The Voice of Jesus

The world bombards us with so much information and distraction that sometimes it’s hard to hear the voice of Jesus. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could actually hear His voice and separate it from the torrent of media noise coming our way? The sound of Jesus’ voice often seems faint compared to all the news we hear about wars and pandemics, inflation and economic collapse, crimes, natural disasters and political crises. All these things are coming at us through an almost endless variety of technologies and it seems like we are awash in an ocean of news, entertainment and information. It would do most of us a lot of good if we learned how to hear the voice of Jesus instead of all the noise and distraction the world sends our way.

Theological Noise

There’s another kind of noise that also makes it hard to hear the sound of Jesus’ voice. It’s helpful to think of the ancient dogmas coming our way from the church fathers as a kind of “theological noise” that can also drown out Jesus’ voice. I like to watch nature shows on TV and am amazed by the way a mother seal or seagull finds her own offspring in a noisy colony full of hungry shrieking babies. Somehow or another she hears the sound of her own baby and that baby hears and recognizes her voice! It’s just a miracle… and it’s a miracle too that we can even hear the voice of Jesus over the all the theological noise surrounding us.

The Sound of Jesus’ Voice

Jesus meant it when He said, “My sheep hear my voice…” (John 10:27) Above the noise of the world and church traditions there remains the sound of Jesus’ voice and it’s still possible to hear it if you dare. He speaks to us plainly and forcefully and today we can hear His voice in the words of scripture. The words of Jesus continue to echo through the centuries and hallways of history and His sheep still hear them today. Scripture is the sound of Jesus’ voice and His sheep delight to hear Him. His words cut through the proud religious traditions of men now just like they did when He walked in Israel. His voice also cuts through all the philosophical nonsense that forms the heart of trinitarian dogma and His words are “sharper than any two edged sword…” (Hebrews 4:12)

The Voice of Tradition

Our most sacred tradition (the trinity) declares that God is three co-equal persons who share the same divine substance. This is the united voice of the church fathers and councils and it still shouts loudly in Christendom today. Modern theologians and scholars simply echo the ancient thoughts and words of the church fathers and for the most part their voices are the only voices allowed in our churches. It is fair to say that their voice is the voice of tradition, but the voice of tradition is not the voice of Jesus.

The Voice of Jesus

No one ever heard the voice of Jesus say that God is three persons or anything remotely like it. His words are simple, straightforward and clear. He taught that the most important thing, the first and greatest commandment of all is this: “Hear O Israel! The LORD our God is One LORD.” (Mark 12:29) This is the main thing! Don’t ever forget it…. no matter what you hear from creeds, councils, church fathers, traditions or the denominations that want you to listen to their voice. “The LORD our God is One LORD.” “For us (Christians) there is one God, the Father and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (I Timothy 2:5)

There Are So Many Voices in the World

“There are, it may be, so many voices in the world and none of them is without significance.” (I Corinthians 14:10) All we have to do is figure out what those voices signify and which voice we should listen to. Should we listen to the words and voice of the church fathers in the triune creeds they imposed on the Body of Christ? Or should we listen to the words and voice of Jesus Christ recorded in scripture? Who should we listen to? We think that’s a good question to think about. What do you think? It makes sense to us to listen to Jesus.

PS: It took this old retired pastor almost 50 years of study and searching to find a clear and Biblical alternative to the trinity. I confess to being a little slow. Ultimately I arrived at the immensely satisfying and solidly Biblical understanding of God and Christ we speak of on this website and that some call Biblical Unitarian. I hope it doesn’t take you that long! If this teaching brings you peace and blessing please spread the word and share a link to www.wonderfultheology.com with someone else soon! (they might not have 50 years left). God Bless.

Consider the Lilies

God’s Creations Are Beautiful and Perfect

Consider what God creates and you’ll see that, “He has made everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:11). When the world was created “God saw everything He had made and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). “Consider the lilies of the field… even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these” (Matthew 6:29). We are surrounded by an incredible amount of beauty that was bestowed upon us by the marvelous hand of God. We are blessed with sunrises and sunsets, blue skies and rainbows, birdsong and butterfly. The scents and colors of flowers, still waters in the moonlight and a night sky ablaze with stars… these things all belong to us! We look around us at God’s creation and see perfection. Incredible, beautiful and amazing perfection… because that’s how God does things.

