1 John 5:20: Jesus is also “the only true God”?

• This reading flat out contradicts the Son in John 17.3 because it’s impossible to be also “the only” of anything!
• The closest antecedent is not always the subject: 1 John 2:22; 2 John 7: “Jesus Christ. This one is the deceiver/antichrist…”

Hebrews 1:8: Jesus is God or god?

• Human Davidic king called god: Ps 45.
• Most evangelical scholars, bible commentaries recognize this, like the New English Bible: “Because the Davidic king is God’s vice-regent on earth, the psalmist addresses him as if he were God incarnate. [Similarly] Isa 9:6 [where the Davidic king is called “Mighty God”].”
• Furthermore, the very next verse proofs the point that this figure is not called God in the absolute sense because he has a God. Again, if someone has a God it means you’re not God!

John 20:28: Jesus is the Lord God?

• John 14: Thomas finally “sees” the Father in the Son, i.e., perfectly represents, acts, teaches the words of God the Father because he is the Messiah, the supreme agent!
• In the next verse: “Because you have seen you believe,” i.e., seeing = understanding.

John 1 LogoSon?

• Grammatical gender has nothing to do with sexual gender, i.e., a person or not a person. The Greek for “paper” is masculine, etc. In Spanish, my native tongue….
• The “word with God” doesn’t mean 2 Persons: The Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament says that “any force of motion inherent in pros [towards, face to face] is overridden by the [static verb, was/is].” Köstenberger, p 27, f. 22.
• According to Dr. Colin Brown in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, John never uses pros but para to describe one person alongside another person (Jn 1:39, 4:40, 14:17, 23, 25, 19:25). Ethan cites Acts 24:16 a conscious a person?!
• The word “pertains to God” (pros ton theon, Heb 5:1; Rom 15:17), i.e., in connection with God the Father!
• Other divine qualities said to be “with God”; “With His arm; reward.” cp. Isa 40:10; 49:4; 53:11; 62.11; “With Wisdom, with Might.” Job 12:13a; cp. 12.16;

John 17:5 preexistence literal or ideal?

• Not a trinity proof text, God = 3 Persons. If anything binitarianism!
• Prophetic past tense: The Son of Man has been glorified, John 13:31; Christians have been glorified, 1Cor 6:11; Rom 8:30.
• Possible paraphrase: “Father, glorify your only unique Son now [in fact & in person] with the glory that I had with you [in faith & in prophecy] from before creation itself, because you have always loved me.”

Hebrews 1:10 The Father calls the Son the Creator, Yahweh?

• IF true it would overturn 50+ statements in both Testaments where the Father, alone, unaccompanied, is “by Myself” the Creator (Isa 44:24)! And Heb. 1.1-2 where the Son is not visible, audible in the OT!
• Creation in connection to “the inhabited earth of the future” [the Millennium] at the parousia: Heb 2:5; 1:6. That’s why the writer cites the Messianic Ps 102 “for a future generation…a people yet to be created,” Vv. 18-19; 20-23! Obviously not the Genesis creation. See F.F. Bruce
• Fulfilling prophecies like Isa 51:16 where “the servant of Yahweh” is made “to establish the heavens, to found the earth” (according to the NASB which my opponent regards as “the very best translation in the world today. Very accurate, very literal and also readable.”) See Word Biblical Commentary and NET Bible on Isa 51:16;
• Just like the original, pre-flood Genesis was changed (2Pet. 3.3-13; Rev. 6.12-14; cp. Isa 34.4), so this is about a further renewal that will take place after the Millennium (Rev. 20.7-15).
• “You, lord, in the beginning…” The word “lord” is not Yahweh or Adonai because it’s not in the LXX text of Ps 102!

Alpha and Omega: The Father, Rev 1:8; 22.13

• Share titles, even shared imagery, do not mean same ID:  Artaxerxes (Ezra 7.12) & Nebuchadnezzar (Ezek. 26.7; Dan 2.37) called “king of kings.”
• Yahweh is “the only savior” (Isa 43.11); yet Yahweh sends “saviors” (Neh 9.7).
• God is Alpha/Omega in reference to “Who is, Who was, Who is to come” (never used for the Son: Rev 1:4, 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:5; cp. “the Self-existing One” Gk. OH OHN, Hb. YHWH, Ex 3:14).
• John connects the phrase with Jesus in language about his being “dead” and now being “alive”: Rev 1:17-18 and 2:8. And however you define death scripture says it’s something God cannot do!

Col 1:16 the Son is the Genesis Creator?

