The Compassionate Conservative- Loving Christ, Loving Others: The Most Dangerous Heretics in The Christian Church

It is never nice when one takes the time to comment, and then the blog administrator simply deletes it!
:-( :-(

Well ... these things happen! Nevertheless, I think my comment is a keeper; therefore, I have reproduced it here for your consideration.

The following link is a blog about the shortcomings of the Oneness doctrine:
The Compassionate Conservative- Loving Christ, Loving Others: The Most Dangerous Heretics in The Christian Church

My comment highlights the fact that the trinity also suffers very similar shortcomings in equal measure to the Oneness doctrine. Here is my comment:

Yep. In many ways, the Oneness doctrine is indeed wrong.

But sadly, the trinity doctrine is also equally wrong in this regard:

that both Oneness and trinity doctrines try to make Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah our Lord, into Almighty GOD!!
And both doctrines state that you must believe that the Lord Jesus is Almighty GOD to be saved!!
In this regard, both doctrines do err and are scripturally wrong.
IMHO!

Both doctrines appeared hundreds of years after the ascension of Christ.
Both doctrines try to explain how Jesus can be both God and man at the same time!! The Godman!!

But the original faith which was once delivered unto the saints [Jude 3] did not suffer from this problem.

The original faith has always been
that there is solely ONE GOD,
the Father.
And Jesus of Nazareth, is the one man, the one human being whom Almighty GOD raised from the dead, made him, both Lord and Christ, and exalted him to His right hand.
Hence, Jesus of Nazareth is
the Lord Jesus Christ,
a man approved of Almighty GOD,
who is currently at the right of the ONE GOD in the heavens.
Whom we await for his return.

(1 Cor 8:4) ... there is none other God but one.
(1 Cor 8:6) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

(1 Tim 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

(1 Th 1:9-10) For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; 10 And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.


Hundreds of years after the pure, true, apostolic faith was propagated;
Greek, Hellenistic and pagan philosophy/doctrines changed the human Jesus into a demigod then into a godman.
And in response, both the doctrines of the trinity and Oneness tried to solve this self-inflicted problem!

The solution then, is to return to the pure faith and doctrine as taught in the Scriptures:
that there is solely ONE GOD, the Father.
And there is solely one man, one human, whom the ONE GOD has made
"Lord of all", the man Messiah Jesus.

And indeed the day is coming where ...
(Phil 2:11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

May I suggest that one can prayerfully begin this journey of recovery by viewing a helpful video at

The Human Jesus

Yours In Messiah
Adam Pastor

The man Christ Jesus, GOD's perfect sacrifice

This blog is based on a couple of posts from another forum whereby I answered the following questions:

If Jesus is not God then who is he? another god?
a man?
(All other questions asked are showed in red.)

My response:

A man! Now, a glorified immortalized man!
The Firstfruits!

(John 1:30) This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
(John 4:29) Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
(John 8:40) But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
(John 9:11) He answered and said, A man that is called Jesus made clay, and anointed mine eyes, and said unto me, Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash: and I went and washed, and I received sight.
(John 10:33) The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
[Our Master Rabbi Jesus the Messiah explains in verses 34-35 using Psalms 82; in what sense he can indeed be called 'god']
(Acts 2:22) Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
(Acts 17:31) Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
(Rom 5:15) But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
(1 Cor 15:21-22) For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
[HINT: Adam was the man via which death came;
Christ was the man via which resurrection came!]
(1 Tim 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

So if Jesus is simply a Man, as you have pointed out, then he was born with Sin in him...therefore he was not a perfect sacrifice?

My response:

You appear to have a low view of what being 'a Man' is!
I have already shown verses which state that Jesus is 'a man'.
Therefore, let me start of by saying, that the first man God created was 'Adam'. Agreed!
He was 'a man'! Agreed!

Now ... when God made Adam was he made with Sin? NO!
Adam was a man made without sin! Agreed!!

However, when Adam was tempted, he succumbed, and committed sin (i.e. transgressed GOD's commandment) and because of this, death came into the world. [Rom 5:12].

GOD, therefore promised a solution:
(Gen 3:15) And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
(Rom 5:15) But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
(Rom 5:17) For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
(Rom 5:19) For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
(1 Cor 15:21) For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

One "man's" disobedience caused the mess that we are in.
GOD's promised another 'man' whereby through this "man's" obedience many will be made righteous.

