CHRISTIAN MONOTHEISM NOT TRITHEISM

[7thMoon]

Just so everyone is clear on the heresy of Modalism this poster is fixated on. From GotQuestions:

Modalism and Monarchianism are two false views of the nature of God and of Jesus Christ that appeared in the second and third centuries AD. A modalist views God as one Person instead of three Persons and believes that the Father, Son, and Spirit are simply different modes or forms of the same divine Person. According to modalism, God can switch among three different manifestations. A Monarchian believes in the unity of God (the Latin word monarchia meant “single rule”) to the point that he denies God’s triune nature. Both modalism and Monarchianism inevitably hold to the doctrine of Patripassianism, the teaching that God the Father suffered on the cross with (or as) the Son, and are closely related to Sabellianism.

Monarchianism took two primary forms, Dynamic (or Adoptionist) Monarchianism and Modalistic Monarchianism. Dynamic Monarchianism started with an errant view of the nature of Jesus, specifically, that He was not God but was, at His baptism, empowered by God to do the wonders He did. Modalistic Monarchianism, on the other hand, took the modalistic view that Jesus was God, but only by virtue of the fact that Jesus was one of God’s “manifestations.” According to Monarchianism, the Logos of God has no separate, personal existence of its own. The biblical terms Father, Son, and Spirit are only different names for the same Person, according to the Monarchian.

Modalistic Monarchianism teaches that the unity of God is incompatible with a distinction of Persons within the Godhead. According to modalism, God has variously manifested Himself as the Father (primarily in the Old Testament), as the Son (primarily from Jesus’ conception to His ascension), and as the Holy Spirit (primarily after Jesus’ ascension into heaven). Modalistic Monarchianism has its roots in the false teaching of Noetus of Smyrna around AD 190. Noetus called himself Moses and called his brother Aaron, and he taught that, if Jesus was God, then He must be the same as the Father. Hippolytus of Rome opposed this falsehood in his “Contra Noetum.” An early form of Modalistic Monarchianism was also taught by a priest from Asia Minor named Praxeas, who traveled to Rome and Carthage about AD 206. Tertullian countered the teaching of Praxeas in “Adversus Praxean” around 213. Modalistic Monarchianism and its related heresies were also refuted by Origen, Dionysius of Alexandria, and the Council of Nicea in 325.

A form of Monarchianism still exists today in Oneness Pentecostalism. In oneness theology, which is anti-Trinitarian, there are no distinctions among the Persons of the Godhead. Jesus is God, but He is also the Father and the Spirit. In a slight deviation from ancient modalism, Oneness Pentecostals teach that God is able to manifest Himself in all three “modes” simultaneously, such as at Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:22.

The Bible presents God as one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), but then speaks of three Persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). How these two truths harmonize is inconceivable to the human mind. When we attempt to understand the inscrutable, we will always fail to varying degrees. But Scripture is plain: God exists in three co-eternal, co-equal Persons. Jesus prayed to His Father (Luke 22:42) and now sits on the right hand of the Father in heaven (Hebrews 1:3). The Father and the Son sent the Spirit into the world (John 14:26; 15:26). Modalism and the more specific Modalistic Monarchianism are theologically dangerous because they attack the very nature of God. Any teaching that does not acknowledge God as three distinct Persons is unbiblical.

Monarchism is a form of monopantheism. Marcellus of Ancyra was proponent of this doctrine.

 

[Cameron143]

it is spring allergy season!

Right back achoo.

 

[tylerbones1313]

Only two verses of Scripture in the entire Bible mention Father, Son (or Word), and Holy Ghost in a way that could suggest three persons or a special significance of the number three in relation to the Godhead. They are Matthew 28:19 and I John 5:7. However, both of these passages present serious problems for the trinitarian view.

Matthew 28:19​

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).

In this passage, Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” However, this verse of Scripture does not teach that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate persons. Rather, it teaches that the titles of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost identify one name and therefore one being. The verse expressly says “in the name,” not “in the names.” If Jesus meant a plurality of persons he would have use the word names when giving the command.

