One God Report

This episode is a commentary on the Gospel of John 1:4-8. John the Baptist was a prophet sent by God to testify about the man Jesus Christ, not about a pre-incarnate 2nd person of the Trinity, nor about an abstract pre-Genesis plan of God. The life and light in the darkness introduced in John 1:4-5 refer to the man Jesus Christ and his ministry in the darkness which mankind finds himself in, not to the Genesis creation. The man and ministry of Jesus the Messiah is life in which is lightthat still shines. The darkness tried to overcome the light, by putting Jesus Christ to death on a cross. But the darkness was not able to overcome the light, as Jesus’s death led to resurrection into eternal life. “the darkness did not overcome the light” is a reference already in John 1:5 to the death and resurrection of the man Jesus Christ from Nazareth, not to some pre-Genesis event. The reiteration in the body of the Gospel of terms used in the Prologue, like word, life, light, and darkness, is evidence that the Prologue is introducing the man and ministry of Jesus the Messiah from Nazareth. The man Jesus Christ from Nazareth is the light of the world. Whoever follows him will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Interpreting John 1 as describing the Genesis creation doesn’t work, or ends up being confusion and contradiction since somewhere between verse 3 and verse 4 the author supposedly switched from the describing the Genesis creation to introducing the life of light in the person he is about to describe, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Also, the deity of Christ interpretation is confusing as it must postulate that that the ministries of Jesus and John the Baptizer being described in verses 3-13 are described before the supposed incarnation described in John 1:14. A much better way to understand all of the Prologue of the Gospel of John is to interpret it as an introduction to the man Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who is the main topic of the book. The testimony ministry of John the Baptizer has no business being introduced in 1:6-8, 1:15 and 1:19-34 if “the beginning” of John 1:1 refers directly to the Genesis creation as the Greek philosophers understood it, referring to some pre-human “Logos”, some pre-human “Word”. Rather, the ministry of John the Baptizer, his testimony to the light, and the contrast statement that John was not the light, is evidence that the prologue is about the man Jesus and his ministry, and that “the beginning” of John 1:1 is the new beginning of God in the life of the Messiah Jesus. For the full written text of this podcast, see here. https://landandbible.blogspot.com/2020/10/jesus-and-john-baptist-john-chapter-1.html

In this episode we continue our interview with Mr. William Gilmore. William and his wife Cathy and their seven children live in Colorado. In part 1 of our interview William explained how for a number of years he believed that the Bible declared that the one true God was the Father, but that Jesus had pre-existed as a created being prior to taking on a human nature. This belief is called “Arianism” after the 4th century church leader Arius who had a similar view. By the way, the term “Arian” in a theological context has nothing to do with the term used by the Nazis in a racial context, Aryan. The two words sound the same, but are spelled differently and have totally different meanings. William explains how the Apostles’ Creed, also called the Old Roman Symbol, and certain Scriptures, first from Peter (1 Peter 1:20 ) and then from Paul (1 Timothy 2:5), and then also communication with One God believer Anthony Buzzard, helped him understand that the so-called pre-existence of the Messiah Jesus was not literal. In contrast to a literal pre-human existence, the human person Jesus Christ was pre-known by God in the plan and purpose of God. That is, Jesus Christ is a human being, a human person, not a pre-existent divine person who took on flesh.

This is the first of two episodes where we hear the testimony of William Gilmore. Mr. Gilmore’s parents were medical missionaries, but already as a youth he became disillusioned with Christianity.  Gilmore describes the circumstances and biblical passages that eventually led him to faith in the one God of the Scriptures, the Father, and in the one God’s Messiah, the man Jesus Christ. William lives with his wife Cathy and their seven children in Colorado.

This episode is commentary on the Gospel of John 1:2-3. Many traditional Christians claim that John 1:3, "all things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be" declares that Jesus created all things in the universe.  - We look at key words in the original Greek of this verse and discover that the author of the Gospel of John is not declaring that Jesus created all the material universe. Theologically biased translations have given the wrong understanding of this verse. We suggest a much better way of understanding John 1:3. - John 1:3 is not saying that Jesus was involved in the creation of all the material universe. “All things” never means the entire universe in the Gospel of John. Neither are the words “create” or “make” in this verse or anywhere else in John’s prologue. Rather, John 1:3 is introducing all the things that came about, everything that happened through the life and ministry of Jesus. And the main “everything” is the resurrection life of the Messiah Jesus of Nazareth, and the promise of life in the next age his resurrection holds for all. - We also take a look at John 1:2 and see that already in John 1:2, “This one was in the beginning with God” begins the contrast between Jesus, the Word, and John the Baptist. The author of the Gospel of John early and often contrasts or compares John the Baptizer with Jesus and the titles used for Jesus (Word, light). This is evidence that Baptizer is being contrasted with the human person Jesus, not a pre-incarnate god-figure or abstract Logos. “This one”, Jesus, the Word was the light. But “this one” John the Baptizer was not the light. “This one”, said the Baptizer, “is whom I spoke about. He is greater than I”. “This one baptizes with the holy spirit”.  “This one is the Son of God”. - For full written text of this podcast, see here: https://landandbible.blogspot.com/2020/09/no-john-13-does-not-say-jesus-created.html

