Our feedback this week comes from someone we’ll call “Liam.” He rejects the Trinity and specifically rejects that Jesus is God and that the Holy Spirit is a Person of the triune God. The interesting thing about Liam’s response is that most of his arguments were already refuted in the very articles he’s criticizing. It always seems strange to me when a person responds to a refutation of their argument by simply repeating the argument. For example, there is the fallacy of claiming that the Holy Spirit isn’t a Person of the Trinity because in many instances only the Father and Son are mentioned in a greeting. That is the fallacy of the argument from silence as I demonstrated earlier. But there were a couple of new arguments that will be addressed here and in the next article.
This is an essential issue because the Lord is the only Savior. “I, even I, am the Lord [Hebrew: Yahweh, יְהוָ֥ה], And there is no savior besides Me” (Isaiah 43:11). “Yet I have been the Lord [Yahweh] your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me” (Hosea 13:4). Yet, Jesus is the Savior (2 Peter 1:1; John 4:42). Therefore, if Jesus is not Lord (Yahweh), then neither is He your Savior, since there is no Savior besides Yahweh. Pray for Liam. He seems like a nice guy, and I would love for him to come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Most people who argue against the Trinity do not know what the Trinity is. They will, for example, cite verses that teach that there is only one God, thinking that this somehow disproves the Trinity. But that is the first principle of the Trinity – that there is one and only one God! So, when a non-trinitarian cites verses that teach that there is only one God, this is proof positive that he or she does not know what the Trinity is.
Liam: There is only one God – and that is Yehovah Elohim/Adonai…
Lisle: And there it. Yes. Monotheism is an essential feature of the Trinity. What remains for Liam to prove is that there is only one Person who is the one God. But that runs contrary to the Bible.
Liam: – the Ruach HaKodesh is His power
Lisle: The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). He is not merely God’s power, but is a Person who gives testimony (John 15:26). Under biblical law, only persons can give testimony (John 8:17). I covered this in detail in the articles on the Trinity.
Liam: It is written: “Here is what Adonai says, your Redeemer, he who formed you in the womb: I am Adonai, who makes all things, who stretched out the heavens all alone, who spread out the earth all by myself.” Isaiah 44:24
Lisle: This is an important verse because it shows that the Lord God alone made all things. Therefore, if the Bible also teaches that Jesus made all things, then this would deductively prove that Jesus is the Lord God. And indeed, the Bible teaches that Jesus made all things: “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16). Jesus is the Creator (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:8-10). The Lord God alone is the Creator (Isaiah 44:24). Therefore, Jesus is the Lord God. In fact, the Hebrew word translated Lord (twice) in Isaiah 44:24 is Yahweh (יְהוָ֥ה), which is the covenant name of God. It applies only to God and no one else. Thus, Jesus is Yahweh – the one and only Living God.
Liam twice substituted the Hebrew word Adonai (“my lord”) for Yahweh in the above passage. The Hebrews would do this when reading a passage out loud. They would never speak the holy name of God (Yahweh) so that they did not inadvertently take His name in vain. So, they would say “Adonai” instead, which is a more generic term for “my lord.”
But it is important to know that it was Yahweh – the one and only God – who made the heavens and the earth. And in particular, it was the second Person of Yahweh, namely, the Son, that did so (e.g. Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:8-10; John 1:3). The New Testament often takes Old Testament passages about Yahweh and applies them specifically to Jesus (as in Hebrews 1:8-12), clarifying that it was the Son, the second Person of Yahweh, to which these verses apply. This is only legitimate if Jesus is Yahweh – the one and only God.
Liam: All alone, and all by Himself – Adonai… not Adonai, the son and the holy spirit.
Lisle: The Son and the Holy Spirit are Yahweh (and Adonai) as I previously demonstrated from Scripture. Thus, Yahweh alone created the heavens – no other beings were involved. But the Bible teaches that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the one Yahweh. Thus, all three Persons of God were involved in creation. Many people reject that biblical truth because it doesn’t make sense to them. They won’t accept a God that cannot be fully understood by a finite, natural mind.
