I don’t want to jump too deep into a discussion of the Trinity, but...
Some facts are taught in Scripture: Jesus is God. God the Father is God. The Holy Spirit is God. They are one, yet the Scripture describes them with personal pronouns.
One doesn’t go very far from that before one leaves revelation from God and enters speculation from men. The Church Councils from 300 on sometimes dealt with genuine issues, but often speculated - and banned - things that had nothing to do with believing in Jesus or living a life pleasing to God. The date to celebrate Easter isn’t exactly a core belief in Christianity, but the Bishop of Rome was more interested in rejecting people for that than evangelizing the lost!
I don’t think God is all that worried about majority votes by Bishops who cared more for their power than for preaching the Good News. If God required a detailed knowledge of the Trinity for salvation, HE would have provided it. In detail. If He could provide Levitical priests detailed descriptions of what to wear & do, He could also have provided “The Apostle Peter & Paul’s Book of Systematic Theology”.
He didn’t, and we ought to show humility and not go beyond what He has revealed about Himself. We are not qualified to do that.
Thank you for your reply. We are in basic agreement.
I want to note that I am not against the trinitarian tradition - As I have said, I do agree with it.
But even as I declare that, in my own thinking, while processing Scripture, or handling a prayer, or nearly any other thing, it is my tendency to treat the Godhead as though it were made of three separate persons - The arrangement and priority of the Godhead as revealed, not to mention my own sanity, nearly demands it.
And while I see the idea of a coequal triune God, it is also easy to see subordination within the Godhead, as Christ declared Himself sent by the Father (directed), and claims the Father's control over the Spirit. Christ said no one but the Father knows the time of Christ's return. These all (among others) imply hierarchy within the Godhead. So it is easy to see where various theories can come from.
What is important is to understand what Jehovah has revealed - That is true, and must be kept true. What is beyond that is tradition, and should not be exclusionary, or mandated. It does not carry the authority of the Word.
***I don’t want to jump too deep into a discussion of the Trinity, but...
Some facts are taught in Scripture: Jesus is God. God the Father is God. The Holy Spirit is God. They are one, yet the Scripture describes them with personal pronouns.***
Fair enough. My point is and remains that the Synoptic Gospels and Paul did not teach the divinity of Jesus. Or the Holy Spirit. The JWs and various other groups have their own Scriptural justification for what they believe.
***One doesn’t go very far from that before one leaves revelation from God and enters speculation from men. The Church Councils from 300 on sometimes dealt with genuine issues, but often speculated - and banned - things that had nothing to do with believing in Jesus or living a life pleasing to God. The date to celebrate Easter isn’t exactly a core belief in Christianity, but the Bishop of Rome was more interested in rejecting people for that than evangelizing the lost!***
Are you sure? I would disagree with your statement.
***I don’t think God is all that worried about majority votes by Bishops who cared more for their power than for preaching the Good News. If God required a detailed knowledge of the Trinity for salvation, HE would have provided it. In detail. If He could provide Levitical priests detailed descriptions of what to wear & do, He could also have provided “The Apostle Peter & Paul’s Book of Systematic Theology”.***
To go further along those lines, let us consider that Jesus never provided us with ANY written words except those that were written in the dust and presumably were lost that very day. He painstakingly provided us His Church with a bunch of dunderheads that He had to keep teaching the same things over and over again and who didn’t really believe wholly and fully in Him until Pentecost.
***He didn’t, and we ought to show humility and not go beyond what He has revealed about Himself. We are not qualified to do that.***
Only the Church is authorized to form doctrine and to teach. Beyond that, we dare not go.