found 20 items matching Restoration Fellowship
Testing for Truth -- A Critical Question about Your Creed [8 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.6 (6 votes so far)
John’s Truth-test (I John 4:2, II John 7) is critically relevant to our times. Belief in Jesus as the Christ, a real human descendant of David is still the Biblical criterion for proof that one is drawing inspiration from the spirit of Truth. It remains as true as ever that the fundamental doctrinal test of the professing Christian has to do with his view of the person of Christ. The denial of the humanity of Jesus is the fatal flaw detected by the Johannine test. God’s Son is the Son of Mary and of David. Of sonship prior to His conception in history the Bible has nothing to say. Such a notion is destructive of Jesus’ genuine humanity and genuine descent from David. Jesus, the Jewish-Christian Messiah, needs urgently to be reinstated at the heart of Christian devotion. Belief in Him and in His Father, the only true God, leads to salvation (John 17:3).
John 1.1 Caveat Lector (Reader Beware) [13 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.6 (6 votes so far)
In all probability John has been "turned on his head." What he intended was to stave off all attempts to introduce a duality into the Godhead. For John the word was the one God Himself, not a second person. The later, post-biblical shift from "word" as divine promise from the beginning, the Gospel lodged in the mind and purpose of the one God, to an actual second divine "person," the Son, alive before his birth, introduced a principle of confusion and chaos from which the church has never freed itself. This shift was the corrupting seed of later Trinitarianism. God became two and later, with the addition of the holy spirit, three. It remains for believers today to return to belief in Jesus as the human Messiah and in the One God of Israel, his Father, as the "one who alone is truly God" (John 17:3). God is one person not three.
A Christological Confession [7 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.6 (6 votes so far)
At a time when theological literature emphasizes a plurality of Christologies within the New Testament canon, we should not forget that, despite differences of emphasis, there is a common confession throughout all the New Testament documents which embeds itself in the statement that Jesus is the Messiah.
Gabriel Was Not a Trinitarian [7 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.6 (6 votes so far)
I suggest that this Christological statement from the angel Gabriel be taken as the basis for identifying who Jesus is. It should be understood as a clarion call for unity, a rallying point for divided Christendom. What better way of calling Christians back to their first-century roots? The message is simple and clear. The Son of God of Gabriel's announcement is none other than a divinely created Son of God, coming into existence--begotten--as Son in his mother's womb.
Is God Really One What? [60:44]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 3.1 (14 votes so far)
The Trinity has been defined as three 'who's' in one 'what.' Is this biblical? Should God be defined as a 'what' when everywhere in Scripture he is referred to using singular personal pronouns?
John 1:1 and the Trinity [48:11]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 4.1 (26 votes so far)
The first verse of the Gospel of John is almost always used as a starting point to prove the Trinity. However, is there another way to understand John 1.1? Was John, a first century Jew, articulating the completely non-Jewish idea that God became a human being or have we read that into John 1.1? Join Anthony Buzzard as he explains the meaning of John 1.1-14 in its original Hebrew, thought context.
Adonai and Adoni (Psalm 110:1) [2 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.8 (7 votes so far)
The Messiah is called adoni (my lord) and in every one of its 195 occurrences adoni (my lord) means a superior who is not God. Adonai on the other hand refers exclusively to the One God in all of its 449 occurrences. Adonai is the title of Deity and adoni never designates Deity.
Does Everyone Believe in the Trinity [11 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.4 (6 votes so far)
It is customary for students of the Bible to refer to Jesus as God and to insist that belief in a Trinity of three co-equal, co-eternal Persons in the One God is the hallmark of true faith. Many recognized Bible scholars do not think, however, that Jesus is called God, in a Trinitarian sense, in the Scriptures. Distinguished experts on the Bible, past and present, maintain that the doctrine of a Tri-personal God is nowhere taught in Scripture.
The Human Jesus (Documentary) [119:26]
by M. G. Dockery rated at 3.5 (18 votes so far)
Who was the historical Jesus? Was he God in the flesh or the long awaited human Messiah of the Jews? Watch this documentary to find out what the controversy is all about. If the earliest followers of Jesus believed him to be the Jewish Messiah (the human born to save the world) how is it the case that twenty centuries later one is labeled a heretic if he or she does not affirm the doctrine of the Trinity? This documentary seeks to get investigate what happened to the original understanding of Jesus. History combines with interviews from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim scholars along with a number of "man on the street" segments to weave together a remarkable tapestry with staggering implications. Produced by Restoration Fellowship in conjunction M. G. Dockery Films. If you prefer to download the video rather than watch it on Google-Video, click here for high quality (230 mb or click here for low quality (75 mb).
