Could the Godhead be more than three persons?

[BrunoMaria]

God possess more than three persons?

you seem to be nailed to this question.
NO! Godhead possess NOT more than three persons!
Where as THREE PERSONS is wrong in the first place, but all this was explained before by some real good posts. One must read them open hearted. Not just „read“ them swiftly.

And one must be aware that it’s not given to anyone to understand - disregarding on one’s intellectual capacity. Many a child understands more and better about divine things, than quite a few highly intellectuals.

God never forces anyone to believe. When God was among us in flesh in the form of His begotten son Jesus Christ, He too never forced anyone to believe in Him. He instead gave hints. That’s all. Foundation of everything here, is the free will to decide for or against belief. Even many of those who actually saw Christ dying and being buried - but later saw Jesus Christ appearing and talking to them - and this were indeed very many, at one occasion over 500 - see 1Cor 15,4 - refused to believe. They took it as hallucination, because Satan himself had laid fundamental doubts in them.

Once this satanic work functions, a demon occupies this person, and hinders any divine truth to infuse to that individual’s being.
We are well able to fight this, but it get’s harder, the more hellish merits for fighting the insight into God’s truth one’s demon collected. These demons even multiply then and become the strength of a legion. In Mark 5,9 Jesus asks a demon who possessed a person about his name, and he replies WE ARE LEGION! So - nip it in the bud, or a stich in time saves nine!

Jesus Christ said to Philip in John 14,8: You say show me The Father, but you saw the Father in Me!

We know that the Godhead is (not are but is) Three. We know this of the New Covenant. God The Father said from heaven at Christ’s baptism THIS IS MY BELOVED SON!
Many understood - others thought it was a roll of thunder (same in similar occasions). Satan already controlled their comprehension. Later Christ said in John 14,26 (and other places) that He will send The Holy Spirit.

He who wants to hear, might hear. He who doesn’t, might let it. A sentence often recalled in Christ’s words of the Gospel and even in the Old Testament alike.

Yours
Bruno

 

[OriginalGabrielof12]

Hello BrunoMaria;

I am not nailed to the question of “Godhead possesses more than three persons”. Your misquoted statement is never my faith. My post addressed a poster who radically objects to the Blessed Trinity.

I do appreciate your post, as it relates to God being Mystery. Which only gives support to the poster who rejects the Trinity.

I find your biblical quote misleading and misquoted. In John 14:8, Jesus never said; "but you saw the Father in Me!"

This is the correct translation of Jesus speaking from John 14:8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” 9Jesus replied, “Philip, I have been with you all this time, and still you do not know Me? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.

There are heretical circles who would take your misquoted scripture and use it against the blessed Trinity.

Apart from this, your post speaks to the choir.

Peace be with you

 

[BrunoMaria]

OK - the correct wording is - depending on the biblical translation:
He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
I however translated it from my memory in the German Bible:
you saw the Father in Me!
Which actually admittedly is not exact, but still applies by analogy. It’s the same
Depending in which language you read the bible, the grammar and wording might differ, but of course never the testimony and meaning.

Take John 10,30, here Christ says:
The Father and I are one.
Now; in my Bible Christ said: I and the Father, which is original translation from the ancient Greek. In English Bibles the order has been reversed to reflect English style. I still think, they could have let it with I and the Father, for it’s ONE GOD - one being in The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit.

OK - one might argue (as one man did when I discussed this “Problem” which is none - with him) so - one might argue, that Jesus warned to insult the Holy Spirit, as sin never forgivable neither of this, nor the future world. Mark 3,29 and others.
Now, Jesus here differed between Himself whom to blaspheme will be forgiven, but same with the Holy Ghost (which is the Holy WIll of God), will never be. Jesus also differed with “The Father is greater than I” in John 14,28 and others. And also The Father said: “This is My beloved Son…” in Matthew 3:17 and others.
It further was The Son who was crucified, not The Father, neither the Holy Spirit, and Christ said on the Cross “Eli Eli lama sabachthani?”. Hence is argued, that God are three persons.
To argue God’s even more than three persons, is plain stupid - not really worth answering. But the “three Persons” is biblical fact. Still: GOD IS ONE! One Being in three Characters or Hypostasis. The Bible is full of statements, that this is so.

The “Nature of God” just to speak in terribly profane words, is not and never conceivable with our natural brain - nor matchable with our well known nature and laws of nature around us. God Himself said in Is 55,8: “Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds".

Now let’s conclude this and go on with: God’s deeds and plans, and thoughts, and being, is definitely not alike anything we know here on earth. Hence, we can not “simply” conceive and such explain, but we plainly have to believe that it is as Christ told us, like “The Father and I is One”.

There are often things a very trustable fried tells us, but is “unbelievable”. We then simply believe it as he told us. How much more than a friend is JESUS CHRIST!

Yours
Bruno

 

[MJDorry]

“Could there be…” is the wrong question to ask. It simply is not revealed. With the doctrine and the mystery of the trinity, on the other hand, is an ever deepening understanding of God’s nature. To put it in simple terms, God begets himself and has a relationship with Himself, which we then understand through hopelessly limited human analogy as the relationship of the Father and the Son. The power of that Godly relationship is such that a third person, Whom we call Holy Spirit, proceeds from it. From that point, it seems at last to me to be unnecessarily redundant for there to be more persons than three.

 

[OriginalGabrielof12]

The “Nature of God” just to speak in terribly profane words, is not and never conceivable with our natural brain - nor matchable with our well known nature and laws of nature around us. God Himself said in Is 55,8: “Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, and my deeds are not like your deeds".

Now let’s conclude this and go on with: God’s deeds and plans, and thoughts, and being, is definitely not alike anything we know here on earth. Hence, we can not “simply” conceive and such explain, but we plainly have to believe that it is as Christ told us, like “The Father and I is One”.

Your simple explanation of the “Nature of God” is acceptable by all Trinitarians and dare I include non-Trinitarians and heretics who believe in God.

The Church resisted those who came against God’s divine revelation of Jesus having two natures and the Trinity. In other words the Church did not defeat heretics and heresies by stating; “The Nature of God” is inconceivable or unapproachable by our humanity. When even the heretics of their day accepted such a definition of God.

The Early Church Fathers (East and West) defeated heretics and heresies in their day with defined terms from divine revelations handed down to them via Jesus Christ and His Apostles, with terms such as Trinity, Jesus fully human and fully divine, Theotokos, Filioque etc.

We have been given divine revelation of God is One, divinely revealed to our humanity in the Trinity of Persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

In my experience, those who oppose the True divinely revealed Trinity. Do so at their own peril with ignorance and a closed mind prejudiced against divine revelation, explained for our hope in the Trinity economy of our Salvation.

The Thrice Godhead reveals that; Three is enough in perfection when no more can be added or subtracted from the Three Persons in the Trinity, when all Three Personified Presence of God is perfected in all ways which totals ONE GOD revealed in Three persons. No more can be added to this perfection of three and no more can be subtracted from the perfected three personal divine revelations of God made present to all of our humanity in all ages.

Peace be with you