Would the unitary monotheism of Israel approve of praying to Jesus?
The Shema
- Thread starter civic
- Start date
Would the unitary monotheism of Israel approve of praying to Jesus?
its called the fallacy of quote mining.
He was like this on the other forum I was on years (not decades or 'a decade') back.
He'll quote maniacally even when the people he is quoting don't agree with him or are outright blasphemers and heretics like Hugh Schoenfield.
It's really a comical but at the same time a pitiful thing to watch.
Case in point.
civic
Well-known member
God the Word from the N.T. through 200 AD
Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians, disciple of John the apostle. [30-107 AD]
He, being begotten by the Father before the beginning of time, was God the Word, the only-begotten Son, and remains the same for ever; for “of His kingdom there shall be no end,” says Daniel the prophet. …
Ignatius, Epistle to the Trallians
And God the Word was truly born of the Virgin, having clothed Himself with a body of like passions with our own. He who forms all men in the womb, was Himself really in the womb, and made for Himself a body of the seed of the Virgin, but without any intercourse of man. Since, also, there is but one unbegotten Being, God, even the Father; and one only-begotten Son, God, the Word and man; . . .
Ignatius, Epistle to the Philadelphians
If any one confesses these things, and that God the Word did dwell in a human body, being within it as the Word, . . .
Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrneans
our Lord Jesus Christ, that He was the Son of God, “the firstborn of every creature,” God the Word, the only-begotten Son, and was of the seed of David according to the flesh, . . .
Ignatius, Epistle to the Tarsians
. . . He who was born of a woman was the Son of God, and He that was crucified was “the first-born of every creature,” and God the Word, who also created all things.
How could such a one be a mere man, receiving the beginning of His existence from Mary, and not 210 rather God the Word, and the only-begotten Son? For “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Ignatius, Epistle to the Philippians
And again, “Hath not one God created us? Have we not all one Father? And there is also one Son, God the Word. For “the only-begotten Son,” saith [the Scripture], “who is in the bosom of the Father.” …
... For “the Word became flesh.” For “Wisdom builded for herself a house.” And God the Word was born as man, with a body, of the Virgin, without any intercourse of man.
Justin - Dialogue with Trypho - [110-165 AD]
God begat before all creatures a Beginning, [who was] a certain rational power [proceeding] from Himself, who is called by the Holy Spirit, now the Glory of the Lord, now the Son, again Wisdom, again an Angel, then God, and then Lord and Logos;
“And that Christ being Lord, and God the Son of God, and appearing formerly in power as Man, and Angel, and in the glory of fire as at the bush, . . .
Irenaeus - Against Heresies Book 1 [120-202 AD] - Disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of John
Very properly, then, did he say, “In the beginning was the Word,” for He was in the Son; “and the Word was with God,” for He was the beginning; “and the Word was God, ” of course, for that which is begotten of God is God. “The same was in the beginning with God” …
Irenaeus - Against Heresies - Book 2 [120-202 AD] - Disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of John
Him who is God over all, since He is all Nous, and all Logos, … and has in Himself nothing more ancient or late than another, and nothing at variance with another, but continues altogether equal, and similar, and homogeneous, … And in what respect will the Word of God — yea, rather God Himself, since He is the Word . . .
Chap 17 Father of all is not to be regarded as a kind of compound Being, who 762 can be separated from his Nous (mind), as I have already shown; . . .he is Logos, must be perfect and impassible,… they are of the same substance with himself, should be perfect and impassible, …
Irenaeus - Against Heresies - Book 3 [120-202 AD] - Disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of John
For inasmuch as the Word of God was man from the root of Jesse, and son of Abraham, in this respect did the Spirit of God rest upon Him, and anoint Him to preach the Gospel to the lowly. But inasmuch as He was God, He did not judge according to glory, nor reprove after the manner of speech.
Irenaeus - Against Heresies - Book 4 [120-202 AD] - Disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of John
And through the Word Himself who had been made visible and palpable, was the Father shown forth, … all saw the Father in the Son: for the Father is the invisible of the Son, but the Son the visible of the Father. And for this reason all spake with Christ when He was present [upon earth], and they named Him God.
He, therefore, who was known, was not a different being from Him who declared “No man knoweth the Father,” but one and the same, the Father making all things subject to Him; while He received testimony from all that He was very man, and that He was very God, from the Father, from the Spirit, . . .
For the true God did confess the commandment of the law as the word of God, and called no one else God besides His own Father.
Theophilus To Autolycus - Book 2 - [115 -181 AD]
In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the Trinity, of God, and His Word, and His wisdom.
Hear what I say. The God and Father, indeed, of all cannot be contained, and is not
found in a place, for there is no place of His rest; but His Word, through whom He made all things, being His power and His wisdom, assuming the person of the Father and Lord of all, went to the garden in the person of God, and conversed with Adam.
The Word, then, being God, and being naturally produced from God, whenever the Father of the universe wills, He sends Him to any place; and He, coming, is both heard and seen, being sent by Him, and is found in a place.
Clement of Alexandria - Exhortation To The Heathen - [153 - 217 AD]
Well, inasmuch as the Word was from the first, He was and is the divine source of all things; but inasmuch as He has now assumed the name Christ, consecrated of old, and worthy of power. . .. This Word, then, the Christ, the cause of both our being at first (for He was in God) and of our well-being, this very Word has now appeared as man, He alone being both, God and man.
He, who is in Him that truly is, has appeared; for the Word, who “was with God,” and by whom all things were created, has appeared as our Teacher. The Word, who in the beginning bestowed on us life as Creator when He formed us, taught us to live well when He appeared as our Teacher; that as God He might afterwards conduct us to the life which never ends.
