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Should Easter & the Lord’s Supper Be Celebrated? If so, When?

March 30, 2020 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Jesus, not God

Easter is by far the most prominent celebration for most Christian churches, with Lord’s Supper celebrated occasionally, but without the prominence given to Easter. Jehovah’s Witnesses only celebrate the Lord’s Supper, which they call “The Memorial of Christ’s Death”, but not Easter. Do Christians need to celebrate either of these two events, or only one of them, and, if so, when?

“The Lord’s Supper . . . do this in remembrance of me . . . For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”—1 Corinthians 11:19,26 NIV read more

DOES BEING “SAVIOR” MEAN THAT JESUS IS GOD?

March 28, 2020 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching — Does being called “Savior” mean Jesus that is God?

Trinitarians often use the following scripture to “prove” that Jesus is God. Does being called “savior” mean that Jesus is God?

“I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior” (Isaiah 43:11 NIV)

“I, I am Yahweh, and there is no other Saviour but me” (Isaiah 43:11 NJB)

Trinitarians will then point out that Jesus Christ is referred to as “Savior” many times in the New Testament, as if there are no other saviors. However, this assertion is easily debunked by the Scriptures themselves. One very good example of this scriptural proof is: read more

To Understand Bible Prophecy, Consider the Context

March 20, 2020 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Is the Bible reliable? — How can we understand Bible prophecy?

Jehovah’s Witnesses published an article entitled “An Attack Coming From the North” (The Watchtower–Study Edition, April 2020), in which they admit that their prior explanation of the prophecy of Joel 2:7-9 was out of context, and therefore inaccurate. To accurately understand Bible prophecy, we must consider the context!

Their new explanation of this prophecy is very similar to the one that what they call “Christendom” has explained for a long time, that is, the Babylonians would invade Judah and Jerusalem from the north and take over. Unfortunately for the JW’s, however, they still hold to their 607 BCE date for the destruction of Jerusalem, since it fits in with their ill-fated 1914 date. read more

DOES REVELATION TEACH THE TRINITY?

March 12, 2020 BibleAuthenticity Comments 5 comments

The Bible’s final book, Revelation, predicts the future for the Church and humankind. The Trinity doctrine is said to be the main doctrine of Christianity, so we would expect to find the Trinity in Revelation, if the doctrine is true. The very first verse of the Book of Revelation gives us a clue as to the answer to the question of whether the Trinity doctrine is in Revelation:

“The revelation from Jesus Christ, WHICH GOD GAVE HIM to show his servants what must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1 NIV). [Emphasis ours]. If Jesus was Almighty God, as Trinitarians claim, he would not have to be given the Revelation by God–he would already have it–and know it! read more

Did Jesus Really Die On the Cross?

March 7, 2020 BibleAuthenticity Comments 10 comments

Crucifixion of Jesus
Christ Crucified (c. 1632) by Diego Velázquez

Did Jesus really die on the cross? Some critics claim he didn’t die on the cross, but only appeared to be dead, and later awakened in his tomb, and escaped. Let’s look at the evidence.

“But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water” (John 19:33,34 NIV).

Some skeptics claim that Jesus somehow survived his crucifixion, and was unknowingly placed alive in the tomb, where he revived, and early on Sunday morning escaped from the tomb alive. This is quite a far-fetched story, but nevertheless, many people believe it. However, when we carefully consider all the known and pertinent facts, such a theory flies in the face of all the evidence. read more

Do the Twelve Minor Prophets Support Trinity Doctrine?

March 6, 2020 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

It is often stated by those in authority in churches that God is a Trinity, and evidence of this is found throughout the entire Bible. There are twelve Bible books that aren’t used as much as other Bible books, called the Minor Prophets. Is the Trinity doctrine found in the Twelve Minor Prophets?

“The Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And yet, there are not three Gods, but one God”—Athanasian Creed

The statement quoted above is said to be the primary belief of most Christian groups. If this is true, then we should find some evidence of it throughout the Bible.

The 12 relatively short Bible Books called “the minor prophets”, from Hosea to Malachi, make many references to Almighty God “Yahweh”, but no references to Jesus Christ by name, and some references to God’s spirit, or the holy Spirit. Do the twelve Minor Prophets support the Trinity doctrine?

There is one famous reference to Jesus, in a verse which predicts his birthplace, and mentions something very significant about his existence in doing so:

“But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” read more

Is the Trinity Doctrine Taught in 1 Peter, or Contradicted?