• Again, IF true it would overturn 50+ statements in both Testaments where the Father, alone, unaccompanied, is “by Myself” the Creator (Isa 44:24)! And Heb. 1.1-2 where the Son is not visible, audible in the OT!
• Overturn Jesus saying “God created the world,” Mark 13:19.
• In just the previous verse the Son is called a “creature”: KJV, ASV.
• Many grammarians note a mistranslation: Expositors Greek Testament.
• The Greek [en auto] does not mean “by him.” Turner, A Grammar of NT Greek: “We must render [en] ‘because of’ in Col. 1:16.” N.T. Wright, Colossians & Philemon: “the [divine] passive ‘were created’ indicates, in a typically Jewish fashion, the activity of God the Father. [To say ‘by’] could imply [that Christ] was alone responsible for creation.”
• Divine passive is used by Jesus more than 100 times by Jesus: Mark c. 19x; Luke c. 34x; Matthew c. 40x; John c. 2x.
• The NT presents the Son primarily as the agent, instrument of God’s creation. Never as THE Genesis Creator: Trinitarian Robert Bowman admits that “It’s true that the NT never says that all things are ‘from’ (ek) the Son [dia].”
• From [ek] only for God the Father: Rom 11:36; 1Cor 8:6; 11:12; 2Cor 5:18!
• Hay, Abingdon NT Commentary: Colossians, notes that the Rabbis “said the world was created ‘for the sake of the Messiah’ (b. Sanh. 98b).”

Phil 2:5-8: preexistence or the human Jesus?

• The subject is the historical human Messiah Jesus not some preexistent Son, “being.”
• The human Jesus “existed in the form,” not “in very nature God.” While on earth he had authority, power, and glory of God. Again, nothing about some “time before time.”
• Translators bias: “in very nature,” Gk. morphe simply means “form.” Isa 44.13LXX “The carpenter measures the wood. He outlines a figure with chalk, carves it out with his tools, and makes it in the form of a man…”
• The human Jesus “emptied himself,” i.e., the context has to do with “selfish ambition, pride,” self-interest, etc. Just because he was “in the form of God,” he didn’t misuse his authority, power, teachings that God the Father gave him! See v.8 “he humbled himself.”
• The human Jesus had the appearance of a normal male: See Isa 53:2 “nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance.”

John 8:58 ego eimi = YHWH?

• Not a reference to the Name, Ex 3.14LXX: “I am the Self-Existing One [ego eimi ho hon].
• Tell them the Self-Existing One [ho hon] has sent you.” Cp. Rev 1:4, 1:8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:5: “Him who is [ho hon], who was [ho hen], who is to come [ho herchomenos].”
• Translators bias alert: 15x for Jesus: “I am he” or “It is I, the Messiah” [Matt. 14:27; Mar 6:50; 14:62; Lu 21:8; 22:70; 24:39; John 4:26; 6:20; 8:24, 28; 13:19; 18:5, 6, 8] except at John 8.58!

Isaiah 9:6 Is Jesus is the Mighty God, Yahweh?

• Driver & Briggs, Hebrew & English Lexicon of the OT, 1995, p. 42: [el gibbor] “mighty hero or divine hero, as reflecting the divine majesty.”
• Many translations agree!
• Bible in Living English: “Divine Champion”
• Revised English Bible: “Mighty Hero”
• New English Bible: “he shall be called in purpose wonderful, in battle God-like”
• Moffat’s: “divine hero”
• The plural used for human “chiefs, leaders, warriors, heroes” in Ezek. 32:21.

Rev 22:3 latreuo for the “God the Lamb”?

• Dunn, Wainwright and others say latreuo never used for Jesus in the NT!
• Used for humans: Deut. 28:48LXX “You shall serve [latreuo] your enemies whom Yahweh shall send against you.”
• Judith 3:8a “So that all nations should worship [latreuo] Nebuchadnezzar only.”

John 12:41 citing Isa 6:1?

• Assuming Isa 6:1:
• “Isaiah said these things (Isaiah 53:1; 6:10) because he saw his [Messiah’s] glory and spoke of him”;
• A reference to the human non-Deity servant of the Deity, Yahweh: “The branch of Yahweh” (4.2); grows up like a young plant before Yahweh (53.2); bears the sins of all peoples and whom Yahweh will cause to suffer (53.2, 6)!
• Just like His titles, the Father shares His “glory” with His Son [and His people, John 17]!
• Matthew 16.27: “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds.”
• Matthew 25.31: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.”
• Isaiah among many who “saw” Messiah’s glory: 1 Peter 1.10-12

Col 2:9 fullness of Deity in Christ = God?

• Eph. 3:19; “fullness of Christ” 4:13;
• “God was in Christ,” not “God was Christ”: 2Cor  5:19;
• NOTE: Luke and Paul use singular personal pronouns for the “Godhead” in Acts 17:29; Rom 1:20!