If it is thy wish, be thou also initiated; and thou shalt join the choir along with angels around the unbegotten and indestructible and the only true God, the Word of God, raising the hymn with us. This Jesus, who is eternal, the one great High Priest of the one God, and of His Father, prays for and exhorts men.
Clement of Alexandria - The Instructor
God in the form of man, stainless, the minister of His Father’s will, the Word who is God, who is in the Father, who is at the Father’s right hand, and with the form of God is God.
Address Of Tatian To The Greeks – [110-172 AD]
God was in the beginning; but the beginning, we have been taught, is the power of the Logos. . . .And by His simple will the Logos springs forth; and the Logos, not coming forth in vain, becomes the first-begotten work of the Father. Him (the Logos) we know to be the beginning of the world. But He came into being by participation, not by abscission;
Chapter XXI.-Doctrines of the Christians and Greeks Respecting God Compared.
We do not act as fools, O Greeks, nor utter idle tales, when we announce that God was born in the form of a man.
A Plea For The Christians By Athenagoras The Athenian: [c.120- 180]
. . . But the Son of God is the Logos of the Father, in idea and in operation; for after the pattern of Him and by Him were all things made, the Father and the Son being one. . . .Who, then, would not be astonished to hear men who speak of God the Father, and of God the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and who declare both their power in union and their distinction in order, called atheists?
…that they know God and His Logos, what is the oneness of the Son with the Father, what the communion of the Father with the Son, what is the Spirit, what is the unity of these three, the Spirit, the Son, the Father, and their distinction in unity; and who know 255 that the life for which we look is far better than can be described in words,
The Epistle Of Mathetes To Diognetus [c. 130 AD]
…but truly God Himself, who is almighty, the Creator of all things, and invisible, has sent from heaven, and placed among men, [Him who is] the truth, and the holy and incomprehensible Word, and has firmly established Him in their hearts … but the very Creator and Fashioner of all things-by whom He made the heavens-by whom he enclosed the sea within its proper bounds-. . .by whom all things have been arranged, and placed within their proper limits, . . .This [messenger] He sent to them. Was it then, as one might conceive, for the purpose of exercising tyranny, or of inspiring fear and terror? By no means, but under the influence of clemency and meekness. As a king sends his son, who is also a king, so sent He Him; as God He sent Him; as to men He sent Him; as a Saviour He sent Him, and as seeking to persuade, not to compel us; for violence has no place in the character of God....
Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians, disciple of John the apostle. [30-107 AD]
He, being begotten by the Father before the beginning of time, was God the Word, the only-begotten Son, and remains the same for ever; for “of His kingdom there shall be no end,” says Daniel the prophet. …
Ignatius, Epistle to the Trallians
And God the Word was truly born of the Virgin, having clothed Himself with a body of like passions with our own. He who forms all men in the womb, was Himself really in the womb, and made for Himself a body of the seed of the Virgin, but without any intercourse of man. Since, also, there is but one unbegotten Being, God, even the Father; and one only-begotten Son, God, the Word and man; . . .
Ignatius, Epistle to the Philadelphians
If any one confesses these things, and that God the Word did dwell in a human body, being within it as the Word, . . .
Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrneans
our Lord Jesus Christ, that He was the Son of God, “the firstborn of every creature,” God the Word, the only-begotten Son, and was of the seed of David according to the flesh, . . .
Ignatius, Epistle to the Tarsians
. . . He who was born of a woman was the Son of God, and He that was crucified was “the first-born of every creature,” and God the Word, who also created all things.
How could such a one be a mere man, receiving the beginning of His existence from Mary, and not 210 rather God the Word, and the only-begotten Son? For “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Ignatius, Epistle to the Philippians
And again, “Hath not one God created us? Have we not all one Father? And there is also one Son, God the Word. For “the only-begotten Son,” saith [the Scripture], “who is in the bosom of the Father.” …
... For “the Word became flesh.” For “Wisdom builded for herself a house.” And God the Word was born as man, with a body, of the Virgin, without any intercourse of man.
Justin - Dialogue with Trypho - [110-165 AD]
God begat before all creatures a Beginning, [who was] a certain rational power [proceeding] from Himself, who is called by the Holy Spirit, now the Glory of the Lord, now the Son, again Wisdom, again an Angel, then God, and then Lord and Logos;
“And that Christ being Lord, and God the Son of God, and appearing formerly in power as Man, and Angel, and in the glory of fire as at the bush, . . .
Irenaeus - Against Heresies Book 1 [120-202 AD] - Disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of John
Very properly, then, did he say, “In the beginning was the Word,” for He was in the Son; “and the Word was with God,” for He was the beginning; “and the Word was God, ” of course, for that which is begotten of God is God. “The same was in the beginning with God” …
Irenaeus - Against Heresies - Book 2 [120-202 AD] - Disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of John
Him who is God over all, since He is all Nous, and all Logos, … and has in Himself nothing more ancient or late than another, and nothing at variance with another, but continues altogether equal, and similar, and homogeneous, … And in what respect will the Word of God — yea, rather God Himself, since He is the Word . . .
Chap 17 Father of all is not to be regarded as a kind of compound Being, who 762 can be separated from his Nous (mind), as I have already shown; . . .he is Logos, must be perfect and impassible,… they are of the same substance with himself, should be perfect and impassible, …
Irenaeus - Against Heresies - Book 3 [120-202 AD] - Disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of John
For inasmuch as the Word of God was man from the root of Jesse, and son of Abraham, in this respect did the Spirit of God rest upon Him, and anoint Him to preach the Gospel to the lowly. But inasmuch as He was God, He did not judge according to glory, nor reprove after the manner of speech.
