Refuting Unitarian Errors Regarding the Deity of Jesus

[AIG.com]

Unitarians reject the triune nature of God and argue that the Bible teaches Jesus was not a divine Person but is simply the one Lord Messiah (a human being).

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[Cooper]

God is Spirit, manifest or made known here on earth, not this time in the rock, but in Jesus Christ. He was, "God with us" for a season, and will be our judge when we meet him face to face. My prayer is that he says to me, "well done, my good and faithful servant," instead of saying, "depart from me for I never knew you."
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[for_his_glory]

Universal Church of God is a Metaphysical Fellowship Church embracing all religions, all cultures, and all philosophies. As an autonomous New Spirituality Church as they teach a theology built upon the foundation of truth as revealed in the Spiritual teachings of the World's religions, while also celebrating and assimilating the contributions and insight of Science, the Arts and Philosophy. They do not believe in the Trinity or the Deity of Christ.

 

[tigger 2]

God is Spirit, manifest or made known here on earth, not this time in the rock, but in Jesus Christ. He was, "God with us" for a season, and will be our judge when we meet him face to face. My prayer is that he says to me, "well done, my good and faithful servant," instead of saying, "depart from me for I never knew you."
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Quote at bottom of Cooper's post: "Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory."
(1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV)
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1 Tim. 3:16 (“God was manifest in the flesh”)

As this is translated in the KJV it makes Paul say that Jesus is God “manifest in the flesh.”

Although the KJV, and a few of its kindred Bibles, translates 1 Tim. 3:16 with “God” as above, nearly all other translations today use a word which refers, not to God, but to Jesus: “he” (NIV; RSV; NRSV; JB; NJB; REB; NAB [‘70]; AT; GNB; CBW; and Beck’s translation), “he who” (ASV; NASB; NEB; MLB; BBE; Phillips; and Moffatt), “who,” or “which.” Even the equally old Douay version has “which was manifested in the flesh.” All the very best modern NT texts by trinitarian scholars (including Westcott and Hort, Nestle, and the text by the United Bible Societies) have the NT Greek word ὃς (“who”) here instead of θεὸς (“God”). Why do the very best trinitarian scholars support this NON-trinitarian translation of 1 Tim. 3:16?[7]

Noted Bible scholar Dr. Frederick C. Grant writes:

“A capital example [of NT manuscript changes] is found in 1 Timothy 3:16, where ‘OS’ (OC or ὃς, ‘who’) was later taken for theta sigma with a bar above, which stood for theos (θεὸς, ‘god’). Since the new reading suited …. the orthodox doctrine of the church [trinitarian, at this later date], it got into many of the later manuscripts ….” – p. 656, Encyclopedia Americana, vol. 3, 1957 ed. (This same statement by Dr. Grant was still to be found in the latest Encyclopedia Americana that I examined – the 1990 ed., pp. 696-698, vol. 3.)

A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament by the United Bible Societies (1971 ed.) tells why the trinitarian UBS Committee chose ὃς [‘who’ or ‘he who’] as the original reading in their NT text for this verse:

“it is supported by the earliest and best uncials.” And, “Thus, no uncial (in the first hand [by the ORIGINAL writer]) earlier than the eighth or ninth century supports θεὸς [“God”]; all ancient versions presuppose ὃς [or OC, “who” - masc.] or ὅ [“which” - neut.]; and no patristic writer prior to the last third of the fourth century [ca. 370 A.D.] testifies to the reading θεὸς. The reading θεὸς arose either (a) accidentally, through the misreading of OC as ΘC, or (b) deliberately....” - p. 641.

In actuality it appears to be a combination of both (with the emphasis on the latter). You see, the word ὃς was written in the most ancient manuscripts as OC (“C” being a common form for the ancient Greek letter “S” at that time). Most often at this time the word for God (θεὸς) was written in abbreviated form as ΘC. However, to show that it was an abbreviated form, a straight line, or bar, was always drawn above ΘC. So no copyist should have mistaken ὃς (or OC) for ΘC, in spite of their similarities, simply because of the prominent bar which appeared over the one and not over the other.

What may have happened was discovered by John J. Wetstein in 1714. As he was carefully examining one of the oldest NT manuscripts then known (the Alexandrine Manuscript in London) he noticed at 1 Tim. 3:16 that the word originally written there was OC but that a horizontal stroke from one of the words written on the other side of the manuscript showed through very faintly in the middle of the O. This still would not qualify as an abbreviation for θεὸς, of course, but Wetstein discovered that some person at a much later date and in a different style from the original writer had deliberately added a bar above the original word! Anyone copying from this manuscript after it had been deliberately changed would be likely to incorporate the counterfeit ΘC [with bar above it] into his new copy (especially since it reflected his own trinitarian views)!

