Three Undeniable Proofs

The Scriptures are literally full of texts which declare God as the Father, and the Only God. Nothing changed in the New Testament regarding the revealed nature of God, as Father and as Almighty. Nevertheless, the centuries old doctrine of the Holy Trinity has turned plain language and simple, direct, concepts into an unintelligible mystery. I have a solution to that problem... ditch the unbiblical doctrine and replace it with the clear teaching of Scripture! 

It's time for another reformation! 

There are many undeniable proofs throughout the Bible, but in this article I want to highlight only three  texts that reasonably prove Jesus is NOT God, sharing essence in a multiple Godhead, or equal with God in any way. They are John 17:3, Matt 16:16 , and Ephesians 1:17

 Undeniable Proof #1

John 17:3

"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." 

Any person can read this text and clearly see that Jesus delineates Himself from "the One True God". In order to hold to the doctrine of the Trinity, one must explain away Jesus' own words. Remember, it is Jesus who said this; the same Jesus all Christians claim to be Lord and Master!

In order to attain eternal life, one must know the only true God, and the one that God sent (commissioned). The "True God" is obviously a reference to "the Father" to whom Jesus prayed. The Father is the only true God! All verses following must be interpreted within the context of Jesus declaration about the identity of the true God. For example, look at the continuation of Jesus prayer in verse five.

 "And now, glorify Me together with Yourself, Father, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

There are several ways to understand this verse. First, if we take it literally, Jesus pre-existed his earthly life and shared glory with God. He is now requesting to have that glory again and to return to his pre-existent state. This is apparently how trinitarians interpret what Jesus is saying here. But even if it is true, we must deal with his statement about the only true God. If the Father is the "true" God, then Jesus is not... there cannot be two "true" Gods! There is no co-equality here, as the doctrine of the trinity teaches. 

In addition, it may be argued that if Jesus gave up glory in order to become a man, then he couldn't have been God during that time. This plays into the theory of "kenosis" from Phil 2:7 where it says he "emptied" himself. But the problem with kenotic theory is that Jesus was always conscious of His Godhood, according to the trinity doctrine. Giving up glory he had, would be tantamount to giving up divinity.

Another problem with this understanding is that asking God to restore glory which He previously had, makes him totally cognizant of His Deity at this time, when he doesn't seem to remember that he is fully God at other times. This "sporadic" awareness of Deity does not seem to be consistent with a divine being... and certainly not consistent with humanity. At least, I've never had the experience of realizing that I'm actually God! What about you?

There is, of course, another way to interpret this verse while adhering to Jesus statement about the One True God, and staying in agreement with his complete humanity, as well as other Biblical texts. First, look at 2Tim 1:9... 

"who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began..." 

Paul says that we received grace according to His purpose in Christ BEFORE time began. Notice the past tense of the verbs. How could we be called before we existed in time? And further, no one suggests that we were around before time to receive His grace! It's obvious, and everyone acknowledges, that Paul refers to God's plan from before time. Also, in Eph 1:4 Paul makes a similar reference. How is it possible for us to have been chosen before the foundation of the world? Only in God's mind, His eternal plan!

Given these comparisons, and removing any bias towards a trinitarian theology, can we really prove that Jesus was Deity from John 17:5? Jesus was also in God's mind, His plan, before time, and that is precisely how we should understand John 1:1. The word - the plan - was with God in the beginning, but it did not become Jesus until He was born in Mary. 


What Jesus is asking here is for the Father to fulfill Scripture concerning the glory that was promised to the Messiah; Jesus' glory was in God's mind before time and He prays that it now be made manifest. I believe this to be an honest assessment of the text without twisting or stretching it in any way.


Finally, we should not miss the import of 1Pet 1:20-21. 

"He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." 

I really don't think I have to say anything more, but in case you missed it, 

• to be "foreknown" is not the same as pre-existing!
• God "gave" him glory, He didn't return it.
• God's purpose in Jesus is that our "faith and hope are in God"  

Jesus himself is not the True God, but the one who was "sent" (commissioned) by the True God, to reveal the True God (17:3). Just read through the remainder of John 17 and see how Jesus spoke the words that God gave him (17:8,14); that God has given Jesus His Name (17:11,12); that we are not of the world just like Jesus is not of the world (17:14,16); that we are sent as he was sent (17:18); that we may be one even as Jesus and the Father are one, and that they (Jesus and the Father) may be in us even as Jesus is in the Father and the Father in Jesus (17:21-23). 

Undeniable Proof #2

Matt 16:16

 "Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 

This confession is found also in Mark and Luke (Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20), but here, in Matthew,s account, Jesus responds with a telling statement. He says: "Blessed are you...for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father..." (Matt 16:17). It is amazing to me how often I've heard people use this verse to make their claim that Jesus admitted to being God; yet, he makes no such claim for himself here, or anywhere else for that matter! He claims only that Simon's assessment of his identity is "revealed" by the Father and that he (Simon) is "blessed" for his spiritually attuned judgment. This means only that Peter recognized Jesus as God's Messiah for which Israel had long been waiting. Luke's use of the term "Christ of God" (Luke 9:20) qualifies Matthew's "Son of the living God". 

