Difference between revisions of "Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Do Christians Believe in Three Gods/Do Christians Believe in Three Gods"

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! <h2 style="margin:0;background-color:#cedff2;font-size:120%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Claim: Jesus affirmed the Trinity when He commanded His disciples to baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 28:19)</h2>
 
! <h2 style="margin:0;background-color:#cedff2;font-size:120%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Claim: Jesus affirmed the Trinity when He commanded His disciples to baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 28:19)</h2>
 
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Jesus affirmed that there are three beings who are properly labeled God.  But, as we have seen, there are many ways of understanding "the Trinity."  Nicene Trinitarian is only one way, and it requires the addition of extra-biblical information.  It was also a relatively ''late'' development in Christian thinking.
 
Jesus affirmed that there are three beings who are properly labeled God.  But, as we have seen, there are many ways of understanding "the Trinity."  Nicene Trinitarian is only one way, and it requires the addition of extra-biblical information.  It was also a relatively ''late'' development in Christian thinking.
  

Revision as of 11:48, 2 September 2008

Answering the Question: Do Christians Believe in Three Gods?

Claim: [W]e are dealing with a God who is revealed in the Bible as one God, who has existed eternally as three distinct (not separate) Persons.

While Latter-day Saints agree that God has existed eternally, there are no biblical passages that tease out the difference between "distinct" and "separate." Such hair-splitting is philosophical analysis, not biblical. RBC Ministries is welcome to take this approach, but they should be clear that differentiating between "distinct" and "separate" was the work of Nicene theologians and philosophers, not the Bible.

Claim: Jesus affirmed the Trinity when He commanded His disciples to baptize "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt. 28:19)

Jesus affirmed that there are three beings who are properly labeled God. But, as we have seen, there are many ways of understanding "the Trinity." Nicene Trinitarian is only one way, and it requires the addition of extra-biblical information. It was also a relatively late development in Christian thinking.

To assume that Jesus is here teaching Nicene Trinitarianism is circular reasoning, and ignores the clear historical record.

Conclusion

All Christians assert that God is Three in some senses, and One in others. Nicene Trinitarians admit that how this can be is a mystery. Other Christians, such as the Latter-day Saints, likewise insist that God can be both three and one, depending on how the terms such as "God" and "one" are used.

Understanding these matters requires a review of biblical texts, Jewish and Christian thought, and the historical record. Using slogans or polemics to condemn others contributes little to understanding, and does little to honor Him who RBC Ministries and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints praise as Lord, Savior, and God.

Endnotes

None

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