The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Nature of the Trinity, The Role of Pastor-Teachers, Women Pastor-Teachers, etc
Question #1:
This is exactly it, don't diminish the value of the truth by calling it YOUR view. 

Indeed, a redemptive sacrifice was required. Blood was required. The covenant of blood is very powerful.

Before then, Israel could only make sacrifices through the Levitical priests. Bull, Sheep, Ox, Goat, even birds (for the poor among them) were used for this. This was the only way to redeem themselves of sin. The high priest would sprinkle the blood of the dead animal on the altar of the tabernacle just outside the holy of holies. This was usually done after the sin of the man or woman had been transferred to the animal by a rite of placing his/her hands on the head of the animal and killing it. The blood was then drained by one of the lower priests.

________, the above process was not permanent because it had to be done as often as possible.
There were five offerings at that time: The Burnt offering (Blood of a male animal), The meat offering (fine flour with oil to be eaten by the sinner), The sin offering (animal to be eaten by the priest), The Trespass offering (Blood of a female animal), and the Peace offering (The fat of either male or female to be burnt and the blood sprinkled too).

All this would only guarantee sinlessness for as long as the person person keeps himself holy because the blood of animals is lesser than man and can not permanently atone for man. There became a need for a stronger blood covenant, one which would be higher than man. This is why God had to be made flesh through Jesus. God is a spirit being and therefore has no blood, he had to make himself human but at the same time be a completely blameless and sinless human born of a virgin which no man has tainted.
The blood of Jesus encompasses all five offerings and totally redeems sinners for all eternity. In him became a new means of redemption. Instead of going through the priests by making sacrifices in the tabernacle, Jesus became the high priest and the tabernacle in and of itself.

Christ is both God and man to combine the divine nature of the father who seats above all heavens and the least man who walks on the earth, essentially creating a blood link that cannot be broken even by death.

Response #1:
First, no animal sacrifice ever redeemed anyone. Animal sacrifices beginning from the coats of skin in the Garden of Eden until the Temple Sacrifices before the Cross were all deliberate acts of identification with the Perfect Sacrifice of the Lamb of God when He would come. That is, those who sacrificed animals per God's command were deliberately demonstrating their Faith in God to keep His Promise to provide a Perfect Substitute to take away their sin. So, the ritual itself had no power, only what it meant mattered.

Because the ritual did not ever redeem anyone (Hebrews 10:1-4), nobody went to Heaven into the Presence of the Father (cf. Isaiah 14:17) until the Lord Jesus came and paid the price for sin and took all dead believers of old with Him into the Third Heaven (Ephesians 4:8 ).

As for the question itself, only God can save us (Isaiah 43:11), and only a human being can answer for the sins of human beings (Hebrews 10:5, see also all the laws in the Old Covenant about redemption of slaves and property).

Question #2:
Ihedinobi3, perhaps my use of the term redeemed gave another interpretation but you should see my point in that comment nonetheless.
The sacrifice, the blood.

Response #2:
I think I did see the point. As I have said before, you appear to have a fair grasp on these things, but there is a bit of baggage apparent in your comprehension of them, so I offer my responses to try to clear things up.

It was not that the animal sacrifices were found wanting in some way that the Lord Jesus came. That is my concern. The animal sacrifices were never the answer to man's sin. They were merely placeholders for the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. It was the idea that the ritual itself had power that led many of the Israelites and even the other nations of the world into a self-righteousness that cost them their Salvation, with all of them ending up in gross paganism as a result.

Question #3:
Okay this i cannot fault 

Response #3:
Good for you. 

Question #4:
I think i will sum up your three questions into one and provide a substantive answer.

Adam & Eve disobeyed and caused themselves to acknowledge their own unclothedness because the glory of God was departed from them. They tried to cover themselves up with leaves BUT God deemed this insufficient covering so Jehovah did this:

Genesis 3:21 King James Version (KJV)
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

To make a coat of skins, animals had to provide the raw material. And for this to happen, the animal gave its life and had to be killed, its blood shed.
This was the very first sacrificial rite performed by God himself. There was shedding of blood to cover the unclothedness of Adam & Eve.

In essence, sin does expose us to spiritual unclothedness and God cannot look upon us without a sort of covering over us. Blood became a necessity, and only animals could be used for this purpose during the age of humans after Adam & Eve since it is abominable to spill the blood of a human (See Cain and Abel). Jesus was not all human, his blood had the God-characteristics, it is not just any blood.
His sacrificial offering on the cross is the final blood sacrifice.

Response #4:
Regarding the above, there are a few things that I must say:

1. It wasn't so much about physical unclothedness as it was about a lesson about Redemption. Adam and Eve were geniuses. Their bodies were perfect until they sinned, and even then they were still of far higher quality than our bodies today are, so they really were able to make exceptionally good coverings from leaves. That does not even take into consideration the type and variety of vegetation that was available to them in the Garden. So, it wasn't about clothes. It was about Redemption.

2. The issue of redemption is that rebellion against God is essentially cosmic treason. According to the Word of God itself, such rebels forfeit their lives by rebelling. The only way then to fix the problem was to give life in exchange for the life of the rebel. That is why there had to be a death in order to save the life of the sinner.

3. It is not about blood as a substance. It is about what blood represents. In Genesis 9:4, the Lord makes abundantly clear that blood represents life. Even in colloquial usage today, to shed blood is to kill. It is not necessary to actually spill blood physically in order to kill. So it is not about blood as a substance.

4. The Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus had nothing to do with His physical blood. In fact, the Price that He paid for our sins was spiritual in nature. The Bible records that He was still alive when He declared the Sacrifice accomplished with the tetelestai, that is, the statement "it is finished" or "it has been accomplished." That is conclusive evidence that He had already paid the Price before He physically died. The Blood of Jesus is actually a metaphor for the Sacrifice that He offered for us. It is not His Physical Blood. That Sacrifice was made in the three hours of darkness that fell while the Lord was on the Cross. It involved the actual separation that our Lord experienced from the Father, and the actual suffering and pain that is associated with Judgment upon sin. The Lord suffered all of that to an infinite degree for those three hours. After He had, the darkness was lifted and the veil of the Holiest Place was torn in two symbolizing the removal of the barrier between God and Man.

