found 8 items matching David Maas
A Deafening Silence [2 pages]
by David Maas rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
Why is there no evidence in the New Testament of Jewish objections to the doctrines of the Trinity, the deity of Christ or the Incarnation? The New Testament records objections to a crucified messiah as well as disputes over circumcision, Sabbath keeping, dietary regulations and eating food offered to idols. Moreover, ideas like the Trinity and God “becoming man” are so unique and difficult to comprehend that one would expect a thoroughgoing teacher like the Apostle Paul to address them constantly, yet nowhere in his epistles is there an example of him attempting to explain the inexplicable to his congregations. Nowhere does Paul discuss how the one God can be “three persons in one” or teach how in Christ Jesus “God became a man.” Such lessons would have required constant repetition.
A "Preexistent" Jesus in Philippians 2:6-11? [5 pages]
by David Maas rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
Philippians 2:5-11 is not Paul’s attempt to explain the “Incarnation” or how a divine being divested himself of his divine prerogatives. It is not an exposition about the preexistence of Christ. Instead Paul uses a real life example from the life of Jesus to illustrate his appeal for humility and mutual submission. Like Adam Jesus was in the “form of God.” Unlike Adam he did not attempt to become “like God.” Instead he chose to deny himself his rights and took on the form of a servant. In obedience to his Father he embraced the shameful death of the cross rather than attempt to seize likeness with God.
The Jesus of the First Christian Sermon [2 pages]
by David Maas rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
The Christology of Peter in this first sermon is relatively simple. He treats Jesus as a genuine human being from Nazareth who actually died on the cross. Nowhere in his sermon does Peter hint at the idea of Jesus being a Divine being or as having existed before his birth.
Does Paul call Jesus God in Romans 9.5 [3 pages]
by David Maas rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
Romans 9:5 does not call Jesus “God.” Instead, it is a declaration of praise to God offered immediately before Paul’s question, had the Word of God failed? It affirmed that Paul did not doubt even for an instance that God’s word had not failed.
The Exaltation of Jesus in the Epistle to the Hebrews [4 pages]
by David Maas rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
The Epistle to the Hebrews presents a consistent picture of the Son of God who was resurrected and exalted to the right hand of God because of his faithful self-sacrifice. The Author of Hebrews bases the present exalted status of the Son not on metaphysical speculations about the Divine nature of the Eternal Son or how the “persons” of the Trinity relate to one another, but rather on the historical events of the obedience, death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus, the Son “made like unto his brothers and sisters in all ways apart from sin.”
Does Paul call Jesus "God" in Titus 2:13? [5 pages]
by David Maas rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
The Granville Sharp Rule used to argue for TITUS 2:13 as a statement of Jesus’ deity is invalid. The passage instead has two persons in view, “the great God” and “Christ Jesus, our savior.” This is in keeping with Paul’s usage elsewhere in Titus and his other letters, as well as in the rest of the New Testament.
Does Peter call Jesus "God" in 2 Peter 1:1? [5 pages]
by David Maas rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
In summary, the Granville Sharp Rule used to argue 2 Peter 1:1 is a statement of the deity of Jesus is invalid. This grammatical rule was “discovered” rather late by a well-intentioned Christian who was specifically looking for grammatical patterns that would “prove” the deity of Christ. Instead 2 Peter 1:1 has two persons in view, “our God” and the “savior, Jesus Christ.”
Does John 1:18 call Jesus "God?" [4 pages]
by David Maas rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
John 1:18 most likely originally read “only begotten Son,” not “only begotten God.” There is strong Greek manuscript evidence supporting this reading and it is in line with John’s usage elsewhere. The proposed reading “only begotten god” raises serious theological problems that some translators have attempted to solve with paraphrases such as “one and only god” and “unique god.” Each proposed solution only heightens the theological and logical problems.
books
These books, written by people from diverse backgrounds, express the simple truth that God is one. Some of them are more scholary while others are more autobiographical. In addition, a few of them are available to read online. If you would like more in depth treatment of christian monotheism, these books are the next step to take. Note: if you know of other books, not listed here, please leave us feedback.