The biblical autumn festivals are coming up, including the of Festival of Tabernacles. John 7 describes how Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Tabernacles festival, only six months before he was crucified, buried and raised from the dead. - In reading over John chapter 7, I’m struck by how the question on the people’s minds in Jerusalem at the Festival was not“Is this man God?”. Rather, the question people were asking themselves was “Is this man the Messiah?” For centuries, deity of Christ and Trinitarian theology have claimed that the Gospel of John is the book that presents Jesus as God. But to make that claim a person has to bring his own presuppositions to a few verses in John’s Gospel, while at the same time ignore the many times that John is really presenting Jesus as the Messiah. - To proclaim “Jesus is God” and that the Gospel of John says so, is to proclaim a different Jesus, a different Messiah than the one the Gospel of John is proclaiming. “Jesus is God” is an anti-messiah claim, a claim that exchanges the real human Christ of the Gospel of John for another. It is a claim that is against the real human Messiah Jesus of the Gospel of John. As presented in John’s Gospel, and indeed all of the New Testament, those that believe in Jesus do not believe that Jesus is God. Rather, those that believe in Jesus believe that Jesus is the Messiah. “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God” (1 John 5:1). It is a misrepresentation and perversion of Scripture to insist that “everyone who believes that Jesus is God has been born of God”. - For full texts of this podcast see here: https://landandbible.blogspot.com/2019/10/in-gospel-of-john-jesus-is-messiah-not.html

In the Gospel of John, “God” is never the Trinity. For instance, in one of the most well known verses of the Bible, whose reference is written out on posters at football games: John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” - Try substituting “God” in this verse with “the Trinity”. “For the Trinity so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son…” It doesn’t make sense. - Many Christians think that the Gospel of John is the main New Testament book where Jesus is proclaimed as God, and that God is then somehow a Trinity. However, in not one occurrence of the 83 occurrences of the word "God" in the Gospel of John is God a Trinity. - Rather, in the Gospel of John, the only true God, Jesus's God and our God, is the Father. For full written notes for this episode, see here: https://landandbible.blogspot.com/2019/10/did-trinity-so-love-world-in-gospel-of.html

In this episode we continue our discussion with Kegan Chandler, author of the recently published book Constantine and the Divine Mind, the Imperial Quest for Primitive Monotheism. - We left off our last episode with Mr. Chandler describing how Constantine was associated with events that led to the important Church Council of Nicea in AD 325. Now we re-join the conversation with Mr. Chandler about to describe the significance of the Greek word homousias, which means something like “same substance” or “same essence”. Christians theologians to this very day describe Jesus as being the “same essence” with God the Father. - However, the idea does not come from the Bible. So where does it come from?  - Was Constantine an agent of God, or a representative of Jesus the Messiah? Or, was Constantine and his ideas about homousias, that the Father God and Jesus were the same substance, a proclamation of different Christ, a replacement Christ, an anti-Christ? - Resource links for this episode: Constantine and the Divine Mind, the Imperial Quest for Primitive Monotheism https://wipfandstock.com/constantine-and-the-divine-mind.html - “Revisiting Homoousios: Origins, Intentions, and Aftermath” (Kegan Chandler Presentation) https://burieddeepblog.wordpress.com/2018/12/19/presentation-revisiting-homoousios-origins-intentions-and-aftermath/ - The Corpus Hermeticum, Poemandres, the Shepherd of Men http://gnosis.org/library/hermes1.html - Hermeticsim https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Hermeticism - Lanctantius (advisor to Constantine) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactantius

This episode is part 1 of a two part interview with Kegan Chandler, who discusses his recently published book, Constantine and the Divine Mind, the Imperial Quest for Primitive Monotheism (also available on Amazon). Published by Wipf and Stock. https://www.amazon.com/Constantine-Divine-Mind-Primitive-Monotheism/dp/1532689926- - Chandler describes for us who Constantine was and why he was and is significant for Christianity. - Chandler explains that Constantine’s background in pagan monotheism caused Constantine to view the polytheism of the Roman Empire of the AD 3rd century as a main cause of many of Rome’s political, social and military difficulties.  Constantine’s pagan monotheism, expressed in the veneration of the sun god Sol Invictus, laid the foundation for Constantine’s Imperial quest for a monotheism that would set his empire on a solid foundation. Chandler reviews historical developments that led to Constantine’s promotion of Christianity as the, or an, expression of the supreme monotheistic god. Chandler explains the circumstances that led up to Constantine’s convening of the non-Trinitarian Council of Nicaea in AD 325. - Also by Kegan Chandler: The God of Jesus in Light of Christian Dogma https://www.amazon.com/God-Jesus-Light-Christian-Dogma/dp/0967324939 - Chandler’s web page: https://burieddeepblog.wordpress.com/

Trinitarian theologians claim that since God the Son “took on” humanity, Jesus was not a human person. Otherwise Jesus Christ would be two persons (one divine person and one human person). Trinitarian theologians call the non-human personhood of Jesus Christ the anhypostasis (“without personhood”), and the divine personalizing of the human nature the enhypostasis. Schlegel examines the anhypostasis theory from a biblical perspective and finds the theory to be anti-Messiah. This presentation was given at the Theological Conference of Restoration Fellowship on 7/31/2020. To view a video of the presentation, click here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZb9Pm3iu9Q&feature=youtu.be - To see notes for the presentation, including links to articles referred to in the presentation, click here: https://landandbible.blogspot.com/2020/08/jesus-christ-is-not-human-person.html

The Book of Revelation is “the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him” (1:1). From the very first verse we are told that Jesus is not God. God is differentiated from Jesus. The God of Jesus Christ gave Jesus Christ this revelation. _ In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is called the Lamb of God.  In this episode we examine how, in the Book of Revelation, God is distinguished from the Lamb, and the Lamb is distinguished from God. Jesus Christ the Lamb of God is not God. For a full written text of this episode, see here: https://landandbible.blogspot.com/2020/01/in-book-of-revelation-god-is-not-lamb.html