To answer any doubt that the singular-plural distinction is significant or was planned deliberately by God, we need only read Galatians 3:16, where Paul emphasized the significance of the singular “thy seed” in Genesis 22:18. Many trinitarian scholars have recognized at least partially the significance of the singular in Matthew 28:19. For example, Presbyterian professor James Buswell stated, “The ‘name,’ not ‘names,’ of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in which we are to be baptized, is to be understood as Jahweh, the name of the Triune God.” His insight of the singular is correct, although his identification of the singular name is in error. Jehovah or Yahweh was the revealed name of God in the Old Testament, but Jesus is the revealed name of God in the New Testament. However, the name Jesus includes Jehovah since Jesus means Jehovah-Savior.

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost all describe the one God, so the phrase in Matthew 28:19 simply describes the one name of the one God. The Old Testament promised that there would come a time when Jehovah would have one name and that this one name would be made known (Zechariah 14:9; Isaiah 52:6). We know that the one name of Matthew 28:19 is Jesus, for Jesus is the name of the Father (John 5:43; Hebrews 1:4), the Son (Matthew 1:21), and the Holy Ghost (John 14:26). The New Testament church understood this to be so, for they baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5; I Corinthians 1:13). Matthew himself endorsed this interpretation by standing with Peter and the other apostles during the sermon in which Peter commanded the people to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:14-38).

Some claim that the references in Acts do not really mean that the name of Jesus was orally uttered as part of the baptismal formula. However, this appears to be an attempt to twist the language to comply with an erroneous doctrine and practice. Acts 22:16 says, “Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” The Amplified Bible says, “Rise and be baptized, and by calling upon His name wash away your sins.” The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament says, “Invoking the name.” Therefore this verse of Scripture indicates the name Jesus was orally invoked at baptism. James 2:7 says, “Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?” The Greek phrasing indicates that the name was invoked over the Christians at a specific time. Thus, TAB says, “Is it not they who slander and blaspheme that precious name by which you are distinguished and called [the name of Christ invoked in baptism]?” (brackets in original).

If the many scriptural passages in Acts that refer to water baptism in the name of Jesus do not describe a baptismal formula, then it is equally true that Matthew 28:19 does not indicate a formula. This interpretation would leave the church without any baptismal formula to distinguish Christian baptism from Jewish proselyte baptism and heathen baptism. But the Lord did not leave us without a baptismal formula; the church correctly carried out the instructions Jesus gave in Matthew 28:19 when the apostles used the name of Jesus in water baptism.

 

[montana123]

1Co 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him.

Eph 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The Bible plainly states that there is one God the Father, and does not say 3 persons in one God.

Why do they ignore scriptures.

They should stop interpreting the scriptures by the foundation of 3 persons in one God, and interpret the scriptures that there is one God the Father for then the scriptures would harmonize.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The Bible says that the Son shall be called the everlasting Father for there is one God the Father, and Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.

Joh 14:8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

That is why Jesus said if you have seen Him then you have seen the Father, and the words He speaks are not His own, but it is the Father that dwells in Him that does the works for there is one God the Father.

Rom 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;
Rom 1:4 And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.

There is no God the Son but the Son of God.

The Son is the man Christ Jesus.

Also the term son means to be begotten by a father, have a beginning, or else the term son has no meaning.

How can there be a God the Son that has no beginning when the term son means to have a beginning.

And Jesus cannot be a created god for God said there was no God formed before Him, and there shall be no God formed after Him.

And God means supreme being but a created god cannot be a supreme being for he would be made of physical matter which is inferior to God's Spirit.

Also if there is a trinity then why was Jesus conceived by the Holy Spirit the third person of the trinity, and not God the Son.

That would mean the Holy Spirit is our Savior that gave us His human body to wash away our sins.

For the Spirit being manifest in flesh would not create God the Son is He is the second person of a trinity.

So where is God the Son when it comes to the conception, and why does the Bible not mention God the Son being conceived in the womb of Mary.

Also Jesus told Philip that if He had seen Him then he has seen the Father, and the words He speaks are not His own, but the Father that dwells in Him, He does the works.

If it is the Father that does the works then it is the Father that is the Savior.

A trinity does not make sense but one God the Father makes sense, and is the truth for the Bible says there is one God the Father.

When the Bible says one God it means one God.