Man’s Creations Are Flawed

When you consider what man creates it’s a different story altogether. We build concrete cities and highways lined with billboards. Instead of “dressing and keeping” this garden earth we have polluted and scarred it. Most of man’s creations are flawed, deeply flawed. We make weapons of war. Humanity has created a world marked by violence and crime, pollution, corruption, wars and greed. God knows we cause a lot of trouble and our fallen natures are the cause of untold misery and suffering. Look around at what mankind has created and you’ll see far more ugliness than beauty. Sadly enough, that’s just how humanity does things.

Scripture is Beautiful

When it comes to spiritual things we see the same pattern. God conveys beautiful truths in the revelation we call the Bible. Scripture speaks of God poetically and in strikingly powerful language. We know God as the Ancient of Days and the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity. Our Father is the Alpha and Omega, The Creator, A Man of War and our Shepherd, Redeemer and Judge. He is Yahweh, the God of Israel and His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ is our Messiah and Savior. The revelation of God and His Son in scripture is a work of divine artistry… beautiful, eternal and perfect! Scripture is beautiful because that’s how God does things.

Creeds Are Ugly

If you consider the “official” creeds of the church it’s easy to see just how ugly these man-breathed writings are in comparison to the lofty beauty of scripture. The heavens (and scripture) declare the glory of God and fill us with hope. Creeds are as dry and lifeless as a software manual and filled to the brim with human pride and threat. (The Athanasian Creed is a great example of this.) Part of the ugliness of creeds is all the violence and division they have caused within the Body of Christ. Sadly, that’s just how humanity does things.

Filthy Rags of Human Pride

Please remember this, “All our righteousness is as filthy rags.” The things men create (creeds) that pretend to be as authoritative as God’s Word are just filthy rags too and they will not save you. Reciting the creeds faithfully every Sunday won’t do you any good. People who heard Jesus speak said “No man ever spake like this man!” His words are Spirit and they are Life and only His words can give us beauty for ashes. All you will get from the trinitarian dogma of the creeds is ashes in exchange for the filthy rags of human pride and philosophy.

Let Beauty Be Your Inheritance

Let beauty be your inheritance and choose scripture instead of creeds. We know and believe that “God has made everything beautiful in its time” and someday He will “beautify the meek with salvation.” (Psalms 149:4) There is coming a time when everything will be made new and beautiful and when that happens we don’t think there will be a creed in sight.

Sola Scriptura…. Really?

The phrase “sola scriptura” is tossed around a lot these days. I hear it in conversations with believers who are defending their beliefs and see it frequently on church home pages. It’s a well known Latin phrase that simply means “scripture alone” and it does have a nice ring to it. Many Christians like to boast that “the Bible is my only authority!” We wish that were true, but sometimes we wonder. How about you? Do you believe in sola scriptura…. really?

Is the Trinity Sola Scriptura?

Let’s take a look at what is arguably the single most important doctrine in modern Christendom and see if it passes the “sola scriptura” test or not. It’s a teaching from our creeds about the nature of God and it’s widely used as a litmus test for orthodoxy. If you question or object to its dogma you’ll likely be written off as a heretic, a wing nut, or at the very least, someone way out on the fringe. Yes, you guessed it! I’m talking about the trinity, our beloved and venerable Holy Trinity. In this article we ask if the trinity is really consistent with the principle of sola scriptura… or is it simply a Christian sacred cow with no basis in scripture at all?

Find These Words in Scripture!

If the trinity is scriptural you should be able to find it in the Bible pretty easily by finding the words “three persons”, “triune” or “trinity” in the scriptures. The trinity is built on words and ideas like co-equal, co-eternal, persons, substance, essence, hypostasis, and homoousious. A good concordance could help you find these words in scripture without much effort and prove the trinity is consistent with sola scriptura. All you have to do is find these words in scripture! If the words and ideas that men have used to build the trinity are really consistent with sola scriptura they must be in God’s Word somewhere! But they are not. None of them. None at all. Not even one. Why not? Could it be because the trinity has a lot do to with our creeds but doesn’t have anything to do with scripture?