"Son of God" is a title of agency in the Bible, as well as the whole of the Greek-Roman world. Israel is called "the son of God", angels are called "sons of God", and even Christians are "sons". What we all have in common is that we "represent" God in some way. Angels were sent to relay God's messages and do His bidding, Israel is the nation God used to bring Messiah to the world, and Christians are the means by which the gospel is to be preached to the world. We are, in that sense, agents of God. Even the Roman Caesar's were called sons of God because they supposedly spoke on behalf of their gods. I don't mean to put Christ on the same level as angels, and certainly not equate him with a Roman emperor, but I'm simply making the point that the term "son of God" refers to agency.


Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the True God's authorized Agent - His Vice Regent. He was given this title at birth, as announced by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:35), as a direct result of the miraculous begetting by the power of God. To be "Son of God" in the Bible means you are not God! In the same way, being my father's son means that I am not my father.


There are many other things we could discuss here. For example, in the trinity doctrine the Father, Son, and Spirit share "essence" which supposedly reconciles the validity of three person's yet only one God. However, the idea of "essence" uniting more than one person into one being breaks down upon further scrutiny. My father and I share the same essence, and so do my brothers ;ie. we are all human. But we are not one human, we are still three separate persons - three separate beings.

The bottom line is this: Jesus did not correct, adjust, or try to tweak Peter's answer in any way. If Jesus was "God the Son", as the trinitarian doctrine has it, this would have been the perfect opportunity for Jesus to make it clear. Wouldn't it have been more honest, more forthright, to say "well Peter, you're partly right, but you have much to learn yet." What nails this truth down for me is that Jesus commends Peter, calls him "blessed", and acknowledges that God the Father "revealed" this to him! What was revealed? Not that Jesus was the 2nd person in a triune God, but that Jesus is the Christ of God; ie. Son of God.


Jesus is the Messiah, and I can find no indication anywhere in the Bible denoting that Israel expected the Messiah to be a God-Man. The Son of God is not the same as God the Son, which is a term nowhere found in Scripture. This is undeniable proof for me.

Undeniable Proof #3

Ephesians 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"

In trinitarian teaching, Jesus is called Lord because he is equated with the Lord God of the Old Testament. Since there is only one God who is called The LORD, and since there is only one Lord Jesus Christ, He must be God. But apparently Paul did not understand this reasoning because he calls the Father of glory, "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ". Notice that it is not just "Father" of our Lord Jesus, but THE GOD (ho theos in the Greek)! How is it that God can have a God? And this is not an isolated text. (Compare Eph 1:3). Even Jesus himself recognizes the Father as his God according to the following Scriptures:

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?" (Matt 27:46)

And after his resurrection, having been immortalized with a glorious new body.

"Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" (John 20:17)

And again, many years after having ascended into heaven, he still holds to the same understanding. 

"Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God." (Rev 3:2)

'He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore; 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 out of heaven from My God, and My new name." (Rev 3:12)

Dear readers, I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, don't you? If it is, in fact, God's word, written by men who were moved by God to record His thoughts, then we must take it seriously - and I do. The plain, unavoidable, fact is that Jesus nowhere claims the designation "God" for himself, but everywhere - even after his resurrection and ascension into heaven - submits himself to, and acknowledges that he himself has a God. Certainly, if Paul believed, and taught his converts, that Jesus was the 2nd person of a trinity, he would have been more careful in how he worded his prayer. 

These are, in my mind, undeniable proofs that the trinity is not a sound Biblical doctrine. Instead, it is inspired by man, handed down, and accepted virtually without question by the majority, even in the face of clear texts such as we have presented in this article.

I encourage you to research these facts for yourself. There is great freedom and joy in discovering truth!

One of Us

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." -- Heb 4:14-15 RSV

This verse has always been meaningful to me, but all the more powerful in the past couple of years since coming to the truth that Jesus is not God. As a "recovering" Trinitarian (lol), I always believed Jesus to be fully human and therefore capable of temptation, but I never thought too deeply about His Deity co-existing with His humanity because doing so inevitably led to questions I couldn't answer. Since I couldn't answer the questions without denying Christ (at least, that was my thinking at the time), I just accepted it without trying to explain it. But we have  the God-given gift of thought, the ability to analyze and discern, which brings to light some serious weaknesses in the doctrine of Christ's "dual nature". How difficult could it have been for a "God-Man" to overcome temptation? Is it even possible for Jesus to have been tempted at all, let alone in the same sense that I experience temptation? 

'Yes', people say, 'He was a man, but He was also God... no wonder He could be sinless... no wonder He could exercise such virtue and self control... how else could he have done all those miracles?' Without even realizing it, subscribing to a belief in the Trinity and the dual nature of Christ places a barrier between us. We take refuge in His humanity because we can relate to weakness and temptation, but we separate Him from ourselves via His Deity! It has been said that virtually all Trinitarians are practicing Monotheists, because it is impossible to hold a rational thought of three persons in One God without being guilty of worshiping three Gods. So, we can think of, and focus on, only one Divine Person at a time. And it is likewise impossible to hold a rational thought of a God who became fully man, yet is still no less God. That is mysticism.

It is Jesus' genuine humanity that the Bible writers want us to see! (Acts 2:22; Rom 5:14-15 RSV; 1Tim 2:5) It is that very humanity that allows Him to be a high priest who can really "sympathize with our weaknesses," because He truly is one of us! The orthodox Jesus, although claiming to be fully human, cannot possibly sympathize with my weaknesses, if he is at the same time conscious of being God. 

