Hi again FFC,
You pointed out...
If we (Trinitarians) are wrong, the only thing we will be guilty of is attaching too much honor to The Son of God. You on the other hand strip Him of His Deity, His eternal status, the uniqueness of His sonship etc. This is dangerous territory because according to Paul's teaching it is quite possible, even probable that you are preaching a false gospel.
But might it not be equally true that if we mistakenly attach of too much honor to the Son that we would likewise be preaching a false gospel? I don't picture Jesus or his Father wanting us to elevate him to some position above the one his Father elevated him to.
Next: You quoted 1 Corinthians 12:3...
1Cr 12:3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and [that] no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.
First of all I notice that you underlined "
the Lord." I don't know if it makes a real big difference, but although the older King James Version does read "the Lord," almost all other translations read "Jesus is Lord." - See
http://www.biblegateway.com
Second of all I notice that Paul didn't say that "no man can say that
Jesus is God, but by the Holy Ghost."
This verse reminds me of what Paul explained to the Corinthians where he reminds us that although there have been many false gods that have been worshipped by mankind, there is only one true God for Christians. As you know, he said...
"We know that there is no God but one."
The question is, Who is this one God that Christians worship.
As of today, it looks like you and I worship two different Gods. I think I understand it correctly when I say that you worship the one God that the Athanasian Creed explains. You worship the Triune God that is composed of three separate Persons:
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They are all co-eternal and co-equal together. Three separate Persons who make up the one God.
On the other hand, the God I worship is composed of just one single Person;
God the Father.
Question: Which above God is the one Paul worshipped? About that God he explained...
We know there is no God but one. For even though there are those who are called "gods", whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many "gods"... there is actually to us one God, the Father.
I notice that Paul
didn't say...
...there is actually to one
God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."
If he had said it this latter way then that's the God I would worship. But he not only didn't say it this way, he did say it a different way that is exactly the same way I understand who God is -
God the Father.
Rather then Jesus being God Himself, I understand that he is the Mediator
between God and us just like Paul explained to Timothy...
For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, a man Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2:5
And too, I noticed that the Holy Spirit is not even mentioned in Paul's definition of the one God Christians worship.
How do I get past these statements by the apostle Paul?
Don
P.S. While it is true that Paul did mention Jesus in his discussion, he didn't include him in his definition of who God is. He left out both Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Of the "many lords" who have existed, Paul said that Jesus is the "one Lord" (or "Master") that Christians should acknowledge.