Jesus was and is THAT MAN!!
Hence Paul calls him the second man [1 Cor 15:47] and the last Adam [1 Cor 15:45];
and Paul compares and juxtaposes the two men [Rom Ch. 5; 1 Cor 15:21; Phil. Ch. 2]

Now we know that Jesus is GOD's only-begotten son; generated & begotten by the power of the Spirit of GOD; and to whom the Spirit of GOD was given without measure [Luke 1:35, John 3:34]

So let not even bother with the "just a man or mere man" argument
Although Jesus is indeed a man; he isn't just a man!

He is the Son of GOD; GOD's only-begotten; GOD's chosen one;
GOD's Anointed one (hence His Messiah); he is GOD's Lamb ...
GOD's perfect sacrifice for all sinners.

(John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(John 1:29) The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
(John 1:36) And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
(John 4:42) And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Now in the OT, we can see what the qualifications for a sacrificial lamb are.
(Exo 12:5) Your lamb shall be without blemish ... (Passover Lamb; cp. 1 Cor 5:7)
(Lev 1:10) And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep ... he shall bring it a male without blemish.
(Lev 22:19-21) Ye shall offer at your own will a male without blemish, of the beeves, of the sheep, or of the goats. 20 But whatsoever hath a blemish, that shall ye not offer: for it shall not be acceptable for you. 21 And whosoever offereth a sacrifice of peace offerings unto YAHWEH to accomplish his vow, or a freewill offering in beeves or sheep, it shall be perfect to be accepted; there shall be no blemish therein.
(Num 28:3) And thou shalt say unto them, This is the offering made by fire which ye shall offer unto YAHWEH; two lambs of the first year without spot day by day, for a continual burnt offering.
(Deu 17:1) Thou shalt not sacrifice unto YAHWEH thy God any bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evilfavouredness: for that is an abomination unto YAHWEH thy God.

As you can see, the general consensus is that the sacrifice had to be 'perfect'; i.e. without spot or blemish!

Remember, the first Adam ... (Gen 1:27) So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Gen 1:31) And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Well, here comes the Last Adam, Jesus!
Like, the first Adam, he was tempted ... therefore does 'this man' qualify as a 'perfect sacrifice'?

• (2 Cor 4:4) ... Christ, who is the image of God ...
  
• (1 Pet 1:19) But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
  
• (1 Pet 2:22) Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (cp. Isa 53:9)
  
• (1 John 3:5) And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
  
• (Heb 4:15) For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
  
• (2 Cor 5:21) For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
  
• (Heb 9:14) How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
  
• (Heb 10:12) But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
  
• (Eph 5:2) And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
  (1 Cor 5:7) Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
  
• See also Luke 1:35 & Heb 7:26
  

It appears so!
The man Christ Jesus was tempted in all points. The man Christ Jesus triumphed accordingly. The man Christ Jesus succeeded where Adam failed. The man Christ Jesus was without spot and blemish throughout his ministry. No guile/deceit was found in him [Isa 53:9; 1 Pet 2:22]. Although he was tempted, he committed no sin. He never disobeyed GOD.

He indeed does qualify as the Lamb of GOD, the perfect sacrifice for man's sins.
Hence (John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son ...

GOD gave His Lamb, His perfect sacrifice, the man Christ Jesus.
If GOD could make a sinless man and woman out of the dust of the earth and a rib of a man; the same GOD is more than capable to make a sinless man 'of a woman' [Gal 4:4]; the same Spirit that moved in Gen. 1; is the selfsame Spirit that generated & begat Jesus the Messiah in the womb of Mary.

Therefore Jesus was begotten, conceived, born without sin.

It is down to us ... the onus is on us ... to accept GOD's perfect sacrifice, THE MAN Christ Jesus!

But you said he was a man, you have contradicted yourself. If he is not just a man then what is he?

My response:

I am simply pointing out that Jesus is not just a mere man!
He is a special man. The head of the new human race, so to speak.
As Adam is the head of all those that die; Jesus is the head of all those that live. [1 Cor 15:22]
He is the New Adam.
Additionally, he is NOW an immortal glorified man
Therefore, he is the only 'such man' of his kind (until the First Resurrection).
So in my wording "he is not just a man"; I am simply trying to highlight his pre-eminence, his uniqueness, his greatness.
Jesus is GOD's ultimate representative ... He is truly the archetypical man.
The true 'image of GOD'. [2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3]

You say he is God's only begotten well then he must have some kind of supernatural parts to him right?