Liam: And in the New Testament from Romans to Jude (bar 3 John), there is always a greeting from ‘God the Father, and His son Jesus the Christ’
Lisle: That’s not correct. Rather, the Apostle Paul usually includes a greeting from “God our Father and the LORD Jesus Christ.” The Greek word translated “Lord” is kurios (κυρίου) and is the Greek translation of the Hebrew term Yahweh (e.g. Romans 10:13 quoting Joel 2:32). That is, Paul is giving the recipients of his letter a greeting from God the Father and Yahweh Jesus Christ. Yahweh is the covenant name of God and only applies to Him. This shows that Jesus is God. I demonstrated previously that kurios necessarily refers to Yahweh in passages like Romans 10:9-13, and that confessing Jesus as Lord (Yahweh) is a requirement for salvation.
Liam: That’s twenty-one (21) books that have a greeting of ‘…from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.’, for a total of 24 times* And not one time is the Holy Spirit mentioned – not once… Why is that?
Lisle: I already answered that TWICE! Here and here. People who don’t read the Bible very carefully often don’t read articles about the Bible very carefully either. They tend to overlook biblical passages or other texts that contradict their preconceptions. Paul wrote all his letters under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit who is God (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). Liam’s question is a bit like asking, “If the photographer is a real person, then why doesn’t he show up in most of his pictures?” Of course, Paul does mention the Holy Spirit in many places in His letters (e.g., Romans 15:13, 16; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6; Titus 3:5).
Liam: The Holy Spirit is not an autonomous God, but is the power of God – the Ruach HaKodesh.
Lisle: No. The Holy Spirit has power, but isn’t Himself merely power, otherwise verses like Romans 15:13 would make no sense. This verse mentions “the power of the Holy Spirit.” If the Holy Spirit were merely the power of God, then the verse would mean “the power of the power of God,” which would be absurd.
The Holy Spirit is God. As Peter points out when Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit, he was lying to God (Acts 5:3-4), not “the power of God,” which wouldn’t make any sense. The Holy Spirit is certainly powerful, but He is not merely power. Rather, He is a Person who gives testimony (John 15:26). Persons give testimony according to biblical law, as Jesus affirms (John 8:17). Thus, the Holy Spirit is a Person and is God – if we accept what the Bible teaches.
Liam: I challenge you to show me that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David and the prophets believed, taught and worshipped a triune God…. simple as.
Lisle: Easy. 1. The patriarchs believed, taught, and worshipped Yahweh (e.g., Genesis 22:14; Exodus 8:29). 2. Yahweh is a triune God as demonstrated here. 3. Therefore, the patriarchs believed, taught, and worshipped a triune God. The argument is an AAA-1 categorical syllogism which is valid. And it has true premises. Therefore, the conclusion must be true.
Perhaps the challenge that Liam meant to propose is for us to prove that the patriarchs knew that Yahweh was triune, or had the same understanding of the Trinity that New Testament Christians have. But that would be the fallacy of irrelevant thesis. Whether a particular believer knows of a particular characteristic of God is utterly irrelevant to whether or not God has that characteristic. Liam seems unfamiliar with the biblical principle of progressive revelation. So allow me to explain this principle.
God has revealed Himself progressively, meaning He gave more information about Himself and His plan of redemption as time progressed. For example, all Adam and Eve knew about the Messiah is that He would be a descendent of Eve and would crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Over time, God gave more information about the Messiah. So, David knew more about the Messiah than Adam and Eve did (e.g., Psalm 22). Isaiah knew that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and would be Mighty God (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6). New Testament believers know that the Messiah is the son of Mary (Matthew 1:18). Did David know that the Messiah would be the son of Mary? Very doubtful. Should we then reject that truth about the Messiah? Of course not!
Now suppose someone said, “I challenge you to show me that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and the prophets believed and taught that Jesus is the son of Mary. Then I will believe.” Wouldn’t that be absurd?! The Bible teaches that Jesus is the son of Mary, but that information was not likely available to Old Testament believers. Likewise, the clearest information about the Trinity comes primarily from the New Testament, when God Himself took on flesh and we beheld His glory (John 1:1, 14). Old Testament believers didn’t have as much revelation as we have today, and so we can’t expect them to know as much about the nature of God. But we should not reject New Testament revelation about God on the basis that Old Testament believers didn’t have access to it. That would be illogical.
