Hi kids. Been off the form for a number of years and thought I'd stop by again and see if there's any interesting conversations in which to insert myself. Guess what? I found this thread that has been going on for several years, so I read through it and found it most interesting. Generally, I stay out of Oneness/Trinitarian conversations, of all stripes, because I have found them to be nonproductive. Yet, I found myself drawn to this thread.
This thread started out as a discussion between Trinitarian and Oneness language uses, an interesting discussion for examination. So, let's start with a few basics.
First, is the Western (Greek) worldview through which we approach Scriptures. "Simplistically", we want to know the who and the Hebrews want to know the why. This frequently leads to our attempt to "figure out" who and what God is, all the while acknowledging that God is unknowable and beyond figuring out, except as reveal through the man, Jesus Christ and His Apostles. Which brings us to -
Secondly, an interesting problem, i.e., we are informed in
Genesis 1:26-27, that we are made in both the image and the likeness of God, our first clue. Then in
First Thessalonians 5:23 that we are created with three distinct, individual and separate elements that define our singular existence. They are that we have a body, a soul and a spirit. Now we live with ourselves 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Yet I have yet to find anyone who can explain how these three separate elements are uniquely fitted together to form a separate individual, different from all other individuals that have walked this earth, our second clue. If anyone of these three elements of human existence is removed from an individual, that individual is no longer a live human being, i.e., no longer a person, but a dead body. As an individual they have ceased to exist in this physical realm.
If we cannot explain ourselves and our composition of existence, how in the world can we explain the composition of an infinite God, and proclaim that our view is the most accurate one? From the start, the Hebrews recognize the plurality of God, they have 72 scriptural names for him, with one yet to be assumed. That name is "Echad", most likely a plurality of one (
Zechariah 14:9)? Also see
Dan 7:1-14.
So let us leave the issues concerning Trinitarians, and let us each work out our own salvation in fear and trembling. That should be a difficult enough task for all of us.
Linear Mode
