Can anti-Trinitarians properly understand Christianity?

One writer wrote something along the lines of: "[Dietrich] Bonhoeffer did not believe in the physical and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ [...] and did not believe in the Trinity. He was a modalist."

I'm not sure why many Christians quote from him, or from his ideas, in a favorable way.

Can anti-Trinitarians properly understand Christianity?

No, they cannot.

God (YHVH) is the true God. YHVH is one in terms of essence, and three in terms of Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Father is YHVH. The Son is YHVH. The Holy Spirit is YHVH.

Each have co-existed since eternity. The Father eternally begat the Son. The Son has always been the Son, and the Father has always been the Father. In other words, incarnational sonship, taught by some, is bogus. Eternal sonship is the correct teaching.

You have a lot of assumption going on here. First off, what does our understanding of the Godhead have to do with our salvation? Nothing, that I can see. You trinitarians keep telling us others, we deny Jesus's deity. Some might, but I do not.

I don't label God. That just produces questions. I do not believe we can say God is three persons, or a person at all. Oneness proponents try to tell us that the Father and Jesus are one entity. I don't believe that either. Although they are united by the Holy Spirit and that is what makes them God. View attachment 203433

What does our understanding have to do with salvation? In some sense nothing at all, but in some sense everything. What do you believe if you don't know who it is that you believe in.
Could be like the followers of Santeria who have replaced the names of demons and demis with biblical names. Or like the Mormons or JWs who don't believe in the the same God as the rest of Christendom. Even though they use the same names and terms those terms and names are redefined. In this way our understanding has mortal consequences.
On the other hand it is Jesus that saves not our understanding. So even though we may not understand the all the details we are still saved, because it is Jesus not us or our understanding that saves us, but you might want to make sure you have the right Jesus, because a bunch of Hispanic folks name their children Jesus, and while he is a nice guy and knows how to make a good fajita stuffed chili on the grill, he isn't the; Jesus God manifest in the flesh, born of the Virgin, who gave his life as a sacrifice and being sinless over come the grave that in him we may be resurrected.
So while believing in one may get his wife to bring over a dozen tamales dolce at Christmas , believing in the other will get you rebirth and eternal life.

You have a lot of assumption going on here. First off, what does our understanding of the Godhead have to do with our salvation? Nothing, that I can see. You trinitarians keep telling us others, we deny Jesus's deity. Some might, but I do not.

I don't label God. That just produces questions. I do not believe we can say God is three persons, or a person at all. Oneness proponents try to tell us that the Father and Jesus are one entity. I don't believe that either. Although they are united by the Holy Spirit and that is what makes them God. View attachment 203433

Just interested to know what is the other view apart from Trinitarianism and oneness?

Just interested to know what is the other view apart from Trinitarianism and oneness?

Can anti-Trinitarians properly understand Christianity?

No, they cannot.

God (YHVH) is the true God. YHVH is one in terms of essence, and three in terms of Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Father is YHVH. The Son is YHVH. The Holy Spirit is YHVH.

Each have co-existed since eternity. The Father eternally begat the Son. The Son has always been the Son, and the Father has always been the Father. In other words, incarnational sonship, taught by some, is bogus. Eternal sonship is the correct teaching.

Why do I say that an anti-Trinitarian cannot properly understand Christianity? Christianity involves mirroring God. Man was created in the image of God, to reflect the nature of God. Man can reflect God's image in one sense alone, but he cannot reflect God's image in the fullest sense alone. He needs to be in relationship, because God himself is relational by NATURE.

Salvation is largely about a reversal of the damage that has been done in the Fall, and being transformed into the image of God, which was perfectly reflected by Jesus, through being united with Him spiritually and being transformed through this union. Therefore, it is essential to understand these important doctrines in order to have a reasonable basis for faith. Anyone who denies the Trinity doesn't have one of the core building blocks of a proper understanding of Scripture.

Mankind reflects God's nature in community, not individually. When he is isolated, he does not reflect God's nature. There is a reason why most serial killers were solitary individuals.

And, this is why the church is important. Christians cannot reflect God's image if they are lone-ranger Christians. Community is essential to real Christian faith.

I would recommend the books Delighting in the Trinity by Tim Chester for basic Scriptures on the Trinity, and Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves to understand the deeper mysteries of the Trinity. Both are fantastic books (I wish they had used different titles, though, due to the confusion between the two books).

Keep in mind that I come from a non-Trinitarian background. After realizing their false teachings, I have come to appreciate the Trinity. It is my second favorite doctrine of the Bible, besides union with Christ.

It looks to me that your speaking in "generalities" or to put it another way your "venting." Your asking questions like, "Why can't the anti's understand Christianity?" Then you go on to explain what is salvation. People (especially the lost) deserve specific answers of what we believe and "WHY" we believe it. 1 Peter 3:15 comes to mind.

Now, as far as I'm concerned the focus should always be, "Who is Jesus Christ." Not about the Trinity, in fact I try and stay away from it. Jesus ask His disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" At Matthew 16:16, Peter answered and said, "Thou art the Christ/Messiah, the Son of the living God." Vs17, Jesus said, Blessed are you Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven."

Are job is to speak and explain, and given reasons for our faith. When the Jw's come to my door and we all know they deny the deity of Jesus Christ I try and keep the focus on Jesus Christ as to who He is. And of course I go to John 1:1-14 and they tell me Jesus is a god according to their NWT of John 1:1 and He is a created being I have a great question for them?

If as you say Jesus Christ is a created being then please tell me why is Jesus presented as the Agent of creation here at John 1:3, also at Colossians 1:16-17, and at Hebrews 1:10 Jesus' Father credits Jesus with creation as well as Revelation 3:14?

Even here a person said, "I do not belive we can say God is three persons, or a person at all." Really, how does he know that? For one thing we all know that God is love. It is also important to understand that the love of God is no simply an emotion. Rather divine love is the giving of one's self to another. How did God show is love for us? He gave His only begotten Son, (another person btw). Love demands a relationship between persons.

To be sure God is a person "as we are." And I believe His personhood is like ours for we are created in His image and after His likeness. But we are as far below Him as the earth is below the heavens, essentially infintely beneath Him in all respects. "Personhood" is one of those respects. God is only a person like we are to a certain extent, but I believe His ontological self, His whole being is also far beyone "personhooe" in the human sense.

On of the biggest problems that we humans have is we think God is person like us and He thinks like us, acts like us. Now, the Bible makes it clear that there are three and ONLY three persons in the Bible who are "IDENTIFIED" as God in all of the ways that the Bible identifies God: by His name, title, unique attributes (or nature), and His unique actions.

If you read the Bible it is not hard to come to this conclusion. For instance, let's take His names? God the Father is obviously CALLED God, Jesus Christ is called God, in fact Jesus Christ was crucified for claiming to be God. And the Holy Spirit is called God. One God, that have the same nature and three distinct persons. This is what we need to explain to people who are lost and have questions.

Remember I said I try and stay away from talking about the Trinity even though I am a Trinitarian. So, let me put it this way. "I do not believe trinitariansim is a REQUIREMENT for salvation. It is the RESULT of salvation, for (or because) you cannot know Jesus and somehow miss the fact that He is God. You cannot have experienced the presense of the Holy Spirit of God and somehow miss that He is God." Please read Romans 8:9-11. I could go on but I think this is enough for now.

IN GOD THE SON,
bluto