That being said, is there Old Testament evidence of the Trinity? Certainly! Old Testament believers certainly knew that God was one being (e.g. Deuteronomy 6:4), and that He was more than one Person (e.g., Genesis 1:26). There are Old Testament passages where one Person of God speaks to another Person of God, such as Genesis 1:26 or Psalm 110:1. In Genesis 19:24, Yahweh on Earth called down fire from Yahweh in heaven. So, yes, Old Testament believers knew that God has both a one and more-than-one aspect to Himself. It is unlikely that they had as much understanding of the Trinity as is revealed in the New Testament precisely because God had not yet revealed it.
Liam: You see here is my theological framework for Biblical Unitarianism… can you be that detailed with the trinity?
Lisle: Well, there is no such thing as “biblical unitarianism” because the Bible affirms that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are God, and that there is one God as I have demonstrated in detail from the Scriptures.
Liam: ~Biblical Unitarianism Support~
Jesus has a God, he isn’t God (John 20:17)
Lisle: The first part, “Jesus has a God,” is biblical and is indeed found in passages like John 20:17. But where does the Bible say that “He isn’t God”? On the contrary, the Bible declares that Jesus is God (e.g., 2 Peter 1:1, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8; John 20:28). Does Liam think that because Jesus has a God that somehow means He isn’t God? That is fallacious. My father has a father; but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a father. So John 20:17 certainly doesn’t state or imply that Jesus isn’t God. Indeed, in Hebrews 1:8-10, God the Father refers to God the Son as “God” and says that He has a God.
“But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore, God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness above Your companions’” (Hebrews 1:8-9).
Liam: Jesus is the WAY to God, not God (John 14:6)
Lisle: No – that’s not what the verse says. Jesus is the (only) way to the Father according to John 14:6. This is a great example of how unbiblical presuppositions can cause a person to misread and misinterpret a text. But where does the text say that Jesus is not God? Of course, it doesn’t. In fact, it is because Jesus is God that He is the only way to the Father (e.g. John 1:18).
Liam: Jesus is the mediator between God and mankind, not God (1 Tim 2:5)
Lisle: Jesus is indeed the mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). But where does this verse say that He is not God? Of course, it doesn’t. Does Liam think that Jesus cannot be God because He is the mediator between God and man? If so, then it would also follow that Jesus is not a man because He is the mediator between God and man. But that is equally preposterous. On the contrary. It is precisely because Jesus is both God and man that He is the one and only mediator between God and man.
Liam: Jesus is the son OF God, not God the Son
(Matt 4:3,6, 5:9, 8:29, 16:16, 26:63, 27:40,43,54, Mark 1:1, 3:11, 5:7, 15:39, Luke 1:16,32,35, 3:2,38, 4:3,9,41, 8:28, 12:8, 20:36, 22:69,70, John 1:18,49,51, 3:16,18,36, 5:25, 6:27, 10:36, 11:4,27, 13:31, 19:7, 20:31, Act 9:20, Rom 1:4,9 5:10, 8:3, 2 Cor 1:19, Gal 2:20, 4:4,6, Eph 4:13, Heb 4:14, 6:6, 7:3, 10:29, 1 John 3:8, 4:9,15, 5:5,9,10,12,13,20, 2 John 1:3,9 Rev 2:18)
Lisle: There are certainly a lot of verses that teach that Jesus is the Son of God. But which of those verses say that Jesus is “not God the Son?” That’s right – none of them. Again, Liam is doing eisegesis – importing into the text based on his preconceptions something that the text does not say. Does Liam think that because Jesus is the Son of God that He cannot therefore be God? That would be like saying, “David is the son of a man. Therefore, David cannot be a man.” Such reasoning is absurd. It is precisely because David is the son of a man that he is also a man. A son, unless he is adopted, necessarily has the same nature as his father. Thus, the only-begotten Son of God would have to be God, if He is a son indeed.
