Commentary on Ephesians 5.5 [5 pages]
by John Schoenheit, Mark Graeser, and John Lynn rated at 1.0 (5 votes so far)
Using this verse, some Trinitarians try to make Christ into God by what is known as the “Granville Sharp Rule.” The following explanation is lengthy, but it is necessary to show that this “rule” has been properly analyzed and shown to be invalid for proving the Trinity. Granville Sharp was an English philanthropist, who began to study the grammar of the New Testament in order to demonstrate that his Trinitarian beliefs were correct and that Christ was God. From his study of the New Testament, he declared that when the Greek word kai (usually translated “and”) joins two nouns of the same case, and the first noun has the definite article and the second does not, the two nouns refer to the same subject. This is the principle behind the “rule,” but there are a large number of exceptions to it that must be noted.
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.
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The Exaltation of Jesus in the Epistle to the Hebrews
by David Maas [4 pages]
rated at 1 (out of 5 votes)
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.”