Let's be real. We haven't a clue what it is like to be God. If Jesus was both God and man, how is it possible for him share in our "'weaknesses"? And yet, if the Scriptures plainly stated His dual nature, if they unequivocally declared the Trinity of orthodoxy, then I would believe it. But the truth is there are no such Scriptures, and they make no such unequivocal declarations! What the Bible does say clearly, however, is that He was "born" of a virgin - He had a beginning (Luke 1:35; 2:7 RSV); He grew in every way like any normal human being, developing and cultivating His relationships (Luke 2:52); and He related to Jehovah not only as His Father, but as His God (Mat 27:46; John 20:17; Rev 3:12; Eph 1:3; 1Pet 1:3). 

Jesus prayed to His God and Father constantly, sometimes rising early and at times all night. I imagine His prayers were for, among other things, strength and guidance and wisdom. I suggest that it was this intimate relationship He held with His Father, along with a revelation and understanding of His life's mission and purpose, that strengthened Him to always make the right decisions and to keep from sinning (Heb 2:10; 12:2). The impressive truth is that we are likewise expected to pray and keep ourselves from sinning! Most Church goers, I think, are keenly aware of the high moral standard to which we are called. But is it in vain that these demands are placed upon us? Should we just "'give up" and forget about ever living without sinning? 

I don't want to suggest that it is possible for us to be sinless in the same way that Jesus was, it's too late for that even if we never sinned again! But the fact is, we must keep on striving to make the right choices and keep ourselves from falling into willful sin. However, this is only possible so long as we believe it is possible; and it is much easier to believe it possible when we see that Jesus is authentically human, and not also God.

Let's read the Bible for what it actually says instead of reading through the lens of tradition. And let's give the highest praise to God, the Father, for His "unspeakable gift" through Jesus Christ, His highly exalted Son (2Cor 9:15).

Christology of Hebrews

It is so important to analyze – even be critical – of what we hear and read, especially when it comes to matters of faith and bible interpretation. I don’t mean we should be critical to such a degree that it fosters unbelief; but critical thinking can be healthy in so far as it encourages deeper thought and further study. In fact, I believe it is essential in coming to a knowledge of the truth! (1 Tim 2:3-5) In other words, don’t just accept everything written or spoken by well-meaning scholars and/or teachers as gospel truth. (2 Tim 2:15)
Since discovering the reality that the trinity doctrine is a contrivance of man, rather than a revelation of God, I have come to appreciate the necessity of critical thinking when using reference tools in my personal Bible study! All the books and reference tools in my Bible study library are fundamentally orthodox and traditional in their content. The fact is, a significant majority of the Bible reference works written, both past and present, were authored by Trinitarian scholars.
Our traditions have taught us that the orthodox view is THE correct view of the nature of God and Christ and therefore the ONLY acceptable view. All other views must therefore be false, even demonic. This tends to keep people from taking any other view seriously, much less actually reading literature which introduces an opposing view to their own. Yet, I know of no orthodox Christian who can satisfactorily answer for themselves, let alone those outside the household of faith, basic and reasonable questions regarding the conflict of the supposed “dual nature” of Christ. The patent answer to this obvious disparity is simply that “it’s a mystery”.
But the Bible makes no such conflicting statements. And if we allow ourselves to read with “new eyes” (that is, read without the filter of centuries of traditional teaching – as difficult as it may be) and do proper exegesis of the texts of Scripture, the Bible becomes a much more understandable, even believable book.
One of the Bible reference tools I use is the Nelson Study Bible. I haven’t thrown it away, nor will I. In fact, I still use all my reference works. But instead of taking their conclusions as the final authority, I’ve learned to be critical, and think for myself. Below is a reproduction of a table found in the Nelson Study Bible (NKJV) which I came across recently while reading in the book of Hebrews. The first column of the table gives the Scripture reference to Christ in Hebrews and the second column conveys the authors’ interpretation of it’s meaning. I have added a third column for my own commentary on each point.
//////////////////////////
The Majesty of Christ
Hebrews is perhaps the greatest
Christological book in the Bible, giving
us a detailed description of the at-
tributes and accomplishments of
Jesus Christ. The following chart is a
summary.