God said thou shall have no other gods besides me so if they say a trinity they are breaking that law.

They say 3 persons in one God so it would take all 3 persons to make one God so they would fall short of being a complete God on their own.

But then they say God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Sprit which then they are saying there is 3 Gods.

Which is it 3 persons in one God, or 3 Gods.

They say Jesus sits on a throne next to the Father.

But the Bible says that the role of the Son at the right hand is a temporary role which is active until His enemies are conquered, and then the Son shall stop being at the right hand that God may be all in all.

But where will Jesus go is if He is no longer sitting on a throne next to the Father because the role is temporary.

Which is why David said the LORD said unto my Lord sit at my right hand "until I make your enemies your footstool."

And the Son must reign until His enemies are conquered, and when they are conquered then the Son shall submit to the Father that God may be all in all.

The Bible says that one throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne, not 2 thrones.

Which is the throne of God and the Lamb, God in the glorified body of the man Christ Jesus.

The only person we will see in heaven is Jesus which He told Philip if you have seen me then you have seen the Father for there is only one God the Father.

Also the Jews did not believe in a trinity in the Old Testament, and was not told about a trinity, as is to this day that they believe in one God, and no trinity.

But if there is a trinity why would God the Father allow them to believe that He is the only God for then that would be a lie, and also if there was a trinity they would all have to be worshipped.

That is one of the reasons the Jews do not want to listen to Christians when they talk of a trinity, and it turns them away instead of hearing what they have to say.

You say only one God the Father, and their ears might perk up to want to listen to you.

The Bible says there is one God the Father, and the Holy Spirit is God's substance that He is a Spirit.

 

[Cameron143]

Only two verses of Scripture in the entire Bible mention Father, Son (or Word), and Holy Ghost in a way that could suggest three persons or a special significance of the number three in relation to the Godhead. They are Matthew 28:19 and I John 5:7. However, both of these passages present serious problems for the trinitarian view.

Matthew 28:19​

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19).

In this passage, Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” However, this verse of Scripture does not teach that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate persons. Rather, it teaches that the titles of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost identify one name and therefore one being. The verse expressly says “in the name,” not “in the names.” If Jesus meant a plurality of persons he would have use the word names when giving the command.

To answer any doubt that the singular-plural distinction is significant or was planned deliberately by God, we need only read Galatians 3:16, where Paul emphasized the significance of the singular “thy seed” in Genesis 22:18. Many trinitarian scholars have recognized at least partially the significance of the singular in Matthew 28:19. For example, Presbyterian professor James Buswell stated, “The ‘name,’ not ‘names,’ of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit in which we are to be baptized, is to be understood as Jahweh, the name of the Triune God.” His insight of the singular is correct, although his identification of the singular name is in error. Jehovah or Yahweh was the revealed name of God in the Old Testament, but Jesus is the revealed name of God in the New Testament. However, the name Jesus includes Jehovah since Jesus means Jehovah-Savior.

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost all describe the one God, so the phrase in Matthew 28:19 simply describes the one name of the one God. The Old Testament promised that there would come a time when Jehovah would have one name and that this one name would be made known (Zechariah 14:9; Isaiah 52:6). We know that the one name of Matthew 28:19 is Jesus, for Jesus is the name of the Father (John 5:43; Hebrews 1:4), the Son (Matthew 1:21), and the Holy Ghost (John 14:26). The New Testament church understood this to be so, for they baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5; I Corinthians 1:13). Matthew himself endorsed this interpretation by standing with Peter and the other apostles during the sermon in which Peter commanded the people to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:14-38).

Some claim that the references in Acts do not really mean that the name of Jesus was orally uttered as part of the baptismal formula. However, this appears to be an attempt to twist the language to comply with an erroneous doctrine and practice. Acts 22:16 says, “Arise and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.” The Amplified Bible says, “Rise and be baptized, and by calling upon His name wash away your sins.” The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament says, “Invoking the name.” Therefore this verse of Scripture indicates the name Jesus was orally invoked at baptism. James 2:7 says, “Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?” The Greek phrasing indicates that the name was invoked over the Christians at a specific time. Thus, TAB says, “Is it not they who slander and blaspheme that precious name by which you are distinguished and called [the name of Christ invoked in baptism]?” (brackets in original).