5. So, again, I must warn you to avoid reading anything into the actual physical metaphors used for the Sacrifice. It was not a material thing at all. Redemption was wholly a spiritual affair.

6. Finally, the Lord Jesus's Deity was voided during His first Advent (Phil 2:7). That is, the Lord was not taking advantage of His Deity in any way, so it is not at all biblical that His Blood had "God-characteristics." In fact, Hebrews 10:5, which I showed you before, is crystal clear that the Sacrifice was only possible because the Lord was given a real human body to make it with. It was purely His Humanity that suffered and died for us. Deity cannot die or suffer in any way, which is why the Lord voided His Deity to make the sacrifice, a theological concept called kenosis.

7. I sometimes, but very rarely, warn people about others on this platform. I don't do it often, because I worry that it will do more harm than good. In my other response to you on the other thread, I have already given you a warning that I think is sufficient if you do have a heart for the Truth, as it seems to me that you do. Nonetheless, I will warn you here about such people again. It appears to me that one such has marked you, as he often does people who are ripe for the Truth, but who are still neophytes. I have shown you a place that I believe is perfectly safe for you to feed and grow in the Truth. If you will give your attention there, you will be safe from such wolves in sheep's clothing. It concerns me that you may not be doing so, but that is really your choice to make, not mine. Suffice to say, that although you may be taking joy in the attentions of people who appear to have "deep wisdom," some of them only have the "deep things of Satan," but are so caught up in their minds with the idea that they are something special in the Church that they can never see their own errors. If you are not careful, you too can be swept away by them. As it is, it appears that two such people, in fact, have caught your attention. Please, be careful. This board is a very dangerous place for young believers who are still growing in the Truth.

Question #5:

This was good to read. 

Response #5:
I'm glad you found it so.

Question #6:
I really don’t like deep theology it always leaves me confused.....u say the work is finished while he was alive....u make it sound like his death and shedding of blood ddnt mean anything....so what was the purpose of dying if the redemptive work was accomplished during the dark 3hrs....??

Response #6:
Therefore it says,
“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”
(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)
Ephesians 4:8-10 ESV

Question #7:
Apologies for the delayed response.

The fatherhood of God has always been, continues to, and will always be. The bible talks about God's authority from the creation story in Genesis.
However before this, there was always God as a father (authority) before the beginning as we know it.

Isaiah 14:12 King James Version (KJV)
12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

Isaiah in the previous verses before this was prophesying about the second coming right until verse 12 here and lasting till verse 14, where the writer suddenly switches to talking about his rebellion which happened long before creation. This vision is through the holy spirit from God, it is not Isaiah himself talking directly to Lucifer but the spirit ministering through him the voice of God.
In effect, God has referred to himself as the father of all things by calling Lucifer the on of the morning.
There cannot be a son without a father.

John 5:36-37 King James Version (KJV)
36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

Jesus has always been from before the beginning. Here he is speaking of him who sent him and called him father. Jesus did not automatically become a son when he took human form, he has always been so as is Lucifer and the angels.

The other we talked about the Nephilim. They were the offspring of the sons of God (fatherhood) breeding with the daughters of men.

Response #7:
I wouldn't quite put it as you have.

The business of Fatherhood in the Deity is due to the Plan of God in Creation. In God's Plan, there are different Roles that need to be filled in order for the Plan to work. Fatherhood is one of them. Sonship is another. Yet another is the Role of Empowerer. These are only Roles, and the functions sometimes overlap. The Three Members of the Godhead each chose the Role that They would play in that Plan.

The Father is the One Who represents the Authority of God to us. He is the One Whom we easily recognize as God. He is not Father because He "begot" anybody or "generated" anybody, as some theories, creeds, and ideas have postulated. That is an unbiblical appreciation of the role. His Fatherhood is a symbol or a representation of the Authority and Majesty of God to us.

The Son is not inferior to the Father. That is another Role that a Member of the Godhead took on in order to actualize the Plan of God in Creation. On the one hand, this is a role that this Member plays in order to represent to us the Mediator, the Middle Man, the Intercessor, and also to provide an example to us how we ought to be toward God. On the other, this is a role that became actual when this Member of the Trinity took on human nature and became one of us. By this is meant that when the Lord Jesus came into the world as a human being, His acquisition of a created nature made Him a Son in an actual sense, in a sense that God is not, since God has no beginning, and is inferior and subservient to no one. His Possession of a created nature allows Him to act in every sense like an actual Son who serves His Father.

The role of the Holy Spirit is to empower the works of God.

Sometimes, the word "son" is saying something more than that something derives from another. Sometimes, it describes the nature of a thing. This is what you see in Isaiah 14:12. Although, it is most definitely true that Satan and all angels, along with all mankind, are God's offspring (Acts 17:28), this verse is saying actually that Satan was a very bright angel. That is, he exuded light that was visible enough to be compared to the morning. Compare Revelation 22:16; 2 Peter 1:19.

Finally, since Satan was created, as were all angels, his rebellion did not occur before creation. I think that you may have meant that it occurred before man was created. If you didn't mean that, you can note that that is what the Bible teaches. The Lord Jesus has only been Son in the sense that He chose that role for Himself in the Plan of God, not in the same sense that the angels, including Satan, who were all created are.

Question #8:
Aptly said.
Just to add most people confuses roles and the personality of the Godhead.
Elucidate on the diference between the personality of the Godhead and their roles.

From the bible, even from Genesis, a glimpse of the trinity concept is gotten, from the book of genesis "In the beginning God created" meaning a singular being or person but in verse 26, something shocking happened that is, He said "Let US create" meaning there were more than one persons there.
This might generate a bit of confusion because from vs1 down, leaves no room to think there was another being.
Again God was always talking. Talking is a form of communication used to pass message across to another person. It leaves some question, if God is the only one who created all things, as can be inferred from Genesis and other parts of the Bible, why was he talking, who was he talking to, why did he let us like a council and yet the collective action/decision is attributed to God not Gods?

When we go through to even the last book of the old testament, we get some piecemeal of answers, until we get to the new testament from where we het the big picture. That God is not one person but a muliple of persons is rather confusing to the human mind, because we humans only know ourself as one person and one being different from another human being.

Response #8:
That is very well said indeed. The Complexity of God's Nature is apparent in Genesis 1, just as you said, and although the Trinity is not immediately apparent throughout the Old Testament, it is abundantly perspicuous in the New Testament.

