Category: Apostolic Monotheism

The Many Expeditions of the Son of God (Micah 5:2)

The Many Expeditions of the Son of God (Micah 5:2)

The Jewish Encyclopedia, which is by no means Christian, has an article on the concept of the preexistence of the Messiah in ancient Judaism. “Preexistence of the Messiah: This includes his existence before Creation; the existence of his name; his existence after the creation of the world. Two Biblical passages favor the view of the preexistence of the Messiah: Micah v. 1 (A. V. 2), speaking of the Bethlehemite ruler, says that his ‘goings forth…

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Why Jesus was called “Son of God” (Luke 1:35)

Why Jesus was called “Son of God” (Luke 1:35)

Both Trinitarians and Unitarians have missed a very important distinction in the two titles assigned to Jesus throughout the Gospels, “Son of God” and “Son of Man.” Both groups apply both titles to Jesus’ existence from His birth in Bethlehem alone. For Trinitarians, “Son of God” is a title that stems from their interpretation of the virgin birth. When the “Holy Spirit” is said to come upon the virgin Mary, she is said to have…

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Did God Create All Things Alone?

Did God Create All Things Alone?

A favorite proof-text by Unitarians who deny the pre-human origin of the Son as “the Beginning” and His role in creation is the following verse: Isaiah 44:24 (NASB) 24 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone, …” When New Testament passages are brought forward which…

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“To Whom has the ‘Arm of the Lord’ been Revealed?”

“To Whom has the ‘Arm of the Lord’ been Revealed?”

Passover is coming up fast, and one of the Scriptures that we will be reading for our fellowship Seder is the following: Exodus 6:6 (NKJ) 6 “Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. This is one example of many…

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UNITY & THE CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALS (IV), FELLOWSHIP & THE MISSION

UNITY & THE CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALS (IV), FELLOWSHIP & THE MISSION

From the previous posts in this series, we have shown that the primary “fundamentals” of the mature Abrahamic Faith are two points: (1) That there is one eternal, immortal, all-powerful, and all-sovereign God, who is the Father alone, and (2) that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. A secondary “fundamental” is the Hope of the resurrection, the restoration of the whole creation, and the promised land inheritance. As Paul declared, “We…

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Unity & the Christian Fundamentals (III), Progressive Revelation of “the Mystery”

Unity & the Christian Fundamentals (III), Progressive Revelation of “the Mystery”

Mark 4:10-12 (NASB) 10 And as soon as He was alone, His followers, along with the twelve, began asking Him about the parables. 11 And He was saying to them, “To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God; but those who are outside get everything in parables, 12 in order that while seeing, they may see and not perceive; and while hearing, they may hear and not understand lest they return…

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Unity & the Christian Fundamentals (II), The Meaning of “One God”

Unity & the Christian Fundamentals (II), The Meaning of “One God”

The Shema (Deut. 6:4), “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one,” appears in the last of the books of Moses, composed at the very end of the forty-year wilderness wandering. Yet the basis for the Shema appears in the first of the Ten Commandments. Exod. 20:2-5a NKJV  2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 “You…

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Unity & the Christian Fundamentals, (I) The Two Creeds of Pristine Christianity

Unity & the Christian Fundamentals, (I) The Two Creeds of Pristine Christianity

Up until the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, Christians were considered a “sect” (a subdivision) of the monotheistic Abrahamic Faith. The Abrahamic Faith consisted of those who embraced the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and His covenants, promises, and commandments (Acts 24:5,14; Acts 28:22). The other “sects” of the Abrahamic Faith were the Pharisees (Acts 15:5; Acts 26:5) and the Sadducees (Acts 5:17). Lesser known sects were the Samaritans (John 4:19-26) and the Essenes (Josephus, Wars,…

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