My response:

The scriptures say that he is GOD's only begotten [John 1:14]

Jesus is a new 'man'! He is (or I should say 'was') as human as Adam (and Eve) was before the Fall;
flesh and blood [Heb 2:14].
A man who was given (or anointed with) the spirit of GOD without measure. [John 3:34]
He was definitely supernaturally conceived;
for that very reason (dio kai), the angel Gabriel said he would be called the Son of GOD.
[Luke 1:35]
But having supernatural parts???  NO! Jesus is no hybrid or demigod. That sort of thinking comes from pagan Greek philosophy!!

Jesus, rather, is NOW glorified and immortalized, the firstfruits of the dead [1 Cor 15:20, 23].
So he is the first glorified, immortalized man.
In that sense, he is now supernatural because he is the first man to have a spiritual body that comes via Resurrection
[1 Cor 15:42-44]
Natural first, then the Spiritual [1 Cor 15:46]
In the Resurrection, so will all the dead in Christ be in like-manner glorified. Yet all NT saints have been born again of GOD without supernatural parts!! So neither did Jesus, GOD's only-begotten, have any supernatural parts via his birth.

Who raised Jesus from the dead?

(Acts 3:15) And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.
(Acts 4:10) ... Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead ...
(Acts 13:29-30) And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre. 30 But God raised him from the dead:
(Rom 6:4) ... Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father ...
(Rom 10:9) ... believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead ...
(1 Cor 15:15) Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
(Gal 1:1) ... Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead ...
(Col 2:12) ... the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
(1 Pet 1:3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
(1 Pet 1:21) ... do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.


Who did the Apostles mean by God?
(1 Cor 8:4) ... that there is none other God but one. (6) But to us there is but one God, the Father ...
(1 Tim 2:5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
(Eph 4:6) One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Nuff said!!

Is Jesus God according to the Bible? - The Book of Revelation

Taken from: www.JOHN17-3.ORG - Some editing has been done

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The Book of Revelation

The book of Revelation is sometimes used selectively by those wanting to make Jesus into God.  Jesus is plainly distinguished from God throughout the book, just like every other book in the new testament.

Jesus is not the Lord God

• Rev 1:1  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
• Rev 1:2  who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
• Rev 1:3  Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
  

Right off the bat, Jesus is distinguished from God. 
God gave Jesus the revelation to show to his servants! 

• Rev 1:4  John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
• Rev 1:5  and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood

John gives a greeting from the One who is and was and is to come on the throne AND from Jesus Messiah.  Jesus is not the one who is, was, and is to come on a throne, remember that ...

Rev 1:6  and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Notice John says Jesus made us a kingdom, priests to HIS GOD AND FATHER.  Jesus has a God and Father.

Rev 1:7  Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

John speaks of Jesus’ coming in judgment.

Rev 1:8  "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God,
"who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

Many mistake the speaker with Jesus because it is in red letter in their bibles.  However the context clearly shows this is God the Father.  God the Father is clearly identified in verse 4 as the One who is, was, and is to come, sitting on his throne.  Jesus is clearly distinguished from this God in verses 1,2,5,6.

We see the same thing in Revelation chapters 4 and 5.

• Rev 4:1  After this I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this."
• Rev 4:2  At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
• Rev 4:3  And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald.
  

John again sees the Lord God sitting on the throne…

• Rev 4:8  And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!"
• Rev 4:9  And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
• Rev 4:10  the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
• Rev 4:11  "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created."
  

They are praising the Lord God Almighty on the throne who is, was, and is to come. 
The same Lord God Almighty on the throne in Rev 1:4,8 and it is not Jesus.

• Rev 5:6  And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
• Rev 5:7  And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.
  

Jesus is described as the lamb who takes the scroll from the Lord God Almighty on the throne! 
Jesus is clearly not the Lord God Almighty who is was and is to come!

• Rev 11:15  Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying,
  "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."
• Rev 11:16  And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God,
• Rev 11:17  saying, "We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, who is and who was, for you have taken your great power and begun to reign."
  