Liam: ~Old Testament FOUNDATION~
God is one, and Jesus isn’t Him
(Deut 6:4, 32:39, Josh 22:22, 1 Sam 2:2, 2 Sam 7:22, 1 King 8:60, 2 King 18:5, 1 Chron 17:20, 2 Chron 14.10, Psa 71:22, 78:41, Isa 1:24, 5:16, 30:15, 31:1, 43:3, 45:14,18, 46:9, 48:17, 54:5, 55:5, 60:9, Jer 51:5, Hos 11:12, Mal 2:10,
~New Testament verifies the Old Testament~
(Mark 10:18, 12:29, Luk 18:19, John 5:44, 17:3, Rom 3:30, 1 Cor 8:4,6, 15:27, 2 Cor 4:6, Gal 3:20, Eph 4:6, Jam 2:19, 1 Tim 2:5, Rev 11:17,)
Lisle: God is certainly one being. And numerous Scriptures confirm this. But which of these Scriptures states the second part of Liam’s claim, that “Jesus isn’t Him”? Of course, none of them do. Again, Liam is reading into the text based on an unbiblical presupposition. On the contrary, we have seen many Scriptures that either directly state, or by logical necessity show, that Jesus is God (e.g., John 1:1, 14, 18, 20:28, 8:56-59; Hebrews 1:8-12; Philippians 2:6-7; 2:10 cmp Isaiah 45:23; 2 Peter 1:1; Titus 2:13, etc.).
Notice that not one of the verses Liam listed states or implies that Jesus is not God. Nor were any of his arguments sound. It’s surprising that he doesn’t see this. But I suspect the reason is because his preconception of unitarianism (1 God = 1 Person) is so deeply ingrained that he cannot even consider any alternative. Thus, he thinks that by proving that there is only one God (which is easy to demonstrate from the Scriptures), he has proved that there is only one Person. But that is simply a restatement of his starting assumption – not a proof.
Liam: Obvious when one isn’t clouded by a 1640+ year-old man-made tradition!
Lisle: Actually, we have seen that Liam’s view stems from reading into the text from unbiblical preconceptions. But the biblical text itself teaches in many ways that Jesus is God. I have written articles on this and shown the verses, so I will not repeat them here. Furthermore, Jesus was God from the beginning of creation (John 1:1). The belief that Jesus is not God from eternity was a fourth century heresy popularized by Arius. He taught that there was a time when the Son was not. But in fact, the Son was with the Father and was God from the beginning (John 1:1, 17:5).
Liam: Jesus was made ‘God’ by a political vote in 325AD at the Council of Nicacea [sic].
Lisle: That’s just laughable to anyone who knows anything about church history. No. Early Christians knew that Jesus was God long before Nicaea. We have already seen this in the New Testament. Paul clearly taught that Jesus is our “God and Savior” (Titus 2:13) as did Peter (2 Peter 1:1). The Apostle John taught that in the beginning Jesus (the Word) was with God and was God (John 1:1). Even after the closing of the canon, early Christians believed that Jesus was God and wrote about it. I will include just a small sample of quotations from early church fathers from the first two centuries (long before A.D. 325) to show that they indeed believed that Jesus was God. I’ve underlined the relevant portions in case readers want to skim this section.
[A.D. ~74] “And further, my brethren: if the Lord endured to suffer for our soul, He being Lord of all the world, to whom God said at the foundation of the world, ‘Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness,’ understand how it was that He endured to suffer at the hand of men” (Epistle of Barnabus, Chapter 5).
[A.D. ~100] “Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which is at Ephesus, in Asia, deservedly most happy, being blessed in the greatness and fulness of God the Father, and predestinated before the beginning of time, that it should be always for an enduring and unchangeable glory, being united and elected through the true passion by the will of the Father, and Jesus Christ, our God: Abundant happiness through Jesus Christ, and His undefiled grace” (Ignatius, Epistle to the Ephesians, Preface).
