FrankForum (Frankness IS Forum)

This is often a question that unitarians have to deal with (and subsequently anyone who is interested in salvation). My stance is that believing the trinity is NOT required for salvation:
#1 as a "born again" believer, you're a figurative baby, so a baby can't know a lot of doctrine
#2 salvation passages don't claim you need to know the doctrine of the trinity (except believing that Christ paid for your sins)*
*and this is where the 'grey area' occurs, does believing whether or not Christ is God change whether or not you believe *Christ* paid for your sins. Well, I think it doesn't because a 'baby' might not have yet learned that only *God* can pay sins. So the still believing Christ paid for your sins is valid. Not to mention many Christians who are trinitiarian still get the trinity wrong or don't understand it when confronted. Nonetheless it is playing with fire to say Christ is not God. And being a unitarian for too long will prevent you from growing spiritually, and you'll remain a spiritual baby, never growing like someone who believes in works salvation.

While I appreciate the reflection on the subject - especially the point that you NEVER see a specific doctrinal statement required for belief in the salvation events in Acts (other than some vague - "Believing on Jesus"), the notion that trinitarians are growing spiritually and unitarians are not is simply silly - and contrary to all facts.

I can't blame you for coming to that conclusion since I wasn't explicit; being a trinitarian DOES NOT mean you're automatically spiritually maturing (quite the contrary). For example the trinitarians that believe in works salvation are not growing spiritually. The unitarians who believe Christ is not God are also not growing spiritually.

This is because both groups are not utilizing 1 John 1:9 -- so you can never rehabilitate (rescue) your thinking via James 1:21. And the mechanics of the GOD-MAN being the mediator are only possible if Christ is God. It's one of the many reasons why Roman Catholicism contorts men into being mediators instead of Jesus Christ. Likewise unitarianism converts Jesus Christ into a man to nullify Him as a mediator as well... so in both cases you can't get Christ's thinking, and instead rely on your own intuition.

Relying on human intuition (not doing 1 John 1:9) means that you'll hallucinate that you are spiritually mature with emotion, but you'll never learn what God wants you to know. So these people never get into the 'big topics'. If ANY Christian is stuck at salvation or the trinity, they simply WON'T have the capacity for advanced bible doctrine. I know you won't agree with that since you're on the unitarian position, but that's the conclusion I came to after spending two years studying the doctrine of salvation (which is BELIEF + 0). In other words, believe only and nothing else.

There are always exceptions to a rule; but belief + 0 and the GOD-MAN come up in so many doctrines that if you're adverse to them, it'll make everything nonsensical. It all has to fit.

I did not know about the Trinity until well after I was saved. Understanding the Trinity is an impossible requirement for salvation, because an infant has no vocabulary that is needed to reason with.

The Trinity is not required for salvation. But, it will become required as one matures spiritually. The inability to grasp the Trinity is a sign that the person has failed to keep maturing spiritually. Its become a required testing after salvation. I found that those who reject the Trinity suffer from areas of ineptitude when it comes to understanding God's Word in many areas. They make themselves like a fish out of water (out of God's Grace) mentally when it comes to rightly handling the Word of God.

Other than Catholics who simply learn to parrot back what they are told to think about the Trinity? Failing to grasp the Trinity is a serious indicator that the Holy Spirit has no grasp on that believer's life.


1 Corinthians 11:18-19

In the first place, I hear that when you come together
as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some
extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences
among you to show which of you have God’s approval.


selah -!

_________________
God has two dwellings:
one in heaven, and the other
in a meek and thankful heart.
Izaak Walton
(1593-1683)