Explore various passages that are used to support the doctrine of the dual natures of Christ. What does the Bible have to say?
St. Paul Writing His Epistles, Valentin de Boulogne, ca 1618
Many scholars consider Paul's letter to the church in Rome to be his greatest doctrinal treatise. It is no wonder that Trinitarians search its pages for proof of the dual natures of Christ and, by implication, the doctrine of the Trinity. One passage that is often presented as textual evidence is found in chapter 1:Romans 1:1-4 (NASB) Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy…
Nativity, Antonio Correggio,16th century
In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes to Gentile believers (who were being persuaded to be circumcised according to the law) about what it means to be children and heirs of God. In chapter four, the apostle writes: Galatians 4:1-7 (NASB) Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave, although he is owner of everything, 2 but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. 3 So…
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…
An Examination of Romans 9:5 Did Paul declare to believers in Rome that Jesus is God? Some Christians believe he did based on the following passage:Romans 9:3-5 (NASB) For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, 5 whose are…
Just who is Jesus? A Barna study conducted in 2014, revealed that 93 percent of Americans[1] believe that Jesus Christ "was a real person who actually lived."[2] Sixty-three percent said they have made a commitment to Jesus that is still important in their lives today. However, less than half (43 percent) believe "Jesus was God living among humans." But before someone cries Heretic!, let's examine the Scriptures and consider why they might believe this. An attentive reader will observe that Scripture consistently places Jesus in…
One of the passages cited as proof that Jesus pre-existed in heaven before being incarnated into the world comes from what is referred to as Jesus' high priestly prayer:John 17:4-5 (NASB) "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. (emphasis added)The Definition of GloryThe word "glorify" in the Greek is doxazô, and it means to render or…
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…
In part 1 of The Jewish Mind vs The Translators' Bias, we began our examination of what is commonly viewed as the quintessential proof text for Jesus' pre-existence: the prologue to John's gospel. John 1:1-3 (NASB) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. The Translators' Bias…
Invariably Trinitarians point to John 1:1-3 as the key passage in their defense of Jesus' deity and by extension, the doctrine of the Trinity. This article begins a multi-part treatment of John's prologue in which we will compare what his Jewish contemporaries would have understood it to mean versus how Trinitarian scholars translated it centuries later. Begin With the End in MindOne of the habits Steven Covey wrote about in his popular book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is that we should, "Begin with…
