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| Q1:Comments on the Holy Spirit? Eph 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
This is the only verse in Scripture that defines Elohiym or Theos or GOD as a simple English word.
This word is the word "family".
What do other people think of this verse?
Eph 3:14 For this reason, I fall on my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its character. 16 I pray that from the treasures of his glory he will empower you with inner strength by his Spirit,
Shalom
The point I do want to make though is that understanding the nature of God is not of salvific importance. Of cause we find it challenging because God has not left a lot of information about the nature of himself in the Bible. Just as we need to scratch around quite a bit to find any substantial information about the Devil.
(1) There, through the divine sacrifice, man may be reconciled to God. In contemplating the love of Christ, your heart will be softened to deal with the youth as with younger members of the Lord's family.
(2) ... become members of His royal family, children of the heavenly King ... 1:13-19
(3) God created man for His own glory, that after test and trial the human family might become one with the heavenly family.
(4) From that scene of heavenly joy, there comes back to us on earth the echo of Christ's own wonderful words, "I ascend to My Father, and your Father; and to My God and your God." The family of heaven and the family of earth are one. For us our Lord ascended, and for us He lives.-The Desire of Ages, 832-835.
Ellen White does not shrink from using the term "God" and "family", so what does this mean?
Shalom
I believe you can term the Godhead as the family of God. But that is not Family as we understand human family as all members of the Godhead is eternal and has existed always, as the Bible puts it "before the foundation of the earth."
I note you are quoting Mark 4:11
And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
Yes, we may well know the mystery of the kingdom of God. I would venture to say that we may well do that but only as far as our capacity allows, I believe there are things we will never understand. As EGW puts it we will study the atonement for eternity to come.
Isaiah puts it this way
Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Going by this we have some limits
Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?
I am glad you accept the only Scripture reference that says GOD is a simile of FAMILY.
Now of course, GOD is not of matter, time or space, and is eternal and uncaused.
Some suggest Jesus had an origin, called forth back in time, but this cannot be so, as GOD is uncaused and without origin, including Jesus before He became human as well, along with His eternal divine.
I would agree with you our understanding of things can be limited, especially if we read the WORD in a translation such as English.
The Bible often uses poetry to show us pictures of GOD, so we can understand what GOD is like. Since Scripture says GOD is love. Scripture also says GOD is light. These are two very different qualities of GOD.
The first glimpse we have of this Family Picture of GOD is the creation of mankind, and other animals as kinds.
Ge 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:
Ge 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Why did GOD gender male and gender female, into human families? What does this tell us about light? What does this tell us about love?
There is not a single evolutionist who can answer this question. I would like your ideas on this on this question?
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be on His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7 There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this.
But clearly, if you read other passages this understanding is not in keeping with the rest of the Bible where we find Jesus is the Creator Himself Colossians 1:16
For all things were created in Him, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and by Him, all things consist.
Rob said
"Why did GOD gender male and gender female, into human families? What does this tell us about light? What does this tell us about love?"
Yes, a good question indeed I only wish I had just as a good answer, as your text shows we are created in the image of God. Male and female the building blocks of a family as we know it. And I guess the Ideal is like Apostle Paul says Eph 5:22
Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it,
And that is the Christian Ideal and sadly we see the word-lings, by and large, has left this ideal as they file for divorce in ever-increasing numbers. Some do not even bother to marry at all.
Some confuse people saying the Greek has eros, but this is not found in the OT or NT, so its best to stick with Hebrew.
Notice what Ellen White in EGW writings.org says in search. (I will not confuse you with Hebrew, only English. )
(1) John could talk of the Father's love as no other of the disciples could.
(2) ... insinuate doubts as to his Father's love, which would find a lodgment ... single moment doubt his Heavenly Father's love, although he was bowed down
And of the second kind of love, written by Ellen White:
(3) John realized that brotherly love was waning in the church.
(4) You are sadly lacking in brotherly love. You are a backslidden church.
(5) affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another
and finally we combine all these two love words, into a single passage:
(6) They will realize that as members of God's family they are pledged to cultivate, cherish, and perpetuate Christian love and fellowship, in spirit, words, and action.
To be children of God, members of the royal family, means more than many suppose. Those who are accounted by God as his children will reveal Christlike love for one another. They will live and work for one object,�the proper representation of Christ to the world. By their love and unity they will show to the world that they bear the divine credentials. By the nobility of love and self-denial, they will show those around them that they are true followers of the Saviour. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
From this passage where does brotherly love come from?
