Jesus said, “The Father is greater than I” not the Father is superior. This is because Jesus is emphasizing that all that he has and is he received from the Father. Perhaps an analogy will help. My biological father and I both share the same humanity, however, I would very easily say that he is greater than I am because much of what I know and my life experiences come from him. This is what Jesus is expressing, that the Father is his source.
Hello: I believe the New Jerusalem Bible is a favored Catholic Bible and John 14:25 in this Catholic favored Bible (happens to my favorite Bible) does quote Jesus as saying that the Father is “superior” to him. Regardless,as you have said here that the “Father is greater than I” implies that Jesus is indicating that the two (Jesus and the Father are seperate entities. If they are one as one would believe in the Trinity then what would Jesus be referring to when he said the Father is greator (or superior) than I? In my opinion they are seperate and are in agreement and in union with each other. Jesus even told the “other” Mary not to touch him until he ascended in Heaven to be with his Father?
Hi: I am looking real hard for “the” question and I am not really sure which one you keep asking me to answer. If you could simply post the question again (sorry), I will answer the specific question.
These were the questions.
Actually, I use the New Jerusalem Bible (my favorite translation as well), but I don’t have it handy at the moment for quoting. Regardless, the Father is not the Son and neither the Father nor the Son is the Holy Spirit, yet they are God. Indeed, it is a great mystery that we can only understand on the surface because to do otherwise would be to know the inner workings of God which is something we can never know. I like to think of the Holy Trinity in this manner: God is one yet not alone. In his deepest mystery, God is not a solitude but a “family” of persons united fully in love. Perhaps the easiest way to describe this is to say that God is one like a family rather than one like an individual. The three persons of the Blessed Trinity are united in every aspect so that there is no possible way to distinguish the wills of the three (because there is only one will), however, the three persons are distinct.
Originally Posted by ByzCath
As a forty year follower of the Bible I too used to believe that the Trinity was a “great mystery”. I have sinse learned that there is no mystery, it is all stated in the Bible and I have found in my opinion that doctrines have created confusion leading to this great mystery. It is not a mystery at all.
He never asked why we should trust in the Bible. Catholics put their trust in the Lord and only in the Lord. God has revealed himself through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition which is understood through Magisterial Teaching. It is the Catholic understanding that if you read the Scriptures outside of Sacred Tradition and Magisterial Teaching, then you are not really reading the Scriptures. So, Catholics are reading the Bible. We are being drawn closer to God. But we are reading the Bible the way we are supposed to…in the light of Sacred Tradition and Magisterial Teaching.
As I promised here are a few reasons to trust the Bible:
Interesting. I have been reading the bible for quite a while (not 40 years, but at least 20), and the bible fully supports what the Church teaches. I have no reason to doubt the Truth as pronounced by the Church.
In my opinion we don’t need to put trust in saints or visionaries when we can put trust in God, who has stated that he is a jealous God and even Jesus told us no one gets to God unless they go through Jesus.
I have enjoyed reading your posts quite a bit and thanks for your time here as well. I put my faith in God and do respect you following a church. I just feel that all men are sinners which would include fathers. However, I do agree with you that we need to worship in a group and respect other religions as well. tommy
The Bible, in fact, came from the Catholic Church. The Church started at the instruction of Jesus.
It would seem that you would think that the Church has an agenda separate from proclaiming God as He has revealed Himself. Were it not for the Church (an organization of people united in faith), the only thing we would know of God would be what is revealed in nature, etc. What you understand about God was revealed by Him to people who were taught by Jesus (the Apostles) and their successors. Further revelation through the written scriptures came from God through people who learned Sacred Tradition either from Christ himself or from the Apostles. Their writings were written in the context of the teachings of Christ and were never intended to be the sole source of those teachings. I don’t think you will find a verse of Sacred Scripture that would say otherwise. I do not follow a Church, I follow God in union with the whole Church through the Eternal Word, Jesus.
God revealed himself to Moses and gave his name to Moses, Yahweh in Ex 6:3. His name appears 7,000 times in the New Jerusalem Bible and the Hebrew original writtings. Religion has changed Yahweh’s name to a title, God and Yahweh God asked that we praise him by His name. There are many references in Psalms ch 94-104 where Jehovah Yahweh God has requested we praise Him by His name and why has that been lost in many churches over the years? In my opinion, this is why the Bible is so valuable that we don’t loose the gifts that Yahweh God has given us and most religions have gone the course of not praising him by His name and Satan has won in taking praise away from God in my opinion through religion. Have a great rest of your day, bringing groceries home and spending the rest of the night with the family. God Bless you, tommy
Interesting tack, but poorly informed, I’m afraid. The Jews, who initially received God’s revelation and wrote the Old Testament through His inspiration, did not speak the name Yahweh. The name of God was considered much too holy to speak aloud, because it could too easily be profaned. They used the letters YHWH, with no vowels, but rather than read his name aloud when they read scripture, they would insert “Lord” or “God” in its place.
Ok here’s a little history. Yahweh is Gods name in Hewbrew. Jehovah is the english translation. Satan has found a way through his trickery to hide Gods name and take his praise away.
HE’S BAAACK! (See status from tommy1234 earlier in this thread)
Jehovah is a transliteration (not alliteration, as I typo’d previously), and a poor substitute for His true name. That does not change the fact that His chosen people, the Jews, worshipped Him without speaking the name aloud and without writing the full name with vowels. They knew exactly who they were worshipping, and so do we. We have never removed His name from scripture, nor substituted the name of another god in His place. Yahweh, the God of the Jews, the God of the Old Testament, is our true God.
It’s simply that I am still in the middle of pharmacy rotations and have very little free time these days. I’m off to bed now. 