RVRH

Determinism and free will

Determinism and free will
Determinism is the philosophical proposition that every event, including human cognition, decision and action, is causally determined by an unbroken chain of prior occurrences. It holds that no random, spontaneous, mysterious, or miraculous events occur. The principal consequence of the deterministic claim is that it poses a challenge to the existence of free will.

The problem of free will is the problem of whether rational agents exercise control over their own actions and decisions. Addressing this problem requires understanding the relation between freedom and causation, and determining whether the laws of nature are causally deterministic. Some philosophers, known as Incompatibilists, view determinism and free will as mutually exclusive. If they believe in determinism, they will therefore believe free will to be an illusion, a position known as Hard Determinism. Proponents range from Baruch Spinoza to Ted Honderich.

Others, labeled Compatibilists (or “Soft Determinists”), believe that the two ideas can be coherently reconciled. Adherents of this view include Thomas Hobbes and many modern philosophers.

Incompatibilists who accept free will but reject determinism are called Libertarians, a term not to be confused with the political sense. Robert Kane is one of the few modern defenders of this theory.

It is a popular misconception that determinism necessarily entails that humanity or individual humans have no influence on the future and its events, a position known as Fatalism). Determinists, however, believe that the level to which human beings have influence over their future is itself dependent on present and past.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysic

Metaphysics

Referred to as the subject of “first philosophy,the term “metaphysics” is regarded as having originated from the works of Aristotle. The editor of his works, Andronicus of Rhodes, placed the books on first philosophy right after another work, Physics, and called these books τα μετα τα φυσικά βιβλια (ta meta ta physika biblia) or, “the books that come after the [books on] physics.” This was misread by Latin scholiasts, who thought it meant “the science of what is beyond the physical.”[citation needed] In the English language, the word comes by way of the Medieval Latin metaphysica, the neuter plural of Medieval Greek metaphysika.[3] While its Greek and Latin origins are clear, various dictionaries trace its first appearance in English to the mid-sixteenth century, although in some cases as early as 1387.[3][4]

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the ultimate nature of reality, being, and the world.[1] Its name derives from the Greek words μετά (metá) (meaning “after”) and φυσικά (physiká) (meaning “after talking about physics”), “physics” referring to those works on matter by Aristotle in antiquity.[2] Metaphysics addresses questions that have existed for as long as the human race - many still with no definitive answer. Examples are:

What is the meaning of life?
What is the nature of reality?
What is mankind’s place in the universe?
Are colors objective or subjective?
Does the world exist outside the mind?
What is the nature of objects, events, places?
A central branch of metaphysics is ontology, the investigation into what types of things there are in the world and what relations these things bear to one another. The metaphysician also attempts to clarify the notions by which people understand the world, including existence, objecthood, property, space, time, causality, and possibility.

More recently, the term “metaphysics” has also been used more loosely to refer to “subjects that are beyond the physical world”. A “metaphysical bookstore”, for instance, is not one that sells books on ontology, but rather one that sells books on spirits, faith healing, crystal power, occultism, and other such topics.

Before the development of modern science, scientific questions were addressed as a part of metaphysics known as “natural philosophy”; the term “science” itself meant “knowledge”. The Scientific Revolution, however, made natural philosophy an empirical and experimental activity unlike the rest of philosophy, and by the end of the eighteenth century it had begun to be called “science” in order to distinguish it from philosophy. Metaphysics therefore became the philosophical enquiry into subjects beyond the physical world. Natural philosophy and science may still be considered topics of metaphysics, if the definition of “metaphysics” includes empirical explanations.

Aristotle’s Metaphysics was divided into three parts, in addition to some smaller sections related to a philosophical lexicon and some reprinted extracts from the Physics, which are now regarded as the proper branches of traditional Western metaphysics:

Ontology
The study of Being and existence; includes the definition and classification of entities, physical or mental, the nature of their properties, and the nature of change.
Theology
The study of God; involves many topics, including among others the nature of religion and the world, existence of the divine, questions about Creation, and the numerous religious or spiritual issues that concern humankind in general.
Universal science
The study of first principles, which Aristotle believed to be the foundation of all other inquiries. An example of such a principle is the law of noncontradiction and the status it holds in non-paraconsistent logics.
Universal science or first philosophy treats of “being qua being” — that is, what is basic to all science before one adds the particular details of any one science. Essentially “being qua being” may be translated as “being insofar as being goes”, or as, “being in terms of being”. This includes topics such as causality, substance, species and elements, as well as the notions of relation, interaction, and finitude.

