Never heard of it. How is it?
He struggles with it. He says elsewhere that the rules and logic of language are violated when the Trinity is defined.
What led you to undertake this literature?
I have a large collection of books on the subject of theology in my private library. Maybe it was just a coincidence that I picked it out to read. Maybe it was prompted subconsciously by our conversation. Maybe it was
I would modify that just a bit: "Always avoid using
bad analogies for the Trinity..."
....and in the image of angels (according to you)
The point I was making is that angels and men are both created in the image of the One God, Yahweh. We haven’t yet discussed what being created in the image of the one God means. I will say here that, while it may include some physical resemblance to the one God, it primarily has to do with non-physical characteristics.
I would like to point out an important distinction Before I give my answer:
Unitarianism is not the same as Monotheism.
Monotheism speaks of what God is. (God exists as one)
Unitarianism speaks of who God is. (God subsists as one)
I agree.
Both Unitarianism and Trinitarianism fit into the category called "Monotheism". The question you and I are discussing is which one of these subcategories is Biblical?
My answer: I disagree. Jesus' faith was monotheistic, but not Unitarian.
So we are agreed then on the fundamental point that Jesus himself is a monotheist.
We should be able to agree that the one God is Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
We should be able to agree that the one God is Yahweh, the God of Moses.
We should be able to agree that the one God is Yahweh, the God of Israel.
We should be able to agree that there is no God besides the one God, Yahweh.
We have agreed that Jesus himself has a God.
We should be able to agree that his God is the one God, Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
We should be able to agree that his God is the one God, Yahweh, the God of Moses.
We should be able to agree that his God is the one God, Yahweh, the God of Israel.
We should be able to agree that his God is the one God, Yahweh, because besides him there is no other God.
The Father is the God of Jesus.
The Father is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The Father is the God of Moses.
The Father is the God of Israel.
There is no God besides the Father.
By definition, a monotheist whose God is only one person, the Father, is a unitarian.
Jesus by definition, is a unitarian.
When Thomas called Jesus his "Lord and God", he was making a predicate statement, not an identity statement.
So in this view, Thomas was not identifying Jesus as God, nor as the second person of the Trinity.
He was predicting the fact that Jesus possessed the properties of divinity and lordship, just as the Father and the Spirit do.
So you believe Thomas was predicting something that he was not identifying. You, and trinitarianism, supply the identity.
As for the Name we baptize people, notice that it is one name, not three. They are identified as a unity of 3.
A triad. A triad which much later trinitarianism will go on to say is the Trinity.
I’m not opposed to baptizing in the name of the triad. I would ask why there are no examples in scripture of people being baptized in the name of the Trinity but that came in post-biblical times. I will ask, why are there no examples in scripture of people being baptized in the name of the triad?
Ok, I'll leave out my commentary, and let the plain text guide you to the obvious conclusion.
"The LORD is a man" (Exodus 15:3) (iysh="man")
Yahweh isn’t a man. He is the Father. So, how do I resolve this apparent contradiction?
I see this, as do many commentaries, as being an anthromorphism, as do many translations of the Bible. I offer a few examples:
”Yahweh is a warrior! Yahweh is his name.” (NOG)
”The LORD is a warrior, LORD is his name.” (NABRE)
”The LORD is a warrior; The LORD is His name.” (NASB)
”The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.” (NIV)
”The LORD goes into battle. The LORD is his name.” (NIRV)
It certainly wasn't the only thing He hid from them..
Thanks. I can see that from the trinitarian perspective. What I can’t see from the trinitarian perspective is how some trinitarians sometimes claim that those whom it was hidden from (everyone living in biblical times) were trinitarians.
I judged the statements you said you were taught. I didn't judge the entire denomination that taught you those statements.
You later said you agreed with the statements I was taught.
Really? So who other than the One true God shall we worship?
I worship the one true God and the Messiah. The Israelites worshiped the one true God and David (1 Chronicles 29:20). The Messiah will cause people who don’t belong to him to worship those who do (Revelation 3:9).
I commented previously concerning the limitation/restriction you place on worship.