Question #9:
I love reading from you, thanks for this.

I came across this verse while reading Part 1 of the link you sent the other day:

John 17:24 New International Version (NIV)
24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

The above verse surely also confirms the fatherhood of God from before the creation of the world, does it not?

Response #9:
And I am very happy to hear that what I write is useful and encouraging to you, believe me. I do look forward to your responses, questions, and observations.

Regarding your question, it is not quite in the sense that you may think.

The verse says that the Father loved the Son before the creation of the world. It does not quite mean that the Member of the Trinity we are given to recognize as the Father "begat" or in any sense produced the Son before the Creation of the world. Consider that if it did, then we would have to explain the Son's love for the Father and their love for the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit's love for Them the same way, if both Son and Holy Spirit are to be truly God. That the Father loved Jesus Christ before anything was created only means that the Trinity has always existed in mutual love for Each Other. It is a part of Their Divine Nature, just as 1 John 4:8 teaches.

The sense in which the Fatherhood of God is really an eternal concept is the sense in which the Trinity (all Three Persons) is the Producer, Sustainer, and Ruler of Creation from conception to eternity. This, as I said, applies to all Three Persons of the Trinity. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are together the Creator of all Creation, just as a father is the source and spring of his children. They sustain it, just as a father provides all things necessary for his children to flourish. They rule over it, just as a father guides, disciplines, protects, and delegates duties to his children. This is not something that They do to each other, in the sense that the Father has been this way to the Son outside of this Creation, no. The Son is in every sense equal to the Father as Deity. He was not produced, sustained, or ruled over by the Father in His Deity. It is only in the Son's Humanity, which only occurs in Creation, that these things apply.

So, it is best to think of the Fatherhood of God as a role that is filled by One Member of the Godhead in order to represent the Trinity's Position with respect to Creation as such (that is, as Father) to us. That is also how we should understand the Son's role and the Holy Spirit's role.

Question #10:
Beautiful 

I just wanted to be clear that the 'fatherhood' of God is not a concept that begins at the point where Jesus the Christ was begotten of God as a man, but rather something that has always and will always be (timeless in a sense).

Response #10:
You're right about that. It is not something restricted to the Lord Jesus in His Humanity. As Acts 17:28 (which I mentioned to you earlier) and the various references to the sonship of the angels in the Bible make quite clear, it is something that applies to Creation in general. So, God (by which we mean the Trinity) is the Father of all our spirits (Hebrews 12:9, cf. Numbers 16:22; 27:16).

Question #11:
"for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring. (i.e. We too are his children)"
- Acts 17:28

"Sometimes, the word "son" is saying something more than that something derives from another. Sometimes, it describes the nature of a thing. This is what you see in Isaiah 14:12. Although, it is most definitely true that Satan and all angels, along with all mankind, are God's offspring (Acts 17:28), this verse is saying actually that Satan was a very bright angel. That is, he exuded light that was visible enough to be compared to the morning. Compare Revelation 22:16; 2 Peter 1:19."
- Re: Why Is Christ Both God And Man In Gods Redemptive Plan? by Ihedinobi3: 7:23am On Oct 18

The use of the word "son" in Isaiah 14:12 is done as a form of Hebraism and is in no way associating Satan and any angel to be children of God, sons of God or God's offspring. This is part of reason why I earlier asked ________ the questions:
Is God the Father of animals, is He the Father of mountains, is He the Father of fishes?.

I also, asked ____:
Is the "m" in that Isaiah 14:12 verse, morning, capitalised at all, as in, is it in upper case M, hmm?

I was just asking _____ then, as it would be in her good stead if the "m" was capitalised, and she would have had a strong case, don't you think, hmm? Eisegesis tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, hmm, be careful of that.

_______, the Bible has nowhere, in a strong way, made any various references and/or say without any doubt, that angels are the sons of God. The sonship of angels, always advanced and as again done here by Ihedinobi3, is nothing more than just conjecture based on populist rhetoric verses like Job 1:6, Job 2:1 and Job 38:7

______, if you 2 Timothy 2:15 review the Job 1:6, Job 2:1 and Job 38:7 verses contextually (i.e. lets just for now park Genesis 6:2 and 6:4), you will find out that it is not correct to connect the sons of God in them verses to be angels at all, at all. ________, this is because all evidences, in the Book of Job, points everything about the phrase "sons of God" to be human beings. This info ________ about the "sons of God" in the Book of Job and any other place in the Bible, that they are human beings and never angels, you can take to the bank.

"Our earthly fathers correct us, and we still respect them. Isn't it even better to be given true life by letting our spiritual Father correct us?"
- Hebrews 12:9

But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and said, “O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, when one man sins, will You be angry with the whole congregation?”"
- Numbers 16:22

Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation"
- Numbers 27:16

The Bible has nowhere, in a strong way, made any references and/or say without any doubt, that angels are the sons of God. The sonship of angel, advanced here by Ihedinobi3, is nothing more than just conjecture based on populist rhetoric verses like Job 1:6, Job 2:1

The context of Hebrews 12:9, Numbers 16:22 and Numbers 16:22 above are each and all talking about human beings, period.

God had never called angels sons of God nor Son of God, if _______ and Ihedinobi3 believe and think He has, then, please provide just one bible verse of angels referring themselves as sons of God, of God calling them sons of God or God the Father ever calling any of the angels "My Son"

Why are your scriptures about the sons of God of being angels has no New Testament reference of angels being called sons of God?

What is the meaning of this self-satisfied smirk, hmm, ________? You NEVER answered MY questions! You do such a wonderful job turning aside from the questions. How are we going to have advances if you havent the courage or confidence to answer my questions and arent ready for me to further question your answers, erhn?

________, you're letting Ihedinobi3 and him using rhetorics lead on to conclusions that are not correct because the phrase “sons of God” whether used in either Old Testament or New Testamen scripture always from day one refers to human beings.

________, I wouldn't expect you to agree to, accept and/or believe everything you read face value, that Ihedinobi3 or I type on Nairaland without questioning them. I expect you not to be satisfied with only knowing the how, but to always question, question to a void, all in the quest to know the why and the actual truth. Questioning answers, one question to another question, often leads to discoveries being made and truth ultimately getting brought to the surface.

