There is again, friendly banter. It seemed fun and is about half of this repost. I left it in though the length is unruly. I'm not sure if good-natured humor is a good reason for unruly length. Anybody reading along can sue me if not humored
Ignore and cut any superflous as you are able and inclined.
Interesting. I had absolutely no idea any of this was "light" from you. It certainly doesn't seem so. Anyway... as I lighten up...
We rough-housed a lot growing up. It is probably dysfunctional.
But it's not sharp enough to be a scalpel.
Only one edge is sharp enough... Hebrews 4:12.
Well, buck up for meat-ball surgery then. It is really going to hurt with a butter knife, but I was thinking of the same verse and don't think that one is ever dull. Regardless, those inflamed appendices need to come out.
But the Unitarians I know (not the Universalist freakazoids) are contending for monotheism and the virgin birth and blood atonement, etc.
Yet, I believe deity the whole burrito middle. I can eat that off a plate. To me this is like arguing that you have the tortilla and hot sauce, and cilantro.
Deity is the primary issue regarding our need of Salvation. The whole message of the cross is that 'man can't do it.' To then make Christ a man is horrendous. It, imo (and nearly every one else's), is a deal-breaker. That might hurt to hear, but this is 'why' at least. I'd love Freakazoid Universalism, if scripture would allow it. A line, I believe, must be drawn and you agree but the problem is what we believe constitutes Christianity at this point. I believe Jesus as nothing but a created man humanistic-more-of the same that got us into sin in the first place. It is no good news.
Their issue is divine ontology because they reject the errors of DyoHypo Trinity.
Worse. I'm with you that at least modalists I can talk to. They aren't completely destroying the message of redemption. I don't believe you can have redemption without deity. Everything, everthing, everything from Genesis to Malachi and Matthew to Revelation points to our extreme need of 'divine' intervention: The man Jesus Christ as to 'relational,' yes, but without Deity is a complete wash of first, prophecy where it all counts for not, and second, a complete disregard of very clear revelation in the NT, especially when it brings up those OT fulfillments. Conceptually, like arguing a tortilla, onions, cilantro, and hot sauce, can constitute a burrito, I'd say okay "conceptually." But, if one denies the middle exists, we really don't have a burrito, other than 'conceptually.' = "If one has not the Son, one has not life (Christianity)."
They're monohypostatic, as are Sabellians.
This is not the all magical answer to this dilemma. Modalists and Arians are monohypostatic too. It is okay to say a burrito has to have a sauce, outer shell, and middle, but if it isn't "Deity" in this case, we aren't talking about Christianity/orthodoxy. So yes to the concept, no to all contenders, for me. I don't believe this is the right line or circle to draw. If you have bad karma with a triune church, I can see the knee-jerk here but when you choose to remain in the triune camp, I don't think even you can live with this incorrect category. It doesn't hold true because it includes cults.
Why? Because you have to then allow Muhammed and Joseph Smith up there on your list of 'acceptable.' "Your" line doesn't disclude them and now we have a totally different way of obtaining salvation and it is back to placing hope in man, not deity, including Christ in their eyes. Imho, you have got to change and capitulate with other trinitarians. I don't see a way out of it.
The Arians handle that by insisting the procession of the Logos was a creative act, just as the Unis insist the conception was a creative act. The Sabellis just call the "persons" manifestations, whether sequential or not.
Yep. Muhammed and Joseph Smith as well.
None of this is LDS or JW or other pseudo-Christian cultish stuff.
I think that's exactly where 'your' line goes and allows. It is forcing 'you' to be arbitrary, imho. It isn't consistent to allow Arians in your camp and then oust a JW or Mormon, or any of the other heresy concerns.
It's some of the other extended doctrines that detract from the faith, IMHO. Most of the above are contending for Jesus as the Son of God and maintaining monotheism in a non-Trinitarian manner.
Er, Joseph Smith claims "Son of God" too. Your line, imo, is faulty and wrong. Whatever hang-up, with whatever church, I think must/needs to be reconcilled. Your line, I believe, must exist within the triune framework to remain triune yourself (I believe triune more accurate than 'trinity' btw).
For instance, I'm much more concerned with the borderline works soteriology of the Apostolics that with their Oneness doctrine. Most that aren't hardline throwback Monarchians affirm the Deity of Christ, but by a different "how". It's beyond semantics, but not by as much as is always presumed.
Of course, that's why the pitfalls are all heresies and to be avoided. For me, Modalists are wrong too. We can throw them in a room with polytheists and watch them go crazy and wondering 'what bible' the other one is reading. Each totally neglects the opposite verses in scripture from one another. Together they'd have one whole bible between them.
Singulare versus multiple "persons" is not hair-splitting. I'll generally take a Oneness believer over most (professing) Trinitarians for Theology Proper. At least they're monohypostatic.
Tri- -une means some aspect of three and some aspect of one to God as He reveals Himself to us. It is important when discussing the aspect of three, that deity is intact. After that if you are sloppy, I'm not going to get slappy, but again, for me, this part is essential to maintain an intact meaningful gospel and Bible. I believe it
has to be at least this much.
There's no explicit Trinity in any of them.
That's like saying there is no believer who believed Jesus came in the flesh, against Docetism, before 1 John 4:2 to me. Rather, some things aren't 'express' until the need to correct heresy but that doesn't mean the 'implicit/explicit' idea is not there. Such isn't good scholasticism imo. It just doesn't hold historically accurate water. The 'sentiment' is easily found prior to a need to address arianism, for instance. Such should not be missed. It in no way means the church wasn't triune prior. That's a ridiculous untenuable statement and sentiment that arians throw around on here and it is horrible and shoddy work and patently false. You don't get 'triune' all of the sudden, just because someone doesn't like arians at a 2nd century council. That's really horrible logic. It doesn't and didn't happen that way.