Christ is…	This means…	My commentary…
heir of all things (Heb 1:2)	As God’s “firstborn” Son, Christ will inherit infinite glory and honor.	Amen! In fact, he has already been “highly exalted” and given a “name above every name” (Phil 2:9-11)
the One through whom God made the worlds (Heb 1:2)	Christ was the Agent who created the universe.	Not so! The idea that Christ created the world comes from two false assumptions. The First false assumption is, that Christ is part of a triune God. If this is so, then the Father God was apparently not capable of creating the world on His own. The fact is, God alone created the world (Isa 44:24, ) and even Jesus agrees (Mat 19:4; Mk 10:6; Luke 11:40). The Second false assumption is, that the correct translation of the Greek word aion is world, or universe! Actually, an aion is an age. It was “through” Christ that God made the ages. He is the focal point of every age, past, present, and future. It makes no sense, within the following context of chapter one (esp. v9), to speak of Jesus as being the creator of the physical world.
the brightness of God’s glory (Heb 1:3)	Christ reflects the majesty of God.	Amen to that!
the express image of His person (Heb 1:3)	Christ is God made visible, in the flesh.	Now that is quite a leap from what the text says! Although Christ is the “exact” representation of God, he is still a “representation”! He IS the image of God we were meant to be had it not been for the fall of Adam. Jesus was the perfect man because he represented/reflected God’s glory, perfectly!
upholding all things by the word of his power (Heb 1:3)	Christ holds the universe together (Col 1:17)	Most Bible versions say “all things” rather than universe in both Hebrews and Colossians. The “all things” being held together is a reference to the new creation, not the physical universe.
seated at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Heb 1:3)	Christ is reigning and ruling with God the Father as Lord over all.	According to Acts 2:36, Jesus Christ has been “made” lord and Christ by God the Father. His lordship is now over the church – his body (Eph 1:22) – but will one day be over all the earth! (Rev 19:15) Then, when all his enemies are subdued, he will hand over the kingdom to God, that “God may be all in all.” (1 Cor 15:25-28)
better than the angels (Heb 1:4)	Christ is to be exalted more than the angels, no matter how glorious and awe-inspiring they are.	Duh! The Jews were not angel worshippers and didn’t need an exhortation to worship Christ above angels. The whole point of Hebrews is to show that God did a better thing in speaking through a son! Christ, although man, re-presented God better than any angel.
Captain of our salvation (Heb 2:10)	Christ is the founder of the effort to “bring many sons to glory” (Heb 5:9)	The word “founder” is translated from archegos, and is rendered in various versions as prince, leader, author, pioneer, and captain. The “founder” of our salvation is God the Father. God alone is the designer, the originator, of the plan of salvation. Jesus fulfilled God’s will in making His plan of salvation a reality. In bringing “many sons to glory”, it must be understood that Jesus is the “firstfruits” of those that sleep. (1 Cor 15:20) As archegos of salvation, he is the first to fully experience that salvation because God raised him from the dead. He is now leader of all who follow after him by faith. When he appears again (his second coming), “we will be like him” for we will “see him as he is” (1 Jn 3:2). This phrase “see him as he is” must be a reference to the fact that he is a glorified human being, otherwise John would be saying that we will become God when we see him. Even Trinitarians do not believe that!
the destroyer … of … the devil (Heb 2:14)	In dying for our sins, Christ overcame our greatest enemies – death and the devil.	How true! He is victor over sin and death, and in him, we are also overcomers in every way. (1 Jn 5:4, Rom 8:37)
a merciful and faithful high priest (Heb 2:17)	Christ brought the ultimate sacrifice before God – his own blood – so that we might have fellowship with God.	Praise God, the sacrifice of his life’s blood did indeed make it possible for us to have fellowship with God! However, it should be noted that the bible doesn’t really say that Jesus presented his blood before the Father. This is conjecture based on the pre-sumption that he is the God-Man of the trinity. It is true that the role of high priest was to take the blood into the holy of holies once a year, on the day of atonement, and this is where the symbolism comes from; however, the point the writer wants to make here is that as high priest, Jesus had to be human in order to atone for humanity.(Heb 10:4-5)
worthy of more glory than Moses (Heb 3:3)	Unlike Moses, who was merely a servant in the house of God, Christ is the “Son over His own house” (Heb 3:6).	That’s right, Jesus is worthy of more honor than Moses, and that is because he is more than a servant or great prophet, but a unique son! The better translation of v6 is “faithful over God’s house as a son” This is in line with v4 which reads “the builder of all things is God.” Otherwise, it sounds as if the house is the son’s, when in fact, it is God’s! Notice also that in v2, Jesus was “faithful to him who appointed him” just as Moses was also appointed and faithful. And who appointed Moses? The same God, the only true God (Jn 17:3), that appointed Jesus. (Acts 10:42, 17:31; Heb 1:2)
a high priest who can sympathize with our weak-nesses (Heb 4:15)	While on this earth, Jesus experienced the temptations and trials of living in a fallen world. He understands the struggles we face and has com-passion for us.	He understands us perfectly because he is one of us! (Heb 2:17) Yes… Jesus is no longer on the earth, he is in heaven. But prefacing the statement with “While on this earth”, and the use of the word “experienced” leads one to think that Jesus pre-existed his life on earth and merely experienced humanity. This kind of manipulation robs this text, and others, of it’s full impact
always alive to make intercession (Heb 7:25)	Christ’s priesthood is eternal. We will always have a perfect represent-ative for us before the throne of God.	He’s always alive now, but he is not eternal in the sense that he always lived before! The first part of this verse says he is able to fully save those who come to God “through” him.
Mediator of a better covenant (Heb 8:6)	The old covenant with its earthly tabernacle and imperfect priests has been super-seded by the sinless Christ. He is our high priest who is interceding for us before God in heaven.	It is true! But Christ mediates a better covenant because it is founded upon better promises, not because he is sinless and the priests of the old covenant were not. Notice also that the verse declares that Christ’s ministry as high priest has been "given” him, or “obtained” by him. How did he obtain it unless it was given to him? And who gave it? It was God who gave him the better ministry! (1 Tim 2:5)
our model for enduring hostility from sinners (Heb 12:2-3)	When we are discouraged, we can find strength and inspiration in Christ’s willingness to persevere.	Amen to that! But as soon as we consider Christ to be more than a man – to be God as well as man – the inspiration is lost! We cannot fully relate to a person who, although touted to be human like us, is at the same time, God! It is here that the similarity ends and the analogy breaks down. Notice that in the referenced Scripture, it was because of the “joy that was set before him” that he endured the cross and the hostility of sinners. What was that joy? Was it not the in-heritance of God’s kingdom on earth, where it was promised that he would reign supreme? Was it not the promise of the highest exaltation, that he should sit at the right hand of God? Similarly, our motivation, our inspiration, to endure hostility is that, we also will be exalted (James 4:6,10) and will reign with him, (Rev 5:10, 20:5)
that great shepherd of the sheep (Heb 13:20)	Christ will care for us and lead us to our eternal home.	Amen! He is indeed the great shepherd of the sheep. It seems, however, to be far too easy to overlook the part of this Scripture that says of God that He “brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus.” As shepherd, he knows the way, because he has been there; and he has both the power and authority to lead us, because it has been given to him!