Debate: Who Was Jesus? God or Man? [132:17]
by Anthony Buzzard vs. Drew Ayers rated at 2.7 (12 votes so far)
Anthony Buzzard debates Drew Ayers on Nov. 3, 2007 in Blountstown, Florida on whether God is a Trinity or simply one. Download the video: high quality, low quality
Debate: Is God One Person or Three? [139:49]
by Anthony Buzzard vs. Fred Sanders rated at 2.3 (11 votes so far)
A full length moderated debate between a biblical unitarian and trinitarian scholars. Anthony Buzzard of Atlanta Bible College argues for God's oneness and Dr. Fred Sanders of Biola University takes the classical trinitarian viewpoint.
Who is Jesus? (Booklet) [25 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 3.9 (20 votes so far)
It is a striking fact that Jesus never referred to himself as "God." Equally remarkable is the New Testament's use of the word "God"--in Greek ho theos--to refer to the Father alone, some 1325 times. In sharp contrast, Jesus is called "god" in a handful of texts only--perhaps no more than two. Why this impressive difference in New Testament usage, when so many seem to think that Jesus is no less "God" than his Father?
The Nature of Preexistence in the New Testament [12 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 2.0 (7 votes so far)
The so-called "preexistence" of Jesus in John refers to his "existence" in the Plan of God. The church has been plagued by the introduction of non-biblical language. There is a perfectly good word for "real" preexistence in the Greek language (pro-uparchon). It is very significant that it appears nowhere in Scripture, but it does in the writings of Greek church fathers of the second century. These Greek commentators on Scripture failed to understand the Hebrew categories of thought in which the New Testament is written.
Elohim and Other Key Terms [36]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.6 (6 votes so far)
If Elohim is plural and thus means Gods then what is the significance of the singular verb following? ("he [not they] created"). We would have to translate, "In the beginning Gods, he created" or "Gods was the creator." We are rapidly reducing the sacred text to nonsense. The solution is to realize that Elohim, though plural in form, is singular in meaning.
According to Jesus, God is Strictly One Person, not Three. [1 page]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.6 (6 votes so far)
According to Jesus, God is strictly one Person, not three. Christians who value Jesus as the supreme revealer of truth should consider his classic words, uttered in a final prayer. "You, Father, are the only one who is truly God" (John 17:3). He defined salvation as belief in that One and only true God, and in himself as the Messiah (John 17:3). It is a serious hijacking of the words of Jesus if one adds to Jesus' creed. For Jesus, his Father is "the one who alone is truly God, the only one who is truly God, the one true God" (see also John 5:44 and Mark 12:29).
Commentary on Colossians 2.9 [2 pages]
by John Schoenheit, Mark Graeser, and John Lynn rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
The word “Deity” or “Godhead” is a translation of the Greek word theotes. In A Greek English Lexicon, by Liddell and Scott, the classic lexicon of the ancient Greek language, it is translated as “divinity, divine nature.” In making their case, Liddell and Scott cite Greek authors Plutarch and Lucian, and also reference Heliodorus and Oribasius using the phrase dia theoteta = “for religious reasons.” The Greek word occurs only once in the Bible, so to try to build a case for it meaning “God” or “Godhead” (which is an unclear term in itself) is very suspect indeed.
Hearing the Text of the Bible: Only One God [2 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
While churches and ministries unite under the conviction that "there is One God existing eternally in three Persons," Paul thought otherwise. It is surprising that Bible readers do not hear the difference between "There is One God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit" (historic creeds) and "There is One God, the Father" (Paul, in I Cor. 8:6).
The Early Shift from Historical Jesus to Pre-existence [1 page]
by Friedrich Loofs rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
The Hidden Flaw in Traditional Christianity: A Perversion of Monotheism. A short quotation from Friedrich Loofs, church historian, who lived from 1858-1928.
Plain Talk About Who God Is [2 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
Trying to read the Bible without understanding who the God of the Bible is is likely to be frustrating. Unfortunately so much pressure and dogmatism now surrounds the issue of who God is that Christians are unable to approach the text of Scripture with an open mind. A great measure of fear attends their studies, because they have been told what kind of a God they are to find in the Bible, or else...hellfire! This is a hopeless atmosphere for calm and reasoned investigation. The matter of deciding who God is in the Bible is relatively simple, if we follow sound procedure.
What's in a Vowel Point? [4 pages]
by Anthony Buzzard rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
Who is Jesus? God, or Unique Man? What’s in a Vowel Point? The Difference between God and Man. A study of the difference between Adoni and Adonai.
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.