Choose Sola Scriptura or Choose the Trinity

The lack of scriptural references to support the trinity creates a problem doesn’t it? Some try to minimize the problem and say, “So what! What’s the big deal?” Well, it is a big deal and here’s the issue. Do you believe in the creeds or do you believe in scripture alone? The dilemma you face is that you can’t have it both ways. You can’t have your doctrinal cake and eat it too. Choose sola scriptura or choose the trinity of the creeds but you can’t honestly have both. Either throw out the archaic creeds that gave us the trinity or throw out the whole idea of sola scriptura.

Choose You This Day Whom You Will Serve

I’m reminded of the time when Joshua confronted Israel with these words: “Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15) The man chosen to lead Israel didn’t leave them much room for waffling around. The edges of the decision were sharp and the choice before them was stark. Choose your old and familiar religion or serve YHWH in sincerity. Perhaps God has brought all of us to the kingdom for such a time as this and now insists that we too make a choice. Choose scripture or choose an old and familiar man-breathed creed. As for me and a growing number of believers, I think we’ll go with sola scriptura. Why not join us? You’ll be glad you did.

Jesus’ Favorite Creed

Do you have a favorite creed? Maybe you like the Nicene Creed best of all and recite it every Sunday in church. Or do you prefer the Apostles’ Creed? Lots of Christians like the Apostles’ Creed and it is easily one of the all time top creeds. And who could ignore the Athanasian Creed? Wow! It’s such an impressive creed with serious heft and real teeth. The Athanasian Creed says you better start thinking about God like Athanasius decreed or you will be lost and damned! That may sound harsh but according to the Athanasian Creed it’s just the way things are. Perhaps the disciples of Athanasius should properly be called Athanasians instead of Christians. If the words of Athanasius can decide your salvation they might be even more important than the words of Jesus! Have you ever wondered if Jesus has a favorite creed?

Jesus Has a Favorite Creed!

It turns out that Jesus has a favorite creed too. It is pretty straightforward really. “Hear O Israel, the LORD your God is one LORD!” (Deuteronomy 6:4). The ancient Jewish Shema was deeply upsetting to proponents of the trinity! They preferred, “The Lord your God is Three and One”. In spite of all the church councils over the centuries no one has ever figured out a way to get rid of that pesky old Shema once and for all. In spite of the decisions of church councils and human governments throughout history, Jesus was (and is) so committed to the truth of the Shema that it formed the basis of what He declared was the greatest commandment of all.

Jesus’ Personal Creed Was Outlawed by Rome!

Like a lot of things He said, Jesus’ favorite creed caused some serious controversy. As a result, Jesus’ personal creed was outlawed by Rome! The Justinian Codex or Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law) banned the Shema in 529 AD because it was deemed much too Jewish. Unfortunately Jesus’ creed also implied criticism of the Trinity… so it had to be banned under penalty of death. Strangely enough, Christ’s adversaries on this issue still claimed to be His disciples! The prohibition against the Shema was written into Roman law during the reign of Justinian I thereby overruling the clear will of the Savior. We think promoting trinitarian dogma by outlawing Jesus’ favorite creed (at the point of a sword) doesn’t seem like God’s way at all… but it does seem like something Satan would approve of. As Jesus said, “By their fruits you will know them.”

PS: I suppose Justinian’s prohibition against the Shema made a lot of sense to the emperor and to the trinitarian bishops who ruled the state church. It doesn’t make much sense to the rest of us though. Now that you know this interesting bit of history why not share it with your friends? They should know about it too. Thanks and God Bless.

Is the Trinity an Illusion?