Virtually every verse in this table which shows the majesty of Christ, also demonstrates the fact that Christ is not equal to God. Rather, Jesus is portrayed as a chosen vessel, exalted servant, and unique son. He is worthy of our praise, absolutely, but certainly not God himself!

The Kingdom of God: Is it "within" you?

Many Bible versions, most notably the KJV, translate Luke 17:21 with Jesus telling the Pharisees that the kingdom of God is "within" them [you]. There seems to be no shortage of books and other media regarding the Kingdom of God "in you" but is that good Bible exegesis? I have heard this teaching all my adult life, and still hear it quite often. Failure to properly understand Jesus words in Luke 17:21 has led to an abundance of erroneous teaching on the subject. Unfortunately, it is even used by new age groups whose false teaching says you can prosper and have everything you want, now, because "the Kingdom of God is within you."

Is it any wonder that modern Christianity perceives the Kingdom of God as something primarily spiritual? The reign of God in ones heart? Certainly God wants to rule our lives and that is characteristic of what the Kingdom of God is to be like... the will of God being done in earth as it is in heaven. But newer scholarship seems to recognize that Jesus was not teaching a purely spiritual concept here. Many modern translations such as NASB, RSV, NET, NIV, and others, render the verse in question as "among you", "in your midst" or something similar. This makes a huge difference in understanding, and makes much more sense of Jesus response in context.

The “Dictionary of Biblical Imagery” gives a fair treatment of the subject as indicated by the following:

“Although the kingdom of God is not a political term in the usual sense, from the Jewish perspective—where religion and politics are not neatly divided—it bears political implications. If God is king, then Caesar is not (cf. Acts 17:7), nor is his client—king Herod. Jesus points out that the kingdom “is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ ” (Lk 17:20 NRSV). Instead, he says, “the kingdom of God is entos hymin” (Lk 17:21), that is “in your midst” or “within your grasp” (not “within you,” as if to say “in your heart”).” -- Ryken, L., Wilhoit, J., Longman, T., Duriez, C., Penney, D., & Reid, D. G. (2000, c1998). Dictionary of biblical imagery (electronic ed.) (479). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

  Also, the NET Bible renders the phrase "in your midst" and explains the choice of translation in the footnote as follows:

"This is a far better translation than "in you." Jesus would never tell the hostile Pharisees that the kingdom was inside them. The reference is to Jesus present in their midst. He brings the kingdom. Another possible translation would be "in your grasp." For further discussion and options, see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1414-19." The NET Bible: Compact Edition - Premium Bonded Leather, Amazona Black  

How true! How easy it is to neglect the most basic rules of Bible interpretation - context - especially when we want to preserve a tradition.

For a Biblically sound treatment on the subject of the Kingdom of God, I suggest you read Anthony Buzzards book, The Coming Kingdom of the Messiah: A Solution to the Riddle of the New Testament. In fact, I would not hesitate to recommend any of Mr Buzzard's books.

 It was not Jesus intention to teach a spiritual Kingdom within. The Jews of Jesus day were expecting a Messiah to establish God's reign on the earth and Jesus never taught otherwise (See Matthew 5:5). However, Jesus did say that the Messiah must first suffer, die, and be raised from the dead, before the Kingdom would come. (Mark 8:31)

In Acts 1:6, the disciples asked Jesus, just prior to his ascension into heaven, if this was the time he would restore the Kingdom to Israel. Many commentators have assumed that the apostles were still spiritually inept and just didn't get it. They were still looking for an earthly, political, kingdom, when Jesus had spent the previous three years teaching them that His kingdom was a spiritual one. I don't think it is fair to assume that Jesus' "hand-picked" men just didn't get it. And, after all, Jesus did not correct or rebuke them for their ignorance here, he simply said "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority." --Acts 1:7 (ESV)

Some have thought that the disciples couldn't clearly understand Jesus teaching until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit, but that baptism was for "power" to be witnesses, not sudden enlightenment from spiritual ignorance (Acts 1:8)

Bottom line... the Kingdom of God is not "in" you, but it is coming and it is within your grasp. Further, we should not confuse the Kingdom of God and the Church, they are not the same thing. The Church, as the "body of Christ" is to complete Jesus' mission, which was to preach the gospel of the kingdom (Luke 4:43; John 17:18). Where the word is being preached and the people respond in faith, we should expect "signs" to follow as confirmation that the Kingdom of God has come near! (Mark 16:20; Luke 10:8-9)

As the redeemed ones, the Church, we now have citizenship in that heavenly Kingdom, but it isn't here yet. We are however, representatives of that Kingdom! (Eph 2:19; Philippians 3:20; 2Cor 5:20)

Some Thoughts About Incarnation and Resurrection

Christmas is the time of year when Christians celebrate the birth of Christ. Never mind all the tradition and commercial baggage that the holiday has acquired over the years, or the fact that Jesus was probably not even born in December; it is still recognized as one of the holiest days on the Christian calendar. We talk about the Christmas “spirit” which is a spirit of peace and love, and we give gifts to one another in remembrance of the greatest gift ever given, the gift that God gave to the world – His Son. Now I’m all for peace and love and the giving of gifts… that’s a good thing; but at the same time, I’m concerned that the real meaning and impact of the Christmas story is lost in all the hype of the Christmas holiday.

