THE JESUS ONLY DOCTRINE
The Church of God believes there is a Personal God
The Church of God of the Union Assembly believes there is a personal God, and he has a glorified body; and never did, nor never will, have a natural body. We believe the Son was with him in a glorified state just like he was until God gave him to save the world if they would believe on him. He had to take upon himself a natural body so that he could be a merciful and an all-wise Saviour because he had to be tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 2nd Chapter, 18th verse; Hebrews 4th Chapter, 15th verse; - James 1st Chapter, 17th verse. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
This doesn't mean that Jesus was God, but it did mean that Jesus was a perfect gift and came down from God, but we do believe that men in the spirit have seen God. We don't believe that any man in the flesh has seen God.
We refer you to the following scripture: Genesis 32nd Chapter, 29th and 30th verses, "And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Pe-ni'-el: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
Exodus 24th Chapter, 11th verse: "And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink." Exodus 33rd Chapter, 21st, 22nd and 23rd verses; Revelation 5th Chapter, 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th verses. The above scriptures will prove to a honest man that men in the spirit have seen God.
(We believe that God is the express image of his Son's person) --Read Hebrews 1st Chapter, 1st, 2nd and 3rd verses;...Colossians 1st Chapter, 15th verse:--"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:...". We believe that the Son of God was seen many times and places before he was born of the Virgin Mary.
I will refer you to Daniel 3rd Chapter, 25th verse: "He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."
We don't believe that God was there but we do believe that the Son was there, and he was referred to as Michael the archangel (Jude, 9th verse). Referred to in Daniel 12th Chapter, 1st verse, as Michael the prince.
Matthew 3rd Chapter, 17th verse separates the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. The Son was baptized in the water, and the Spirit lit upon him like a dove. And God spoke from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Jesus taught his disciples all the time while he was on earth that his Father was in heaven, and that heaven was above. Matthew 7th Chapter, 21st verse, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
I will refer you to Matthew 12th, 50th verse; Matthew 17th Chapter 5th verse; St. John 14th Chapter, 10th, 20th and 28th verses;... St. John 15th Chapter, 1st verse: "I AM the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Now the vine is not the husbandman neither is the husbandman the vine, but the husbandman has power over the vine.
The branches are not the vine neither the vine the branches, but the vine has power over the branches." St. John 16th Chapter, 27th, 28th and 30th verses: "For the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father."
St. John 17th Chapter, 1st, 11th, 18th, 21st, 22nd and 25th verses;...St. John 20th Chapter, 17th verse: "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God."
Acts 1st Chapter, 9th verse: "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
1 Corinthians 3rd Chapter, 22nd verse: "Whether Paul, or A-pol'-los, or Ce'-phas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are your's; 23 And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's." Ye are Christ's didn't mean that I was Christ, or that you are Christ. And that Christ is God's didn't mean that Christ was God.
1 Corinthians 8th Chapter, 6th verse: "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." (But to us there is but one God, the Father...).
The word "us" means to the people that can see the difference between the Father and the Son, and one Lord Jesus Christ. We see it just like it is written: 1 Corinthians 11th Chapter, 3rd verse: "But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ;". This didn't mean that every man was Christ, and the head of the woman is the man. This didn't mean that the woman was the man. And the head of Christ is God. This didn't mean that Christ was God.
Philippians 2nd Chapter, 5th and 6th verses: "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:". This word being in the form of God didn't mean that he is God, but he was equal with God, because he did what God told him to do. And if we do what Jesus has told us to do, we will be equal with Christ, but we won't be Christ.
When they saw Jesus, they saw God for the life of God was manifested in his mortal flesh because he did what his Father told him to do. And the life of Christ is manifested in our mortal flesh if we do what he has commanded us to do, but we will never be Christ, no more than Jesus will be God.
I will refer you to Matthew 25th Chapter, 40th and 45th verses. This will show you that when you feed anyone whom Jesus sends, you feed him, and when you reject one of these whom Jesus sends, you reject him. I will refer you to Galatians 2nd Chapter, 20th verse: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:".
Colossians 3rd Chapter, 3rd verse: "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." If your life is hid away with Christ the world can see nothing but the life of Christ in you. Jesus asked his Father to make his disciples one, even as him and his Father were one.
And we will find where his prayer was fulfilled in Acts 2nd Chapter, 44th and 45th verses;... Acts 4th Chapter, 32nd verse: "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common."
The word said they were all of one heart. That didn't mean there was just one heart, but there were many hearts but all the selfishness had disappeared and the life of Christ was manifested in every one of them, but still it was not Christ, but the one life was many people who claim that Father isn't a name. The Father is a name to his own children and they should call him Father. There is a natural father which all children should honor as head of the natural family. There is a spiritual Father which all children should honor as the spiritual head.
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Some people claim the word God means power. The word of God doesn't mean power, but the word God means a supreme being that has the power. Some preachers have the people deceived trying to make them believe that the ceremony that the preachers says over the candidate when he baptizes him in water should be Lord Jesus.
Jesus Christ gave the very words to be used by the preacher when he baptizes the people: Matthew 28:19 "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:". Jesus intended them to do just what he taught them to do.
Neither Peter, Paul, nor anyone else has any right to change what he said, and we don't aim for you to give any private interpretation because II Peter 1st Chapter, 20th verse, reads as follows: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."
But the misunderstanding of the way the Apostles told the candidate to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus...they didn't mean for them to be baptized in the name of Paul, or of A-pol'-los, but they must go into the water because Jesus went for an example to them and not Paul.
It doesn't make any difference what kind of a ceremony the preacher says if the candidate doesn't go into the water in the name of the Lord Jesus; he just goes in dry and comes out wet, but if the candidate goes in and the preacher is legally ordained, and puts him under the water like Jesus told him to do, when he comes out of the water he is legally baptized.
The reason that Jesus gave his Father's name, first, because repentance is toward God. Next, faith in Jesus Christ. Next, we have peace with God. Repentance brings love; Sanctification brings joy; Holy Ghost brings peace.
I trust this writing on the Father and the Son will open the understanding of honest people. I and my wife are one. If I were to send my wife anywhere and they didn't receive her, they wouldn't receive me either, but still there are two of us. I and my wife are like God and his Son---we are one. God sent his Son and every one that received him receiveth the Father.
And Jesus said in Matthew 18th Chapter, 5th verse: "And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me." Matthew 10th Chapter, 40th verse: "He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me." This will show you that the same connection between the Father and the Son is between Jesus and the preacher.
May God help you to read and understand is my prayer..."consider what we say, and the Lord will give you understanding in all things".
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This bible subject is from the little book called "NOTICE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE" by C.T. Pratt - Founder - written in 1948...from the King James Version of the Bible.