I get that, some people who are not spiritually mature, prepared and ready to answer straightforward easy, simple and direct questions and so aren't spiritually mature and aren't ready to answer straightforward easy, simple and direct questions questions put at them.

Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

Thinking begins when you answer straightforward easy, simple and direct questions questions put at you
The important thing is not to dodge or evade answering the questions. Don't be afraid of giving answers, but be afraid of not answering the questions. Find the courage to ask yourself the same questions I am asking you that you're hesistant to give answers to. Why ________? It's because its the only way you'll know which direction, ________, your truth of the “sons of God” lays.

John 1:12 in a clear and detailed manner, leaving no room for confusion or doubt, tells who becomes and how one becomes a son of God. Galatians 3:26 the last verse in the New Testament with a last mention of the phrase "sons of God" says how and through whom one becomes "sons of God" Angels dont get a sniff of enjoying the privilege of being called "sons of God"

The phrase "sons of God" in all the Old Testament and the New Testament has ever being just about human beings period.

Response #11:
**No response**

Question #12:
Absolutely 

Romans 11:33 New International Version (NIV)
33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!

1 Corinthians 3:19 New International Version (NIV)
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness”

1 Corinthians 1:25 New International Version (NIV)
25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Response #12:
Hello _____.

It is indeed true that it is only the Lord that has all the answers, but I think it is important to caution you against the common falsehood that nobody then is qualified to teach the other, that we are all equally capable of discerning the Truth for ourselves. That is a terrible error.

No pastor-teacher is perfect (James 3:2). But it is not only a possibility, but also a mandate that we ought to grow to spiritual maturity, at which point we are supposed to be able to "tell our right hand from our left" spiritually, and it is the job of pastor-teachers to help us all grow up to this point. From 1 Corinthians 1-3 at least, we know that there are believers who are in essential infancy, spiritually speaking, and there is a point in spiritual development called "maturity," where believers can communicate in "God's secret wisdom...that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began." As Paul puts it, this wisdom is such that

9...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 KJV

This is what we should all be straining for: the appreciation of this wisdom that the Lord has packaged for us in the Bible. Paul assures us that when we are taught, we will no longer be like children who are tossed around by all sorts of philosophies, ideas, and teachings (Ephesians 4:11-14). That is, we would know with certainty what is true and what isn't.

Of course, that is not the same thing as "knowing it all," and as long as we are still in this flesh, we cannot appreciate every last detail of biblical teaching. We won't know it all, not until the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:2), however, maturity is a threshold that we can all attain to, if we want. It is a point at which the full system of biblical truth becomes clear to you, and you are no longer susceptible to lies, at least, it will take the enemy a lot more to deceive you than it did when you were yet "carnal."

As I think I have essentially demonstrated to you before, this attainment to maturity is not automatic. It takes work. You have to be diligent, not only in reading the Bible, but also in submitting to a Bible-teaching ministry and learning from one (just one) pastor-teacher whom you have tested and proved to be true to the Scriptures, believing what you learn, and applying it to your life. Only doing things this way will bring you to spiritual maturity. When you attain maturity, your own spiritual gifts will have become fully apparent, and you will be tested as to your commitment to the Truth and your love for the Church. After this, you will be put into your own specific ministry by the Lord, so that you can use whatever your unique spiritual gift is to help other believers to progress in the Truth or to help unbelievers who are willing to come into the Faith.

So, please don't labor under the delusion that we are all as good as each other and fail to take full advantage of the rare pastor-teachers that the Lord has provided to us to learn the whole realm of Bible Truth. That pastor-teachers are placed in the Church as shepherds over believers is not because they are so much better than everybody else, but they are thoroughly prepared by the Lord through a course of preparation that you may not find very desirable to pursue in order for them to be able to take care of the Lord's Sheep. A pastor-teacher not only has to grow to spiritual maturity and pass through the tests of maturity like every other believer, but he also has to learn the original languages in which the Bible was written, ancient and church history, and textual and literary criticism just to be able to teach the Bible with confidence in what he says. That is not to mention the most obvious thing: he must know the Bible like the back of his own hand. Not many of us can handle that kind of pressure, just to try to teach people who will not want to listen to him in the end. Still, a pastor-teacher does it for love of the Lord and of the Lord's Church which He loved so much that He literally died for her.

Please take all that to heart and make sure to grow up spiritually and don't limit yourself to Scriptural hobbyism, like many believers today prefer to do.

Question #13:
______, according to the quoted, I am "not one of him" so don't you take my word for it, but it is indeed true that we are all equally capable of discerning the Truth for ourselves.

For Christ the Messiah did not claim he would only "send the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost from the Father in Christ name" unto some alone.

But to all those who seek, indeed shall find and "will it teach all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever Christ has said".

So do not let some make out they can be your saviour for it is the Lord God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit that is One that is the Saviour of humankind and not some pumped up self righteous teacher who thinks he alone has God blessed!

But please, as I said, do not take my word for it, because, according to the quoted, "________ is not one of him"! The Holy Spirit will be thy guide.

Response #13:
**No response**

Question #14:
Lol, I was in no way trying to imply that we cannot learn from each other sir. Far from it.

Response #14:
I think I understand your position. I was hoping only to strengthen it. That is what I will also do here:

It's not that we learn from each other. It is that we all learn from pastor-teachers. Pastor-teachers rely on other believers for lots of things including prayers, material support, spiritual encouragement, etc, but they are the ones that others lean on to learn what the Bible says, because of their unique gifting to not only see connections in the Bible, but also to communicate them clearly to others.

Question #15:
Fortunately, I will take your word for it because indeed the holy ghost is not unto some but unto all.

Lol @________ is not one of him 

Response #15:
For what it's worth...

[16]I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
[17]that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
John 14:16-17 NASB

[9]I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours...
John 17:9 NASB

I wouldn't say that the Holy Spirit is "unto all," if I'm understanding you correctly at all. He is a Gift to the Church to celebrate the Session of Christ in Heaven with the Father. He does convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment, especially through the Gospel that believers proclaim (see Acts 2:37, for example), but He is not a gift to the world.

As for His Role in teaching us the Truth, He is the One Who empowers pastor-teachers to teach and enables all willing believers who obey the Truth to learn, so the idea that because we all possess the Holy Spirit, nobody ought to submit to pastor-teachers is not only ludicrous but also unscriptural.

