Read more about the article The Creed of 1 Timothy 3:16: God Revealed in the Flesh?
Church History / Dual Natures of Christ / Paul's Christology and Theology / Who is Jesus

The Creed of 1 Timothy 3:16: God Revealed in the Flesh?

There are many examples in Scripture of what scholars consider to be the earliest creeds, that is, concise statements of faith.  For example, Moses taught the Jews that God is one:Deuteronomy 6:4 (NASB) "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!This foundational creed is known as the Shema because the first word of the creed in Hebrew is shema (or shama), which means to hear.  Jesus adhered to this creed and said that to love this singular God was the foremost…

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September 6, 2021
Read more about the article Do the Creeds Reflect the Church’s Earliest Theology?
Council of Nicaea, 16th century fresco
Church History

Do the Creeds Reflect the Church’s Earliest Theology?

Many Christians have been told that the doctrine of the Trinity was passed down through the ages, unchanged from the 1st century to the present.  If this is the case, we should be able to trace a consistent creedal testimony through the chronicles of Church history.  In this article, we will examine post-Biblical creedal statements as they pertain to a belief in God to determine if their theology developed over time or if it is consistent with Scripture, and therefore, the theology of the first…

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September 11, 2020
Read more about the article Jesus, A Man Under Authority
Christ and the Centurion, by Paolo Veronese, 16th century
Who is Jesus / Church History

Jesus, A Man Under Authority

In first-century Rome, a centurion was a military officer in charge of a centuria,[1] the smallest unit of soldiers within a legion.  Each centurion was ranked and assigned various levels of authority and responsibility, with the first ranking centurion of the first ranking cohort, being called the primus pilus or first spear.[2]  The centurion was said to be in the middle of the Roman military hierarchy, having men who ranked in authority both above and below him.[3]  We see this hierarchy referenced in an exchange…

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April 6, 2020
Read more about the article The Evolution of the Doctrine of the Trinity
Church History / Guest Posts

The Evolution of the Doctrine of the Trinity

This is a well written article detailing the historical development of the doctrine of the Trinity.  It is being shared here with the permission of its author.  The original can be found at The Trinity on Trial website.   The Evolution of the Doctrine of the TrinityModern Christians owe a debt of gratitude to the early church. Her legacy of courage under persecution stands to this day as a bold testimony of faith. However, this legacy tends to overshadow the devastating impact of false teachers who…

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December 23, 2019
Read more about the article The Importance of Reading the Bible as a Jewish Book
How to Read the Bible / Church History

The Importance of Reading the Bible as a Jewish Book

The Bible is a Jewish book.  Although we read it, study it and memorize it in English, it is not an American book.  All but one of its forty or so authors was Jewish, and it was written from a decidedly Hebraic perspective.  Therefore, in order for us to understand its meaning, we must read it in the way its authors and God intended it to be read.  What were they trying to communicate to their original audience?  How would they have understood it?  These…

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August 18, 2019
Read more about the article How Plato Influenced Our View of God
Trifacial Trinity: Anonymous, Cusco School c. 1750
Church History / Preexistence

How Plato Influenced Our View of God

Many Christians sitting in the pew believe that their view of God, indeed orthodoxy's view, is derived solely from the Bible.  They would never suspect, however, that the roots of their belief in a triune God comes, not from Scripture, but from Greek philosophy.  Nor could they imagine that the respected early Church Fathers were to blame for synthesizing pagan philosophy, such as Plato's, with the sacred texts.  While the average Christian is unaware of such matters, Biblical scholars find this to be old news.…

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August 12, 2019
Read more about the article John 1:1 The Jewish Mind vs Greek Philosophy (Part 3)
Proof Texts for the Deity of Christ / Church History / Dual Natures of Christ / Preexistence

John 1:1 The Jewish Mind vs Greek Philosophy (Part 3)

The Jewish Mind vs Greek PhilosophyIn part 1 and part 2 of this series we looked at three textual considerations having to do with grammar and the translators' bias in the prologue to John's gospel.  First, we saw that "Word" (logos) was incorrectly capitalized, inferring that it was a person that pre-existed with God.  Second, we learned that the translators failed to follow standard translation methods when they referred to "word" (logos) as a "he" and "him" instead of an "it" which the English calls for…

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May 8, 2019
Read more about the article The Uniqueness of God
Who is God / Church History

The Uniqueness of God

Many Christians are familiar with the '90s worship song, "There is None Like You." The song had a resurgence in popularity in the 2004 when it was recorded by the group Shane and Shane. Perhaps most memorable is the song's refrain which extols the uniqueness of God: There is none like You No one else can touch my heart like you do I could search for all eternity long and find,  There is none like You While God's ability to connect with the inner man…

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April 10, 2019