My definition of the Trinity does not depart from the creeds except where the holy scriptures clearly contradict them.
(in one case, where it becomes clear that Jesus was not eternally begotten but was begotten in the incarnation, Luke 1:35)
And I have spent many years reading my Bible with the idea of the Trinity on the backburner of my thinking, seeking to understand that doctrine in particular as I have read.
So, I get my understanding from the Bible.
To think you're the only one, especially when your definition of the Trinity contradicts the doctrine of the Trinity as historically understood and believed, is a sign of spiritual pride. Your definition veers far from the creeds.
As for Luke 1:35, that is not where Jesus was begotten. I suspect your understanding of begotten isn't correct either.
So, you believe that the Trinity has the members as separate rather than distinct?
No, please read what I write. I have clearly said they are all of the same essence, that is, of one deity, and they are all distinct. What I have stated is what the creeds state: one God, three divine, coequal, coeternal persons.
That places you as a Tritheist; and therefore you are the one who misunderstands.
No, I clearly said there is only one God. That is absolutely foundational to the Trinity, but only one foundation.
Nope; for I believe in a distinction between the Persons of the Trinity.
If you don't believe that the Son has always existed eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit, you are, by definition, not Trinitarian, whatever you may be. If you believe that there is one person who is God, who then took on human flesh, and that the Holy Spirit is his spirit, as you have said then you are, by definition a Modalist (of some form).
Nope, with God all things are possible (Luke 1:37).
Anything that is logically impossible is still impossible with God, simply because it is nonsense.
No, you have not addressed this passage (John 14:7-11).
You need to go through it line by line and show in what manner it is that it does not show that Jesus is the Father.
Jesus said, Have I been so long with you and you have not known me, Philip?
In response to Philip's query, Shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Yes, Jesus says that the Father is in him and he in the Father, but that in no way means that Jesus can be said to
be the Father. These things speak of their unity and essential oneness of being, but they are all always kept distinct one from the other. The NT makes it clear that the Father sent the Son, in the person of Jesus Christ. You also didn't address my previous point on this issue, where I gave several passages, that Jesus says he was
sent by the Father. That is proof enough that Jesus is not the Father but rather is the Son.
Look at what Jesus even says in John 14:12: "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father." (ESV)
He was sent by the Father, which means prior to the incarnation, and is returning to the Father. Note what Jesus says in John 17:5, "And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed." (ESV)
That is how Jesus could say he was sent by the Father, because as the Son, he existed prior to creation. That is in perfect agreement with John 1:1-18, Phil 2:5-8, and Col 1:15-17.
I think that 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 may be at play if you cannot see the clear meaning of this passage.
No, it isn't. The Trinity is impossible for finite minds to fully comprehend. Passages such as that are complicated because Jesus speaks of the utter closeness of himself with the Father. However, given the abundant evidence in the NT, we should conclude that Jesus isn't the Father, that the Son never was the Father.
He perfectly and fully expresses the Father, as the image of God, to us, so that we can look at Jesus and see the Father and know him. But, he is not the Father.
I am not denying that the Son (defined here as Jesus Christ) has always existed.
You are if you're denying that the Son existed in eternity past as distinct from the Father.
Jesus ascended to dwell in eternity, outside of time (Ephesians 4:10); so He is eternally God.
As the pre-incarnate Son, he existed outside of time, eternally as God. That is at the heart of Trinitarianism.
So, it appears that you have deeper problems, if you do not believe that Jesus is God.
Jhn 8:24, I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
Then you're not at all understanding what I have been saying, which isn't a surprise since you don't understand the doctrine of the Trinity either. Jesus is fully and truly God; I have made that very clear. Yet, the Father is also fully and truly God, and the Holy Spirit is fully and truly God. All being of the same substance, having coexisted for eternity past, and all are coequal. And, as I've stated, there is only one God.
Because if Jesus is God, then the name of God is Jesus Christ.
No. Jesus is one of a trinity (rather the whole point of the doctrine).
You can trust in men as to what you will believe concerning scripture; I will trust in the Holy Ghost and a literal interpretation.
So, the Holy Ghost teaches that which is unbiblical?
1Co 2:13, Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
I am saying that it is a misuse of Scripture and a misunderstanding of how the Holy Spirit most often teaches us. A hint is in the whole point of why God has gifted certain persons as teachers of Scripture. I trust what many men say, weighing it all, because that is biblical, it is the command of God for believers to listen to those he has gifted. And so, M. R. Vincent, as a NT scholar, and can shed light on things, especially expounding on the Greek.
Give one example of an unbiblical teaching that comes from this hermeneutic.
Well, I can see your unbiblical understanding of the Trinity. We have had many people on these forums at various times who believe all they need is the Holy Spirit, and believe everything they understand about Scripture is correct. Yet, they all contradict each other at various points. It's because they, like you, are ignoring God-given teachers and nearly two thousand years of teaching from theologians, pastors, teachers, and scholars.
At its core, Christianity is about community, and anyone who tries to do it alone is not only going against Scripture in doing so, and their understanding the Bible is most likely going to end up in error. We are meant for community and meant to come to an understanding of the Bible within that community, which includes all of Christian believers from past to present.
The Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit according to Romans 8:9. The Spirit of God.
Yes, the Holy Spirit is also mentioned as the Spirit of Christ, Spirit of Jesus, and the Spirit of God, but that only speaks to the closeness of relationship and oneness of essence of the three persons of the Trinity in community.