Finally, yes, ________atum is not a believer at all. He/she says that him/herself. You can ask him/her too, if you want. So, you should be careful with him/her.

Question #16:
Yes, a gift to the church, not a gift to ALL as in the entire human race. And even as a gift to the church, we must seek him first.

As for ________atum, lol. I know what she is and find her exciting all the same but not in the sense that i am not 'aware' of her antics.

Response #16:
I'm pleased to hear that.

As for seeking Him first, not quite. If you believe in the Lord Jesus, then you have the Holy Spirit. He is given to us now at the point that we believe the Gospel. It was only briefly during the time of the Apostles that He was only given through the laying on of hands by the Apostles or others who shared in some degree in apostolic authority. The reason for that was to make clear that the Church is actually Israel, so the Gentiles were saved only in association with the Jews. Laying on of hands was a way to symbolize that association. Once that principle was firmly established, it was no longer needed as a ritual. Right from the moment that the Bible was completed, while some of the Apostles were still alive, there has not been any need for laying on of hands for new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. Once you believe, you are given the Holy Spirit through Whom you are baptised into the Trinity and into the Church.

Question #17:
Can this unique gift be given to anyone who seeks the holy ghost?

Response #17:
As I said above, the Holy Spirit is given at the point that we receive the Gospel in faith, so that is when we all receive our spiritual gifts, although the nature of the gifts may not be apparent to us immediately or even until we reach spiritual maturity.

As for anyone receiving the pastor-teaching gift, first, it is exclusive to men, although women do receive the gift of teaching, which while similar is not exactly the same. The gift of teaching makes anyone who has it able to communicate the doctrines of the Bible very clearly to others so that they can understand the Bible, but pastor-teaching carries unique authority that is shared by no other extant gift in the Church.

To answer your question directly, this is what the Bible says:

[7]But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.
[11]And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers...
Ephesians 4:7,11 NASB

[1]Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.
[4]Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.
[5]And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.
[6]There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.
[7]But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
[8]For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit;
[9]to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
[10]and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.
[11]But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
[12]For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
[13]For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.
[14]For the body is not one member, but many.
[15]If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
[16]And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
[17]If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
[18]But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
[19]If they were all one member, where would the body be?
[20]But now there are many members, but one body.
[21]And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; or again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
[22]On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
[23]and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,
[24]whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,
[25]so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
[26]And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
[27]Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it.
[28]And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.
[29]All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?
[30]All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?
1 Corinthians 12:1,4-30 NASB

That is to say, not everyone can be a pastor-teacher, even if they wanted to be. We are each of us exactly what God wants us to be, and that is what matters. It is the Lord's Choice what gift we will have and be to the Church, not ours. Our business is to choose how we will use the gift we are given - whether to honor the Lord by using it to the best of our ability to serve the Church or whether to dishonor Him by refusing to use it at all perhaps because we wish we were given some other gift.

Each gift is important, necessary, and critical to the development of the Church. It is true that some are more critical than others, in a manner of speaking. For example, there are only Twelve Apostles. They form the foundations of the Church. Without them, according to God's Plan, there would be no Church. There were more prophets throughout history than Apostles, true, but even for all that, prophets were always a handful in the Church. The Scriptures were written by only prophets and Apostles. So, basically, the Church is built on the words of these two offices. Teachers are the third in line in authority. They are the only office among the three that is still extant in the Church, but like the other two, they are the scarcest gift in the Church (a more correct translation of 1 Corinthians 24:12 demonstrates this), but they are the only ones with the ability to bring the words of the Apostles and prophets home to other believers in a way that enables them to grow spiritually and become more confident in their faith in the Lord.

Even so, no Apostle, prophet, or teacher could function meaningfully without the help and support of other members of the Church. Without the evangelist, there would be no new believer to teach. Without the giver, there would be too much pressure from life for many of these men to flourish. Without the encourager, they would very likely flag in zeal. It goes on and on. We all need each other, even if only a few of us are placed in extremely sensitive positions.

In the end too, we are all fighting for the same exact rewards. No one is disadvantaged by their gifting. So, the three crowns are just as available to the "simple" giver as they are to the "great" Apostle. One is no better positioned to win them than the other. And they both win them the same way: by serving fellow believers in a way that helps them progress in the Truth and by helping willing unbelievers come into the Faith too. Also, although people like pastor-teachers, for example, have a harder path of preparation for ministry, every believer has the exact same spiritual responsibility to the Lord: seek the Truth from a qualified teacher, learn it, believe it, apply it to your life, and help others who are willing to do the same (this help is what is called ministry). This is true regardless what gift we have.

Although I think you still have quite a road in front of you, it seems to me like you do have the gift of teaching. That is a much greater responsibility than you may appreciate at the moment. Since you are a woman, you will not be a pastor-teacher, yes, but you will still be responsible for others with respect to doctrinal purity and respect for the Truth. So, while all believers ought to be striving for greater and greater sanctification in their thoughts, words, and actions, you will find that you will have even more responsibility to be exemplary in what you think, say, and do, for the sake of those believers (especially fellow women and children, but certainly not excluding men) that the Lord will bring to you to help. And the time is extremely short now.

Question #18:
Not quite true ________. Somehow, I do not accept that one will sell everything they have and purchase the field they believe one pearl of great price is in. But, do not take ________'s word for it because "________ is not one of him".

The devil also believes, you see, but no one will claim satan has the Holy Spirit, because if satan had the Holy Spirit, satan would most definitely not tremble.

Those who say "Lord Lord" also believe, but it is said that they will gnash their teeth when they are told they are not known, "depart from me, ye that work iniquity" and are cast into outer darkness and into a furnace of fire.

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness", saith the Word of the Almighty Lord God, "and all these things (including the Holy Spirit, understanding, salvation, eternal life, dwelling in the Lord's tabernacle and all other gifts the Lord gives etc) "shall be added unto you".

Smart people only sell all they have and purchase a field they have found one pearl of great price in is what I think, and not one in which they have not yet found the treasure but merely believe the treasure is in.

But do not take ________'s word for it.
Remember, "________ is not one of him"!

Response #18:
**No response**

Question #19:
Women? Pastor-teachers? Are you kidding?
Can women be "one of him"?

I kind of think that according to "one of him" women must humble themselves and learn only from "one of him". For though he believes God gives gifts, how dare any women be worthy of gifts that are greater than all of his!

