Blainer wrote:
> Well, OK. I guess the answer is "yes." That won't
> cost me any money to say that. It is just that I am
> not sure what you mean when you include the word
> "Trinity." If this word has just general meaning, OK,
> but if it has some special meaning, in reference to some
> thing or event in particular, then I have to be more cautious.
> I do believe Jesus is God's Son, and that he is God
> because he is one of the Godhead--made up of three
> individuals--the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost,
> which is ONE GOD.
Blaine, I'm going to try real quickly to explain this. Unfortunately, I
think you might reverse yourself when you hear the answer. :-)
The word "Trinity" historically does have a special meaning. It is a word
meant to designate a Godhead that, while being 3 persons, is also of the
SAME substance.
The entire argument between the Arians and the Trinitarians hinged on a
single letter in one Greek word that described the relationship between
Jesus and the heavenly Father. This is kind of ironic for a subject of such
supposed magnitude, especially when you consider that the single letter in
dispute is the letter iota. So the whole debate rests upon a single iota!
LOL Arius taught that Jesus was a created being, so that he is our Creator
and we worship him as such, but technically, he is not deity. The word
favored by most Arians was "homoi-ousius" which means, "of like essence."
The word favored by the Trinitarians as "homo-ousius" which means ("of the
same essence"). The question was if Jesus was of like substance / essence
as the Father, or if he was of the same substance / essence as the Father.
There was a third view called Sabellianism, but this was rejected as
heretical prior to this debate between the Arians and the Trinitarians. In
fact, the Trinitarians were accused by the Arians as being Sabellians with
their view of three persons being of the same substance. Sabellianism is
basically the "Oneness" teaching that some Christians embrace today, which
considers the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as one person.
The Mormon view technically is kind of like the Arian view. Arius
worshipped Jesus just like Mormons do, and he considered Jesus as the
creator of all the earth, and he viewed Jesus himself being a created
person. The difference is that Arius thought that because Jesus was
created, he technically was not deity. This was important to Arius in order
to distinguish themselves as a monotheistic religion rather than a
polytheistic religion. Mormons say that Jesus is deity, apparently
considering themselves to embrace a henotheistic form of polytheism.
It's kind of interesting that Arians and Trinitarians divide over a single
iota, but Mormons seem to find a division even between this division. How
thin can the pie be cut before it just crumbles?
Peace be with you.
David Miller.
----------
"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you
ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org
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