November 4, 2019 BibleAuthenticity Comments 2 comments

The book of 1 Peter opens up with a statement that has been that has been used to support the Trinity doctrine. The question for us to consider is, “Do we find the Trinity in 1 Peter?”

Written some 30 years or so after Jesus’ death and the start of Christianity, 1 Peter is rich in doctrine. This is why we should find some evidence of the Trinity in 1 Peter, if the doctrine is true.Trinitarians point to the naming of the three who are said to be in the Trinity as proof of its existence. For example:

“Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood” (1 Peter 1:2 NIV). Yes, the three are mentioned, and they do all three exist. The problem that Trinitarians have is that they count 1, 2, 3, and say, “Aha! There’s the Trinity!” However, the mere mention of three does not tell us anything about their supposed equality, nor of the supposed”personhood” of the Spirit, nor of their supposed “oneness” of substance. In fact, only one of the three is identified as God, which is something else that Trinitarians overlook. Rather, “God the Father” is shown to be in control with his “foreknowledge”. In fact, only “the Father” is said to have such “foreknowledge”, meaning that he knows things that “Jesus Christ” doesn’t know (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7), which is a very clear indication of the Father’s superiority over Jesus (John 14:28; 1 Corinthians 15:28; Philippians 2:12), and their separateness and distinction (John 8:17,18). The holy Spirit is here, as always, described by “the”, indicating that it is not a person, and therefore it cannot know anything. Being “sprinkled with” “Jesus” Christ’s “blood” indicates that he “”died” (1 Corinthians 15:3), which also means that he cannot be Almighty God, since “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB).

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . he has given us new birth . . . through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3 NIV) read more

Are Jesus, God, and the holy Spirit a Trinity in 1 Timothy?

October 15, 2019 BibleAuthenticity Comments 68 comments

It is frequently asserted by Bible preachers and teachers that Jesus Christ Is Almighty God, along with God the Father, and ‘God the Holy Spirit,’ they are part of a Trinity. If this is so, then we should find plenty of scriptural evidence to support it. Do we find the Trinity in 1 Timothy? Since 1 Timothy was written by Bible scholar and teacher, the apostle Paul, to counter false teachers and false teachings (1 Timothy 1:3,4), let’s see what it says.

“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1 NIV). God and Christ are here clearly portrayed as two separate and distinct individuals. As if this is not enough, it is further emphasized in verse 2:
“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord” (1 Timothy 1:2 NIV). “Grace, mercy and peace” are said to come from both God and Christ, with no mention of the Holy Spirit. This omission of the Holy Spirit would be surprising and confusing if the Trinity were true, but since the holy Spirit is not a person, this statement makes perfect sense.

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever” (1 Timothy 1:17 NIV) read more

Who Wrote Hebrews? Did Paul?

October 7, 2019 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

Who wrote Hebrews? In thirteen New Testament letters, or epistles, Paul introduces himself as the writer. However, the writer of Hebrews is anonymous. It was accepted as an epistle of Paul by early writers, and throughout most of Christian history, the apostle Paul was viewed as the writer of Hebrews. However, in the last couple of hundred years, this view has been dismissed by many of the “experts.” What are the facts? Did Paul write Hebrews?

Regardless of who who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews, the important thing is that this writing, like the Old Testament before it, is what “the holy Spirit says” (Hebrews 3:7 NAB). The fact that the writer does not identify himself by name in the letter does not prove that Paul isn’t the writer.

Differing Views of Writership

Most “scholars” and “experts” these days, especially since the 1800’s, do not think that the Christian apostle Paul wrote Hebrews. This view stands in contrast to the early Christians, who almost unanimously held the view that Paul wrote Hebrews, even though the writer isn’t named in the book itself.

“As early as the end of the second century the church of Alexandria in Egypt accepted Hebrews as a letter of Paul, and that became the commonly held view in the East. Pauline authorship was contested in the West in the fourth century, but then accepted. In the sixteenth century, doubts about that position were again raised, and the modern consensus is that the letter was not written by Paul. There is, however, no widespread agreement on any of the other suggested authors, e. g., Barnabus, Apollos, or Priscilla and Aquila. The document itself has no statement about its author”—Introduction to The Letter To The Hebrews, New American Bible (NAB) read more

Does 2 Timothy Support the Trinity?

October 6, 2019 BibleAuthenticity Comments 0 Comment

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