Metaphysics as a discipline was a central part of academic inquiry and scholarly education even before the age of Aristotle. Long considered “the Queen of Sciences”,[cite this quote] its issues were considered no less important than the other main formal subjects of physical science, medicine, mathematics, poetics and music. Since the beginning of modern philosophy during the seventeenth century, problems that were not originally considered within the bounds of metaphysical have been added to its purview, while other problems considered metaphysical for centuries are now typically relegated to their own separate regions in philosophy, such as philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind, philosophy of perception, philosophy of language, and philosophy of science.

Names of God

The noun God is the proper English name used for the deity of monotheistic faiths. Various English third-person pronouns are used for God, and the correctness of each is disputed. (See God and gender.)

Different names for God exist within different religious traditions:

El, and the plural form Elohim, is used frequently in Hebrew texts. El was originally a Canaanite god whose name, meaning powerful one, became generic for all god(s) and mighty men in Hebrew. It also is used in reference to deities of other religions, to angels, and to human judges.
Allah is the Arabic name for God,[6] which is used by Muslims and also by most non-Muslim Arabs. It is derived from the word ilah, a cognate of the northwest Semitic El (Hebrew “El”, dual form “Eloah”, Aramaic “Eloi”), which, like el, eloah and eloi, is the generic word for a god (any deity). As Allah contains the Arabic definite article “Al”, “Allah” means the God. When speaking in English, Muslims often translate “Allah” as “God”. One Islamic tradition states that Allah has 99 names, or attributes, while others say that all good names belong to Allah. Similarly, in the Aramaic of Jesus, the word Alaha is used for the name of God.[citation needed] Arab Christians also refer to God as “Allah”.
YHVH (Hebrew: Yodh-He-Waw-He, יהוה ), often transliterated as Yahweh, is the name most often used for God in untranslated Hebrew scriptures, appearing more than 6700 times and usually translated as the LORD (cf. Adonai) in most English Bibles. In some cases, it is transliterated to function as a name as in Jehovah as found in the American Standard Version, the Darby Bible and the New World Translation or Yahweh as found the Jerusalem Bible.