Personally, I think he just refuses to learn from "one like her". But I suppose I should humble myself and let "one of him" explain one of himself!

Response #19:
**No response**

Question #20:
So you do not believe women can be pastors-teachers?

Response #20:
No I don't, but it isn't about what I believe. It is about what the Bible says - and I try to make sure that I believe what the Bible says. There are those who have discarded Paul's epistles as a result of this issue, but if you accept them as Scripture, then I don't think there is any question what the Bible says in this regard:

34The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. 35If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 NASB

11A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.
1 Timothy 2:11-12 NASB

4Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6Now she sent and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “Behold, the LORD, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. 7‘I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will give him into your hand.’” 8Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9She said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh.
Judges 4:4-9 NASB

It is not a denial of women that the Lord has given such jobs to men. In fact, the pastor-teaching gift is exactly the same as the teaching gift - which it seems to me that you possess - except for the authority that comes with it. That authority is necessary because it is a forward position in the army. It is a position of first contact with the enemy, of protection and aggression. God gave that authority to men in the church, and very few men at that, for the reason that we see in 1 Timothy 2:13-14.

Here is an example of a woman who possessed the gift of teaching:

24Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
Acts 18:24-26 NASB

I wouldn't be surprised to find that Aquila was only there to lend his authority to what she said, although judging by Judges 4 above, that was likely unnecessary - both Priscilla and Aquila may have been teachers. The important thing to note is that it was both of them who taught a man like Apollos - one of the secondary apostles of the New Testament, no less - the Truth more accurately.

You will also see this example:

9Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses.
Acts 18:9 NASB

So, it is not so much that women cannot do what men can, but that it has pleased the Lord to place men in these forward positions. Obviously, the example of Deborah at a time when men were refusing to step up to the plate is proof enough that God is able to use a woman where a man is not found. But you can be confident that a man will always be found now in the place of the pastor-teacher, so there is no need for women to take that role. Still, there are clear and obvious uses for your teaching gifts. Priscilla's example above is one. Another is as follows:

3Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, 4so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.
Titus 2:3-5 NASB

Granted that it references "older" women, this is directed at all spiritually mature female believers, just as "elders" always references "pastor-teachers" in the New Testament regardless what their age is. The idea is that with increasing age, spiritual maturity should be increasing as well, but, sadly, this is not always the case (in fact, it very seldom is), which is why Paul tells Timothy not to let anyone despise his authority because of his youth (1 Timothy 4:12).

So, don't be put off by this. As I said, even the "humble" giver in the Church whose gift may seem hardly spiritual is also eligible for the full reward that the Lord calls all believers to win. Our starting position in the Church here on earth is not any indication at all where we will end up in the eternal ranks.

Question #21:
Let us all rejoice "that it has pleased the Lord" not to place masters over slaves. Or slaves would be required to obey their masters today.

May the Holy Ghost assist you in your understanding ihe.

Colossians 3:22 New International Version (NIV)
22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

Ephesians 6:5 New International Version (NIV)

5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

Response #21:
**No response**

Questions #22:
It's amazing. I am amazed

Response #22:
**No response**

Question #23:
It is? You are? I can only very strongly warn you not to be amazed or you might become a "not one of him" like ________!

Response #23:
**No response**

Question #24:
Guys like I mentioned earlier, I believe Jesus is the only begotten of God (i.e he proceeded out of God) and he his the Lord, but I am still confused about him being God, cos according John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
He was actually praying to the Father here, which is a direct statement from him quoted by John

Response #24:
Hello there.

I'll start with your obvious confusion.

[3]This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
John 17:3 NASB

First, the Lord Jesus did NOT say here that He too is not God. In fact, His equating knowing the Father with knowing Himself too is pretty much proof that He is God as well.

Second, the Lord Jesus came to Earth as a Man. During the First Advent, He "voided" Himself of His Deity (Philippians 2:7), that is, He did not take advantage of His Deity: He lived as a true Human Being Who depended on God the Father for everything. That did not mean that He was not God any more than a king's temporary divesture of his royal prerogatives means that he is no longer king. He just did not use His Deity during His First Advent.

The reason for this is that the Lord Jesus came to reveal God to us. He came to bring us back home to God. To do that, He had to be like us and show us how we ought to behave toward God by setting an example for us (Hebrews 2:9-18). For this to work, the Eternal Plan of God had to have Someone play the role of God to us, that is, Someone had to represent the Majesty and Awesomeness of God to us. That was the role that the One the Bible calls the Father played and still plays. He is the "Face" of God to us, in a manner of speaking. That is why the Lord Jesus could become a Man to reconcile us to God: namely, because the Father represents the Godhead in this manner to us.

Now, if we read all the way through John 17, it becomes abundantly clear that the Lord Jesus was most certainly not denying that He was Deity. In fact, He was claiming it rather emphatically as you will see in verses 3, 5, and 24.

As for your statement that the Lord Jesus was "begotten" of God or that He "proceeded out of God," you may be referring to

[18]No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
John 1:18 NASB

The Greek word there, which is translated "only begotten" actually is an idiom that means "unique." It has nothing to do with origin. The Bible does not teach either that the Lord Jesus was "begotten", in the sense of "birthed," by God, or that He "proceeded out of" anything at all. His flesh or humanity was born by Mary, but it was created by God, not birthed by Him in any way. His Deity, on the other hand, has always existed. It never proceeded from anything at all. So, it is not biblical at all to say that the Lord Jesus was begotten by God or that He proceeded out of God in any way that implies that His Deity has an origin. It does not. His flesh was created like all flesh is, and it is only because it is that He is Son in an actual sense, rather than a symbolic one.

Question #25:
excellent bro, keep it up.

Response #25:
Thank you for your kind words.

Question #26:
"Jesus said to them,
“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God;
nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."
- John 8:42

"Exerchomai" is the Greek original word translated as "proceeded forth". By definition, it means, to go or come out of, with mention of the place out of which one goes, or of the point from which one departs. John 8:42 above, makes no mistake, where from Jesus proceeded forth and came from.

________, Jesus Christ is God and even god sef, just as I've earlier said and especially if that's how or a way ________ understands to put it.

No, I am not ________, implying that Jesus and God are the same entity, but I am emphatically saying that Jesus and God are the same entity.

