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Many texts in the Bible clearly assert that there is one creator of the cosmos, God himself. It also consistently distinguishes between Jesus and God. Yet some passages, according to catholic traditions, are understood to teach that the pre-human Jesus (or the divine “Person” which eventually united with the man Jesus) created the cosmos. Thus a Bible reader finds himself facing an inconsistent triad of claims, and since they can’t all be true, it seems that he ought to deny at least one of them:
- God is the only creator.
- Jesus is the only creator.
- God and Jesus are two.
Which should be denied? In this talk I lay a groundwork for a principled, Protestant answer to this difficulty. I rule out one options as a non-starter, biblically speaking. I put my relevant presuppositions on the table, and examine clear biblical passages about creation. I also discuss some relevant post-biblical ideas from the history of Christian theology, such as a distinction between a direct and an ultimate creator, or the idea that all the members of the Trinity equally created, and two things this might mean.
Next time, a careful look at the alleged Jesus-created passages, in light of all of this historical and biblical context.
My Christian friend – why of the above three claims do you deny, and why?
Here is the recommended YouTube version of this episode:
Links for this episode:
- podcast 124 – a challenge to “Jesus is God” apologists
- podcast 12 – the Apostles’ Creed
- trinitarian or unitarian? 4 – Irenaeus’s reported creeds
- Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 45:12, Psalm 148:1-5, John 8:54-55, John 17:1-3, Psalm 33:6-9, Isaiah 44:24, Mark 10:6, Mark 13:19, Romans 1:20, Acts 4:24, 14:15, 17:24-31, Hebrews 11:3, Ephesians 3:9, 1 Timothy 4:3-4, Revelation 4:11, Revelation 10:6, Revelation 14:7, Acts 4:23-30, Acts 17:24, Acts 17:30-31, Galatians 6:15, 2 Corinthians 5:17.
- This week’s thinking music is “Burning the Microwaves” by spinmeister.
