The Trinitarian Initiative ‘Christ-Centred Perspectives for Christian Thought-Leaders’

In Jesus Christ we have been Adopted into the inner circle of Love and Life of the Trinity and made to share His knowledge of the Father.

“This Ministry  finds its  Inspiration in the Good News and Amazing Mystery of the original Eternal Love Initiative of the Divine Trinity for our Adoption in Jesus Christ.” Andre’ Oosthuizen

This Initiative empowers Christian Thought-Leaders to:

Explore the beautiful Mystery of God’s Grace for our Inclusion and Infusion into the Love and Life of the Trinity.

Recover the Ancient Faith and Vision of the Universal and Cosmic Nature of the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Impart Christ-centred insight – thereby igniting passion for Christ in the mind and heart of the Church.

This Initiative finds its expression in:

Ministry to Churches, Conference Speaking and Seminars, Teaching in Seminaries, Bible Schools, Social Media and Cyber – space.

Working with like minded Individuals, Ministries, Churches and Academic Institutions towards the practical fleshing out of Trinitarian Theology through collaboration and dialogue.

This Initiative has as its focus:

Constructive dialogue as participation in the renaissance of Trinitarian awareness and Christological emphasis within contemporary Postmodern Culture.

Strategic engagement towards recovering and re-visioning a Christ-shaped Trinitarian worldview and exploring its extraordinary implications for human existence.

Dismantling redundant and stagnant traditional religious mindsets and theological blind spots towards advancing a new enlarged Christ-honouring conceptual paradigm for the Third Christian Millennium.

Contributing to the convergence of Christ-centred Trinitarian perspectives of faith as framework for Christian worship, service, practical lifestyle and evangelism.

This Initiative is the Ministry of Andre’ Oosthuizen

Andre’s quest for spiritual reality began, when as a young boy he gazed

into the majestic night sky and in awe pondered the perennial question

‘Who is God?’

That very day young Andre’ became a theologian!

Faith seeking understanding, he has since grappled with eternal questions about God and man.

Curiosity led him to seek for answers in the study of various promising –ism’s and -ology’s and by investigating many different schools of thought.

Although providing temporary intellectual stimulation these substitutes ended in a spiritual culde-sac’, bring Andre’ full circle back to rediscover the centre of the faith of his forefathers – Jesus the Christ!

During three decades of full-time ministry, and as a Christian Thinker, Andre’ life-long interest has been towards deeply researching the question:

‘Who is Jesus Christ………and what did the Triune Godhead intend and accomplish with and for mankind in the Christ Event?’

As a people’s theologian, and a deeply devotional man of faith, his passion is to translate deep and complex theological
issues and philosophical concepts about divinity and humanity into practical and meaningful insights for Christian
living.

When Andre’ is not travelling and teaching he enjoys living along the warm Indian Ocean coastline of South Africa. He is the father of five and loves spending time with his nine grandchildren.

…….on the ‘Duality’ of the Nature of Jesus Christ…. and the’ Triune’ Nature of Godhead!

‘In the Blessed Trinity one Divine Nature subsists in three divine Hypostases (or Persons), who possess a real and identical nature in common; whereas in Christ two distinct and complete natures, one divine, the other human, subsist in one Hypostasis, i. e., the Divine Person of the Logos.

Or, to put it somewhat differently, the Blessed Trinity forms a real Trinity of Persons in an absolute Unity of Nature, whereas in Christ there is a duality of Natures in an absolute Unity of Person.

This twofold element in the constitution of the Godman is clearly stated in the ‘Athanasian Creed’

 

“For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man ; God, of the Substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His mother, born in the world ; perfect God, and perfect Man : of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting; equal to the Father, as touching His Godhead: and inferior to the Father, as touching His Manhood. Who although He be God and Man: yet He is not two, but one Christ; one; not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh: but by taking of the Manhood into God; one altogether; not by confusion of substance : but by unity of Person.”

‘CHRISTOLOGY’   A DOGMATIC TREATISE ON THE INCARNATION’

by THE REVEREND JOSEPH POHLE, PH.D., D.D.1916

……the Mystery of God: of both the Father and the Son…..the best is yet to come!

We in Western Christianity are inclined to presume that the Christian Religion and the Church, over the last 2000 years have God and Jesus Christ, all figured out!

That we already understand all the implications and relevance of His Incarnation into humanity as the Son of God, His vicarious Death on the Cross, His Resurrection, Ascension and Glorification into the Divine Godhead as the Son of Man.

Has this mindset not perhaps caused Christianity to stagnate and the Gospel to lose its relevance? 

Yet, if the ridiculous presumption that mankind has nothing more to learn, and has already obtained complete knowledge and understanding were to be applied to any other field of study or area of life outside of Religion, it would be seen as utter foolishness, perhaps the epitome of human pride!

If the staggering,  leaping and literally ‘mind blowing’  recent advances made in technology, communication , medicine and science is anything to go by, man’s capacity for intelligent perception and his intellectual ability to  interpret God’s created universe is far from exhausted.