Of course, since Wetstein’s day many more ancient NT manuscripts have been discovered and none of them before the eighth century A.D. have been found with ΘC (“God”) at this verse!

Trinitarian scholar Murray J. Harris also concludes:

“The strength of the external evidence favoring OC [‘who’], along with considerations of transcriptional and intrinsic probability, have prompted textual critics virtually unanimously to regard OC as the original text, a judgment reflected in NA(26) [Nestle-Aland text] and UBS (1,2,3) [United Bible Societies text] (with a ‘B’ rating) [also the Westcott & Hort text]. Accordingly, 1 Tim 3:16 is not an instance of the Christological [‘Jesus is God’] use of θεὸς.” - Jesus as God, p. 268, Baker Book House, 1992.

And very trinitarian (Southern Baptist) NT Greek scholar A. T. Robertson wrote about this scripture:

“He who (hos [or OC in the original text]). The correct text, not theos (God) the reading of the Textus Receptus ... nor ho (neuter relative [pronoun]), agreeing with [the neuter] musterion [‘mystery’] the reading of Western documents.” - p. 577, Vol. 4, Word Pictures in the New Testament, Broadman Press.

And even hyper-trinitarian NT Greek scholar, Daniel B. Wallace uses the relative pronoun ὃς (‘who’) in this scripture and tells us:

“The textual variant θεὸς [‘god’] in the place of ὃς [‘who’ or ‘he who’] has been adamantly defended by some scholars, particularly those of the ‘majority text’ school. Not only is such a reading poorly attested [8], but the syntactical argument that ‘mystery’ (μυστήριον) being a neuter noun, cannot be followed by the masculine pronoun (ὃς) is entirely without weight. As attractive theologically [for trinitarians, of course] as the reading θεὸς may be, it is spurious. To reject it is not to deny the deity of Christ, of course; it is just to deny any explicit reference in this text.” [italicized emphasis is by Wallace]. - pp. 341-342, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics, Zondervan, 1996.

The correct rendering of 1 Tim. 3:16, then, is: “He who was revealed in the flesh ….” - NASB. Cf. ASV; RSV; NRSV; NAB; JB; NJB; NIV; NEB; REB; ESV; Douay-Rheims; TEV; CEV; BBE; NLV; God’s Word; New Century Version; Holman NT; ISV NT; Lexham English Bible; The Message; Weymouth; Moffatt; etc.

 

[for_his_glory]

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
John 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

IMO, the simplest way to explain the Deity (Trinity) is found in these two scriptures, but yet no one can fully understand the Trinity as that would mean one could fully understand all the complexities of heavens.

Can you fathom the depths of God or discover the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens, what can you do? Job 11:7, 8; Isaiah 55:9.

Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
Isa 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

God is the word from the beginning being one God who exist in three persons. Trinity means three in one Spirit, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
John 14:25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

God is Spirit, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Jesus also said of Himself in Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

God is the word (Spirit of God),

The word became flesh (Jesus, Spirit of God) and dwelt among us,

When the word (Jesus, Spirit of God made flesh) ascended back up to heaven, once again God sent His Spirit, (Holy Spirit) to indwell us and teach us all things and bring those things back to our remembrance.

Deity (Trinity) is God's Spirit manifested in the person of Jesus as God's plan of salvation through His birth, death and resurrection before the foundation of the world.

Holy Spirit (God's Spirit) was again sent down to permanently indwell those who are Spiritually born again, John 3:5-7, who will teach us all truths of what Jesus, (the word of God made flesh), already taught His disciples who were sent out into the world to make disciples of all of us to help teach others the Gospel of God's grace through faith.

John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

1Co 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

2Cor 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

Col 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

 

[Cooper]

The deity of Jesus is seen throughout the whole Bible and is easily illustrated by the TV program Undercover Boss.

Going back a long time there was once a new starter on the factory floor called John Doe. He was in fact Henry Ford, but nobody would have guessed. He wore a boiler suit, swept the floor, did whatever was required of him and was in constant communication with Head Office. What John Doe did, Henry Ford did, and gradually people began to listen to what John Doe had to say. His devotion to his work began to spread across the whole shop floor, but unsurprisingly, hardly anyone believed the one they ate and drank with was Henry Ford in person. The evidence was there, but they either did not pick up on it, or if they did, they thought it extremely unlikely, but as we know, there was only one Henry Ford in the company and there is only one omnipresent God in the whole world, who is, and was, both visible and invisible.

Some discovered the truth about John Doe the same as people did about Jesus, and those who trust and believe in him will find their doubts and fears fading away as they walk and talk not with the creator of cars, but the creator of heaven and earth. John Doe did great work and provided sustenance for thousands of those who knew him as their boss. Jesus did much more than John Doe and it is to our advantage to follow Him all the days of our life. God bless.
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