Irenaeus - Against Heresies - Book 4 [120-202 AD] - Disciple of Polycarp, a disciple of John
And through the Word Himself who had been made visible and palpable, was the Father shown forth, … all saw the Father in the Son: for the Father is the invisible of the Son, but the Son the visible of the Father. And for this reason all spake with Christ when He was present [upon earth], and they named Him God.
He, therefore, who was known, was not a different being from Him who declared “No man knoweth the Father,” but one and the same, the Father making all things subject to Him; while He received testimony from all that He was very man, and that He was very God, from the Father, from the Spirit, . . .
For the true God did confess the commandment of the law as the word of God, and called no one else God besides His own Father.
Theophilus To Autolycus - Book 2 - [115 -181 AD]
In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the Trinity, of God, and His Word, and His wisdom.
Hear what I say. The God and Father, indeed, of all cannot be contained, and is not
found in a place, for there is no place of His rest; but His Word, through whom He made all things, being His power and His wisdom, assuming the person of the Father and Lord of all, went to the garden in the person of God, and conversed with Adam.
The Word, then, being God, and being naturally produced from God, whenever the Father of the universe wills, He sends Him to any place; and He, coming, is both heard and seen, being sent by Him, and is found in a place.
Clement of Alexandria - Exhortation To The Heathen - [153 - 217 AD]
Well, inasmuch as the Word was from the first, He was and is the divine source of all things; but inasmuch as He has now assumed the name Christ, consecrated of old, and worthy of power. . .. This Word, then, the Christ, the cause of both our being at first (for He was in God) and of our well-being, this very Word has now appeared as man, He alone being both, God and man.
He, who is in Him that truly is, has appeared; for the Word, who “was with God,” and by whom all things were created, has appeared as our Teacher. The Word, who in the beginning bestowed on us life as Creator when He formed us, taught us to live well when He appeared as our Teacher; that as God He might afterwards conduct us to the life which never ends.
If it is thy wish, be thou also initiated; and thou shalt join the choir along with angels around the unbegotten and indestructible and the only true God, the Word of God, raising the hymn with us. This Jesus, who is eternal, the one great High Priest of the one God, and of His Father, prays for and exhorts men.
Clement of Alexandria - The Instructor
God in the form of man, stainless, the minister of His Father’s will, the Word who is God, who is in the Father, who is at the Father’s right hand, and with the form of God is God.
Address Of Tatian To The Greeks – [110-172 AD]
God was in the beginning; but the beginning, we have been taught, is the power of the Logos. . . .And by His simple will the Logos springs forth; and the Logos, not coming forth in vain, becomes the first-begotten work of the Father. Him (the Logos) we know to be the beginning of the world. But He came into being by participation, not by abscission;
Chapter XXI.-Doctrines of the Christians and Greeks Respecting God Compared.
We do not act as fools, O Greeks, nor utter idle tales, when we announce that God was born in the form of a man.
A Plea For The Christians By Athenagoras The Athenian: [c.120- 180]
. . . But the Son of God is the Logos of the Father, in idea and in operation; for after the pattern of Him and by Him were all things made, the Father and the Son being one. . . .Who, then, would not be astonished to hear men who speak of God the Father, and of God the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and who declare both their power in union and their distinction in order, called atheists?
…that they know God and His Logos, what is the oneness of the Son with the Father, what the communion of the Father with the Son, what is the Spirit, what is the unity of these three, the Spirit, the Son, the Father, and their distinction in unity; and who know 255 that the life for which we look is far better than can be described in words,
The Epistle Of Mathetes To Diognetus [c. 130 AD]
…but truly God Himself, who is almighty, the Creator of all things, and invisible, has sent from heaven, and placed among men, [Him who is] the truth, and the holy and incomprehensible Word, and has firmly established Him in their hearts … but the very Creator and Fashioner of all things-by whom He made the heavens-by whom he enclosed the sea within its proper bounds-. . .by whom all things have been arranged, and placed within their proper limits, . . .This [messenger] He sent to them. Was it then, as one might conceive, for the purpose of exercising tyranny, or of inspiring fear and terror? By no means, but under the influence of clemency and meekness. As a king sends his son, who is also a king, so sent He Him; as God He sent Him; as to men He sent Him; as a Saviour He sent Him, and as seeking to persuade, not to compel us; for violence has no place in the character of God....
Matthias
Well-known member
“… I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father, and your Father, and my God and your God.”
(John 20:17)
Jesus ascended to the God of his confession, to the God of his creed, to the God of the Shema.
Jesus ascended to his God, the Father.
”Jesus is a trinitarian” is false teaching about Jesus.
His God is only one person, the Father. Jesus is a unitarian.
(John 20:17)
Jesus ascended to the God of his confession, to the God of his creed, to the God of the Shema.
Jesus ascended to his God, the Father.
”Jesus is a trinitarian” is false teaching about Jesus.
His God is only one person, the Father. Jesus is a unitarian.
Matthias
Well-known member
“For, according to the New Testament witnesses, in the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles, relative to the monotheism of the Old Testament and Judaism, there had been no element of change whatsoever. Mk. xii, 29 recorded the confirmation by Jesus himself, without any reservation, of the supreme monotheistic confessio fidei of Israelite religion in its complete form.”
(Martin Werner, The Formation of Christian Dogma, p. 241)
The “supreme monotheistic confessio fidei of Israel“ is unitarian.
Jesus himself confirmed unitarianism.