________, listen and watch this. I put on different attire colours to reflect my mood and image I am trying to project across. I could put on a red dress to make a statement that I am fiery, vibrant and lively. The colours are not me, they are images reflecting certain aspects of me. It's the same with God, the maleness and femaleness is not God, they are just constructs made in the image of God. God really isnt male nor female

We all know what kind of image one is projecting when wearing black colours, could be mourning or trying to look sexy

The "the only begotten" means the only person uniquely gotten this way. The phrase has nothing to do with God biologically giving birth to Jesus, as a mother, like women do.

________, God is formless. God is a Spirit, and so has no form. God however does have masculine and feminine distinctive personalities plus characteristics associated with man and woman

Before you step and slip on my "God is formless" banana skin comment, let me make myself clearer with the comment, by adding to it, that God is shapeless and formless like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. When you pour water into a drum, it becomes the drum of water. That is why when Moses asked God who should he say sent him, if asked by the Israelites, God said to him, say, I AM I AM sent you.

I AM I AM, in that narrative, means I shall be that I shall be, also means whatever it is necessary for God to be, that, God will be. God willl be a pillar of cloud in the day and become a pillar of fire to give them light at night. God is formless, yet God can take on any form. I know it sounds like an oxymoron thing to say it that way, but God, though truly is formless, can manifest Himself in any form, just as in that Nebucadnezzer fiery furnace and etcetera

Response #26:
Regarding John 8:42 and other similar passages, as the Lord Himself said, He proceeded from God because the Father sent Him to the Earth to die for our sins. That is, the Lord Jesus was exemplifying to us the perfectly obedient servant of God that we are all supposed to be as His creatures. As He always said, He did not seek His Own Will but the Will of the Father. That is how we ought to be as creatures.

If the Lord Jesus never put on flesh and become a real human being just like us, we would never know exactly what a perfect human being is like (John 15:22). So His description of "proceeding from" and "coming forth" from God are just as the Bible itself says literally: because the Father sent the Son into the world, not because His Deity had any kind of origin or because His flesh was birthed in any way by God. As Deity, the Lord Jesus has no beginning and no end. He has always existed together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. None of Them "proceeded from" anything, certainly not from Each Other. They have always been, just as Their Name YHVH or YHWH, which is explained as "I Will Be What I Am" by Them to Moses, demonstrates. That is, They are not subject to change at all. Time does not affect God, nor does circumstance. He is always the same, not least because He invented time too. That is, in fact, what it means to be God: a perfect, absolute immunity to the influence of all external factors, a philosophical concept called "self-existence," that is, God does not owe His existence to anything outside of Himself, and He is completely unaffected by anything outside of Himself. This is why He does not change. Compare Hebrews 13:8; Revelation 1:4; 21:6; 22:13.

Question #27:
"1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2He was in the beginning with God.
3All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not [a]comprehend it"
- John 1:1-5

The Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus was "begotten", in the sense of "birthed," by Mary, and that He "proceeded" forth and came from God.

Jesu proceeded from God, just as your spoken or written words here on Nairaland proceeded from you, they always from the word go are you and they a full extension of you, so is Jesus Christ, the Word that became flesh by taking on human form, is God, is an extension of God.

Jesus Christ, who is the Word, proceeded from God. Jesus Christ is God projecting Himself out on earth as Jesus Christ. God and Jesus Christ are one. God is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is God. God had all this planned even before the foundation of the world, that He will come and appear on earth has Jesus Christ.

It is similar to, there is one H2O, but when solid, its static and hard, when liquid, its fluid and flows, and when gaseous, its free, invisible, untouchable etcetera

Jesus was not created by God, rather God projected Himself out into Mary for Him to be birthed on earth, and come to legally exist as a human being on earth for the purpose and plan of redemption He needed to carry out

Jesus is the, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, as proven in John 1:1-2 above, and it cancels out anyone's earlier statement like in above quote, of Jesus being created by God. How can God create God, Himself, when Gos is already in existence, hmm? That's just impossicant, but God projecting Himself, isnt impossicant. Capisce?

That Jesus said that He proceeded out of God is a statement of fact. It doesnt anyway implies that His Deity has an origin nor does it take away from Him being Self Existent. Jesus is God aseity, period.

Response #27:
I'm not sure what you hope to achieve by constantly quoting, referencing and name-dropping me all the time, but I really wish you would stop. I don't know when it will be clear to you that you and I are not the same. You have no respect for the Truth, but I have every respect for it. You make stuff up. I don't. You quote the Bible to prove that it agrees with you, I quote it to show where I got my ideas from.

You will never succeed at "correcting" what I believe. You will never succeed at getting me to join your "one-man army," falsely so called.

So, why don't you just leave me out of your madness? I can see how you would not since the Bible is not sacred enough for you to leave it out of your fictions, and what am I compared to God Himself? But it is really wearisome. I'm sure that you can continue to correct and chastise and revel with your fellow "one-man's." They clearly like your constant banter and fights. I can even imagine that they look forward to them at the end of their workday. I do not. I don't like anything about you or your "interpretations" of the Bible. And I have no intention of pretending that I can change them, at least, not while it is so overwhelmingly obvious that you have no respect for the only authoritative piece of literature on earth. So, I will never converse with you regarding anything at all.

I'm sure this will not stop you from continuing to harass me with your attention, but I certainly hope it will demonstrate clearly to everyone who cares that you and I are not at all alike or friends or compatriots or fellow soldiers or anything like that. I have no idea if you're even saved, but it doesn't matter at all if you have no respect for the Bible.

Question #28:
Smh, it is heart breaking how the people you were once so close with, encouraging each other, nudging each other on, exchanging pleasantries with, can become an all of sudden stranger you don’t seem to anymore know. I normally don't kiss and tell, but reserve my rights to do so Ihedinobi3.

Nothing is as dangerous as an ignorant believer, and one who makes out to know, when in actual fact, it turns out knows nothing, is just plainly ignorant and incapable of owning up to making obvious minor and/or careless mistake comments, thus rendering him/her stripped of any ounce of being trusted and believed in.

Some people need to pronto lose their sacred cow status. Ihedinobi3, my counter comments and/or rebuttals responding to your comments are not for your benefit, rather its for the readership, so please lighten up, just enjoy life, smile more, laugh more, and don't get so worked up over good and jolly ________.