Isa 58:7 Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? 8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. 9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity; 10 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: 11 And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not. (KJV)
There is no clear reference to brotherly love but we can see where this points
Mat 25:34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. (KJV)
So as I understand it Brotherly Love would be how you are looking after your fellow human beings I hope that would be a reasonable answer.
Shalom
So you want to explore brotherly love among humans:
Certainly I agree with you
In the Bible there are personality traits for maleness love and femaleness love. Some of these traits are listed and contrasted here:-
Maleness-love , Hebrew word is "abah", Father's love
Femaleness-love , Hebrew word is "abahuh", brotherly love
MALENESS-LOVE gone wrong:
FEMALENESS-LOVE gone wrong
Interesting these broad categories of love, isn't it? Could it be that "personality traits of love" are somehow wired into our genetics or hormonal balance? The Scriptures does not answer these questions.
The Scriptures does however, show that love has categories or differences between them. The Hebrew words show the full spectrum range from functional love to dysfunctional love, or from good to bad. Many scholars try to be biased with, for example, with the Greek word "agape" to replace the Hebrew "ahab" in the New Testament, thus making "agape-love" into a supreme godly aspect for "love". But this is NOT the case. Since both functional and dysfunctional aspects of "love" exist in this world, we should expect the Hebrew, to correspond with broad ranges of meaning also, from the "holy" to the "wicked", or from aspects of "goodness" to aspects of "badness".
Its a fascinating subject, studying these two types of love.
Shalom
We are created in the Image of God, and as we know God is love, clearly with all those texts you show there is an idea that God has indeed implanted the capacity to love. But as we know after the fall Satan has marred that quality. Still we see some persons have an enormous capacity for love while others have not much love.
The Bible does not give us much in detail about the love Adam and Eve had. Reading between the lines we understand that Adam was prepared to give up eternal life because he loved Eve that much.
EGW gives us this:
No longer free to stir up rebellion in heaven, Satan's enmity against God found a new field in plotting the ruin of the human race. In the happiness and peace of the holy pair in Eden he beheld a vision of the bliss that to him was forever lost.
Yet all these blessings were lost sight of in the fear of losing that one gift which in his eyes outvalued every other. Love, gratitude, loyalty to the Creator-all were overborne by love to Eve. She was a part of himself, and he could not endure the thought of separation. He did not realize that the same Infinite Power who had from the dust of the earth created him, a living, beautiful form, and had in love given him a companion, could supply her place. He resolved to share her fate; if she must die, he would die with her.
Part of the quote is well written:
"Love, gratitude, loyalty to the Creator�all were overborne by love to Eve. She was a part of himself, and he could not endure the thought of separation".
Notice there are two styles of loving mentioned here, for Adam was overwhelmed by His love to Eden, he did not want her love to be separated from his love.
The next step in our quest of digging for treasure, is there within the Godhead Family, differences in the way each member of GOD loves, and thus , are there any differences in their personalities of loving?
We can see differences in the way animals kind love, and this personality of loving is created as two beings, the gender male and the gender female.
God is not of matter, space or time. Therefore GOD cannot be referenced as gender male or gender female, as these beings are composed of matter. Love is a function, rather than a being per se'. God is pictured in terms humans see and observed, but this "darkly" is a picture of the great uncaused cause.
God is love. So are there any hints of differences in the personalities of loving within the members of the Godhead? I would like to propose there are personality differences in how each member within the Godhead loves, as entities of being.
Consider this most powerful picture in Luke chapter 1:
Lu 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
The term "son of the highest", or the "most high" refers to our Heavenly Father.
Lu 1:35 Notice the born process where humanity is added to Jesus' divinity. How many members of the Godhead are used ? two
This function pictures a process as a simile of how earthly parents also do born on earth, yet we see darkly, the picture in the verses are there, the mystery of adding humanity to Jesus remains a mystery.
Some say "highest" parallels Holy Spirit, so this is one being. No, Because the term overshadow is used.
To make shadows you need two objects, one as light, the other blocking the light. Notice yellow light flows over us sinners, further filtering the Father's glory of light. Hence two members of the Godhead are here in this verse.
I will allow you time to comment on this verse:
Shalom my friend
But I thank you and others for reading this curious Bible verse about a picture of GOD.
Shalom
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