Red Sky at Morning
Superstar
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2017
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I have found in my time on this forum that a popular question that comes up in various forms is “who was Jesus”. Was he the “good man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ” as Christopher Hitchens suggested, a misunderstood prophet as Islam claims, an example of the emergent “Christ Consciousness” or even the Archangel Michael?
I found this review of various non-Trinitarian ideas very informative and felt like it might be a useful resource to others in making sense of the diversity of opinions expressed on this forum....
Trinitarian Controversies
From the earliest days of Christianity, there have been controversies surrounding the nature of God. From the revelation given in the New Testament, certain facts about the infinite God became evident. Some of these facts appeared to be contradictory at first glance. Attempts to reconcile these facts within the finite human mind have been many, and some of the proposed solutions have spoken in direct contradiction to certain teachings of Scripture.
The basic teachings of the New Testament regarding the nature of God are three, according to Grudem[1]:
1. God is three persons.
2. Each person is fully God.
3. There is one God.
Upon a moment’s consideration of these three truths, we can quickly understand why confusion would ensue. As humans, we are so confined to our limited understanding of the nature of things that it is impossible for us to imagine that three distinct persons could comprise one Being, especially if each of those persons has the full nature of that Being. In considering the Trinitarian nature of God, it becomes necessary to admit that full understanding is beyond the limited capacity of man.
Establishing the Doctrine
Before embarking upon a description of several of the erroneous attempts that have been made toward understanding God’s true nature, let us briefly review the Scriptural evidence for the doctrine of the Trinity. Obviously, the scope of this paper is not sufficient to allow a comprehensive apologetic for the Trinity; for that, the reader is referred to the works listed in the Bibliography. What follows is a short listing of Scripture citations in support of Grudem’s three statements:
1. God is three persons. In John 1:1, the “Word,” who is seen by the context to be the Son of God, is spoken of as being “with” God, and yet also God Himself. Numerous other citations make it evident that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct from each other; for example, Jesus prayed to His Father (John 17:1-3) and petitioned the Father to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples (John 14:16). Numerous personal characteristics are attributed to the Holy Spirit, establishing that He is indeed a person, and not an impersonal force (teaching, John 14:26; praying, Romans 8:26-7; bearing witness, John 15:26; speaking, Acts 8:29; etc.).
2. Each person is fully God. Scripture makes it plain that the Father is God (Matthew 6:9 and many other texts). We also learn that the Son is God (John 1:1-4; 8:58; 20:28; Colossians 2:9) and that the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3, 4).
3. There is one God. Scripture is explicit about the unity of God. Deuteronomy 6:4 presents the basis of Israel’s faith: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” See also Isaiah 45:5, 6; Romans 3:30 and 1 Cor. 8:6. Additionally, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all share a singular “name” at Matthew 28:19, 20.
Attempts at Explanation
Unfortunately, there is nothing in human experience that exactly parallels the relationship that exists between the persons of the Trinity so as to make an adequate comparison. Human understanding is bound up with the concept that a single being must also be a single person. For this reason, some have seen the Trinity as a teaching of contradiction and have attempted to find alternate explanations for the facts outlined by Scripture. This was true even while the doctrine of God was not yet fully developed and this situation led to confusion and division in the early church.
In trying to reconcile the facts of Scripture with human reason, some have erroneously denied one or more of Grudem’s three foundational teachings. This tendency has led to the development of heretical teachings and it has been necessary that these be confronted by the church from an apologetic standpoint. The remainder of this paper will discuss some of those mistaken attempts and the movements associated with them, as well as recurrences of the same errors that have developed in modern times.
Source
I found this review of various non-Trinitarian ideas very informative and felt like it might be a useful resource to others in making sense of the diversity of opinions expressed on this forum....
Trinitarian Controversies
From the earliest days of Christianity, there have been controversies surrounding the nature of God. From the revelation given in the New Testament, certain facts about the infinite God became evident. Some of these facts appeared to be contradictory at first glance. Attempts to reconcile these facts within the finite human mind have been many, and some of the proposed solutions have spoken in direct contradiction to certain teachings of Scripture.
The basic teachings of the New Testament regarding the nature of God are three, according to Grudem[1]:
1. God is three persons.
2. Each person is fully God.
3. There is one God.
Upon a moment’s consideration of these three truths, we can quickly understand why confusion would ensue. As humans, we are so confined to our limited understanding of the nature of things that it is impossible for us to imagine that three distinct persons could comprise one Being, especially if each of those persons has the full nature of that Being. In considering the Trinitarian nature of God, it becomes necessary to admit that full understanding is beyond the limited capacity of man.
Establishing the Doctrine
Before embarking upon a description of several of the erroneous attempts that have been made toward understanding God’s true nature, let us briefly review the Scriptural evidence for the doctrine of the Trinity. Obviously, the scope of this paper is not sufficient to allow a comprehensive apologetic for the Trinity; for that, the reader is referred to the works listed in the Bibliography. What follows is a short listing of Scripture citations in support of Grudem’s three statements:
1. God is three persons. In John 1:1, the “Word,” who is seen by the context to be the Son of God, is spoken of as being “with” God, and yet also God Himself. Numerous other citations make it evident that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are distinct from each other; for example, Jesus prayed to His Father (John 17:1-3) and petitioned the Father to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples (John 14:16). Numerous personal characteristics are attributed to the Holy Spirit, establishing that He is indeed a person, and not an impersonal force (teaching, John 14:26; praying, Romans 8:26-7; bearing witness, John 15:26; speaking, Acts 8:29; etc.).
2. Each person is fully God. Scripture makes it plain that the Father is God (Matthew 6:9 and many other texts). We also learn that the Son is God (John 1:1-4; 8:58; 20:28; Colossians 2:9) and that the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3, 4).
3. There is one God. Scripture is explicit about the unity of God. Deuteronomy 6:4 presents the basis of Israel’s faith: “The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” See also Isaiah 45:5, 6; Romans 3:30 and 1 Cor. 8:6. Additionally, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all share a singular “name” at Matthew 28:19, 20.
Attempts at Explanation
Unfortunately, there is nothing in human experience that exactly parallels the relationship that exists between the persons of the Trinity so as to make an adequate comparison. Human understanding is bound up with the concept that a single being must also be a single person. For this reason, some have seen the Trinity as a teaching of contradiction and have attempted to find alternate explanations for the facts outlined by Scripture. This was true even while the doctrine of God was not yet fully developed and this situation led to confusion and division in the early church.
In trying to reconcile the facts of Scripture with human reason, some have erroneously denied one or more of Grudem’s three foundational teachings. This tendency has led to the development of heretical teachings and it has been necessary that these be confronted by the church from an apologetic standpoint. The remainder of this paper will discuss some of those mistaken attempts and the movements associated with them, as well as recurrences of the same errors that have developed in modern times.
Source
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