YHWH, the name of God or Tetragrammaton, in Phoenician (1100 BC to AD 300), Aramaic (10th Century BC to 1st century AD) and modern Hebrew scripts.The Holy Trinity (one God in three Persons, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Ghost/Holy Spirit) is a term used to denote God in almost all Christianity.
Abba, Aramaic for “father”, is a word occasionally used in Christianity to refer to God. It is also used as a title of honor for bishops and patriarchs in some Christian churches of Egypt, Syria, and Ethiopia.[7] According to the Gospel of Mark, Jesus referred to God using that word.[8]
Deus, cognate of the Greek ζευς (Zeus) is the Latin word for God, and is used in Latin portions of Roman Catholic masses.[9]
Igzi’abihier (lit. “Lord of the Universe”) or Amlak (lit. the plural of mlk, “king” or “lord”)[citation needed] in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
Jah is the name of God in the Rastafari movement, referring specifically to Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia.
Ngai, is the Maasai name for “God” (also spelled:’Ngai, En-kai, Enkai, Engai, Eng-ai) which occurs in the volcano name Ol Doinyo Lengai (”the mountain of God”).[citation needed]
Niskam is The Mi’kmaq name for “God”.
“the One” used along side “God” is being used by some churches (United Church of Canada, Religious Science) as a more gender-neutral way of referring to God (See also Oneness).
“Baquan” is a phonetical pronunciation for God in several Pacific Islander religions.[citation needed]
Bhagavan - “The Opulent One”, Brahman -”The Great”, Paramatma - “The Supersoul” and Ishvara- “The Controller”, are the terms used for God in the Vedas. A number of Hindu traditions worship a personal form of God or Ishvara, such as Vishnu or Shiva, whereas others worship a non-personal Supreme Cosmic Spirit, known as Brahman. The Vaishnava schools consider Vishnu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and within this tradition is the Vishnu sahasranama, which is a hymn describing the one thousand names of God (Vishnu). Shaivites consider Shiva as the Supreme God in similar way to the followers of Vaishnavism. The Supreme Ishvara of Hinduism must not be confused with the numerous deities or demigods who are collectively known as devas.
Waheguru Wondrous God, is the Sikhs way of worshipping God with these common names Satnaam (True is Your Name), Akal (the Eternal) or Onkar (some similarity to the Hindu Aum). They believe that when reciting these names, devotion, dedication and a genuine appreciation and acceptance of the Almighty and the blessings thereof (as opposed to mechanical recitation) is essential if one is to gain anything by the meditation. The assistance of the guru is also believed to be essential to reach God.
Anami Purush and Radha Swami also (nameless power) (lord of the soul, symbolized as Radha)are used in Surat Shabda Yoga, to refer to God.
“Mwari” is the word used by Shona people of Zimbabwe[citation needed]. They also use names such as Nyadenga in reference to his presumed residence in the ‘heveans’, or Musikavanhu, literally “the Creator”.
Ahura Mazda is the Zoroastrian name of the good god.
“The Great Spirit”, “The Master of Life”, “The Master of Breath”, or “Grandfather” is the way many Native American religions refer to God.[citation needed] In the Algonquian culture, for example, Gitche Manitou or “Great Spirit” was the name adopted by French missionaries for the Christian God.[citation needed] Other similar names may also be used.
Shang Ti 上帝 typically used in Chinese, and the name (Hanyu Pinyin: shàng dì) (literally King Above), is the name given for God in the Standard Mandarin Union Version of the Bible. Shen 神 (lit. spirit, or deity) was also adopted by Protestant missionaries in China to refer to the Christian God.
“Principle, Mind, Soul, Life, Truth, Love, and Spirit” are names for God in Christian Science.[citation needed] These names are considered synonymous and indicative of God’s wholeness.
Khoda is a word for God in Farsi

In the Torah, the name of God represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature. The various Jewish names of God represent God, and His divine attributes. The most important name of God is the tetragrammaton (Hebrew: יהוה, English: YHVH or YHWH—vowels are not written in the Hebrew spelling but are usually taken to be “a” and “e” making the modern pronunciation “Yahveh” or “Yahweh” respectively), and Elohim. The correct pronunciation of the tetragrammaton has been lost completely.

In Messianic Judaism, YHWH (pre-incarnate) and Yeshua (incarnate) are one and the same, the second Person, with the Father and Ruach haQodesh (the Holy Spirit) being the first and third Persons, respectively, of ha’Elohiym (the Godhead). YHWH is expressed as “haShem,” which means ‘the Name.’

Allah is the most frequently used name of God in Islam when speaking Arabic. It refers to the God without any other beside Him. It originally simply meant “the God” in Arabic, and was used in pre-Islamic times to refer to a divinity worshipped in Mecca. It is properly translated as “God” in English, and seen by Muslims as the same God as of Christianity and Judaism (referred to as “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”). The Arabic word Allah is a linguistic cognate of the Hebrew word Eloah and a translation of the English word “god”, although there are some Christian sects which claim that there is a distinction between their deity and the deity or deities worshipped in either Judaism or Islam. Nevertheless, Allah is the same word in Arabic used by Arab Jews and Christians when speaking of God.

In the Islamic point of view, Allah is the only Omnipotent and has the Most Beautiful Names. So anyone can call Him by the most beautiful names he may call. (e.g. as stated in 18/110, 20/8, 59/24, 7/180 in Quran.). A well established Islamic tradition enumerates 99 Names of God, which are His attributes.

Besides those names of Qur’anic origin, Muslims of non-Arabic peoples may also sometimes use some other names in their own language which refers to God, e.g. the Ottoman anachronism Tanrı (originally the pagan Turks’ celestial chief god, corresponding to the Ancient Turkish Tengri), or Khuda in Persian language.