Let them laugh at Jesus. Let them teach falsely that Jesus is a trinitarian. Let Jesus handle their mockery and false teaching, when and as he sees fit.
(Martin Werner, The Formation of Christian Dogma, p. 241)
The “supreme monotheistic confessio fidei of Israel“ is unitarian.
Jesus himself confirmed unitarianism.
Let them laugh at Jesus. Let them teach falsely that Jesus is a trinitarian. Let Jesus handle their mockery and false teaching, when and as he sees fit.
Last edited:
civic
Well-known member
The doctrine of the Trinity is not a second or third century invention of the early church. Even though the term itself does not appear in the Scriptures, the Trinity is found to be at the heart of many New Testament authors’ thought, namely in the writings of the apostle Paul. The texts supporting this doctrine are numerous, much more than the oft-cited Trinitarian formula from Matthew 28:19–20 and 2 Corinthians 13:13. A glance at the New Testament reveals that the writings of John and those of Paul are the main ones presenting God in three persons who are eternally distinct, co-eternal, omniscient, and omnipotent.
One could deal with the doctrine of the Trinity in Paul from different angles, either by studying the titles given to the Father and to the Son (e.g., the title “Lord” or “Saviour”), or by studying passages describing the actions of the Father, those of the Son, and those of the Spirit. One could also examine the divine attributes predicated of each of the three persons of the Godhead.
We choose here a different path. We will deal (for the most part) with passages where the three divine persons are mentioned together, and try to understand the respective roles of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit with respect to different facets of the divine work.
The apostle Paul especially deals with the work of the Trinitarian God in creation, redemption, sanctification, confession of the Lord’s work to non-believers, adoration, and finally discussion of the new creation.
Before we examine the first two of these topics (creation and redemption) in different letters from the apostle to the Gentiles, let us take a few steps back and ponder who wrote these texts. The remaining four topics (sanctification, confession to non-believers, adoration, and new creation) will be covered, Lord willing, in a forthcoming article.
While some contemporary theologians seek in vain to discover the source of Paul’s thought in mystery religions or in Greco-Roman religiosity, we need to be reminded that Paul was a Jew, raised in strict monotheistic Judaism, and that nothing predisposed him to understanding God as existing in three distinct persons.
On many occasions, Paul reminds his readers and hearers about the Jewish background of his life and thought: “I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin” (Rom 11:1). He tells the Galatians that nothing in his past life predisposed him to believe in Jesus and the Messiah: “For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Gal 1:13–14). Answering those who boasted of their ties with Judaism, Paul specifies: “If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Phil 3:4b–6).
Seeking to bring back the Corinthians to their senses, as they were under the influence of so-called “super-apostles,” Paul declares: “Are they Hebrews ? So am I. Are they Israelites ? So am I. Are they servants of Christ ? . . . I am more” (2 Cor 11:22–23a).
There is therefore no doubt that Paul’s background was Jewish. At the heart of this Jewish faith stood a strict monotheism, which Paul never renounced. On the contrary, he can thus affirm without any doubt that God is one, that there is only one God, a New Testament echo to the Jewish Shema (cf. Deut 6:4). “God is one,” Paul writes in Gal 3:20; this statement he repeats in identical terms (in Greek) in Rom 3:30: “there is only one God” (NIV). As he praises God, Paul declares: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim 1:17).
The texts Paul left us are not those of a tri-theist, nor those of one believing in three different modes of being in God (a doctrine known as modalism), but those of a monotheistic Jew.
Before meeting the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus, Paul was resolutely committed to monotheism. And after God revealed His Son to him (Gal 1:16), Paul remained monotheistic, even though this monotheism was now expressed in a new form. As he writes to the Corinthians concerning idols, Paul notes: “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through who all things came, and through whom we live” (1 Cor 8:6). Paul’s faith in a unique God does not exclude the fact that he assigns the title “Lord” to Jesus Christ, nor does it prevent him to speak of Jesus as the creator of all things. However, one finds in Paul’s letters not a single trace of tri-theism or of modalism. Rather, one rather reads in Paul’s letters to the churches and to his coworkers about a Triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit. Nothing in Paul’s background predisposed him to believe in—or to even understand—a God in three persons.
Paul’s understanding of a Triune God came through a revelation from God about His Son, concerning the identity and mission of Jesus the Messiah, leading to a fuller understanding of God Himself. Nothing predisposed Paul to speak of God in terms of the Father, the Son, or the Spirit; God himself revealed His Son to him (Gal 1:16).
The apostle to the Gentiles mentions the Triune God in numerous places in his letters. Let us browse the main passages mentioning together the three persons of the Trinity when it comes to describe God’s handiwork.
The Trinity and Creation
One does not find a specific text in Paul’s writings mentioning Father, Son and Spirit together, in the context of the (first) creation. However, the epistle to the Colossians (one of the few letters of Paul without any mention of the Holy Spirit) speaks unequivocally of the role of the Son: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (Col 1:15–17). “God the Father” to whom Paul gives thanks in Col 1:3, and to whom the Colossians are called to give thanks (1:12) has created everything by His Son. The Son is the Agent (“through him, by him”) of creation, and the goal (“for him”) of creation. In fact, the Son is not only the creator, but also the sustainer of all creation. Though Paul does not mention the Holy Spirit in this context, he nonetheless unequivocally affirms the central role of the Son.
The Trinity and Redemption
We will deal here with passages referring to redemption, justification, and salvation by faith. Let us begin by well-known texts.