If the many scriptural passages in Acts that refer to water baptism in the name of Jesus do not describe a baptismal formula, then it is equally true that Matthew 28:19 does not indicate a formula. This interpretation would leave the church without any baptismal formula to distinguish Christian baptism from Jewish proselyte baptism and heathen baptism. But the Lord did not leave us without a baptismal formula; the church correctly carried out the instructions Jesus gave in Matthew 28:19 when the apostles used the name of Jesus in water baptism.

Before Jesus commands the disciples to go and teach and baptize, doesn't He say all power and authority is given to Him? Who did He get the power and authority from?

 

[tylerbones1313]

I John 5:7 ​

“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (I John 5:7).

Although this verse of Scripture is often used by those who believe in three persons of God, it actually refutes this view, for it says that “these three are one.” Some interpret this phrase to mean one in unity as husband and wife are one. But it should be pointed out that this view is essentially polytheistic. If the word one referred to unity instead of a numerical designation, then the Godhead could be viewed as many gods in a united council or government. If unity were meant, the verse should have read, “These three agree as one.”

It is also interesting to note that this verse does not use the word Son, but Word. If Son were the special name of a distinct person in the Godhead, and if this verse were trying to teach distinct persons, why did it use Word instead of Son? Son does not refer primarily to deity, but Word does. The Word is not a distinct person from the Father any more than a man and his word are distinct persons. Rather, the Word is the thought, plan, or mind of God and also the expression of God.

In a similar way, the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit is not a distinct person from the Father any more than a man and his spirit are distinct persons. “Holy Spirit” just describes what God is. I John 5:7 says that three bear record in heaven; that is, God has recorded Himself in three modes of activity or has revealed Himself in three ways. He has at least three heavenly roles: Father, Word (not Son), and Holy Ghost. Furthermore, these three roles describe one God: “these three are one.”

• Just explained I John 5:7 in a way that is consistent with the rest of Scripture. However, there is practically unanimous agreement among Bible scholars that this verse is really not part of the Bible at all! All major translations since the King James Version have omitted it, including the Revised Standard Version, The Amplified Bible, and the New International Version. So does the generally accepted Greek text (Nestle’s text). The NIV renders I John 5:7-8 as, “For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and these three are in agreement.”
• The KJV included verse 7 only because the 1522 edition of the Greek text compiled by Erasmus included it. Originally Erasmus had excluded this passage from his editions of 1516 and 1519 because it was not in any of 5,000 Greek manuscripts but only in late manuscripts of the Vulgate—the Latin version then used by the Roman Catholic Church. When the Catholic church put pressure on Erasmus to include this verse, he promised to do so if they could find even one Greek manuscript that had it. They finally produced one, so Erasmus reluctantly added the verse in, even though the manuscript so produced dated from 1520. (See Norman Geisler and William Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible, Chicago: Moody Press, 1968, 370.) From this evidence, it seems plausible that some overzealous copyist saw “there are three that testify” and decided to insert a little teaching of his own. Certainly, the passage in question is completely unrelated to the rest of John’s discussion here and interrupts the flow of his logical argument.
• Although all the evidence indicates this passage was not originally a part of I John, God had His hand of protection and preservation on His Word. Despite the efforts of humans, God did not allow the passage to contradict His Word. Whether a person believes that I John 5:7 was originally part of the Bible or that it was a later interpolation, it does not teach three persons of God but rather reaffirms the Bible’s teaching of one indivisible God with various manifestations.

 

[gb9]

I ( one) will pray the Father ( two) and He will send the Comforter ( Holy Sprit, so 3).

Trinity.

 

[tylerbones1313]

Before Jesus commands the disciples to go and teach and baptize, doesn't He say all power and authority is given to Him? Who did He get the power and authority from?

We cannot concentrate on the full deity of Jesus and ignore his full humanity. Jesus being fully God always possessed all power and authority within His divine (God the Father) nature but was limited to physical human body. But now that He is resurrected with a glorified body no longer constrained to the physical world all power is now able to be on display.

