Hi Justin,



Thanks for responding to my post. You wrote:



>>It seems to me that you're reading a lot into the scripture. It could mean a lot of things. Perhaps the fulness of His love, His presence, His joy...>>



Me: The passage taken in isolation ?could mean a lot of things?; but I submit that when systematically applied to the overall teaching of the final state of God?s redeemed and adopted Son?s, that my understanding of the passage is the consistent one. Just as there is no one passage (or even a group of passages), that explicitly teach the doctrine of the Trinity, most would agree that a systematic understanding of all the data yields the doctrine.



>>I have difficulty accepting the deifaction of man concept still, based on the Biblical statements that there is ONLY one God, and that He is unchanging. This argument of a "oneness" with God seems to be a work-around for LDS to overcome the Biblical doctrine.>>



Me: Well, certainly Trinitarians argue that the sense/meaning of ?one God? does not limit the number of persons who are God. With this in mind, there is a question I think needs to asked: if the one God chooses to bestow ALL of His attributes upon His adopted Sons, what will these Sons become?



>>No offense intended, I really think this is an interesting discussion although I haven't contributed much as of yet.>>



Me: You, and everyone else on this message board, have been very charitable. In my experience on message boards, this is somewhat unique, and I am appreciative of the charity that has been extended to me.



>>I'm interested in how you can overcome the doctrine that God is unchanging, yet at the same time He is being added onto (for lack of better words here) and continually being "perfected.">>



Me: God?s nature is unchanging. God is perfect in ALL of His attributes. But, God does act, though in acting, His nature does not change. [This raises on interesting side question for me: since one of the attributes of God is as the Creator, has God always been creating?]



Grace and peace,



David