As he lays out the divine plan along chronological lines, Paul writes to the Galatians: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Gal 4:4–6). We find here the three persons of the Trinity mentioned explicitly: God (who has sent His Son, so this God cannot be anyone but the Father), His Son, and the Spirit (called here the “Spirit of his Son”). Let us note that sending is attributed twice to the Father: He first sent His Son when the time had fully come, a unique moment in salvation history, and He sends the Spirit of His Son in the hearts of believers, as they individually throughout history place their trust in the Son for their own justification.
Let us also note the simultaneous presence of the great realities of salvation: redemption (“to redeem” – v. 5), adoption (making us to be sons and daughters of God), and all of this in the larger context of a discussion about justification by faith, a discussion which started in Gal 3:1 and continues until 4:11. We therefore see the three persons of the Trinity involved in our justification, our adoption, and our redemption.
Paul previously wrote in Galatians, “ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident….Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. . . that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:11–14). Though covering four verses in our Bibles, these are two sentences presenting consecutively the person of the Father as the One who justifies, the person of the Son who redeemed us from the curse of the law by his death of the cross, and the person of the Spirit whom we receive as promised. We read here about the specific role of the Son in our justification, and the gift of the promised Spirit. One finds here no confusion in the roles or in the identity of the divine persons. God the Father, declaring Abraham to be righteous before Him through his faith in God’s promise (Gal 3:6), has through the Scriptures spoken beforehand and foresaw the gospel of our redemption accomplished in Christ, leading us to receive the Spirit. Our prayers of thankfulness would benefit from being a bit more precise: we must praise our Triune God for such a great salvation.
The familiar text from Gal 4:4–6 should not makes us forget that Paul also mentions the three persons of the Trinity some verses earlier in the same epistle, namely in Gal 3:1–5, where Paul speaks about the Galatians’ initial taste of salvation. Paul first mentions Jesus Christ as crucified (v. 1), continues in reminding his readers they have received the Spirit by believing what they heard (vv. 2, 4), and concludes this brief paragraph speaking about the One who gives them the Spirit and works miracles among them, this One referring to God the Father (v. 4). Though this text covers five verses, reminding the Galatians of their initial salvation serves here as the thread tying together a series of questions from Paul, whose purpose is to recall to his readers that their salvation is the work of the Son, of the Spirit, and of the God who justifies, the topic of justification being what Paul deals with immediately in v. 6.
Changing epistles, one finds in Eph 1:3–14, in what is one of the longest sentences in the New Testament, a depiction of the spiritual blessing which is ours in Jesus Christ. Paul presents this spiritual blessing with eight or nine pictures, the work of the Father, that of the Son, and that of the Spirit. Some of the spiritual gems can be attributed to “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 3), namely our election before the foundation of the world and the fact that we were predestined to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will (vv. 4–5, 11). It is also the Father who had made known to us the mystery of His will, that is, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ” (vv. 9–10). On the other hand, it is in the Son that we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins (vv. 7–8); it is the Son, Christ, to whom all things in heaven and on earth come together (v. 10). Finally, the Spirit is the one who marks us with a seal, as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the final redemption (vv. 13–14). Our salvation in all its components, from eternity past to eternity future, is the work of the three persons of the Trinity. What God the Father had planned, the Son accomplished, and the Spirit sealed, authenticated, and confirmed. Our salvation finds its source, fulfilment, and certainty in the work of the Triune God.
The same truths are declared also to the Thessalonians, as Paul writes: “God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thess 2:13–14). The sequence Father–Son–Spirit, found in Eph 1:3–14, is here slightly altered to God (the Father)–Spirit–Lord Jesus Christ. The Father is presented as the source of our election, the Holy Spirit as the one who sets us apart for God, and the Lord Jesus as the One whose glory we will share. Once again our entire salvation—its source, present work, and eternal finality—is the work of the Triune God.
The final passage we will consider in this short article is Rom 5:1–11, a text rich in content when it comes to describing our salvation. Paul presents different perspectives concerning our present salvation: peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 1), hope of the glory of God (v. 2), death of Christ for the powerless, the sinners, God’s enemies (vv. 6–10), love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom God has given us (v. 5), justification by the blood of Christ (v. 9), salvation through Christ from God’s wrath (v. 9), reconciliation with God through the death of his Son (v. 10). Though we do not find Father-Son-Spirit mentioned together in a single verse, these verses taken together present us a salvation through different lenses (justification, reconciliation, salvation from God’s wrath), a salvation being the work of God the Father, Christ (also called here the Son), and Holy Spirit.
Let us conclude this brief analysis with a few observations. First, the apostle Paul does not always mention the divine persons in exactly the same sequence. Often the Father comes first, but not exclusively. Sometimes, salvation is presented first through the lens of what the Son has given us. Elsewhere, it is the presence and the work of the Spirit which precedes any mention about the Son (cf. 2 Thess 2:13–14).
There are different roles within the Triune God: the Father is the one who, with the Son, designed the work of redemption, but it is through the Son, by his death on the cross, who fulfils it, and it is the Holy Spirit who applies, seals, and authenticates this salvation in the believers’ hearts. Moreover, when it comes to discussing the roles within the Godhead, it is said nowhere that the Spirit sent the Son; on the contrary, it is the Father who sent the Son, and it is again the Father who sends the Spirit (cf. Gal 4:4–6). There is a subordination among the three persons of the Trinity, from the Son to the Father, and from the Spirit and the Son to the Father.
Lastly, our salvation is indeed the work of the Triune God. What the Father has planned and designed, the Son accomplished, and the Holy Spirit authenticates and guarantees. From eternity past to eternity future, our salvation finds its source, its reality, and its ultimate goal in the work of the Triune God. Dr. Pierre Constant is the H. C. Slade Chair of New Testament Studies at Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College.
hope this helps !!!