Jesus is never confused with God, he is always distinguished from the Lord God throughout the book.
The term “Lord God Almighty” is used 7 times in the book of Revelation and not once is it referring to Jesus! 
The Lord God Almighty on the throne is explicitly distinguished from his Christ (anointed one).

 

• Rev 21:22  And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb.
• Rev 7:10  and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
  

Jesus is the Lamb who is utterly distinct from the Lord God Almighty.

Rev 3:12  The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.

What part is difficult to understand?  Only a person who comes into this book with the presumption that the trinity is true could possibly distort this book in such a way as to ignore the plain reading in favor for a heavily qualified Trinitarian version.  Like Isaiah, when John is given a vision into the heavenly throne room, he doesn’t see a trinity of three persons on three thrones. 
He sees a single throne with God the Father on it surrounded by angels! 
The word “god” is found 87 times in the book of Revelation, not once is it used for Jesus!  Trinitarians want us to believe the word “god” means a compound unity of 3 co-equal and co-eternal persons yet the bible never defines it that way.  Instead we see Jesus repeatedly distinguished from the Lord God!

Is Jesus God according to the Bible? - The Epistles

Taken from: www.JOHN17-3.ORG - Some editing has been done

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The Epistles - The Christian Creeds

 

The Epistles contain creedal statements where the Apostles speak of Christian beliefs and of Jesus’ relationship to God.  Unfortunately for Trinitarians, the biblical creedal statements all distinguish Jesus from God (which is why Trinitarians had to create their own creeds).

1 Timothy 2:5 

• 1Ti 2:3  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,
• 1Ti 2:4  who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
• 1Ti 2:5  For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men,
  the man Christ Jesus,
• 1Ti 2:6  who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
   

Paul says there is one God, and that God is not Jesus.  Jesus is the human mediator between God and men (like Moses was).  This is why Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophesy Moses made about a man like himself that would be raised up from the people.  Paul plainly distinguishes this man Jesus Messiah from the one God of the bible.  This is an explicit statement of Christian belief about the relationship between God and Jesus.

1 Corinthians 8:4-6 

• 1Co 8:4  Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "an idol has no real existence," and that "there is no God but one."
• 1Co 8:5  For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth--as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"--
• 1Co 8:6  yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
   

Paul explains what the Christians believe in contrast to the many pagan beliefs. 
Paul says there is no God but one…for us there is one God the Father! 
Paul says Christians believe in one God whom is the Father and one Lord Jesus Messiah. 
Paul has the perfect opportunity here to explain a trinity.  Paul could have said “yet to us there is one God, eternally existing in three co-equal and co-eternal persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The idea of a trinity simply doesn’t exist in the apostle’s doctrine, rather it needs to be read into the text.  Keep in mind that Jesus was made Lord and Christ by his God and Father (Acts 2:36).

Ephesians 4:4-6

• Eph 4:4  There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call--
• Eph 4:5  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
• Eph 4:6  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
   

Paul began each epistle with a greeting from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Messiah.  Each epistle distinguishes Jesus from God!  Here Paul distinguishes the Lord Jesus Messiah from the one God and Father of all.  Notice in each of these texts Paul mentions belief in one God, yet in each text Jesus is distinguished from that one God!  How can one maintain that Jesus is God when he is plainly distinguished from the one God of the bible so frequently?

 

Paul spoke of his God many times …

• Rom 1:7  To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Rom 1:8  First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
   

Paul identifies the Father as his God who he thanks through Jesus Messiah.

• 1Co 1:3  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 1Co 1:4  I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus,

Paul distinguishes Jesus from his God explicitly saying he thanks his God for the grace of God given to the Corinthians in Messiah Jesus.

• Php 4:19  And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
• Php 4:20  To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul identifies the Father as his God in distinction from Messiah Jesus.  Then praises God the Father as was his custom.

• Phm 1:3  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Phm 1:4  I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers,
• Phm 1:5  because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints,

Paul thanks his God, God our Father because of Philemon’s love for the Lord Jesus and all the saints.

Paul’s God was certainly not Jesus, Paul understood Jesus has the same God we do…

Rom 16:27  to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

Jesus is not “the only wise God”.  Which is why Paul continuously distinguished him from God.

• 1Co 3:22  whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours,
• 1Co 3:23  and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Christ plainly distinguished from God…

1Co 11:3  But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

Paul again plainly distinguishes Christ from God.