Origen mentions a few things that are misconstrued.
Yes, but not misconstrued. Rather, there was, at that time, no need to be as exacting. Arians weren't punching the walls at the time.
Hippolytus mentions God, His Word, and His Wisdom. Tertullian goes nuts on the Monarchians in 213AD with his treatise that gave us the horrific term "persona" in the Latin (which didn't mean anything like what it's inferred to mean today, nevermind the Greek).
Yep, to Modalist's chagrin.
There aren't many who have bothered to copiously read all the writings to see that Trinity doctrine was an extended and tedious gradual process encompassing several centuries. And it's the dialectic consensus of men honored beyond their status in many ways. Horrific things went on behind the scenes.
Incidental rather than derivative and connective, imo. I try and separate my civil and humane conscience, from imposing upon a prior generation's. They just were not as conscious or conscientiously developed, Christian or otherwise. Shoot, our kids are going to think we are barbarians for a few things, including abortion, I believe. Hopefully the volumes of internet information will allow them to more easily assess the reality of this at that time. Who knows, maybe some Christian kids will read our discussion here and and go
"Yeah, I don't think we can impose our values on 'christians' of the time. It isn't like all of them advocated abortion on TOL. Just a couple of them. They weren't too bright back then and didn't have to same unbarbaric options we have today...."
I've been blessed to be part of God converting many Unitarians to a deeper understanding of truth. For many, it was salvific. For others, it was just deeper clarity. They're certainly not all devoid of salvific faith. I've seen the difference.
Agreed. It isn't always but when they are militant against His deity, there is a significant problem. There are actually a few on here that aren't militant and I appreciate those arians. It puts me in the arrogant position again, but this is a serious issue for me and 'arrogance' isn't what I'm on about. It isn't my ego that is actually getting in the way....
That's good, but it's not really a debate. Trinity is implicit, not explicit.
Well, perhaps if you are only getting on the term 'trinity' but the ideas it encapsulates, I believe, are both.
That's why it took so long to formulate.
Again, I believe it simply was unecessary to be so precise until the heresies.
I don't have to sit you down and explain detailed and clearly what I believe as much as when someone is trying to lead you away from a truth. Such, then, necessitates that I do so. This, I believe, is what a perusal of ECF's tells us.
If it were explicit, it would have been readily apparent with little argument other than minutiae. Good grief, there are four primary views of the Hypostatic Union. Just because Cyrilian won out, it doesn't mean the millions evangelized by the Nestorians are all bound for the lake of fire over details. And the same is true of the Eutychians and Apollinarians. Talk about hair-splitting.
It does seem to have stopped the practice of naming your kids Apollinarus, and Nestorius... The problem is/was not so much the speculation of ideas of explaining scripture truths. The problem is when those ideas lend to discount or trampling other scripture truths. I am always trying to come up with ideas and models that explain the deity and humanity of Christ in a manner that honors scripture. If you say "that's heresy" what you are telling me is the idea doesn't line up with all of scripture. That's fine. It is when I become unteachable and try to force the idea that I become a heretic. I never want to be a leader or follower of such mule-headed stubborness. If my concept formed from scripture doesn't embrace the whole, go ahead and broaded my understanding. At the same time, because this issue has ever been hammered upon throughout these past centuries, I don't think our terms created in a void. That said, latching onto any one idea, can land any one of us into heretical bins. There are heretic pitfalls all over the place I personally want to avoid. As such, I've been called at least heterodox for bad analogy concerning Triune expressions. I don't "wan't" to be heterodox so begin reworking what doesn't favor one particular heresy, which in turn, tramples some scriptural aspect of God's expression in Christ. I want to honor and glorify Him as much or more and not detract or turn eyes from Him.
I don't affirm any of the four since I'm not a Dyohypostaticist; but the Cyrilian was properly chosen. But the Eastern mia- view is of the same merit.
Understood (I think).
The problem is that O/ortho Trinity inherently omits the central fixture of creation, just as all other views do. The various views are fighting over metaphysical crumbs and can all be reconciled to the truth of scripture easily enough.
Not sure if I understand the main point here with 'omitting central fixture' or 'metaphysical crumbs.'
Yeah, I'm probably your favorite already.:salute:
Er, as I said, we rough-housed quite a bit growing up. I'm likely dysfunctional between care and abuse so don't use me for any kind of reference point other than figuring out just how dysfunctional or functional I may or may not be (and you are certainly welcome to that).
I don't have huge issues with the laity and the general doctrines. They can be reconciled to the truth overall. It's the hierarchy that is a corruption. I don't anathematize the Catholics. But I don't anathematize Unitarians, Arians, and Sabellians, etc. It's a heart by heart basis with those who have various historical views of monotheism. The Ebionites are outside the faith, as are most LDS and JW, etc.
I think sentiments are safely echoed here between us. It doesn't have to be salvific, but it often is. That'd be how I'd do a sloppy-line for the moment. My line isn't to exclude so much as to say eventually this issue has to be crossed for everyone involved in a cult-heresy. One can be mistaken about how they are saved, but if their view of salvation leads to a self-imposed lifting of one's own bootstraps and Jesus Christ being a 'good example,' of getting there, they are in trouble.
Truncated from here. If I missed something pertinent in favor of inane, a slap will suffice.