The lost god of christ intro and first chapter

idea that it’s describing a deity. In fact, there isn’t a single Old Testament scripture that even suggests that a second deity exists and comes down from heaven to either aide humans or dwell inside them.

The phrase holy spirit (along with others such as divine spirit or spirit of holiness) describes Yahweh’s spirit, essence, or power: working through, inspiring, or being divinely bestowed upon and/or into a person. For instance, the prophets are spoken of as having been filled with God’s spirit of holiness. And Yahweh spoke of pouring his spirit into the Israelites.12 In fact, Peter recalled Joel 2:28 when describing a similar event that happened to him and other followers of Christ. 13 The gospel of John recorded that Jesus “breathed” on his disciples to impart his Father’s spirit into them. 14 The spirit in these respects can best be likened to the energy current known in Chinese as qi (also known as chi), which is said to flow through us all and can be boosted through disciplined meditation.

Another apt example, albeit a fictional one, comes from George Lucas in his epic Star Wars saga. Lucas envisioned a universe wherein God is replaced by a power known as the force. This force, which binds together the universe and everything in it, has a good or light side, and an evil or dark side. As anyone who is familiar with the story knows either side could be embraced and, through disciplined study, mastered to gain supernatural power. The holy spirit emanating from God can be likened to the power which can be derived from the force.

While at times it is personified in the New Testament, the holy spirit is predominately referred to as either an abstraction or objectively. God’s spirit is described in various scriptures as filling up, falling upon, or being poured out upon a person or persons. There are also several references of a person being baptized in it. The best example of this is found in Acts 10:38 when Peter declared that God anointed Jesus with his spirit. Here are all three facets of the so-called Godhead: Yahweh the Father, imparting his divine spirit, in the form of a dove, upon his son Jesus the messiah.

Although this scripture has been said to reinforce the Trinity; the opposite, in fact, is the case. Jesus was given the power by his Father. This decries the concept of equality among the three as Yahweh has to be superior to both in order to be able to impart one (the spirit) to the other (Jesus); and Jesus must be below both, or he wouldn’t have to have his Father impart the spirit upon him in the first place.

Interestingly enough, Jesus directly denied equality with the holy spirit. Three of the gospels record that Jesus emphatically declared the prominence of the holy spirit over himself: “Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.” 15 Jesus clearly deferred to his Father’s divine power, and stresses the dire consequences that come from denouncing it. This, however, seems to be overlooked entirely.

So how did Pastor Mark come to his conclusion on the existence of three separate but equal deities? Why would he and countless others teach an idea that is so obviously not scriptural, nor taught by Jesus and his early followers? I’m not sure about the others, but knowing Mark, and knowing his heart, the only logical answer is that he is merely passing along what was taught to him to be true. This is understandable because we all tend to view the world through the lens with which we are given in childhood. What