Bahá’ís refer to God using the local word for God in whatever language is being spoken, so God is used in English, Allah in Arabic, Gud in the Scandinavian languages, and so forth. This is because Bahá’ís believe that, although people have different concepts of God and His nature, and may call Him by different names and use different languages, everyone is referring to one unique Deity.

Bahá’ís believe that the essence of God is beyond the knowledge and understanding of human beings, and that he therefore must be known through his names, or attributes. God’s names are seen as his attributes, and God is often, in prayers, referred to by these titles and attributes, such as the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the Merciful, the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Generous, the All-Wise, the Incomparable, the Gracious, the Helper, the All-Glorious, the Omniscient.

Translations of scripture typically use the local language unless a whole phrase is being transliterated for a specific purpose. However, since the languages in which the Bahá’í Faith was first authored were Arabic and Persian, the term Allah and other “names” are used in some specific contexts, even by non-Arabic speakers. The above-mentioned attributes are sometimes referred to in their Arabic form - for instance Bahá’ís refer to “Bahá” (meaning Glory or Splendour) or any derivation thereof (ex. Al-Abhá, or The Most Glorious) as The Greatest Name of God. This also forms the root of the word “Bahá’i.” The Bahá’í greeting Alláh’u'abhá is a formulation of this word and is usually translated “God is most Glorious”.

Hinduism
Main article: Sahasranama
Brahman in Sanskrit is both the knowable and unknowable Supreme. Aum, has been seen as the first manifestation of the unmanifest Brahman (the single Divine Ground of Hinduism) that resulted in the phenomenal universe.
Trimurti is the Hindu “Trinity”, although this differs largely to the Christian concept. See Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva.
In Vaishnavism, the Vishnu sahasranama enumerates names of God. The names of Vishnu’s Dasavatara in particular are considered divine names. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Krishna in particular is held as the personal aspect of God, the Hare Krishnas being a modern example of a movement following this philosophy.
In Shaivism, the Shiva sahasranama enumerates names of God.
Anami Purush (nameless power) and Radha Soami (lord of the soul) are two names used for God in Surat Shabda Yoga.
There are many thousands of devas within Hinduism who are regarded as different facets of God within some philosophical schools and referred to by a large number of names and titles. Ganesha is one such example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God

God

Etymology and usage
Main article: God (word)
The earliest written form of the Germanic word “god” comes from the 6th century Christian Codex Argenteus. The English word itself descends from the Proto-Germanic *ǥuđan. Most linguists agree that the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European form *ǵhu-tó-m was based on the root *ǵhau(ə)-, which meant either “to libate” or “to call, to invoke”.

The capitalized form “God” was first used in Ulfilas’ Gothic translation of the New Testament, to represent the Greek Theos.

In the English language the capitalization continues to represent a distinction between monotheistic “God” and the “gods” of polytheism.[5] The name “God” now typically refers to the Abrahamic God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Though there are significant cultural divergences that are implied by these different names, “God” remains the common English translation for all.

The name may signify any related or similar monotheistic deities, such as the early monotheism of Akhenaten and Zoroastrianism.

In the context of comparative religion, “God” is also often related to concepts of universal deity in Dharmic religions, in spite of the historical distinctions which separate monotheism from polytheism — a distinction which some, such as Max Müller and Joseph Campbell, have characterised as a bias within Western culture and theology.

God most commonly refers to the deity worshipped by followers of monotheistic and monolatrist religions, whom they believe to be the creator and ruler of the universe. [1]

Theologians have ascribed a variety of attributes to the various conceptions of God. The most common among these include omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, perfect goodness, divine simplicity, and eternal and necessary existence. God has also been conceived as being incorporeal, a personal being, the source of all moral obligation, and the “greatest conceivable existent”. [1] These attributes were all supported to varying degrees by the early Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologian philosophers, including Augustine of Hippo, [2] Al-Ghazali, [3] and Maimonides. [2] Many notable medieval philosophers developed arguments for the existence of God,[4] attempting to wrestle with the apparent contradictions implied by many of these attributes. Philosophers have developed several arguments for and against the existence of God.