Transcends Normal Physical Limitations: Despite being tangible, Jesus' glorified body could also do things beyond the capability of normal physical bodies. For example, He could appear and disappear from sight (Luke 24:31), and He could enter rooms that were locked (John 20:19, 26).
Recognizable Yet Different: The accounts sometimes note that while Jesus was recognizable in His glorified body, His appearance also had changed in some ways. For instance, Mary Magdalene did not immediately recognize Jesus at the tomb until He spoke her name (John 20:14-16), and the disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Him until He broke bread with them (Luke 24:30-31).
Ascension: Jesus' glorified body was capable of ascending into heaven, as described in Acts 1:9-11, where He is taken up into the clouds out of the disciples' sight. This ascension marks His return to the Father and signifies His exaltation and lordship over heaven and earth.

In a sense Jesus can say ALL power is given, but not from another person in the Godhead, he already in His Fully divine nature possessed it.

 

[tylerbones1313]

Is God Limited to Three Manifestations?​

Already discussed three prominent manifestations of God. Does this mean that God is limited to these three roles? Do the terms “Father,” “Son,” and “Holy Ghost” encompass all that God is? Despite the prominence these manifestations have in the New Testament plan of redemption and salvation, it does not appear that God can be limited to these three roles, titles, or manifestations. God manifested Himself in many ways in the Old Testament. He revealed Himself in many theophanies, including human forms and angelic forms. The Bible uses many other names and titles of God. For example, “LORD” (Jehovah) and “Lord” appear frequently in the Bible. God has revealed Himself to humans in many other relationships, too. For example, He is King, Lord, Bridegroom, Husband, Brother, Apostle, High Priest, Lamb, Shepherd, and the Word. While Father, Son, and Holy Ghost represent three important roles, titles, or manifestations of God, God is not limited to these three, nor does the number three have a special significance with respect to God.

A popular explanation of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is that there is one God who has revealed Himself as Father in creation, Son in redemption, and Holy Ghost in regeneration. The recognition of these three manifestations does not imply that God is limited to three manifestations or that a threeness exists in the nature of God. Moreover, there is not a total distinction of one manifestation from another. For example, God was the Holy Spirit back at creation and used His role as Spirit in creation (Genesis 1:2). Furthermore, God used His role as Son—that is, He depended upon His plan for the future Sonship—back at creation (Hebrews 1:2). God is our Father in regeneration as well as creation, because by the new birth we become the spiritual children of God.

We cannot confine God to three or any other number of specific roles and titles. Neither can we sharply divide Him, because He is one. Even His titles and roles overlap. He may manifest Himself in many ways, but He is one and only one being.

How then can we address God in a way that describes everything He is? What name includes the many roles and attributes of God? Of course, we could simply use the term God or the Old Testament name Jehovah. However, we have a new name revealed to us—the name of Jesus. When we use the name of Jesus, we encompass everything that God is. Jesus is the revelation of Father, Son, and Spirit. Jesus summarizes all the compound names of Jehovah. Jesus is everything that God is. Whatever roles or manifestations God has, they are all in Jesus (Colossians 2:9). We can use the name Jesus for God Himself, for it denotes the totality of God’s character, attributes, and self-revelation.

The Bible speaks of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as different manifestations, roles, modes, titles, attributes, relationships to humanity, or functions of the one God, but it does not refer to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost as three persons, personalities, wills, minds, or Gods. God is the Father of us all and in a unique way the Father of the man Jesus Christ. God manifested Himself in flesh in the person of Jesus Christ, called the Son of God. God is also called the Holy Spirit, which emphasizes His activity in the lives and affairs of humanity.

God is not limited to these three manifestations; however, in the glorious revelation of the one God, the New Testament does not deviate from the strict monotheism of the Old Testament. Rather, the Bible presents Jesus as the revelation of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Jesus is not just the manifestation of one of three persons in the Godhead, but He is the incarnation of the Father, the Jehovah of the Old Testament. Truly, in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.

 

[LenMcM]

CHRISTIAN MONOTHEISM ​

“Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4). “God is one” (Galatians 3:20).

