Nailed it Clark — thanks.

Todd doesn’t seem to understand that the one substance Trinity itself isn’t actually in the Bible but rather constitutes an inference outside the text. I have brought this up to him a dozen or more times on this blog but never get a straightforward answer but rather misdirection by some quote from John or Isaiah that simply doesn’t address the one substance Trinity.

The one substance theory of the Trinity is an extra-biblical extrapolation — there’s no way around that. It is certainly one way to reconcile the One God of the Old Testament with the appearance of three entities in the New Testament, but it is not the necessary and sufficient way. Other plausible solutions to the quandry exist — even if they weren’t favored by a committee of politician bishops several hundred years after the death of the last eye witnesses to the ministry of Jesus Christ.

You might find this post interesting.

Quite frankly, Jesus makes the three-in-one his chief focus throughout John’s Gospel.

John emphasizes in some places the unity (I can’t on earth fathom how you can say it is his chief focus). However as we’ve noted, the unity is not the Trinity. The Trinity is a more complex metaphysical interpretation usually made by making inferences beyond the text. Those inferences are simply never clearly presented in the Bible. Folks can read them as a correct inference from the text. But that’s quite a different matter.

Most importantly though one can’t point to unity and then say, “here’s the Trinity” when there are many other ways to interpret the unity.

Nope.

They’re pretty central, but not “the center.”

Biblical facts: the revelation of God through His words and works as recorded in the Bible

Are the biblical facts the central rudder for your faith? And if they aren’t, what do you do when they are problematic to your faith system?

I suppose you’d have to define “biblical facts.” I’m not really sure what you mean.

The prophet makes the one God his chief focus.

The apostle makes the three his chief focus.

Quite frankly, Jesus makes the three-in-one his chief focus throughout John’s Gospel.

Even in the Savior’s last fleeting minutes in the upper room just before his death, look what he is talking about.

Clark, I am hearing my emphasis cues from Scripture, not from the vast number of Evangelicals.

The vast number of professing evangelicals in America tend to be very unbalanced and lopsided.

But scripture? I think it carries the right obsession. And it isn’t about us in our man-centric concerns and ambitions. Searching, studying, and heeding the scriptures is the very hope for the evangelical movement in our country toward proper correction and adjustment of our thinking. I need this every week. Seth’s second sentence: “The important thing is to keep an openness and humility such that God can make course corrections in your life when needed” – this is right on.

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Guys, now catch this exciting lesson that I learned just this Easter week. I had been feasting on Isaiah 53.

http://idaho4hisglory.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/how-did-you-celebrate-easter-in-idaho/

But notice Isaiah 52:13 and the description of Yahweh’s Servant. Isn’t this the same Hebraic expressions for Yahweh in Isaiah 6:1, Isaiah 33:10, and Isaiah 57:15 (the One)?

This is incredible – the first time that I have ever seen this.

Clear distinction in the divine status (Yahweh, Servant, Spirit) and yet one most High God in Isaiah.

Also, the daughter of Babylon gets her butt kicked for saying, “I am, and none else beside me” (Isaiah 47:8, 10 – our current chapter of study this Wednesday night).

But Jesus smacks down every creature by saying he is the “I am” in John 8 (our current chapter of study for Sunday mornings).

The important thing is to keep an openness and humility such that God can make course corrections in your life when needed.