Before You Yield Your Mind to the Trinity

Beloved. I am your friend and fellow believer in Jesus Christ. We both believe He was born of a virgin and suffered and died a cruel death on the cross for our sake. We both believe he rose from the dead on the third day and now sits at the right hand of God. He is our Savior and Shepherd and High Priest. He is the only begotten Son of God and our Messiah! I suspect we both cherish these truths but there is something else to consider too. Before you yield your mind to the Trinity let’s talk it over. We should ask ourselves: is the Trinity just an illusion? This is such an important decision that it only makes sense to consider it carefully. You know… understand your options, study, pray, and ask God for insight. Sleep on it. Take your time.

Is the Trinity a Sacred Cow?

Please forgive me for saying it out loud but we have a sacred cow in our midst, and it’s about time we all took a close look at it. Yes, dear one, I’m talking about the Trinity. We all know there are some things we should not question or think about, but let’s go ahead and do it anyway. This will take some bravery on your part but don’t worry! You are totally free to reject everything you are about to read. I just want to share a few thoughts with you that may help you see things in a new light.

The Old Wine of Trinitarian Dogma

Most of us have spent much, if not all of our lives, believing that the only legitimate, safe and orthodox teaching about God and Jesus is Trinitarian dogma. I have some very good news for you though. There is a Biblically harmonious, comprehensible and wonderfully straightforward conception of God and Christ that you should at least learn about. You may be totally satisfied with the old wine of Trinitarian dogma, but perhaps not. Regardless, you owe it to yourself to at least see if there is a better alternative.

Ancient Christian Beliefs

There are ancient Christian beliefs that are much more Biblical than the Trinitarian dogma that holds sway over the Body of Christ today. Let’s take a look at what most “primitive Christians” believed long before the “church fathers” did their work and wrote their creeds. Before these men assembled under the dubious auspices of a Roman emperor named Constantine there was a simplicity of faith that even unlearned and illiterate believers understood and loved. Many of them died for it.

Many Claim to See Things That Really Aren’t There

Jesus spoke about those “who have eyes to see but see not.” On the other hand many claim to see things that really aren’t there, teaching things that never appear in the Bible. Scripture speaks to this notion in the words of the prophet Ezekiel. “The word of the LORD came to me: “Son of man… Say to those who prophecy out of their own imagination; Hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!… Their visions are false.” (Ezekiel 13:1-3,7) No less a personage than Martin Luther himself freely admitted “It is indeed true that the name Trinity is nowhere to be found in the Holy scriptures, but has been conceived and invented by man.” Dr. Benjamin Warfield explains “The doctrine of the trinity lies in the New Testament rather in the form of allusions than in express teaching.” These “allusions” form the basis of the trinity.

Children Imagine Seeing Things in the Clouds

Children imagine seeing things in the clouds. “See! That one is a fish and that one over there looks like a bird!” It’s innocent fun to point out to others what we see in our own imaginations. Best of all is when your companions can imagine for themselves what you see! This is just harmless child’s play and is great fun. Can you imagine sentencing people to death who don’t see what you see? Would you want to kill them? Does that sound even remotely Christian? Isn’t that a profoundly evil impulse? But that’s exactly what happened when church councils created creeds based on what theologians imagined seeing in the “allusions” of scripture. Paraphrasing now, “So, you want to be saved? You better see what we see.. or else!”

The Trinity Became a Matter of Life and Death

The Roman Empire (the same empire that crucified Jesus) began to enforce its newly written creeds with violence! Accepting or rejecting the Trinity became a matter of life and death. What would any sensible person do? The overwhelming response eventually became, “Well of course I see what you see! It’s perfectly clear!” Many said, “If our religious leaders claim to see that God is a trinity of three persons then I see it too!” The threat of banishment or death had a powerful effect on how well believers could see the new beliefs about God and Jesus! But, did they really see? There were many who paid an awful price to maintain their integrity. I’ve looked long and hard at the pages of the Bible and I can’t see three divine persons at all. All I can see in scripture is One God the Father, and His only begotten Son, the man Christ Jesus. My heart is at peace with this and my mind is satisfied too. Now… what about you? What do you see?

PS: Yes… these are radical thoughts aren’t they? Then again, Jesus was pretty radical Himself. Imagine that! Now, shake up your friends! Encourage them to think about these things too. Share a link to wonderfultheology.com with someone today. You’ll be doing them a favor. God Bless.