Approaching the Issue from Different Perspectives
One could deal with the doctrine of the Trinity in Paul from different angles, either by studying the titles given to the Father and to the Son (e.g., the title “Lord” or “Saviour”), or by studying passages describing the actions of the Father, those of the Son, and those of the Spirit. One could also examine the divine attributes predicated of each of the three persons of the Godhead.
We choose here a different path. We will deal (for the most part) with passages where the three divine persons are mentioned together, and try to understand the respective roles of the Father, of the Son, and of the Spirit with respect to different facets of the divine work.
The apostle Paul especially deals with the work of the Trinitarian God in creation, redemption, sanctification, confession of the Lord’s work to non-believers, adoration, and finally discussion of the new creation.
Before we examine the first two of these topics (creation and redemption) in different letters from the apostle to the Gentiles, let us take a few steps back and ponder who wrote these texts. The remaining four topics (sanctification, confession to non-believers, adoration, and new creation) will be covered, Lord willing, in a forthcoming article.
Paul, a Faithful Monotheist,
Devoted to the Faith of his Fathers
While some contemporary theologians seek in vain to discover the source of Paul’s thought in mystery religions or in Greco-Roman religiosity, we need to be reminded that Paul was a Jew, raised in strict monotheistic Judaism, and that nothing predisposed him to understanding God as existing in three distinct persons.
On many occasions, Paul reminds his readers and hearers about the Jewish background of his life and thought: “I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin” (Rom 11:1). He tells the Galatians that nothing in his past life predisposed him to believe in Jesus and the Messiah: “For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Gal 1:13–14). Answering those who boasted of their ties with Judaism, Paul specifies: “If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.” (Phil 3:4b–6).
Seeking to bring back the Corinthians to their senses, as they were under the influence of so-called “super-apostles,” Paul declares: “Are they Hebrews ? So am I. Are they Israelites ? So am I. Are they servants of Christ ? . . . I am more” (2 Cor 11:22–23a).
There is therefore no doubt that Paul’s background was Jewish. At the heart of this Jewish faith stood a strict monotheism, which Paul never renounced. On the contrary, he can thus affirm without any doubt that God is one, that there is only one God, a New Testament echo to the Jewish Shema (cf. Deut 6:4). “God is one,” Paul writes in Gal 3:20; this statement he repeats in identical terms (in Greek) in Rom 3:30: “there is only one God” (NIV). As he praises God, Paul declares: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Tim 1:17).
The texts Paul left us are not those of a tri-theist, nor those of one believing in three different modes of being in God (a doctrine known as modalism), but those of a monotheistic Jew.
Before meeting the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus, Paul was resolutely committed to monotheism. And after God revealed His Son to him (Gal 1:16), Paul remained monotheistic, even though this monotheism was now expressed in a new form. As he writes to the Corinthians concerning idols, Paul notes: “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through who all things came, and through whom we live” (1 Cor 8:6). Paul’s faith in a unique God does not exclude the fact that he assigns the title “Lord” to Jesus Christ, nor does it prevent him to speak of Jesus as the creator of all things. However, one finds in Paul’s letters not a single trace of tri-theism or of modalism. Rather, one rather reads in Paul’s letters to the churches and to his coworkers about a Triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit. Nothing in Paul’s background predisposed him to believe in—or to even understand—a God in three persons.
Paul’s understanding of a Triune God came through a revelation from God about His Son, concerning the identity and mission of Jesus the Messiah, leading to a fuller understanding of God Himself. Nothing predisposed Paul to speak of God in terms of the Father, the Son, or the Spirit; God himself revealed His Son to him (Gal 1:16).
Paul, Minister of the Gospel Message
Concerning a Trinitarian God
The apostle to the Gentiles mentions the Triune God in numerous places in his letters. Let us browse the main passages mentioning together the three persons of the Trinity when it comes to describe God’s handiwork.
The Trinity and Creation
One does not find a specific text in Paul’s writings mentioning Father, Son and Spirit together, in the context of the (first) creation. However, the epistle to the Colossians (one of the few letters of Paul without any mention of the Holy Spirit) speaks unequivocally of the role of the Son: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist (Col 1:15–17). “God the Father” to whom Paul gives thanks in Col 1:3, and to whom the Colossians are called to give thanks (1:12) has created everything by His Son. The Son is the Agent (“through him, by him”) of creation, and the goal (“for him”) of creation. In fact, the Son is not only the creator, but also the sustainer of all creation. Though Paul does not mention the Holy Spirit in this context, he nonetheless unequivocally affirms the central role of the Son.
The Trinity and Redemption
We will deal here with passages referring to redemption, justification, and salvation by faith. Let us begin by well-known texts.
As he lays out the divine plan along chronological lines, Paul writes to the Galatians: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Gal 4:4–6). We find here the three persons of the Trinity mentioned explicitly: God (who has sent His Son, so this God cannot be anyone but the Father), His Son, and the Spirit (called here the “Spirit of his Son”). Let us note that sending is attributed twice to the Father: He first sent His Son when the time had fully come, a unique moment in salvation history, and He sends the Spirit of His Son in the hearts of believers, as they individually throughout history place their trust in the Son for their own justification.
Let us also note the simultaneous presence of the great realities of salvation: redemption (“to redeem” – v. 5), adoption (making us to be sons and daughters of God), and all of this in the larger context of a discussion about justification by faith, a discussion which started in Gal 3:1 and continues until 4:11. We therefore see the three persons of the Trinity involved in our justification, our adoption, and our redemption.