There is one God. There is only one God. This doctrine is central to the Bible message, for both the Old Testament and the New Testament teach it plainly and emphatically. Despite the simplicity of this message and the clarity with which the Bible presents it, many who believe in the existence of God have not understood it. Even within Christendom many people, including theologians, have not comprehended this beautiful and essential message. Our purpose is to address this problem, and to affirm and explain the biblical doctrine of the oneness of God.

Monotheism Defined
​

The belief in only one God is called monotheism, which comes from two Greek words: monos, meaning alone, single, one; and theos, meaning God. Anyone who does not accept monotheism can be classified as one of the following: an atheist—one who denies the existence of God; an agnostic—one who asserts that the existence of God is unknown and probably unknowable; a pantheist—one who equates God with nature or the forces of the universe; or a polytheist— one who believes in more than one God. Ditheism, the belief in two gods, is a form of polytheism, and so is tritheism, the belief in three gods. Among the major religions of the world, three are monotheistic: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity.

Within the ranks of those labelling themselves Christian, however, there are several divergent views as to the nature of the Godhead. One view, called trinitarianism, asserts that there are three distinct persons in the Godhead—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost—but yet one God.

Within the ranks of trinitarianism, one can discern two extreme tendencies. On the one hand, some trinitarians emphasize the unity of God without having a carefully developed understanding of what is meant by three distinct persons in the Godhead. On the other hand, other trinitarians emphasize the threeness of the trinity to the point that they believe in three self-conscious beings, and their view is essentially tritheistic.

In addition to trinitarianism, there is the doctrine of binitarianism, which does not classify the Holy Ghost as a separate person but asserts belief in two persons in the Godhead.

Many monotheists have pointed out that both trinitarianism and binitarianism weaken the strict monotheism taught by the Bible. They insist that the Godhead cannot be divided into persons and that God is absolutely one.

These believers in strict monotheism fall into two classes. One class asserts that there is only one God, but does so by denying, in one way or another, the full deity of Jesus Christ. This view was represented in early church history by the dynamic monarchians, such as Paul of Samosata, and by the Arians, led by Arius. These groups relegated Jesus to the position of a created god, subordinate god, junior god, or demigod.

The second class of true monotheists believes in one God, but further believes that the fullness of the Godhead is manifested in Jesus Christ. They believe that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are manifestations, modes, offices, or relationships that the one God has displayed to humans. Church historians have used the terms modalism and modalistic monarchianism to describe this view as held by such early church leaders as Noetus, Praxeas, and Sabellius. Today, those who believe in both the indivisible oneness of God and the full deity of Jesus Christ frequently use the term “Oneness” to describe their belief. They also use the terms “One God” and “Jesus Name” as adjectives to label themselves, while opponents sometimes use the misleading or derogatory designations “Jesus Only” and “New Issue.” (The label “Jesus Only” is misleading because to trinitarians it implies a denial of the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, Oneness believers do not deny the Father and Spirit, but rather see Father and Spirit as different roles of the one God who is the Spirit of Jesus.)

Greetings Tylerbones, I agree most Christians do not appear to give this subject enough study and thought and it seems that gone are the days when Pastors expounded Christian Doctrine. - Having said that I claim to be in the last group you mention. - To me the Scriptures clearly teach that the ONE invisible Omnipresent Creator God YHWH has chosen to reveal (Manifest) Himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit as brought out in John 1:18. and Tim. 3:16. and other places. To me it could not be clearer that YHWH manifests Himself in these three ways. People tend to go along with traditions and what others say rather than studying for themselves. I classify these as lazy Christians.

 

[montana123]

God is not limited to 3 manifestations, and Father, and Holy Spirit is not a manifestation as far as physical but they are invisible, but by creation, and leading the saints.

The Son, the man Christ Jesus, is a manifestation, which the Bible says God was manifest in the flesh.

But God can manifest Himself to everyone on earth in a visible manifestation if He wanted to do that.

But as far as invisible there is only one God with no distinction of persons that has no manifestations for He is the same all the time in His invisible state, and does not change.

It is only when He shows a visible manifestation of Himself that there can be more than one.

The Holy Spirit is the substance of the Father for He is a Spirit, and the Son, the man Christ Jesus is the personal human body of the Father but now a glorified body which will be our visible relationship to the Father forever.

There is only one God who is a Holy Spirit, and Father is a title for God, and the Son is the man Christ Jesus.

