(10-20-2019, 04:59 AM)Jason Wrote: Being strict monotheistic Christian could mean a couple of things. It could mean that you believe that God is Jesus and Jesus is God (that is, you a modalist, believing that both "Father" and "Son" are just modes that Jesus adopts). Or, you could believe that Jesus was the Messiah but a complete human being that only bore God's image and was empowered by God.
Would you clarify?
Welcome to the forum.
First, we do not use the term “modalist” to describe what we believe. Indeed, I had never even heard that term before I heard it from doctrinal detractors as a term of derision. Second, neither do we say that the terms Father and Son are “just modes that Jesus adopts.”
While I cannot post a link to my academic blog on this issue, I will just say at this point that yes, I wholeheartedly believe that Jesus is the totality of God enfleshed. But, again, I am not here to defend my position, nor try to convince anyone. I have been intently studying Trinitarianism w. an open heart for many years now—and I have absolutely zero doubt in either my heart or mind that it’s false doctrine—and I have defended that point both internationally and publicly.
To summarize, I think it’s laughable and patently absurd to suggest that Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses, David, Isaiah...and every other biblical writer of the TaNaKh was “mistaken” about God’s “true” identity as a sole divine person (who uses no less than 9,000 *single-person-pronouns* to identify Himself)—when He was really “3 divine, coequal, coeternal, consubstantial persons” that no one knew existed (??)...but enough of that?. And, yes I know about Alan Segal’s “Two Powers” work concerning 2nd Temple Judaism.
Again, I am here to learn more about Hebrew. I have already had a year of Hebrew, but, honestly, I feel like I need to take it again. The vowels *REALLY* made things difficult for me. Hebrew was farrr harder for me than Greek was. However, I did learn a TON about your language and it made me appreciate the Jewish people even more.
Thank y’all again for allowing me on this forum. Shalom!