God alone is the Savior and the Savior is Jesus

God alone is the Savior and the Savior is Jesus
The Old Testament identifies the LORD as the only savior, and the New Testament identifies Jesus Christ as God and Savior. These verses are consistent with Trinitarianism, as well as various nontrinitarian beliefs (binitarianism, modalism, the Latter-Day Saints’ godhead, Arianism, etc.).

Isaiah 43:11: “‘I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.’”
Titus 2:10: “and not to steal from them, but to show that they can be fully trusted, so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.”
Titus 3:4: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,” in regard with:
Luke 2:11: “‘Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.’”
Titus 2:13: “while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,”
John 4:42: “They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man [Jesus] really is the Savior of the world.’”
Titus 3:6: “whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,”

Jesus as God

Jesus as God
Many verses in John, the epistles, and Revelation imply support for the doctrine that Jesus Christ is God and the closely related concept of the Trinity. The Gospel of John in particular supports Jesus’ divinity. This is a partial list of supporting Bible verses:

John 1:1 (see also John}1:1 TNIV) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” together with John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” and John 1:18 “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”[12]The Bible says “God the One and Only” in NIV.
John 5:21 “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”
John 8:23–24: “But he continued,’You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins.’”
John 8:58 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”[13]
John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.”
John 10:38: “But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.”
John 12:41: “Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.”—As the context shows, this implied the Tetragrammaton in Isaiah 6:10 refers to Jesus.
John 20:28: “Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
Philippians 2:5–8: “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”
Colossians 2:9: “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form”
Titus 2:13: “while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.”
Hebrews 1:8: “But about the Son he [God] says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.”
1.John 5:20: “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true-even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”
Revelation 1:17–18: “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” This is seen as significant when viewed with Isaiah 44:6: “This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”
The Bible also refers to Jesus as a man, which is in line with the Trinitarian concept that Jesus was fully human as well as fully divine.

God exists in three persons

God exists in three persons

The “Shield of the Trinity” or “Scutum Fidei” diagram of traditional Western Christian symbolism.This one God however exists in three persons, or in the Greek hypostases. God has but a single divine nature. Chalcedonians—Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and Protestants—hold that, in addition, the Second Person of the Trinity—God the Son, Jesus—assumed human nature, so that he has two natures (and hence two wills), and is really and fully both true God and true human. In the Oriental Orthodox theology, the Chalcedonian formulation is rejected in favor of the position that the union of the two natures, though unconfused, births a third nature: redeemed humanity, the new creation.

In the Trinity, the Three are said to be co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence, nature, power, action, and will. However, as laid out in the Athanasian Creed, only the Father is unbegotten and non-proceeding. The Son is begotten from (or “generated by”) the Father. The Spirit proceeds from the Father (or from the Father and through the Son—see filioque clause for the distinction).

It has been stated that because God exists in three persons, God has always loved, and there has always existed perfectly harmonious communion between the three persons of the Trinity. One consequence of this teaching is that God could not have created Man in order to have someone to talk to or to love: God “already” enjoyed personal communion; being perfect, He did not create Man because of any lack or inadequacy He had. Another consequence, according to Rev. Thomas Hopko, is that if God were not a Trinity, He could not have loved prior to creating other beings on whom to bestow his love. Thus we find God saying in Genesis 1:26, “Let us make man in our image.” For Trinitarians, emphasis in Genesis 1:26 is on the plurality in the Deity, and in 1:27 on the unity of the divine Essence. A possible interpretation of Genesis 1:26 is that God’s relationships in the Trinity is mirrored in man by the ideal relationship between husband and wife, two persons becoming one flesh, as described in Eve’s creation later in the next chapter. Genesis 2:22 Some Trinitarian Christians support their position with the Comma Johanneum described above even though it is widely regarded as inauthentic and was not used patristically.

