Would an unbiased and open minded reader of the Bible conclude that Jesus and God are one?
An unbiased and open minded reader of the Bible would conclude that Jesus and God are two separate and distinct individuals, with Jesus being subordinate to His father. The Bible does not support, nor teach the Trinity Godhead doctrine. Consider this…. At Matthew 3:16-17 when Jesus was baptized the Bible says: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Now, if Jesus is God being baptized, who is speaking from heaven and why is the speaker saying, “This is my…Son”? Secondly, speaking of Jesus, 1 Peter 3:22 says: “Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.” Once again, if Jesus is God, why is he seen, even after his death and resurrection, on the right of God, and if he is God,
I guess that depends on what an “unbiased and open minded reader of the Bible” is. I just do not see how you could even find such a person. If you read the Bible from Genesis through to Matthew, then you view point will be different from if you started at Mark and read that in all one go. They will be different from if you were brought up to believe there was no such person as God, which will be different from if you were brought up to believe there was God, but you don’t need to go to church. My observation with these sorts of questions regarding Jesus and the Trinity is people don’t start their question with the premise that you should Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength. If you do want to follow Commandment # 1, then accepting the Trinity is easier than if you don’t.
