey also shows that, compared with older adults, those under age 50 generally view God as less powerful and less involved in earthly affairs than do older Americans. At the same time, however, young adults are somewhat more likely than their elders to say they believe that they personally have been punished by God or a higher power in the universe.
Among U. The data also show that, compared with those with lower levels of educational attainment, college graduates are less likely to believe that God or another higher power in the universe is active and involved in the world and in their personal lives. And just one-third of college graduates say God determines all or most of what happens in their lives, far below the share who say this among those with less education.
Republicans and Democrats have very different notions about God. Republicans also are more likely than Democrats to say God has protected, rewarded or punished them see Chapter 2. Among Democrats, the survey finds big differences between whites and nonwhites in views about God. Most nonwhite Democrats, who are predominantly black or Hispanic, say they believe in God as described in the Bible, and seven-in-ten or more say they believe God is all-loving, all-knowing or all-powerful, with two-thirds ascribing all of these attributes to God.
In these ways, nonwhite Democrats have more in common with Republicans than they do with white Democrats. We compared and contrasted, we asked questions and we answered questions. In thinking back on what proved to be one of the most stimulating and worthwhile learning experiences of our lives, the one thing that characterized our discussion, and the one thing that made the biggest difference, was the mood that existed there — a mood of openness, candor and a general lack of defensiveness.
We knew what we believed, and we were all committed to our own religious tradition. But we were eager to learn where the other person was coming from. This experience says something to me about what can happen when men and women of good will come together in an attitude of openness and in a sincere effort to better understand and be understood.
Given the challenges we face in our society — fatherless homes, child and spouse abuse, divorce, poverty, spreading crime and delinquency — it seems so foolish for men and women who believe in God, whose hearts and lives have been surrendered to that God, to allow doctrinal differences to prevent them from working together. Okay, you believe in a triune God, that the Almighty is a spirit and that He created all things ex nihilo. I believe that God is an exalted man, that He is a separate and distinct personage from the Son and the Holy Ghost.
He believes in heaven, while she believes in nirvana. She believes that the Sabbath should be observed on Saturday, while her neighbor feels that the day of corporate worship should be on Friday.
This one speaks in tongues, that one spends much of his time leading marches against social injustice, while a third believes that little children should be baptized. One good Baptist is a strict Calvinist, while another tends to take freedom of the will quite seriously.
And so on, and so on. Most or[S1] all of these ills have moral or spiritual roots. In the spirit of the brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind, is it not possible to lay aside theological differences long enough to address the staggering social issues in our troubled world? My recent interactions with men and women of various faiths have had a profound impact on me; they have broadened my horizons dramatically and reminded me — a sobering reminder we all need once in a while — that we are all sons and daughters of the same Eternal Father.
We may never resolve our differences on the Godhead or the Trinity, on the spiritual or corporeal nature of Deity or on the sufficiency or inerrancy of the Bible, but we can agree that there is a God; that the ultimate transformation of society will come only through the application of moral and religious solutions to pressing issues; and that the regeneration of individual hearts and souls is foundational to the restoration of virtue in our communities and nations.
One need not surrender cherished religious values or doctrines in order to be a better neighbor, a more caring citizen, a more involved municipal. In addition, we can have lively and provocative discussion on our differences, and such interactions need not be threatening, offensive or damaging to our relationships.
What we cannot afford to do, if we are to communicate and cooperate, is to misrepresent one another or ascribe ulterior motives. Such measures are divisive and do not partake of that Spirit that strengthens, binds and reinforces. Hinckley said of the Latter-day Saints:. We want to be good neighbors; we want to be good friends. We feel we can differ theologically with people without being disagreeable in any sense.
We hope they feel the same way toward us. We have many friends and many associations with people who are not of our faith, with whom we deal constantly, and we have a wonderful relationship.
It disturbs me when I hear about any antagonisms. I hope that we can overcome them. There is, to be sure, a risk associated with learning something new about someone else. New insights always affect old perspectives, and thus some rethinking, rearranging and restructuring of our worldview are inevitable. He is the Redeemer. We acknowledge Jesus Christ as the source of truth and redemption, as the light and life of the world, as the way to the Father John ; 2 Nephi ; 3 Nephi Jesus is the promised Messiah, the resurrection and the life John , literally the light of the world John Everything that testifies of His divine birth, His goodness, His transforming power and His godhood, we embrace enthusiastically.
But we also rejoice in the additional knowledge latter-day prophets have provided about our Lord and Savior. President Brigham Young thus declared that. Do we differ from others who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?
No, only in believing more. Elder Boyd K. Converts to the Church may bring with them all the truth they possess and have it added upon.
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