God

One God
God is one, and the Godhead a single being: The Hebrew Scriptures lift this one article of faith above others, and surround it with stern warnings against departure from this central issue of faith, and of faithfulness to the covenant God had made with them. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4) (the Shema), “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Deuteronomy 5:7) and, “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel and his redeemer the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6). Any formulation of an article of faith which does not insist that God is solitary, that divides worship between God and any other, or that imagines God coming into existence rather than being God eternally, is not capable of directing people toward the knowledge of God, according to the Trinitarian understanding of the Old Testament. The same insistence is found in the New Testament: “…there is none other God but one…” (1Corinthians 8:4). The “other gods” warned against are therefore not understood as gods at all, but as substitutes for God, and so are, according to St. Paul, simply mythological (1Corinthians 8:5).

Which brings the question, what is meant by “one?” In the Hebrew, the word for God is Elohim [אֱלֹהִים]. In every other instance where elohim is with a small e (indicating non-gods), it indicates a plurality because the word elohim is in fact plural. In the abovementioned passages, the Hebrew word for “one” is echad [אֶחָד] which may signify a compound unity, unified in perfect harmony and purpose, unlike the Hebrew word yachid which unequivocally means an absolute (not compound) singularity. The concept of echad would be similar to a perfectly functioning family or the cleaving of husband and wife as one flesh (cf. Gen. 2:24).

So, in the Trinitarian view, the common conception which thinks of the Father and Christ as two separate beings is viewed as incorrect by many but not all groups in Christianity and Messianicism. The central and crucial affirmation of Christian faith is that there is one savior, God, and one salvation, manifest in Jesus Christ, to which there is access only because of the Holy Spirit. The God of the Old is still the same as the God of the New. In Christianity, it is understood that statements about a solitary god are intended to distinguish the Hebraic understanding from the polytheistic view, which see divine power as shared by several beings, beings which can, and do, disagree and have conflicts with each other. The Gospel of John depicts the Father as united with Jesus as Jesus is united with his followers (John 17:20–23).

The Trinity

The word “Trinity” comes from “Trinitas”, a Latin abstract noun that means “three-ness,” “the property of occurring three at once” or “three are one.” The Greek term used for the Christian Trinity, “Τριάς” (”Trias,” gen. “Triados”) means “a set of three” or “the number three,”[2] and has given the English word triad.

The first recorded use of the word in Christian theology was in about 180 AD by Theophilus of Antioch who used it of “God, his Word, and his Wisdom.”[3][4] In about 200 AD Tertullian used it of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (As discussed below, the persons of the Trinity can be named in different ways.)[4]

Most Christians believe that God is spirit (John 4:24), an uncreated, omnipotent and eternal being, the creator and sustainer of all things, who works the redemption of the world through his Son, Jesus Christ.

Against this background, belief in the divinity of Christ and the Holy Spirit was expressed as the doctrine of the Holy Trinity,[27], which describes the single Divine substance existing as three distinct and inseparable persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ the eternal Word), and the Holy Spirit. According to the doctrine, God is not divided in the sense that each person has a third of the whole; rather, each person is considered to be fully God (see Perichoresis). The distinction lies in their relations, the Father being unbegotten, the Son begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeding.[28] “Begotten”, in these formulae, does not refer to Mary’s conceiving Jesus, but to the Son’s relationship to the Father, which is described as being “eternally begotten” of the Father.

Christians of Reformed theology also conceive of salvation as one work of the triune God, in which “the three divine persons act together as one, and manifest their own proper characteristics” with the agency of the Holy Spirit as an essential element.”[29]

Trinitarian Christians trace the orthodox formula of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — back to the resurrected Jesus himself, who used this phrase in Matthew 28:16-20 or the Great Commission.

Most Christians believe the Holy Spirit inspired the Scriptures,[30] and that his active participation in a believer’s life (even to the extent of “indwelling” within the believer), joining the believer’s free actions with his own, is essential to living a Christian life.[31] In Catholic, Orthodox, and some Anglican theology, this indwelling is received through the sacrament called Confirmation or, in the East, Chrismation. Most Protestant traditions teach that the gift of the Holy Spirit is symbolized by baptism; however some (Baptists and comparable groups) do not attribute any sacramental significance to baptism. Pentecostal and Charismatic Protestants believe the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a distinct experience separate from other experiences like conversion or water baptism, and many Pentecostals believe it will always—or at least usually—be evident through glossolalia (speaking in tongues)

Neither of the words “Trinity” nor “Triunity” appear in the Old Testament or New Testament. Various passages from both have been cited as supporting this doctrine, while other passages are cited as opposing it.