[A.D. ~100] “We have also as a Physician the Lord our God, Jesus the Christ, the only-begotten Son and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin. For “the Word was made flesh.” (Ignatius, Epistle to the Ephesians, Chapter 7)
[A.D. ~100] “Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, first did and then taught, as Luke testifies, ‘whose praise is in the Gospel through all the Churches’” (Ignatius, Epistle to Ephesians, Chapter 15)
[A.D. ~100] “Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which has obtained mercy, through the majesty of the Most High Father, and Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son; the Church which is beloved and enlightened by the will of Him that willeth all things which are according to the love of Jesus Christ our God, which also presides in the place of the region of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of the highest happiness, worthy of praise, worthy of obtaining her every desire, worthy of being deemed holy, and which presides over love, is named from Christ, and from the Father, which I also salute in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father: to those who are united, both according to the flesh and spirit, to every one of His commandments; who are filled inseparably with the grace of God, and are purified from every strange taint, [I wish] abundance of happiness unblameably, in Jesus Christ our God.
“Ignatius, who is also called Theophorus, to the Church which has obtained mercy, through the majesty of the Most High God the Father, and of Jesus Christ, His only-begotten Son; the Church which is sanctified and enlightened by the will of God, who formed all things that are according to the faith and love of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior; the Church which presides in the place of the region of the Romans, and which is worthy of God, worthy of honor, worthy of the highest happiness, worthy of praise, worthy of credit, worthy of being deemed holy, and which presides over love, is named from Christ, and from the Father, and is possessed of the Spirit, which I also salute in the name of Almighty God, and of Jesus Christ His Son: to those who are united, both according to the flesh and spirit, to every one of His commandments, who are filled inseparably with all the grace of God, and are purified from every strange taint, [I wish] abundance of happiness unblameably, in God, even the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ignatius, Epistle to the Romans, Preface).
[A.D. ~130] “As a king sends his son, who is also a king, so sent He Him; as God He sent Him; as to men He sent Him; as a Savior He sent Him, and as seeking to persuade, not to compel us” (Epistle to Diognetus, Chapter 7.
[AD ~150] “For they who affirm that the Son is the Father, are proved neither to have become acquainted with the Father, nor to know that the Father of the universe has a Son; who also, being the first-begotten Word of God, is even God. And of old He appeared in the shape of fire and in the likeness of an angel to Moses and to the other prophets; but now in the times of your reign, having, as we before said, become Man by a virgin, according to the counsel of the Father, for the salvation of those who believe on Him, He endured both to be set at nought and to suffer, that by dying and rising again He might conquer death” (Justin Martyr, The First Apology, Chapter 63).
[AD ~150] “As you wish, Trypho, I shall come to these proofs which you seek in the fitting place; but now you will permit me first to recount the prophecies, which I wish to do in order to prove that Christ is called both God and Lord of hosts” (Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 36).
[AD ~150] “Therefore these words testify explicitly that He is witnessed to by Him who established these things, as deserving to be worshipped, as God and as Christ” (Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 63).
[A.D. ~180] “…and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Savior, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, ‘every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess’ to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all; that He may send ‘spiritual wickednesses,’” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 1, Chapter 10).
[A.D. ~180] “Very properly, then, did he say, ‘In the beginning was the Word,’ for He was in the Son; ‘and the Word was with God,’ for He was the beginning; ‘and the Word was God,’ of course, for that which is begotten of God is God” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 1, Chapter 8).
[A.D. ~180] “Christ Himself, therefore, together with the Father, is the God of the living, who spake to Moses, and who was also manifested to the fathers” (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 4, Chapter 5).
[A.D. ~200] “Still, in these few quotations the distinction of Persons in the Trinity is clearly set forth. For there is the Spirit Himself who speaks, and the Father to whom He speaks, and the Son of whom He speaks. In the same manner, the other passages also establish each one of several Persons in His special character—addressed as they in some cases are to the Father or to the Son respecting the Son, in other cases to the Son or to the Father concerning the Father, and again in other instances to the (Holy) Spirit” (Tertullian, Against Praxeas, Chapter 11).