• 2Co 1:2  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 2Co 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

The God and Father of Jesus is the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.  Jesus is not “the God of all comfort”.

2Co 5:19  That is, that God was in Christ making peace between the world and himself, not putting their sins to their account, and having given to us the preaching of this news of peace.

Is Christ God? Nope God was IN Christ.

2Co 11:31  The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

Jesus has a God and Father, the Trinitarian distortions of the bible contradict the plain reading of the texts.

• Eph 1:2  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
• Eph 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,
• Eph 1:17  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,

Paul repeatedly distinguishes Jesus from God, in his sermons in the book of Acts, as well as in his letters.

• Php 2:9  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
• Php 2:10  so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
• Php 2:11  and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Paul loved to emphasize that Jesus is not God.  God highly exalted Jesus, this is what Trinitarians do not understand.  Jesus is not God, but he was highly exalted by God to God’s right hand.  God gave him a name above all names, that all should confess Jesus is Lord, TO THE GLORY OF THE GOD AND FATHER THAT MADE HIM LORD (Acts 2:36).

 

• Col 1:2  To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
• Col 1:3  We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

When Paul speaks of God he is simply speaking of the Father.Every book that Trinitarians desperately search for a proof text in, begins with Jesus being distinguished from God.

Col 2:9  For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,

Yes of course all of the fullness of God was dwelling in Jesus, because he was the anointed one!  Jesus said God the Father was in him doing the works (John 14:10).  In the previous chapter Paul explains why the fullness of God was in Jesus, and it wasn’t because Jesus is God…

Col 1:19  God was pleased to have all of himself live in Christ.

All the fullness was in Jesus because it pleased the Father. 
Paul also said Christians can be filled with the fullness of God.

• Eph 3:19  You will know Christ's love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God.

 

• 1Th 1:9  For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
• 1Th 1:10  and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

Notice Paul says these Thessalonians turned to the living and true God and they wait for his Son from Heaven.  Jesus is not the living and true God, Jesus is the SON of the living and true God. 
Just like Peter said (Matt 16:16)

Tit 1:1  Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God's elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness,

Paul a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Messiah.  Jesus is not God!

 

• Heb 1:1  Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
• Heb 1:2  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world [ages].
• Heb 1:3  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
  

God spoke in times past by the prophets, but in these last days he spoke to us by his Son.  God spoke by the prophets and the prophets were not God, God spoke by his Son and his Son is not God either! 
Notice Jesus sits next to whom?  The Majesty on High!  Jesus is not the Majesty on High. The book of Hebrews goes on to defend Jesus’ priesthood and covenant being superior to that of the old covenant.  Jesus as High Priest is proof he is not God because the job of the High Priest is to mediate to God on behalf of his brothers.

Heb 2:17  Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Jesus was like his brothers in every respect!  Can that be said of a godman?  Jesus is a faithful high priest in service to God! 

Jesus was appointed a High Priest by God.

• Heb 5:4  And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
• Heb 5:5  So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, You are my Son, today I have begotten you;
• Heb 5:6  as he says also in another place, You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.
• Heb 5:7  In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.
• Heb 5:8  Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
• Heb 5:9  And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,
• Heb 5:10  being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.

Jesus is distinguished from God throughout the book of Hebrews.  God appointed Jesus a high priest.  What is a high priest you ask? A human that serves God on behalf of other humans!

 

The writer of Hebrews and Paul weren’t the only apostles that distinguished Jesus from God…

Jas 1:1  James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

James was a servant of God (one being) AND of the Lord Jesus Messiah (another being).  Keep in mind every time you see Jesus called Lord, that he was made Lord and Christ by his God and Father (Acts 2:32-36).

Jas 1:13  Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

So if God cannot be tempted with evil and Jesus was tempted with evil, then do the math! 
Now some Trinitarians try to worm their way out of this by pointing to an old testament passage about the Israelites tempting God.  This is true but the tempting being spoken of in those passages was not God being tempted with evil, but God being tempted/tested/provoked to anger, in other words they were trying his patience.  In contrast God cannot be tempted/enticed to sin, that is being tempted with evil.  Jesus was tempted in such a manner (Heb 2:18, 4:15, Luke 4:2).

 

Peter understood Jesus has the same God we do, look at his sermons in the book of Acts.  Also in his epistles he says the same thing…

1Pe 1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

 John also understood the same thing ...