Many passages from the Old Testament have been cited as supporting the Trinity, and the Old Testament depicts God as the father of Israel and refers to (possibly metaphorical) divine figures such as Word, Spirit, and Wisdom. Some biblical scholars have said that “it would go beyond the intention and spirit of the Old Testament to correlate these notions with later Trinitarian doctrine.”[5] According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, a few of the Fathers “found what would seem to be the sounder view” that “no distinct intimation of the doctrine was given under the Old Covenant (cf. Gregory Nazianzen, ‘Or. theol.’, v, 26; Epiphanius, ‘Ancor.’ 73, ‘Haer.’, 74; Basil, ‘Adv. Eunom.’, II, 22; Cyril Alex., ‘In Joan.’, xii, 20.).”[6] “Some of these, however, claimed that a knowledge of the mystery was granted to the Prophets and saints of the Old Dispensation (Epiph., “Haer.,” viii, 5; Cyril Alex., “Con. Julian.,” I). The matter seems to be correctly summed up by Epiphanius, when he says: “The One Godhead is above all declared by Moses, and the twofold personality (of Father and Son) is strenuously asserted by the Prophets. The Trinity is made known by the Gospel” (”Haer.,” Ixxiv).[6]

The New Testament also does not use the word “Τριάς” (Trinity), nor explicitly teach it.[7] The Trinity article in Encyclopedia Britannica states: “Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4).”[8]Encyclopedia of Religion, for example, argues that “God the Father is source of all that is (Pantokrator) and also the father of Jesus Christ; “Father” is not a title for the first person of Trinity but a synonym for God”[citation needed]. Early liturgical and creedal formulas speak of God as “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ”; praise is to be rendered to God through Christ (see opening greeting in Paul and deutero-Paul). There are other binitarian texts (e.g., Romans 4:24; Romans 8:11; 2Corinthians 4:14; Colossians 2:12; 1Timothy 2:5–6; 1Timothy 6:13;2Timothy 4:1), and a few triadic texts (the strongest are 2Cororinthians 13:14 and Matthew 28:19).”[5]

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, while Trinity does not explicitly appear in the New Testament, its basis is established by the New Testament: The coming of Jesus Christ and the presumed presence and power of God among them had implications for the early Christians. “The Holy Spirit, whose coming was connected with the celebration of the Pentecost. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were associated in such New Testament passages as the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19); and in the apostolic benediction: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2Corinthians 13:14).”[8] The Great Commission reflects the baptismal practice at Matthew’s time (or later if this line is interpolated, according to The Oxford Companion of the Bible). Aside from this verse, although “Matthew records a special connection between God the Father and Jesus the Son (e.g., Matthew 11:27), but he falls short of claiming that Jesus is equal with God (cf. 24:36).”[9]

According to the The Oxford Companion of the Bible, 2Corinthians 13:14 is the earliest evidence for a tripartite formula. The Oxford Companion of the Bible states that it is possible that this three-part formula was later added to the text as it was copied. However, there is support for the authenticity of the passage since its phrasing “is much closer to Paul’s understandings of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit than to a more fully developed concept of the Trinity. Jesus, referred to not as Son but as Lord and Christ, is mentioned first and is connected with the central Pauline theme of grace. God is referred to as a source of love, not as father, and the Spirit promotes sharing within community.”[9]

The Gospel of John does suggest the equality and unity of Father and Son. (”I and the Father are one” John 10:30). This Gospel starts with “the affirmation that in the beginning Jesus as Word “was with God and …was God” (John 1:1) and ends (chap. 21 is more likely a later addition) with Thomas’s confession of faith to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).”[9] There is no significant tendency among modern scholars to deny that either of these two verses identifies Jesus with God.[10]