It seems to me that religious tradition and retail business have joined forces to mask the real story of Christmas – the one the Bible actually teaches. When one carefully reads the accounts of Jesus birth in the Scripture it becomes obvious that many liberties have been taken to embellish the story. Commercialism hasn’t embellished it, but religious tradition has certainly done so.
It is an interesting fact that, aside from Matthew and Luke and a few Old Testament prophecies, neither the birth of Christ nor any details of his birth are mentioned anywhere else in Scripture. The birth event is a given. In fact, there is no clear record of any Christian group celebrating the birth of Christ before around the 4th century CE. Interesting, to say the least. Of course his birth is an important fact of history, but the central tenet of the Christian faith is that God raised Jesus from the dead! The resurrection of Christ is the foundation of Christianity. Paul said,

“For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received — that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures ..."  -- 1 Cor 15:3 (NET)

The 4th – 5th centuries were a turning point for Christianity. At that time the creeds were formulated, demanding belief in the deity of Christ as a requirement for salvation. Today, the Christian Church celebrates the Christmas story, telling about how Christ was born, but beneath the plain words of Scripture lies the teaching that his birth was not really a birth at all, but an “incarnation”. I question whether most ordinary Christians even understand what “incarnation” means! Literally, it is “enfleshment” – the taking on of human flesh. The whole idea of pre-existence comes into play here. Now, rather than a savior being “born” we have a being who always existed as God, entered the womb of a young girl and became a human, literally wrapping himself in human flesh. It's interesting that Paul did not include this in his list of things of "first importance." Certainly, if the incarnation were a true Biblical fact, it would be of great importance!


I don’t mean to be crude in the use of this artwork, but when I finally got my head out of the sand I didn’t like what I saw! I realize that I had been misled. How foolish I felt, not to have discovered the simple truth before! I pray that somehow, God will use me, use this blog, to help others get their heads out of the sand as well. I like what the the authors of “One God and One Lord” write in a footnote on page 369 of their book.

"The reader can decide for himself which of the following sounds more logical and scriptural:
a) God Himself became a man, coming down to earth from heaven to do a job. He is treated poorly while trying to do the job, and is killed. He then raises Himself from the dead and goes back to where He came from, declaring Himself victorious.
b) God created a human being, whom God prepared and commissioned to do a job. The man comes from a humble, earthly origin, is treated poorly and killed. Because he did such a good job, however, God raised him from the dead and promoted him to an exalted position in heaven."

The incarnation has led us away from the resurrection, in so far as vital Christian doctrine is concerned. Even John Knox, one of the reformers, warned:

“the more fully the logic of pre-existence is allowed to work itself out in the story [of Jesus], the less important the [his] resurrection is bound to become.”

There is no better, no more beautiful, way to tell the story of Jesus’ birth than is given in the pages of holy Scripture. There is no need to embellish the truth as God gave it. I don't wish to stop celebrating Christmas, I simply think it should be understood accurately! And when I hear from Christian leaders that the incarnation is of primary importance to the Christian faith, I cringe.

The central point of the Christian faith is NOT that God became a man! But God commissioned a man who died and was buried for the remission of sins; whom also God raised from the dead as the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep", by whom we might obtain immortality through faith in him. (1 Cor 15:20-21)

This is the Christian hope! Jesus lived a sinless life remaining obedient to death, and God raised him from the dead and exalted him to the highest place of honor, making him both Lord and Christ. (Phil 2:8-11; Acts 2:36) Through his death, atonement for our sin has been made, and by faith, we will also live as he now lives. He truly is, as James Moffatt puts it, our “divine hero”!

“For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us; the royal dignity he wears, and this the title that he bears – A wonder of a counselor, a divine hero, a father for all time, a peaceful prince!” – Isaiah 9:6 (Moffatt)

How Good Is He?

"And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good?
No one is good except God alone.'” --Mark 10:18 (ESV)

This account of the Rich Young Ruler is also recorded in Matthew and Luke, but with some variations which we will discuss further on. The full context goes from verse 13 through 31 and is all about eternal life and the coming Kingdom of God. Although the main point of the passage has to do with obtaining eternal life, many have stumbled over Jesus' response to being called "good teacher", which has led to serious questions.

I recently listened to a debate on the doctrine of the Trinity between a unitarian christian and a trinitarian christian. During their discourse, the unitarian debater cited Mark 10:18 and pointed out that Jesus clearly distinguished himself from God by not accepting the man's well-meaning address to him as “good”. In other words, the fact that Jesus refused the title "good" for himself demonstrates that he did not perceive himself as being God nor make himself equal with God in any way. Now, that makes perfectly good sense to me! However, the trinitarian debater responded (in what I thought was a rather condescending tone) by asking “well then, how good is Jesus? Was he good enough to go to the cross as the perfect lamb of God? Was he good enough to be the only human never to have sinned? Just how good is He?” This response was apparently meant to downplay the argument that Jesus denied any goodness of his own, and attempted to suggest that the unitarian position made Jesus “not good”. Of course, this was not the intent of the unitarian debater at all.

Unfortunately, many have misunderstood this verse. Some commentaries suggest that Jesus was using the moment to severely reprove the young man for a foolish habit of compliment and flattery. But certainly Jesus response carried much weightier intent than a simple rebuff. Most commentaries I've read, however, suggest that Jesus response meant to persuade the young man to recognize that He was God. In essence, Jesus was saying 'You call me good, are you willing to go all the way and recognize that I am, in fact, God?' It seems to me that this is a weak attempt to support the position that Jesus is God.