• 1Jn 4:9  In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
• 1Jn 4:10  In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
• 1Jn 4:15  Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
• 1Jn 5:1  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.
• 1Jn 5:5  Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
  

The Epistles viewed in totality do not support the idea of a 3 person God, nor the idea that Jesus is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father.  They repeatedly distinguish Jesus from God.  The creedal statements all distinguish Jesus from God (1 Tim 2:5, 1 Cor 8:4-6, Eph 4:4-6).  When read with the Unitarian background presented in the Old Testament scriptures and gospel accounts there is certainly nothing in the epistles that would require a redefinition of God from 1 to 3 persons

Is Jesus God according to the Bible? - The Book of Acts

Taken from: www.JOHN17-3.ORG - Some editing has been done

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The Book of Acts  

The book of Acts is a total embarrassment to those wanting to make Jesus into God, as will soon be obvious.

Pentecost – Acts 2

Act 2:22 Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know--

Do you ever hear Trinitarians talk about Jesus this way? I sure don’t. Peter simply describes Jesus as a man that God did mighty works through. He then says God raised him from the dead fulfilling God’s promise to David that he would raise up his (David’s) descendant to sit on his throne. He then quotes another Messianic prophesy mentioned earlier…

• Act 2:32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
• Act 2:33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
• Act 2:34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
  'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand,
• Act 2:35 until I make your enemies your footstool.'
• Act 2:36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain
  that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.
  

Peter didn’t teach a trinity. Peter didn’t teach Jesus is God. Peter taught that Jesus was a man that God did miracles through and that God raised him from the dead and God has seated him at his right hand. Peter said Jesus received the promise of the holy spirit and that God made him both Lord and Christ.  This sermon, while no mention of Jesus being God was ever made, was enough to lead to thousands of souls being added to the Church!  Is believing in a trinity/Jesus is God necessary for salvation? Not according to the book of Acts.

Peter and John in the temple - Acts 3

• Act 3:12 And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?
• Act 3:13 The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him.
  

After Peter heals a lame man, they walk into the temple together and people gather around. Peter then says the man was healed by faith in Jesus’ name. Before saying that however he COMPLETELY, TOTALLY AND EXPLICITLY REFUTES THE TRINITY by utterly distinguishing Jesus between the God of the Hebrews.

The God that identified himself to Moses from the burning bush as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is completely distinguished from Jesus. Jesus is the servant of that God. Jesus is not the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus is not a member of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Jesus is the SERVANT of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

It couldn’t be more plainly stated than how Peter explained it to the Jews in the Temple. Peter then goes on to quote Deut 18 mentioned earlier about Jesus being the prophet Moses spoke of that God would raise up in response to their fear and desire to not hear directly from God. Again this is the exact opposite of what we would expect to hear if Peter was Trinitarian.

Peter and John before the Sanhedrin and High Priests – Acts 4

• Act 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers of the people and elders,
• Act 4:9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed,
• Act 4:10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by him this man is standing before you well.
• Act 4:11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.
• Act 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
  

Again not a whiff of Trinitarian rhetoric, Jesus is said to be the Christ/Messiah whom God raised from the dead.  Another opportunity missed by the Apostles to tell the world about their 3 person God and that Jesus is God!

Peter and John’s Prayer – Acts 4

• Act 4:24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them,
• Act 4:25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, 'Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?
• Act 4:26 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against YAHWEH and against his Anointed'--
• Act 4:27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel,
  

Notice the apostles pray to God not to Jesus, secondly they distinguish Jesus from
the Sovereign Lord God Creator that they are praying to in verse 27 when they describe Jesus as his holy servant whom he anointed.

The Apostles before the Sanhedrin - Acts 5

• Act 5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered, We must obey God rather than men.
• Act 5:30 The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
• Act 5:31 God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.
• Act 5:32 And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
  

Notice Peter again distinguishes Jesus from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying “The God of our fathers raised Jesus,”. Again there is no hint of Jesus being God, no hint of a trinity. These absences are totally unexplainable for those that believe the apostles were Trinitarians. The reality is they weren’t Trinitarians and never believed Jesus is God, which is why they constantly distinguish him from God in their preaching for their entire lives.

Act 5:42 And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.