Response #28:
But I'm not quite like you. I've said that several times. I do like people. I do want to be liked by people. I do want to have friends. But my loyalty is first to the Truth before it is to anything or anyone else. So, although I certainly look to build friendships wherever possible, I do not quite allow anything that threatens my stand in the Truth or that causes a confusion about my stand to others who may be listening to me. That is why very little is permanent in my life.

We may have started out encouraging each other, but whether or not we would prove to be comrades in the Truth was yet future at the time. It turned out that your attitude to the Truth was different, violently different, from mine. That was not a situation that could carry on indefinitely. So, here we are.

As for ignorant believers who do not acknowledge their own ignorance and cannot be corrected, I could say the exact same thing to you. Of course, as I told you, even an ordinary believer who does not pretend to be a teacher but who has no interest in growing in the Truth cannot be forced to grow, how much less a believer who is a spiritual infant and pretends to be a teacher? What can anyone do in that case? Nothing. You can warn, you can even disassociate from them, but you cannot force them to acknowledge their need for spiritual growth. For that reason, it is best to just leave well enough alone.

As for sacred cows, I have no idea what that has to do with anything. It may be that you have some concept of me that I had no hand in putting into your head. I don't know why anyone would think of me as a sacred cow. I have done my work here on Nairaland with the assumption that both myself and my words would be dismissed by the majority. I did it expecting those who think they know something to challenge me and attempt to prove that they are my betters. As much as I disliked that, I figured I would have to live with it. I try to force nothing on anyone. I try to let those who have demonstrated a complete disinterest in the Truth to believe and do as they please. I've tried to limit myself to answering questions wherever it seemed that there might be a chance that someone would hear me, and to defending my answers so that anyone who can benefit from them is not confused. I've avoided challenging those who offer themselves as teachers unless they insert themselves in situations where someone who is interested in what I have to say may be confused by their interference. I don't see any way in which I have presented myself as any kind of a sacred cow, so that is something you are unilaterally dealing with.

Of course, I know that your constant harassment of me was as much to gain followers for yourself as it was to just try to put us both in the same boat. That is something that I particularly dislike. Your conduct is very reminiscent of Elymas's in Acts. But I don't have the authority of an apostle to stop you from meddling. I do have that of a pastor-teacher to warn you against it. For everyone whom you cause to stumble through your behavior, however well-intentioned you consider yourself to be, there will be an answer from the Lord. For my part, of course, I cannot make anyone believe anything or act any given way, but I can try to give the Truth clearly by answering their questions and defending my answers from meddling like yours. If they choose to listen to you, I can't help it. The loss belongs to both of you. If they do not, the gain is theirs. But it is entirely their choice, not mine, or yours for that matter. But you will have an answer from the Lord for meddling in a young believer's effort to grow in the Truth. And it will not be pleasant.

Question #29:
"Jesus said to them,
“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God;
nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me."
- John 8:42

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
- John 1:14

Response #29:
**No response**

Question #30:
Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life no one goes to the father except through him.

Watchtower organisation is not the way to salvation. Watchtower organisation is not the truth and watchtower organisation is not the way to any life.

Just take it from me your jehovah is not coming to destroy wicked/worldly people because they refused to join watchtower organisation and unquestionably obey the 8 old uninspired, imperfect and fallible men who rule the organisation called gb and accept that they are the only channel of communication between God and man today.

Whether you like it or not the only place you will see watchtower organisation is inside your magazines and inside your head/imagination.

Truth ke? Lol
Truth that will become false tomorrow once gb says it should become false lol.

You will still die waiting for armageddon just like your founding fathers died. You will even die from heartbreak self.

Response #30:
Well, that's certainly the first time I remember anyone accusing me to my face of being a Jehovah's Witness.

Question #31:
Last last we know your jehovah will not come destroy any wicked/worldly/evil/unrighteous/pagans/non jws for not joining watchtower organisation and obeying the 8 uninspired, fallible' imperfect old men who err in doctrinal matters and organisational direction and accepting that they are the only channel of communication between God and man today so you and your colleagues will live forever on paradise earth and inherit properties of non jws.

The only place your much awaited armageddon will be only inside your head (imagination) and in your watchtower magazines.

You will die waiting just like your founding fathers died. It's a cycle

Response #31:
**No response**

Question #32:
you are barking at the wrong tree, Ihedinobi is not a Jehovah witness.

Response #32:
Thank you very much for correcting him, ________. I appreciate the help. I wonder if it was worth the effort though, since my posts on this thread alone should have been enough to prove emphatically that I could not possibly be a Jehovah's Witness. And if they were unclear, my profile should have made it immediately obvious. I'm afraid people like him are usually on forums to find people to attack for whatever excuse most immediately appeals to them.

Question #33:
Dont be offended sometimes it happens to me too but sooner or later they will find out you are not who they think you are.

Response #33:
Thank you, dear ________. I have been a little bit out of sorts lately, so I am sure I could have handled the situation better. Thank you for holding the fort.

Question #34:
Ok. The way he has been mentioning the truth.

Response #34:
________ has told you the right way to go about things. I see that you have been fighting with Jehovah's Witnesses for a while now, so it seems like you are a bit "in the zone," and you'll shoot anything that moves. That may have been why you did not pay attention to anything I said.

I have said on this thread that the Lord Jesus is God Himself. I wholeheartedly believe in the Trinity as revealed in the Bible. So, I cannot be a Jehovah's Witness, since this is one of their major points of departure from the Truth.

Yes, I use the word "truth" a lot, and it is for good reason. Much is said in the name of truth, but there is only one Truth, and it is whatever we find in the Bible. Outside of that are lies and speculation. The whole business of life on earth is for us to take a stand with respect to the Truth revealed in the Bible. You are exactly right that the Lord Jesus is the Truth, and the Bible is all about Him. So, we are all here on earth essentially to decide whether we will be loyal to Jesus Christ or whether we will continue to rebel against Him. That is actually why I use the term as much as I do.

If you have questions about what I believe and teach, feel free to ask them. I don't hold anybody's questions against them, although I do make a difference with dishonest questions that are asked to put teachers on the spot. Just understand that until you can be certain that someone is not willing to respect the Bible and follow whatever it says, regardless how they or others may feel about it, you may find yourself attacking God's people whenever you attack them.