The Spirit moved in creation, Jesus was conceived by the Spirit, the saints are led of the Spirit, who is the Father in invisible form, and the Son is the Father showing a visible image of Himself.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the 3 relationships God has with His people designated by titles.

Father- Creator, and parent of the saints.

Son- God's visible relationship to the saints, and how He provided salvation for mankind by giving His human body to wash away our sins where in the Old Testament the blood of animals only covered the sins, but did not wash them away.

Holy Spirit- God's invisible relationship to the saints, and Him in spiritual activity, and the substance of God for He is a Spirit.

 

[tylerbones1313]

What of passages of Scripture that seem to describe more than one person in the Godhead? They appear to do so only because of years of usage by those who believe in more than one person in the Godhead. When a person strips his mind of all man-made interpretations, connotations, and doctrines, viewing these verses through the eyes of the original writers (who were devout, monotheistic Jews), he will understand these verses to describe either the multiple attributes and roles of God or the dual nature of Jesus Christ.

I am glad everyone here agrees that God is numerically ONE Inseparable strictly monotheistic God. Everyone needs to know the truth.

 

[Cameron143]

We cannot concentrate on the full deity of Jesus and ignore his full humanity. Jesus being fully God always possessed all power and authority within His divine (God the Father) nature but was limited to physical human body. But now that He is resurrected with a glorified body no longer constrained to the physical world all power is now able to be on display.

Transcends Normal Physical Limitations: Despite being tangible, Jesus' glorified body could also do things beyond the capability of normal physical bodies. For example, He could appear and disappear from sight (Luke 24:31), and He could enter rooms that were locked (John 20:19, 26).
Recognizable Yet Different: The accounts sometimes note that while Jesus was recognizable in His glorified body, His appearance also had changed in some ways. For instance, Mary

Your last sentence is true. The rest is not. I'm surprised you are still able to be active on the site.

 

[tylerbones1313]

Your last sentence is true. The rest is not. I'm surprised you are still able to be active on the site.

My hope is for an honest discussion and when someone says your wrong it should be backed by Scripture or we profit nothing from learning and searching the truth.

 

[Cameron143]

My hope is for an honest discussion and when someone says your wrong it should be backed by Scripture or we profit nothing from learning and searching the truth.

You've heard all the arguments before. You didn't listen before and you won't listen now. So you don't really want a discussion. You actually want to indoctrinate people with false doctrine. You shut down discussion by telling people what they need to do and go on long diatribes and end it by being glad everyone agrees with you. It's disingenuous to me.

 

[FollowerofShiloh]

As a Jew, who like all male Jews between the ages of 6-13 went to Synagogue to learn the Torah, Scriptures, and Talmud can easily read the New Testament and see it only being about One God. And I can also see it from the view of a One triune God. I personally don't see how it could ever be a "salvation issue" when you believe that Jesus is 100% God like it appears some claim. But much of that is simply their doctrine.

 

[TheLearner]

Christians do not believe in three gods.

https://www.calvarychapelboston.com/Biblical Basis Trinity Bowman.pdf

 

[tylerbones1313]

You've heard all the arguments before. You didn't listen before and you won't listen now. So you don't really want a discussion. You actually want to indoctrinate people with false doctrine. You shut down discussion by telling people what they need to do and go on long diatribes and end it by being glad everyone agrees with you. It's disingenuous to me.

Have I said anything that is not scripturally sound doctrine. If so, as a true christian I urge you to point out error as we all should for the benefit of the truth and for souls to be saved. But with blatant outright disagreement without backing it up with scripture is unfruitful for everyone involved.

 

[Cameron143]

Have I said anything that is not scripturally sound doctrine. If so, as a true christian I urge you to point out error as we all should for the benefit of the truth and for souls to be saved. But with blatant outright disagreement without backing it up with scripture is unfruitful for everyone involved.

And yet you engage in unfruitful discussion.

 

[tylerbones1313]

And yet you engage in unfruitful discussion.

I'm trying to engage you're are not. You're not pointing out where I am in error scripturally and backing it up. It is only unfruitful when you think a brother is in the wrong and you don't correct him, which a true christian should do. Because souls could be lost as a result.