 

Paul’s Conversion - Acts 9

• Act 9:20 And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, He is the Son of God.
• Act 9:21 And all who heard him were amazed and said, Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?
• Act 9:22 But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.

After Jesus spoke to Paul and he was healed from his blindness. Luke records that Paul went into the synagogues preaching “He is the Son of God.” He goes on to say Paul proved “Jesus was the Christ/Messiah”. Note Paul did not rush into the synagogues preaching a trinity or preaching that Jesus is God. 

Peter preaching to the Gentiles - Acts 10

• Act 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.
• Act 10:39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree,
• Act 10:40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear,
• Act 10:41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
• Act 10:42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
• Act 10:43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
  

Peter says simply God anointed Jesus with the holy spirit and power, God was with him, God raised him from the dead and God appointed him to be judge of the living and the dead. Again Peter plainly distinguishes Jesus from God. How obvious does it need to be? Why do the apostles always forget to mention their precious trinity? Why do they always forget to mention “oh by the way Jesus is God and you need to believe that to be a Christian”.

Paul preaching in a Synagogue – Acts 13

• Act 13:22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, 'I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.'
• Act 13:23 Of this man's offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised…
• Act 13:32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,
• Act 13:33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, 'You are my Son, today I have begotten you.' ….
• Act 13:38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you
  Paul, like Peter, quotes from Psa 16:10 about the resurrection of the Messiah [in verse 35]. He also quotes Psa 2 about Jesus being the Messiah, Son of God and Son of David. Note verse 38. He says THROUGH THIS MAN FORGIVENESS OF SINS IS PROCLAIMED. Paul, like Peter, didn’t believe Jesus was God, he didn’t believe in a trinity. He believed Jesus was a man who God raised up through David’s line to be the Savior. There is no such thing as a godman in true Christianity.  An eternal member of a 3 person god couldn't possibly be called a man in any genuine sense.

Paul in a Synagogue – Acts 17

• Act 17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews.
  Act 17:2 And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
  Act 17:3 explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.
  

Paul taught Jesus was the Christ/Messiah, not God.

 

Paul on Mars Hill – Acts 17

• Act 17:23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.
• Act 17:24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,
• Act 17:30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
• Act 17:31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.
  

Paul preaches to the Athenians about the Creator God of the Jews, he then says this God commands them to repent because “he fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness BY A MAN WHO HE HAS APPOINTED!” What a reoccurring theme, Paul speaks about Jesus as a man appointed by God again. Paul plainly distinguishes Jesus from the God and Creator of all things, just as Peter plainly distinguished Jesus from the God of the Fathers. This evidence is absolutely devastating for Trinitarians. The apostles went with Jesus message to the world and they forgot to bring the trinity!

Apollos — Acts 18

Act 18:28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus

Apollos was teaching Jesus is the Messiah, not God.

Paul in Jerusalem - Acts 21-22

• Act 22:12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who lived there
• Act 22:13 came to me, and standing by me said to me, 'Brother Saul, receive your sight.' And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him
• Act 22:14 And he said, 'The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth
  

Paul recounts his conversion before his Jewish accusers. Notice Ananias plainly distinguished Jesus from the God of the Fathers in verse 14 as Peter and Paul themselves did. Paul tells how Jesus sent him to Gentiles and the Jews have heard enough.

Paul before Governors Felix, Festus and King Agrippa – Acts 23-26

Paul makes his case for his beliefs and actions after being arrested in Jerusalem by the Romans to prevent the Jews from killing him. Paul talks about his belief in the God of the Fathers and faith in the resurrected Messiah. Nowhere is there any hint of Jesus being God, or God being a trinity.

Paul in Rome – Acts 28

Paul is finally brought to Rome and he speaks to the Jews there about the accusations against him which they had no awareness of. They set a day for Paul to tell them about the Christian movement…

• Act 28:23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
• Act 28:24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved.
• Act 28:30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,
• Act 28:31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
  

Paul apparently forgot to tell these Jews about the trinity and that Jesus is God.

An examination of the Apostles' preaching in the Acts of the Apostles has yielded no evidence of a trinity or Jesus being God. To the contrary, it has shown that the Apostles consistently and explicitly distinguished Jesus from the God of the Fathers.

They describe Jesus as a man in the line of David, that God anointed, appointed, ordained, exalted, sent and raised from the dead. They repeatedly show Jesus is not God.