XPost: alt.messianic, alt.bible, alt.christnet.christianlife   
   From: a202010@lycos.com   
      
   just wanted to post up an olde bit   
   about God and marriage.   
      
      
      
      
   considering the analogy   
   of God to a marriage.   
      
   your salvation doesn't depend on any of this,   
   it's just some things about the nature of this   
   thing that maybe you might wish to consider.   
      
   it is an aspect.   
      
   first that and then the bit about God.   
      
   suppose two people came together   
   and each had what can loosely   
   be described as their   
   own personalities.   
      
   [not considering Azazel's goat at this time]   
      
   alright, so, those two, create a third   
   personality which is comprised of   
   components from each of the two.   
      
   if it could be construed that some   
   sort of love infused this relationship,   
   then that third personality would   
   come to resemble a union of the   
   total personality of both people.   
      
   but, it could also be considered   
   that as those two people brought   
   this third personality into being,   
   that both of them, would grow into   
   that third personality which is   
   that union of the two.   
      
   well, if you consider God to have   
   always existed and to have no beginning,   
   there could be no time at which   
   to point and say;   
      
   "at this time, Word and Spirit were   
   separate and distinct and 'they' had   
   not yet learned each other and that   
   'third' personality, which is the   
   union of the two did not exist."   
      
   so, for 'them' that union of the two,   
   -is- Love, but because this is True,   
   the distinguishing characteristics   
   which would bring distinction, is   
   so subtle as to be something that   
   only 'they' -could- recognize.   
      
   and so, for all practical   
   purposes, 'they' are One God.   
      
   but -we- are _allowed_ to recognize   
   this apparent plurality as that   
   characteristic which would   
   define Love.   
      
   concern for the 'other'   
      
   "love your neighbor"   
   "love your God"   
      
   only in the case of God,   
   "God and neighbor" are   
   identically God.   
      
   and so, 'they' are each others' 'God'   
      
   but, also, 'they' -are- One God.   
      
   and, back to people,   
      
   one could see how it would be possible   
   for a congregation of people to be of   
   the same Spirit and, though they may   
   have distinct personality structures,   
   their alignment with the Mind of Christ   
   and revealed knowledge of God would make   
   it possible for a unity of purpose to exist.   
      
   and that's what is sometimes   
   described as "The Church"   
      
   a stone structure built of people   
      
   with Christ as foundation and cornerstone   
      
   and believe me, i'm not trying   
   to tell anyone how to live or   
   how it's -supposed- to be,   
      
   only pointing at something people   
   may recognize in their day to day life   
   and mentioning something about God.   
      
   but it is -probably- why some   
   people see 'marriage' as sacred.   
      
   it's not like something people should   
   enter in to with the frivolity reserved   
   for bingo night.   
      
   i don't think it's a thing to be entered   
   in to with the express expectation that   
   such a union will be dissolved in 6 years.   
      
   or just to preserve a legal business arrangement.   
      
   some people feel that 'marriage'   
   resembles something about God.   
      
   albeit God is One and Jesus Christ   
   is a stamped express Image of God.   
      
   but we also point to Christ   
   taking "The Church" as Bride.   
      
   where "The Church" is Christ's   
   own Body -and- the Bride of Christ.   
      
   and so, you end up hearing suggestions   
   that married people actually belong   
   to each other.   
      
   like each is the other's person.   
      
   and we have Christ as Gift from God   
      
   and we belong to God in Christ.   
      
   and so, neither is this meant to discourage   
   those who do not get married to another person,   
      
   because, in a sense, they become 'married' to God   
   and the relationship they keep with God can be   
   described as such; they seek for themselves only   
   God's design and not their own, all the while,   
   God is seeking -their- best interest.   
      
   whereas some have suggested that human beings   
   who do get married tend to seek out the creature   
   comforts, first, above the spiritual comforts,   
   and may tend to put them selves first, and yet,   
   i do not -fault- either, those who get   
   married nor those who do not.   
      
   these are likenesses and being offered as   
   remarks to increase understanding and not   
   as ordinances to maintain societal practice.   
      
   -because- two people who become married -can-   
   focus their efforts towards God in just as   
   vital and effective a manner as one person   
   who becomes totally devoted to God, and   
   nothing prevents a single person who is   
   totally devoted to God, from seeking   
   out a mate, just that there are difficulties   
   in this life, like you needed me to tell you that.   
      
   so, last little bit,   
      
   that's why when you align yourself around   
   the Truth which is Christ, the two people   
   who are bringing this third personality   
   into being have every confidence that   
   they are enlivening a Love which   
   is borne of God.   
      
   not two people who each seek their own   
   personal and private benefit, and scratch   
   and claw each other to death,   
      
   but two who seek the benefit of the other   
      
   just as Christ seeks the benefit of "The Church"   
      
   and God is One in Love   
      
      
   also, we would not suggest this;   
      
   "20% of the Holy Spirit is over there and   
   25% is over there and 50% is over there."   
      
   it's just not fruitful to think   
   of the Holy Spirit along those lines.   
      
   so fine, God is One God.   
      
   and knowing God is "Love"   
   you have to grasp that   
   God is also Two.   
      
   you say that God is Two,   
   when you say God is "Love"   
      
   and then you -can- suggest, if you wish   
   to suggest such things, that the Unity   
   of the Two is a third unique Entity.   
      
   but that third Unique Entity is,   
      
   The Fullness of God,   
      
   the One God   
      
   and this Fullness, we do not interrupt,   
   if we suggest that the Two, in "Love"   
   -is- this Fullness of God   
      
   now we suggest that the Two as One   
   is no greater or lesser God than   
   the One as Two.   
      
   first, look at this,   
   Just God, and no 'other'   
      
   God actually lives in the Word of God,   
      
   God is that Being whose   
   Word is, and will become.   
      
   that is, the   Word   God speaks,   
   happen, the Word is alive,   
   the Word effects,   
      
   and God actually -lives-   
      _in_ the utterence.   
      
   God begins to speak a thing, and God   
   actually lives in and amid the Word,   
   and experiences the 'travelling'   
   -of- the Word -in- the Word.   
      
   the Word is no less Spirit   
      
   the Word -is- Spirit.   
      
      
   think on this for a moment;   
   a very simple case, knowing   
   there are other aspects;   
      
      
   so, you are sitting in a chair   
   facing another, empty, chair,   
   and you speak in to the empty chair,   
   and your words become a fullness   
   in a chair that was empty.   
      
   that is, it's as if you moved from   
   one chair to the other, and yet,   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)