Judy wrote: > Bill we need to give credit where credit is due. > I am using spiritual words to communicate spiritual > truths and both of these come to me by way of the > Holy Spirit. Not the Nicene Fathers.
I think the principle that you have lost sight of is that none of us have lived in a vacuum such that all that we have received is only from the Holy Spirit and the Bible. Did you learn English by way of the Holy Spirit? Does your knowledge of the words you use come ONLY by way of the Holy Spirit? If so, then why did he teach you English and not Hebrew? Why not other languages? Everybody has been impacted by those who have gone before us. The words we use, the mannerisms that we have, the understanding of what words mean, etc., have been thrust upon us from a multitude of sources. To deny this is to deny reality. If we are honest, we must acknowledge these things. If you truly are skeptical, study some history. We are connected to our past and to the lives of those who have gone before us whether we like it or not. You many think in your mind that the Nicene Fathers have had absolutely nothing to do with your existence, but you are wrong. A Protestant from birth might think that the Roman Catholic Church has had absolutely no impact upon him, but he would be wrong. A Mormon from birth might think that Protestant Christianity has had nothing in him, but he would be wrong. We all live with one another, and in some shape or form what we say and do impact each other, some more than others. It seems like maybe you think that Bill is trying to say that you learned the word "person" directly from reading the Nicene Fathers on the subject of the Trinity. That's not it. The way I am hearing from him is that historically, the Nicene Fathers hashed out this subject and began to stress the concept of "person" in order to explain the idea of the Trinity. That concept caught on and when the English language was invented hundreds of years later, the word "person" came about directly because of the influence that these Nicene Fathers had upon our cultural history. I hope Bill will try and refine my hearing of him a little bit better. We need to try and make an effort to receive what he is saying and mesh it with the knowledge that we already have. If you find a few bumps and wrinkles trying to do that, by all means, communicate in a way that will help smooth them out, but don't do that in such a way that you are batting down something legitimate that Bill or anyone else is trying to share. Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida. ---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org If you do not want to receive posts from this list, send an email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and you will be unsubscribed. If you have a friend who wants to join, tell him to send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] and he will be subscribed.