[A.D. ~200] “If the number of the Trinity also offends you, as if it were not connected in the simple Unity, I ask you how it is possible for a Being who is merely and absolutely One and Singular, to speak in plural phrase, saying, ‘Let us make man in our own image, and after our own likeness;’ whereas He ought to have said, ‘Let me make man in my own image, and after my own likeness,’ as being a unique and singular Being? In the following passage, however, ‘Behold the man is become as one of us,’ He is either deceiving or amusing us in speaking plurally, if He is One only and singular” (Tertullian, Against Praxeas, Chapter 12).
[A.D. ~200] “We, however, as we indeed always have done (and more especially since we have been better instructed by the Paraclete, who leads men indeed into all truth), believe that there is one only God, but under the following dispensation, or oikonomia , as it is called, that this one only God has also a Son, His Word, who proceeded from Himself, by whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made. Him we believe to have been sent by the Father into the Virgin, and to have been born of her—being both Man and God, the Son of Man and the Son of God, and to have been called by the name of Jesus Christ. … That this rule of faith has come down to us from the beginning of the gospel, even before any of the older heretics, much more before Praxeas, a pretender of yesterday, will be apparent both from the lateness of date which marks all heresies, and also from the absolutely novel character of our new-fangled Praxeas” (Tertullian, Against Praxeas, Chapter 2).
[A.D. ~200] “For God alone is without sin; and the only man without sin is Christ, since Christ is also God” (Tertullian, A Treatise on the Soul, Chapter 41).
[A.D. ~200] “For when he says, ‘That which was from the beginning,’ he touches upon the generation without beginning of the Son, who is co-existent with the Father. There was; then, a Word importing an unbeginning eternity; as also the Word itself, that is, the Son of God, who being, by equality of substance, one with the Father, is eternal and uncreated” (Clement of Alexandria, Fragments, section 3).
[A.D. ~200] “This Word, then, the Christ, the cause of both our being at first (for He was in God) and of our well-being, this very Word has now appeared as man, He alone being both, both God and man—the Author of all blessings to us; by whom we, being taught to live well, are sent on our way to life eternal” (Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen, Chapter 1).
So, there is no doubt that Christians of the first several centuries believed exactly what the Bible teaches regarding the Trinity and the divinity of Christ. The council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 simply confirmed and codified what the Bible had taught and Christians had believed for centuries – that Jesus is of Himself God. And they coined new terminology to summarize what the Bible teaches, namely that the Father and Son are of the same substance. This was in opposition to Arius who taught that there was a time when the Son was not.
Liam: And the holy spirit was made ‘God’ at the First Council of Constantinople in 381AD and thus the trinity was formed….
Lisle: That is historically absurd. We have seen that the Scriptures themselves teach that the Holy Spirit is God (e.g. Acts 5:3-4) and, in terms of biblical law, is a Person who provides independent testimony (John 15:26; Romans 8:16; Hebrews 10:15). The early church embraced these biblical teachings, including the Trinity and the deity of the Holy Spirit. As one example, Turtullian (A.D. ~200) states, “Still, in these few quotations the distinction of Persons in the Trinity is clearly set forth. For there is the Spirit Himself who speaks, and the Father to whom He speaks, and the Son of whom He speaks” (Tertullian, Against Praxeas, Chapter 12). The Trinity has nothing to do with councils but is taught in Scripture and was believed by Christians from the inception of the church.
Liam: why? To bring stability to the Roman Empire as the persecution of the Christians had destabilised it… so Constantine brought in measures to appease the pagans… Christianity didn’t reject paganism – it adopted it!
Lisle: Again, that is not true to history. The Roman Empire officially ceased persecuting Christians in A.D. 313 at the edict of Constantine. The council of Nicaea was convened because the heretic Arius was teaching that the Son was not of the same substance as the Father, that “there was a time when the Son was not” in contradiction to John 1:1. He was a charismatic leader and his heresy was spreading and creating division within the church. Constantine ordered the Christians to work out the issue, and hence the council of Nicaea was convened. They rightly condemned Arius as a heretic. It had absolutely nothing to do with appeasing the pagans.
There are a few other issues Liam raised that we should also address. More to come.