John's prologue is often used as a basis for the concept of the Trinity, whereby the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three aspects of the one God. We should note, however, that although this concept is very important, it is not necessary for a person's salvation. All that is required for salvation is the belief that God used and is using the man Jesus, as his special servant, as a means of saving other humans.
Someone who abhors his or her current lifestyle and choices, and decides to trust the man Jesus will be saved! Implicitly this person will realize, by believing the many witnesses and God's whispered assurance, that Jesus must have been raised from the dead. Nothing else is required for salvation.
The seeker need not see Jesus as the incarnate Word and Son of God. The concept of Messiah or God's Chosen Man suffices to bring the sinner to the doorstep of salvation.
That this is so is shown by the other three gospel accounts, which contain nothing like John's prologue. In fact, all four gospels show that Jesus' mission begins with his baptism, when he received a special anointing of God's Spirit. From that point on, there was no doubt that Jesus had been commissioned as a divinely appointed king and savior. If the authors of Mark, Matthew and Luke say nothing about a Trinity or incarnate Word, then we can assume they had not considered those ideas. Yet, their gospels contain everything anyone needs to know in order to become saved!
Someone who abhors his or her current lifestyle and choices, and decides to trust the man Jesus will be saved! Implicitly this person will realize, by believing the many witnesses and God's whispered assurance, that Jesus must have been raised from the dead. Nothing else is required for salvation.
The seeker need not see Jesus as the incarnate Word and Son of God. The concept of Messiah or God's Chosen Man suffices to bring the sinner to the doorstep of salvation.
That this is so is shown by the other three gospel accounts, which contain nothing like John's prologue. In fact, all four gospels show that Jesus' mission begins with his baptism, when he received a special anointing of God's Spirit. From that point on, there was no doubt that Jesus had been commissioned as a divinely appointed king and savior. If the authors of Mark, Matthew and Luke say nothing about a Trinity or incarnate Word, then we can assume they had not considered those ideas. Yet, their gospels contain everything anyone needs to know in order to become saved!
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