Orthodox Monotheism

Proposition # 9: At John 20:28 Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, called Jesus “God.” For a Jew this would be blasphemy unless Jesus truly were God.

Response: Imagine yourself as Thomas: you followed someone who taught as no one else had ever taught; you saw miracles take place in abundance: the healing of the sick, the raising of the dead, the casting out of demons, etc.; and you came to the conclusion that this man must be the promised … Read the rest

Proposition # 8: Matthew 1:22, 23 applies the term Emmanuel, which means God with us, to Jesus. Compare Isaiah 7:14.

Response: The Jews had long hoped for the appearance of the Messiah who would, they thought, deliver them from Gentile domination.

Nearly 600 years before the Common Era the Jews lost their Davidic kingdom when they were overrun by Babylon. They returned to their homeland after Babylon fell, but the Davidic throne was not restored, nor were they free of … Read the rest

Proposition # 7: John 5:18 says, “For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill [Jesus], because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” And at John 10:30, 38 Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” and “the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” This shows that he is with the Father in a triune God.

Response: Notice … Read the rest

Proposition # 6: Jesus demonstrated attributes that only God can possess.

Response: God has the right, the authority, and the ability to endow anyone whom He chooses with those attributes that He wants one to have. One such attribute is that Christ forgave sins. At John 12:49 Jesus said, “For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has Himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak.” So when Christ forgave … Read the rest

Proposition # 5: The Bible speaks of Jesus’ being prayed to, and even worshipped. This proves that he is God.

Response: Concerning worship, David Chilton, a trinitarian, wrote on page 479 of DAYS OF VENGEANCE:

“…the term worship (in Greek, proskuneo) simply means the custom of prostrating oneself before a person and kissing his feet, the hem of his garment, the ground, etc., and can be used not only for the homage paid to God (or, sinfully, to a false

… Read the rest

Proposition # 4: The Hebrew word most often used for God is elohim which is a plural noun, thus denoting the plurality in the Godhead. Also, God [elohim] used plural first-person pronouns as in Genesis 1:26, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”

Response: Again, the language in which this was originally written was the native tongue of the Jews, yet they have not felt compelled by the use of the plural noun or pronoun … Read the rest