If this ongoing and progressive revelation applies to man’s understanding of God’s creation, isn’t it then the height of audacity to presume that man’s religious mind has already figured out the Creator Himself?

What about the most dramatic and significant events in human history? Do we presume to fully appreciate and understand their spiritual and practical implications?

Do we really fully grasp and appreciate the fact that God humiliated Himself and became a mere man in order to redeem man?

What does it mean that the Light of the World has already come into the earth, and that He is in fact the Light that enlightens every man, not just some?

What are the implications of the fact that God was personally present in Jesus Christ on the Cross at Calvary, reconciling the entire Cosmos to Him?

What is the significance for the entire human race, that one of our own; the man Jesus of Nazareth, bodily ascended into Heaven, and was absorbed and glorified within the Godhead. And that forever and eternity, within God, there now exists, in the ‘power of an indestructible life’ a living human being, as the only mediator between God and all of mankind!

I have become persuaded that despite the efforts of some of the greatest minds, the huge scholastic efforts of many over the centuries, and despite the vast body of knowledge available within Christianity, we have not yet fathomed the depth of the Mystery of God: both of the Father and of the Son!

Before Jesus came, no human had ever seen God. Humanity knew about the existence of God, but could and did not know or even slightly comprehend the nature of God. Our 2000 year history and what we know about God thus far, is but a mere blip on the radar screen of an Eternal God.

Perhaps, the Church, those in Christian Religion and the World at large, have up to now mostly had limited knowledge ‘about’ God and ‘about’ Christ. We have mostly perceived and venerated the Living God as the God of the Christians only, and Jesus Christ as merely the Saviour and Icon of the Christian Church.

We have yet to fully grasp the grand vision of Jesus Christ as the Cosmic and Universal Lord and Saviour of all mankind! 

Jesus Christ was God’s Self-disclosure to all humanity!

I say we have not yet scratched the surface of the knowledge and wisdom of God as revealed in Jesus Christ!

I believe the best is yet to come!

……what is the significance of the Son of God becoming ‘one of us’?

Where did the “Attonement ‘, a Middle English phrase meaning ‘at onement’, ‘to reconcile’ or ‘to be restored to  harmony’ between the Trinity and Humakind actually begin?

Did the  “at onement’ only ‘begin’ with the Crusifiction of Jesus on the Cross, or did it actually begin the moment Divinity entered into Humanity?

  When in the Incarnation, the Son of God also became the Son of Man!

When Emmanuel, meaning ‘God with us” was born amongst us, as one of us, could it also mean that mankind were also now ‘with God’?

What do you think?’

Who is Jesus Christ really?

And…… What does it mean when He is called ‘the friend of sinners’?

Does it mean that He has included all sinners in His love and His life?

Or, must a sinner first do something to qualify to be included in His love and His life?

And…… What about the billions of people that belong to non-Christian religions, or who are taught against Jesus, does He include them in His love and life as well?

Does Jesus view all of humanity who do not confess Him as Lord with distain, or does He embrace them in His love and life anyway?

And…… Did Jesus forgive and start loving you the moment you believed in Him and repented, or were you always included in His work of redemption?

And …… How does Jesus look at every man, woman and child that you encounter in your life?

And…… And how would your life be different if you were to look ar them in the same way Jesus does?

……unravelling and recovering of the true Gospel from Christian Religion!

Jesus did not come into humanity to change God’s mind about us!

No, He came out of divinity in order to reveals God’s mind to us!

Understand this, and you have the key to unravelling and  recovering of the true Gospel of Jesus the Christ, form the Christian Religion!

…a quick glimpse into the vastness of His grace!

God chose to become, and also permanently remain part of His Creation in the Person of Jesus Christ, in Whom your Humanity is in union and communion with His Divinity.

Understand this truth, and you will get a glimpse into the vastness of what we call ‘Grace’!

……you want the ‘good news’ or the ‘bad news’ first?

The ‘bad news’ is that even if you were to live a million years, you will never ‘change’ or ‘improve’ yourself enough in order to become ‘acceptable’ to a Holy God!

The ‘good news’ is, that Jesus, the ‘Beloved’ has already included you in His unique and perfect relationship of ‘love and acceptance’ with God the Father!

…..a perfect recipe for religious frustration!

Many mistakenly assume the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be a call to ‘straighten out your life’ and to become ‘a better you’ with God’s help, and ‘then’ you will automatically become more ‘happy’ with yourself!

On the contrary, this erroneous understanding of the Gospel only leads to deepened frustration, increased unhappiness and disillusionment with yourself.. ..and with ‘that’ Gospel!

…..does God’s Grace require my lousy 1%?

There is something inherent in the human heart, that, although we can clearly see from Scripture that ‘salvation’ cannot be ‘earned’ nor ‘deserved’.

And that Jesus died and rose for the sins all of humanity, that make us to resist, and insist on some kind of human contribution to this Divine act of grace, even if its a lousy 1% contribution!

Strange isn’t it!