So, how good is Jesus? And what was the true intent of his response to being called “good”? I humbly suggest the following:

First of all, the rich man was not attributing divinity to Jesus by calling him good. As I mentioned earlier, most traditional commentaries say that Jesus response was an invitation for the rich young man to acknowledge that he (Jesus) was God. This idea projects modern Christology into an ancient Monotheistic setting and is not at all realistic, in my view. My opinion is that the young man was merely using a common address of respect towards a teacher of the law of Moses. Jesus' response was not a disclaimer to divinity since he did not have to disclaim something that was not being attributed to him in the first place. In Hebrew thought, God alone is worthy of the title good because only He is good in the absolute sense; ie., He is not dependent on any outside force or influence. Rather, His goodness is intrinsic! Certainly men are capable of doing good things and may have good character, but only in a 'derived'sense. Whatever goodness may be demonstrated in our lives comes only from the image of God in which we were created. By calling Jesus “good master” the man recognized that Jesus was a man of exceptional character, and that if anyone would have the answer to his question about eternal life, it would be Jesus.

Second, the account in Matthew's gospel sheds additional light on the subject. The accounts in Mark 10 and Luke 18:18 are essentially the same, but in Matthew 19:16-17 the man does not address Jesus as good, but asks “what good thing” can be done to inherit eternal life. To this, Jesus responds, “Why do you ask me about what is good?” and then follows up with "no one is good but God." In all three accounts, the emphasis is on what the man can do to get what he wants, and the fact that God alone is good. With this understanding, Jesus most certainly distinguished himself from God by not accepting the title “good”! The impact of Jesus response "why do you call me good" or "why do you ask me about what is good" was meant to correct the man's false assumption that one could either be or do something good enough to warrant favor from God. Although Jesus points the man to the commandments (the Good God's Good Word), Jesus had just finished teaching that the kingdom of God could not be earned, but must be received as a little child! Even Jesus recognized that his goodness was not innate or absolute, but derived from his relationship of complete trust and obedience with his heavenly father!

Third, to further understand this passage, we must recognize that our 20th century American view of eternal life does not really line up with that of Jesus and first century Judaism. I cannot treat the subject fully here, but in short, we should understand the concept of eternal life in terms of life in the age to come. The phrase in Greek is aionios zoe, but the translation of aionios as 'eternal' is not quite right. Rather than no beginning or ending, aionios has more to do with a period of time. Our word eon is a transliteration of the Greek aion which is the root of ainios. Since we cannot know when this present age will come to an end and the new age begin, and because each successive age (eon) is likewise beyond our ability to know, we call it eternity. But in reality, only God is immortal and therefore, eternal; time does not come to an end... we only enter a new age of time! In the Hebrew mindset, God would send a messiah - a king - an anointed leader - who would inaugurate the new age by establishing God's righteous kingdom on earth! Jews expected God to resurrect the righteous dead at that time, and this is what was meant by 'eternal life'. The young man was asking Jesus what he should do in order to insure that he would be resurrected to life in the age to come - the coming Kingdom of God.

Jesus response highlighted the futility of looking to good works for eternal life by pointing out that he lacked something even though (in his own estimation) he kept all the commandments. By telling him to "sell his stuff”, Jesus forced the man to hold himself up to the light of God's commandments. Could he really say he loved "his neighbor as himself" if he was unwilling to give what he had to to poor? And by inviting the man to 'follow' him, Jesus made available an opportunity to enter into a personal relationship wherein he could come to truly know God. This is in agreement with what Jesus said in John 17:3... "And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only True God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

If one would have life in the age to come, it cannot be purchased or earned in any way; rather, it will be the outcome of knowing God through Jesus Christ whom God sent! Certainly Jesus was good, no man was ever as good as him. But God alone is good in the absolute sense. And because of God's goodness we are assured of everlasting life in His coming kingdom by placing our faith in, and following the example of, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ, the Fulcrum of History

I've been reading/studying the book "One God & One Lord; Reconsidering the Cornerstone of the Christian Faith" in which the authors make the case for the Biblical teaching that God the Father alone is God and Jesus is His fully human son, our Savior and Lord. In closing out Chapter 14, they write a section entitled "Jesus Christ, the Fulcrum of History" which I thoroughly enjoyed and have reproduced below. A fulcrum is "the point or support on which a lever pivots", but can also mean "an agent through which vital powers are exercised." The latter is, I believe, what the authors mean when they refer to Jesus as the fulcrum of history. Enjoy!

We have now come to the end of our Genesis to Revelation survey of the biblical evidence that there is one God, the Father, and one Lord, the man Jesus Christ, His Son. We have repeatedly made the point that the vivid and compelling view of Jesus thus portrayed greatly facilitates our ability to identify with him and to appreciate the majestic plan of God who sent him. Our minds reel at the immense love of both God and Christ to bring to pass our redemtpion. Our words fail, but the following passage says it best:

Romans 11:33-36

(33) Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! (34) Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? (35) Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? (36) For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

In concluding this section of this book, we ask you to consider, from the perspective of Jesus, what his life must have been like, and how that life brought such glory to his Father.

