7. The self revelation, in the Old Testament, that only Yahweh (who is one person) is God.
“To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD [Yahweh] Himself is God; there is none other beside Him.” (Deuteronomy 4:35)
“Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no God beside Me.”
(Deuteronomy 32:39)
“O LORD [Yahweh] of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are
God, You alone . . .” (Isaiah 37:16)
“You are My witnesses,” says the LORD [Yahweh], and My servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD
[Yahweh].” (Isaiah 43:10, 11)
This is the fifth post in a moderated debate between Biblical Unitarian Danny Dixon and Trinitarian Marc Taylor. A complete list of posts can be accessed here.
In examining the discussion thus far, I see that I have presented a few points that I do not think Marc has dealt with well, and I will restate them as well as present my final constructive points for the readers’ consideration.
6. It was God, the Father of Jesus Christ, who was the source of all the good works and miracles that Jesus did.
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” John 14:10
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—“ Acts 2:22
Last week, a number of us produced the following video. Thanks to Matt and Blake of Plasma Productions, and Nathan for his last-minute willingness to jump in and read the script, this eight minute video is now on youtube and gathering steam. Please link to it or embed it on your own website. It lays out in plain language five big reasons why the Trinity doesn’t make sense.
Will you ask these five questions of your pastor or trusted Christian expert? Most people just believe in the Trinity because that is how they were raised. Tradition has been passed down from generation to generation and no one seems to be asking whether or not this doctrine is biblical. If you care about this subject, if this is important to you, if you want to know who God really is, then you owe it to yourself to wrestle with these questions.
5.Psalm 110:1, is quoted two times in the New Testament in association with the Lord Jesus Christ. The first time it is quoted it is in Matthew 22:41-45:
“While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.” 43 He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: 44
‘ The LORD said to my Lord,
“ Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”’?
45 If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his Son?” 46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore.”
Who is God? Is there any other question more important than this? Is God a singular individual or a multi-personal being? Has the Church been duped into settling for a philosophically sophisticated substitute in the place of the simple God of Judaism? Should Jesus be worshiped and if so how? Is the Holy Spirit a distinct person or is it/he just a way of talking about God’s presence in the world. These questions and many more demand satisfying and cogent biblical answers. To that kingdomready.org is hosting a written debate between Danny Andre’ Dixon and Marc Taylor. Each entry will be 1500 words or less posted each Tuesday and Saturday between August 17th and October 2nd. Everyone is welcome to participate in this debate by leaving comments on each post. We cannot guarantee that Mr. Tayor or Mr. Dixon will read your comments, but they very well may, depending on how many comments are made and how busy they are preparing for their next post. Please be sure to follow our Communication Policy when making comments.
4.The Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles Paul, Peter and John identify the Father as the only true God.
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” The Lord Jesus Christ in John 17:3
“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” The Lord Jesus Christ in John 20:17
3. John 1:1-3
Many trinitarians will argue that the first three verses of the gospel of John provide strong proof that Jesus is God. A footnote on John 1:1, in The MacArthur Study Bible (New King James Version) states,
“Before the universe began, the Second Person of the Trinity always existed . . . Because of John’s theme that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, he did not include a genealogy as Matthew and Luke did.”
2.The Jewish people never imagined that the Messiah would be God. Moses declared, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear.” (Deuteronomy 18:15)
And God did not contradict Moses, He said, “I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.” (v. 18)
“Suppose you need to solve a crime mystery. You survey the crime scene, gather the facts, and write them down in your memo pad. To solve the crime, you take the known facts and, step by step, show who committed the crime. You conscientiously provide supporting evidence for each statement you make.” These are the primary steps of writing a geometry proof to prove a hypothesis. Now, wait a minute before you go cringing and saying how you hated math in high school! This could be a very fun way for you to approach understanding your Bible, as if gathering clues and evidence to solve the greatest mystery ever told.
In examining the discussion thus far, I see that I have presented a few points that I do not think Marc has dealt with well, and I will restate them as well as present my final constructive points for the readers’ consideration.
Who is God? Is there any other question more important than this? Is God a singular individual or a multi-personal being? Has the Church been duped into settling for a philosophically sophisticated substitute in the place of the simple God of Judaism? Should Jesus be worshiped and if so how? Is the Holy Spirit a distinct person or is it/he just a way of talking about God’s presence in the world. These questions and many more demand satisfying and cogent biblical answers. To that kingdomready.org is hosting a written debate between Danny Andre’ Dixon and Marc Taylor. Each entry will be 1500 words or less posted each Tuesday and Saturday between August 17th and October 2nd. Everyone is welcome to participate in this debate by leaving comments on each post. We cannot guarantee that Mr. Tayor or Mr. Dixon will read your comments, but they very well may, depending on how many comments are made and how busy they are preparing for their next post. Please be sure to follow our