Furthermore, the last Gospel elaborates on the role of Holy Spirit being sent to advocate for believers.[9] The immediate context of these verses was providing “assurance of the presence and power of God both in the ministry of Jesus and the ongoing life of the community.” However beyond this immediate context, these verses caused questions of relation between Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, their distinction and yet unity. These questions have been hotly debated over the following centuries, although mainstream Christianity has generally resolved the issue through writing the creeds.[9]

Summarizing the role of Scripture in the formation of Trinitarian belief, Gregory Nazianzen argues in his Orations that the revelation was intentionally gradual:

The Old Testament proclaimed the Father openly, and the Son more obscurely. The New manifested the Son, and suggested the deity of the Spirit. Now the Spirit himself dwells among us, and supplies us with a clearer demonstration of himself. For it was not safe, when the Godhead of the Father was not yet acknowledged, plainly to proclaim the Son; nor when that of the Son was not yet received to burden us further[11]

A few verses directly reference the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit:

Matthew 3:16–17: “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ ” (also Mark 1:10–11; Luke 3:22; John 1:32)
Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (see Trinitarian formula).
2Corinthians 13:14: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”
1John 5:7–8: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.” (This is the controversial Comma Johanneum, which did not appear in Greek texts before the sixteenth century.)
Luke 1:35: “The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’ ”
Hebrews 9:14: “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity

Sin

Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral rule, or the state of having committed such a violation. The English word sin was originally an archery term. The distance from the center of the bullseye to the point where an arrow struck is known as the ’sin of the arrow’. Sin is often used meaning an action thought of as wrong or prohibited however in some religions (most notably Christianity), sin or sinning is something that is an action or a state of mind.

In monotheistic religions, the code of conduct is determined by God. Colloquially, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, shameful, harmful, or alienative might be termed “sinful”.

Common ideas surrounding sin in various religions include:

Punishment for sins, from other people, from God either in life or in afterlife, or from the Universe in general.
The question of whether or not an act must be intentional to be sinful.
The idea that one’s conscience should produce guilt for a knowing sin.
A scheme for determining the seriousness of the sin.
Repentance from (expressing regret for and determining not to commit) sin, and atonement (repayment) for past deeds.
The possibility of forgiveness of sins, often through communication with a deity or intermediary; in Christianity often referred to as salvation.
Crime and justice are related secular concepts.

In Western Christianity, in a sense, sin is often viewed as a legal infraction or contract violation, and so salvation tends to be viewed in legal terms, similar to Jewish thinking. In Eastern Christianity, sin is more often viewed in terms of its effects on relationships, both among people and between people and God. The Bible, however, shows sin to be not following God’s moral guidance. This is based on the account of Adam and Eve in Genesis. They went against God and acquired from disobeying Him, the “knowledge of good and evil,” by eating the fruit of “the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” They now had the ability to judge for themselves. To abide by God’s judgement and value is Not sin. Thus, the moment Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree which God commanded them not to, sin was born; it was the disobeying act that was the sin. Though, since God spoke specifically to Adam, and then Adam told Eve what God had said, it usually believed that Adam held the most responsibility for the evil that took place on that day.

The Greek word in the New Testament that is translated in English as “sin” is hamartia, which literally means missing the target. In Christianity, salvation is viewed in terms of reconciliation and a genuine relationship with Christ. 1 John 3:4 states: “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.” (ESV) This law refers to the statements (commonly called the Ten Commandments) in Exodus 20:1-17 that God demands of those that follow Him. Another example of this is in Romans 6:23 where it says the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ our Lord. Both Eastern and Western Christians agree, on the basis God’s Word, that sin serves as a barrier in one having a complete relationship with God. But in the Gospel of John 3:16 it states “For God so loved the world, He gave his one and only son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” This verse is the base of Christianity. Salvation is not obtained through good works but faith alone accompanied by obedience to the law that which God has set forth. The works will follow the faith. Christains trust that every one of us falls short of the perfect glory of God because of our sins (imperfections), but the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins was the perfect and ultimate sacrifice; therefore, one can obtain salvation only through seeking faith in Jesus Christ who was crucified and resurrected for all of mankind.