Paul previously wrote in Galatians, “ But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident….Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law. . . that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Gal 3:11–14). Though covering four verses in our Bibles, these are two sentences presenting consecutively the person of the Father as the One who justifies, the person of the Son who redeemed us from the curse of the law by his death of the cross, and the person of the Spirit whom we receive as promised. We read here about the specific role of the Son in our justification, and the gift of the promised Spirit. One finds here no confusion in the roles or in the identity of the divine persons. God the Father, declaring Abraham to be righteous before Him through his faith in God’s promise (Gal 3:6), has through the Scriptures spoken beforehand and foresaw the gospel of our redemption accomplished in Christ, leading us to receive the Spirit. Our prayers of thankfulness would benefit from being a bit more precise: we must praise our Triune God for such a great salvation.
The familiar text from Gal 4:4–6 should not makes us forget that Paul also mentions the three persons of the Trinity some verses earlier in the same epistle, namely in Gal 3:1–5, where Paul speaks about the Galatians’ initial taste of salvation. Paul first mentions Jesus Christ as crucified (v. 1), continues in reminding his readers they have received the Spirit by believing what they heard (vv. 2, 4), and concludes this brief paragraph speaking about the One who gives them the Spirit and works miracles among them, this One referring to God the Father (v. 4). Though this text covers five verses, reminding the Galatians of their initial salvation serves here as the thread tying together a series of questions from Paul, whose purpose is to recall to his readers that their salvation is the work of the Son, of the Spirit, and of the God who justifies, the topic of justification being what Paul deals with immediately in v. 6.
Changing epistles, one finds in Eph 1:3–14, in what is one of the longest sentences in the New Testament, a depiction of the spiritual blessing which is ours in Jesus Christ. Paul presents this spiritual blessing with eight or nine pictures, the work of the Father, that of the Son, and that of the Spirit. Some of the spiritual gems can be attributed to “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 3), namely our election before the foundation of the world and the fact that we were predestined to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will (vv. 4–5, 11). It is also the Father who had made known to us the mystery of His will, that is, to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ” (vv. 9–10). On the other hand, it is in the Son that we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins (vv. 7–8); it is the Son, Christ, to whom all things in heaven and on earth come together (v. 10). Finally, the Spirit is the one who marks us with a seal, as a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the final redemption (vv. 13–14). Our salvation in all its components, from eternity past to eternity future, is the work of the three persons of the Trinity. What God the Father had planned, the Son accomplished, and the Spirit sealed, authenticated, and confirmed. Our salvation finds its source, fulfilment, and certainty in the work of the Triune God.
The same truths are declared also to the Thessalonians, as Paul writes: “God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth, to which He called you by our gospel, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thess 2:13–14). The sequence Father–Son–Spirit, found in Eph 1:3–14, is here slightly altered to God (the Father)–Spirit–Lord Jesus Christ. The Father is presented as the source of our election, the Holy Spirit as the one who sets us apart for God, and the Lord Jesus as the One whose glory we will share. Once again our entire salvation—its source, present work, and eternal finality—is the work of the Triune God.
The final passage we will consider in this short article is Rom 5:1–11, a text rich in content when it comes to describing our salvation. Paul presents different perspectives concerning our present salvation: peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 1), hope of the glory of God (v. 2), death of Christ for the powerless, the sinners, God’s enemies (vv. 6–10), love of God poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom God has given us (v. 5), justification by the blood of Christ (v. 9), salvation through Christ from God’s wrath (v. 9), reconciliation with God through the death of his Son (v. 10). Though we do not find Father-Son-Spirit mentioned together in a single verse, these verses taken together present us a salvation through different lenses (justification, reconciliation, salvation from God’s wrath), a salvation being the work of God the Father, Christ (also called here the Son), and Holy Spirit.
Conclusion
Let us conclude this brief analysis with a few observations. First, the apostle Paul does not always mention the divine persons in exactly the same sequence. Often the Father comes first, but not exclusively. Sometimes, salvation is presented first through the lens of what the Son has given us. Elsewhere, it is the presence and the work of the Spirit which precedes any mention about the Son (cf. 2 Thess 2:13–14).
There are different roles within the Triune God: the Father is the one who, with the Son, designed the work of redemption, but it is through the Son, by his death on the cross, who fulfils it, and it is the Holy Spirit who applies, seals, and authenticates this salvation in the believers’ hearts. Moreover, when it comes to discussing the roles within the Godhead, it is said nowhere that the Spirit sent the Son; on the contrary, it is the Father who sent the Son, and it is again the Father who sends the Spirit (cf. Gal 4:4–6). There is a subordination among the three persons of the Trinity, from the Son to the Father, and from the Spirit and the Son to the Father.
Lastly, our salvation is indeed the work of the Triune God. What the Father has planned and designed, the Son accomplished, and the Holy Spirit authenticates and guarantees. From eternity past to eternity future, our salvation finds its source, its reality, and its ultimate goal in the work of the Triune God. Dr. Pierre Constant is the H. C. Slade Chair of New Testament Studies at Toronto Baptist Seminary and Bible College.
hope this helps !!!
civic
Well-known member
E- Being
Matthias
Well-known member
“Strict monotheism has been one of the central characteristics of Judaism throughout the ages.”
(Alan Segal, Two Powers in Heaven, p. x)
Readers should be aware that this is another unitarian source. (Trinitarians have a tendency to dismiss unitarian sources out of hand.) However, it has been well-established by trinitarian sources that the monotheism of Judaism is unitarian.