Born in a manger in Bethlehem, he grew up in Nazareth much like thousands of other Jewish boys. In the synagogue, the Temple and at home, Jesus heard the Old Testament Scriptures. What must it have been like for him in the moment that he first understood that he was the "promised seed" of genesis 3:15, the Messiah to Israel and the Redeemer of mankind? Apparently, this realization dawned on him before he was twelve years old, because, in answer to his parents' urgent questioning when they realized they had left him behind at the Temple in Jerusalem, he stated, "Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?" Jesus understanding of his identity led to a corresponding understanding of his purpose in the fulfillment of God's original dream. Jesus came to realize that he, and he alone, could do what was necessary to bring to pass an everlasting family of God in Paradise.

Think of the focus he must have had in his heart through his teenage years when, no doubt, many of his peers were frittering away their time with trivial teenage pursuits. Think of how goal-oriented he must have been throughout his twenties, when many other Jewish young men were consumed in establishing their secular careers. Think of how he steeled his heart throughout his earthly ministry, beginning with the time when he was face to face with the Devil in the wilderness.

Think of his agony in the garden of Gethsemane when he was tempted to the limits of his endurance and asked his heavenly Father if there were any other way than the Cross to redeem mankind. Unlike the first man tempted in a garden (the first Adam), Jesus chose to obey his God. Think of his resolve when, after hearing from his Father that there was no other way than the Cross, he arose and walked forth to meet his executioners.

Think how God must have felt as he watched his only-begotten Son suffer at the hands of evil men. Think about God's fathomless love in sacrificing His Son for you. If you are a parent you know how you hurt when your child hurts. If it were possible, most parents would gladly take upon themselves the suffering of their children. It took far more love for God, whose love for His Son is beyond our comprehension, to watch Jesus suffer and die than it ever would have taken for God to somehow become a man, if that were even possible, and go through the suffering Himself.

Think of the pressure on Jesus as he was beaten and tortured beyond description and then nailed to the tree, realizing that the destiny of all maknkind was riding on his "going the distance" for his Father. Throughout his life, Jesus had built an unwavering trust in the Word of his heavenly Father. In entrusting the mission of the ages to His Son, God had "put all of His eggs in one basket." In essence, all the Old Testament prophecies of Christ's life, death, resurrection and exaltation comprised the "good reputation" God gave His Son to live up to. Because Jesus had genuine freedom of will, he could have made one big lie out of all the prophecies about him from Genesis 3:15 through Malachi. In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus could have turned his back on his Father, just like the first Adam did when he was tempted.

No doubt the angels watched in horror and with bated breath as Jesus hung on the tree. Surely God was doing all He could to help His Son, yet at that point it was up to Jesus alone to be faithful unto death. The entire destiny of mankind was riding on the flesh-and-blood shoulders of the Man from Galilee. At exactly the right moment, when he had fulfilled all of the Word of God that he had hidden in his heart, Jesus breathed his last breath with the words, "It is finished," and gave up his most precious possession - his life, entrusting himself to God's promise of resurrection.

What a bittersweet moment that must have been for God and the heavenly host. How horrifying to see the Son of God die, and yet how scintillating to realize that the destiny of mankind was now in the hands of the Creator. There was no question that God Almigty would keep His Word and raise His Son from the dead. There was no question that God would then highly exalt him as Lord, upon whom those who so chose could believe and receive everlasting life. Because, by his free-will obedience, he died and was "planted" in the ground, the Promised Seed would one day bear much fruit after his kind.

The Church Epistles are the apex of God's revelation to mankind, setting forth the "all truth" of God's curriculum for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Each and every epistle begins with a greeting from "God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ," and they illustrate the oneness of God and His Son. As with the gift of holy spirit, which Jesus Christ received from his Father and first poured out to mankind on the Day of Pentecost, so Jesus received the revelatoin of the Church Epistles and gave it to the Apostle Paul (Gal 1:11 and 12). The Church Epistles are "the word of Christ" (Rom 10:17), as he received it from his heavenly Father.

In the Church Epistles, God describes Himself as "the Father of Jesus Christ." What an incredible illustration of God's humility, and also of how highly He reveres His Son and what he acomplished. How God beams with pride as He says, in essence, "I'm Jesus dad." How touched the Lord's heart must have been when he received from his Father this revelation now recorded in the Epistles. This must be the epitome of recognition for the Lord Jesus.

By making Jesus the genetic equal to the first Adam, God equipped His Son to be the Redeemer of mankind. It was Jesus, however, who had to choose to obey the written revelation of his Father, and he did. God then kept His Word and raised His Son from the grave. How can we ever adequately thank God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ for what they have done for us? Certainly, one way we can thank them is to pour out our lives in service to them day by day.

If you are a Christian, God and His Son have equipped you to walk the path of righeousness that Jesus Christ blazed. Via the gift of holy spirit, you have the divine nature of God. You can do the works that Jesus did, and greater works. As you do, know that you will be richly rewarded for these works at his appearing, after which you will live forever with him and all God's people in Paradise. All of this, and its unfathomable yet-to-be-made-known blessings, was made possible by one man, The Man who "became obedient to death, even death on a cross."

Philippians 2:9-11

(9) Therefore God highly exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, (10) that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

When the testimony of Scripture is so profoundly clear about the identity of Jesus Christ, we must now examine how it became so radically altered in the historical development of orthodox Christian doctrine. How is it that the vast majority of Christians have believed something fundamentally unbiblical and unintelligible, and which effectively diminishes the accomplishments of the one they sincerely meant to exalt?

-- Excerpt from "One God & One Lord;
Reconsidering the Cornerstone
of the Christian Faith", pp 312-314

submitted by
Keith Dyer