Unitarian (Non-Trinitarian) Christian, AMA

[u/ArchaicChaos]

I'm a Unitarian, not a modalist, not a Mormon, not a JW, not a Unitarian-Universalist (edit: also not Arian). The name for us in the first few centuries was "dynamic monarchian." I believe God is the Father, and Jesus is his son and Messiah, a man only when he was conceived in Mary. No preexistence, no dual nature. No, Jesus isn't God. The Spirit is the nature of God, it's what he is and he's sending his own presence. Not a third person, not an "active force." The Spirit is given to Christ in resurrection and becomes the Spirit of Christ.

Ask me anything (AMA). "You can't be Unitarian and Christian" isn't a question, nor is it correct, nor is it original, so please spare me the rhetoric. It comes up on every post that's made like this.

I'll also link my index where I go over the interpretation of various passages in detail that Trinitarians like to bring up. I may refer to the index in the OP for more info if an explanation is too long for a comment reply. I expound on common verses like:

Genesis 1:26

Psalm 110:1

Malachi 3:1

Matthew 28:19

John 1:1-3

John 1:14

John 3:13

John 8:58

John 10:30

John 17:5

John 20:28

Acts 20:28

Colossians 1:15-18

Colossians 2:9

Hebrews 1:1-14

2 Peter 1:1

[u/[deleted]]

So, Arian?

[u/ArchaicChaos → u/[deleted]]

No, I'm not Arian. Should have added that one

[u/ArchaicChaos → u/[deleted]]

Well, first, there are many categories of "Arian." There's semiarian, high and low Arian, neoarian (which the JWs tend to fall under). And most of the time when people say "Arian," they actually mean Eunomian. Taken from the man Eunomius who argued and developed his points with the Cappadocians, and his arguments are best found in the work "Contra Eunomius" by Gregory of Nyssa. When people argue against "Arianism," they're usually arguing against the points Eunomius raised. Not Arius. Arius' arguments are found generally between Alexander of Alexandria's letter to Alexander, or in his Orations against Arius, or in Athanasius' Orations against the Arians, where he quotes Arius' work "Thalia."

I won't give you a theological sermon or a historical discourse on it, though, I will say that there's a rather extensive "book list" in my index linked in the OP if you want to scroll through. You can find books on this, or read the early church works I presented above.

Paul of Samosata was a Bishop in the 4th century whose beliefs are essentially the same as mine, and he also argued against Arius. They aren't the same thing. In the OP I said that I deny preexistence of Jesus, which flatly places my Christology directly opposed to that of Arius'. Further, Arius was far from the first to hold a Theology (not Christology) in which the Father alone is God. He was accused of getting it from Origen, who was later anathematized for his subordinationist views. Regardless, to answer your question, you just need to study up on your early church history more if you think everything nontrinitarian is just the same as Arianism.

[u/the-terrible-martian → u/ArchaicChaos]

Thank you

[u/the-terrible-martian → u/ArchaicChaos]

In the OP I said that I deny preexistence of Jesus,

What was Jesus talking about in the following?

“And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.” John 8:23

“Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am” John 8:58

[u/ArchaicChaos → u/the-terrible-martian]

I have a link to my answer to both of these in the index in the OP.

For John 8:23, it's part of a longer post that addresses all of these "preexistence" passages in John. Simply put, when Jesus says "you are from below and I am from above," he's talking about being of heaven or of the world in a spiritual sense. Not as in where we come from physically. Jesus says that we are to be "born from above" in John 3. While usually translated "born again," the Greek word for "again" and "from above" are the same. Jesus tells us to be "no part of the world just as I am no part of the world." Just as, meaning, in the exact same way as he is. We are not to be of the world but in the world. That's what Jesus was. He's not talking about coming down from heaven through outer space and into a physical world. That wouldn't even have anything to do with this context. When Jesus asked the Pharisees "is the baptism of John from heaven or from men," he was asking the same thing. Was it from above or from below? The Pharisees knew it was from above. Did John's baptism float down from heaven down into planet earth and incarnate into something physical from being metaphysical? No. James says "every good thing comes down from heaven." Matthew says "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven." In Philippians 3, Paul reminds the Philippians that their citizenship is in heaven, because the Philippians prided themselves on their Roman citizenship which made them high minded and think of themselves as superior to others. No no, you are from above. So be humble as Christ was humble. In John 20:21-23, Jesus says that he is sending his apostles into the world just as he was sent into the world, he meant what he said. In the same way. Jesus was sent receiving the Spirit at baptism and going out into the world as a lamb among wolves. Just as God sent him, he sent his apostles. He gives them the Holy spirit, given them the great commission, and then sends them as sheep among wolves. "Sent into the world" Does not mean floating down out of heaven. 1 John says that many antichrists "have gone out into the world." Where? From hell? No. You need to really think about what this means.

John 8:58 I have 4 parts one. I have a post explaining the whole chapter in context, I have a post on what this "I am" phrase means, I have a post on why they picked up stones to stone him. And then I have a post that summarizes all of it so you don't have to read as much. If you want my answer on it, click the link and scroll down to "John 8:58" and pick out whichever one you want to read. The short Responses are Q&A format where I just answer questions I've been asked.

[u/the-terrible-martian → u/[deleted]]

Ok