Therefore, the strict monotheism of Judaism, the strict monotheism of Jesus, is unitary monotheism, not trinitary monotheism.
(Alan Segal, Two Powers in Heaven, p. x)
Readers should be aware that this is another unitarian source. (Trinitarians have a tendency to dismiss unitarian sources out of hand.) However, it has been well-established by trinitarian sources that the monotheism of Judaism is unitarian.
Therefore, the strict monotheism of Judaism, the strict monotheism of Jesus, is unitary monotheism, not trinitary monotheism.
APAK
Active member
Well I believe I've covered this ground already, even in the last post. Still fishing for anything I may have said that leaves some crumbs on the floor that accidently left the table, to then be examined and scrutinized for flaws.
Subordinate is the sense that to the Prince, we are giving honor and prayers either to him, himself independent of the Father, and that will occur for specific delegated authority he possesses, and even then it is ultimately for the King - he's always in the duty and service of his King 24/7. Or we are giving praise to the Prince, through him, focused and aimed specifically for and to his King. The Prince, as Jesus is the mediator to the King or God. And subordinate is the correct word to use here, as he is in the service of his Father as the once 'anointed one' deliberately planned and executed by his Father.
Because Deuteronomy 6:4-5 teaches who God is (1 God) and what He expects (exclusive worship) I chose to limit myself in citing passages found only within this same book and coupled them with passages from the New Testament in reference to the Lord Jesus.
1a. Believers are to "trust in the Lord" (Deuteronomy 1:32) concerning the one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4.
1b. Believers are to "trust in the Lord" concerning the one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 in reference to the Lord Jesus (Philippians 1:14; 2:24).
2a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is to be cleaved/joined unto (Deuteronomy 4:4; cf. 10:20; 11:22; 13:4; 30:20).
2b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because He is to be cleaved/joined/held fast unto (Acts 11:23; 1 Corinthians 6:17; Revelation 2:13).
3a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is to be to be called upon in prayer (Deuteronomy 4:7).
3b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because He is to be called upon in prayer (Acts 2:21; 9:14, 21; 22:16; Romans 10:12-14; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Timothy 2:22).
4a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is to be to be supremely feared (Deuteronomy 4:10; cf. 6:2, 13, 24; 10:12; 13:4; 14:23; 17:19; 31:12-13).
4b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because He is to be supremely feared (Acts 9:31; 2 Corinthians 5:11; Ephesians 5:21; 6:5; Colossians 3:22).
5a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 refers to His people as His possession (Deuteronomy 4:20; cf. 7:6; 14:2; 26:18).
5b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because Christians are His possession (Titus 2:13-14).
6a. All things are done in the sight of the one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 (cf. Deuteronomy 4:25; cf. 6:18; 9:18; 12:25, 28; 13:18; 17:2; 31:29).
6b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because all things are done in the sight of Him (2 Corinthians 8:21).
7a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is not to be provoked (Deuteronomy 4:25; cf. 9:18; 32:16, 21), for He is a jealous God (Deuteronomy 6:15).
7b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because He is not to be provoked to jealousy (1 Corinthians 10:22).
8a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 disciplines His followers (Deuteronomy 4:36; cf. 8:5; 11:2).
8b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because He disciplines His followers (Revelation 3:19).
9a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is to be the proper recipient of latreuō (Deuteronomy 6:13 LXX).
9b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because He is the proper recipient of latreuō (Revelation 22:3 cf. 20:6).
10a. The commandments of the one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 are to be kept (Deuteronomy 6:17).
10b. The commandments of the one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus in that His commands are to be kept (1 Corinthians 14:37; 1 Thessalonians 4:2; 2 Peter 3:2).
11a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is a faithful God (Deuteronomy 7:9).
11b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because He is a faithful God (2 Thessalonians 3:3; cf. 1 Corinthians 1:9).
12a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is to be the only way in which we should walk (Deuteronomy 8:6; cf. 10:12).
12b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because He is the only way in which we should walk (Colossians 2:6).
13a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is the proper recipient of euchomai (prayed) in Deuteronomy 9:20, 26 (LXX).
13b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus in that He is also the proper recipient of euchomai in James 5:16.
14a. The worshipers of the one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 are His slaves (Deuteronomy 9:27; cf. 32:36, 43; 34:5).
14b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because His worshipers are His slaves (Romans 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1:1; Revelation 2:20).
15a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is the Lord of lords (Deuteronomy 10:17).
15b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus in that He is the Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14; 19:16).
16a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is to be rendered leitourgeō (Deuteronomy 18: 5LXX).
16b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because He is rendered leitourgeō (Acts 13:2).
17a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 is worshiped by the firstfruits rendered unto Him (Deuteronomy 26:1-4).
17b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus in that Christians are metaphorically presented as sacrifices to the Father and to the Lord Jesus in worship (Romans 16:5; Revelation 14:4).
18a. People are to turn (epistrephō) to the one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 (Deuteronomy 30:10; cf. 7:4; 11:16, 28; 31:18, 20).
18b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because people turn (epistrephō) to Him (Acts 9:35).
19a. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 will repay (Deuteronomy 32:41).
19b. The one Lord (YHWH) of Deuteronomy 6:4 encompasses the Lord Jesus because He will repay (2 Timothy 4:14).
Last edited:
There is not one word used in the Bible to support the false notion that Jesus receives subordinate worship to that of the Father.
I noticed you didn't cite or quote one Scripture. This isn't surprising.
Matthias
Well-known member
“The answer Jesus gave was thoroughly non-controversial …”
(N.T. Wright, Jesus And The Victory of God, p. 305)
Thoroughly Jewish; thoroughly unitarian.
