[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":264},["ShallowReactive",2],{"footer-links":3,"content-\u002Fshema\u002Fconcerns\u002Fmajority":12},[4,9],{"path":5,"title":6,"type":7,"isExternal":8},"\u002Fabout","About","link",false,{"path":10,"title":11,"type":7,"isExternal":8},"\u002Fdisclaimer","Disclaimer",{"id":13,"title":14,"body":15,"description":255,"extension":256,"meta":257,"navigation":259,"path":260,"seo":261,"stem":262,"__hash__":263},"content\u002Fshema\u002Fconcerns\u002Fmajority.md","Majority Christians",{"type":16,"value":17,"toc":247},"minimark",[18,22,29,32,37,54,99,102,106,116,125,134,138,184,202,214,218,235],[19,20,14],"h1",{"id":21},"majority-christians",[23,24,25],"p",{},[26,27,28],"em",{},"If billions of Christians have confessed Jesus as Almighty God for centuries, how could they all be mistaken? Why was this not resolved during the Reformation?",[23,30,31],{},"This question concerns trusted teachers and loved ones, not just numbers. Trinitarian Christians deserve a fair hearing. Still, widespread belief cannot settle what Scripture says.",[33,34,36],"h2",{"id":35},"what-numbers-can-and-cannot-tell-us","What numbers can and cannot tell us",[23,38,39,44,45,48,49,53],{},[40,41,43],"a",{"href":42},"..\u002F..\u002Ftrinity","Trinitarians"," confess one God, but with ",[26,46,47],{},"3 persons",". They understand Father, Son and Holy Spirit as distinct persons sharing one divine essence. That claim must be considered on ",[40,50,52],{"href":51},"..\u002F..\u002Ftrinity\u002Fdevelopment","its own terms",".",[23,55,56,57,61,62,68,69,72,73,77,78,81,82,86,87,90,91,81,94,98],{},"But a majority can be mistaken. For example, ",[58,59,60],"strong",{},"Elijah stood against 450"," prophets of Baal before the people saw God the Father answer by fire (",[63,64,67],"span",{"className":65,"dataReference":67},[66],"bible-ref","1 Kings 18:19","–39). ",[58,70,71],{},"10 spies discouraged Israel, while Joshua and Caleb urged trust"," in God the Father (",[63,74,76],{"className":75,"dataReference":76},[66],"Numbers 13:1","–14:10). ",[58,79,80],{},"About 400 prophets promised Ahab victory, but Micaiah warned of defeat"," (",[63,83,85],{"className":84,"dataReference":85},[66],"1 Kings 22:6","–28). Likewise, ",[58,88,89],{},"the chief priests and the council condemned Jesus as deserving death",", but ",[58,92,93],{},"their agreement did not make that verdict right",[63,95,97],{"className":96,"dataReference":97},[66],"Mark 14:55","–64).",[23,100,101],{},"Even the church Reformation showed that the overwhelming majority cannot decide the truth.",[33,103,105],{"id":104},"the-reformation","The Reformation",[23,107,108,109,115],{},"The ",[40,110,114],{"href":111,"rel":112},"https:\u002F\u002Fbookofconcord.org\u002Faugsburg-confession\u002F",[113],"nofollow","Augsburg Confession"," teaches justification through faith rather than works in Article IV and calls for both bread and cup for the laity in Article XXII.",[23,117,118,119,124],{},"Ironically, the Trinity remained mainstream Reformation teaching because the majority confessions judged it biblically true. Article I affirms the Nicene teaching on the Trinity “without any doubting” and its conclusion says it accepts nothing against Scripture or the Church Catholic. The ",[40,120,123],{"href":121,"rel":122},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.ccel.org\u002Fcreeds\u002Fhelvetic.htm",[113],"Second Helvetic Confession"," likewise submits councils to Scripture in Chapter II while affirming the Trinity as scriptural teaching in Chapter III.",[23,126,127,128,133],{},"These confessions thus distinguished reforms they considered necessary from doctrine they considered true. That distinction did not settle the question for every reformer: the ",[40,129,132],{"href":130,"rel":131},"https:\u002F\u002Fplato.stanford.edu\u002Fentries\u002Ftrinity\u002Ftrinity-history.html#PosMedDev",[113],"Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s historical overview"," distinguishes magisterial creedal orthodoxy from anti-Trinitarian currents among some Radical Reformers.",[33,135,137],{"id":136},"israel-before-later-definitions","Israel before later definitions",[23,139,140,141,144,145,152,153,157,158,162,163,166,167,171,172,175,176,152,179,183],{},"Israel confessed, “The ",[58,142,143],{},"LORD"," our God, ",[40,146,148,149,151],{"href":147},"..\u002F..\u002Fshema","the ",[58,150,143],{}," is one","” (",[63,154,156],{"className":155,"dataReference":156},[66],"Deuteronomy 6:4","). Jesus repeated that confession (",[63,159,161],{"className":160,"dataReference":161},[66],"Mark 12:29","). Praying to the Father, he called him “the ",[58,164,165],{},"only true God","” and distinguished himself as “Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (",[63,168,170],{"className":169,"dataReference":170},[66],"John 17:3","). Paul likewise named “",[58,173,174],{},"one God, the Father","” and “",[58,177,178],{},"one Lord, Jesus Christ",[63,180,182],{"className":181,"dataReference":182},[66],"1 Corinthians 8:6",").",[23,185,186,187,191,192,196,197,201],{},"The Father alone is Almighty God, Jesus is his truly ",[40,188,190],{"href":189},"..\u002F..\u002Fhuman","human"," Christ (",[63,193,195],{"className":194,"dataReference":195},[66],"1 Timothy 2:5","), and the Spirit is God at work rather than another divine person (",[63,198,200],{"className":199,"dataReference":200},[66],"Matthew 12:28","). That is an interpretation of these passages, not a historical fact established by counting adherents.",[23,203,204,205,208,209,213],{},"The Father’s people can misjudge a claim even when it is familiar. The Bereans received Paul’s message while “",[58,206,207],{},"examining the Scriptures daily"," to see if these things were so” (",[63,210,212],{"className":211,"dataReference":212},[66],"Acts 17:11","). Respect for teachers and careful testing can coexist. Neither a doctrine’s age nor its later development proves it true or false.",[33,215,217],{"id":216},"conclusion","Conclusion",[23,219,220,224,225,229,230,234],{},[40,221,223],{"href":222},"#what-numbers-can-and-cannot-tell-us","Numbers"," cannot settle God’s identity. ",[40,226,228],{"href":227},"#israel-before-later-definitions","Israel’s confession and Jesus’ words"," warrant Scriptural testing, even where ",[40,231,233],{"href":232},"#the-reformation","Reformation confessions"," retained the Trinity.",[23,236,237,238,241,242,246],{},"Jesus warned that following him could divide households: “Whoever loves father or mother ",[58,239,240],{},"more than me"," is not worthy of me” (",[63,243,245],{"className":244,"dataReference":245},[66],"Matthew 10:37","; see 10:34–36). He did not command hostility toward family. Even when convictions differ, following Jesus faithfully can leave room for love within the family and a shared search for truth.",{"title":248,"searchDepth":249,"depth":249,"links":250},"",2,[251,252,253,254],{"id":35,"depth":249,"text":36},{"id":104,"depth":249,"text":105},{"id":136,"depth":249,"text":137},{"id":216,"depth":249,"text":217},"Why centuries of Christian belief and the Reformation do not settle the Trinity question, and how to examine it without contempt for loved ones.","md",{"keywords":258},"Trinity, tradition, Reformation, biblical Unitarianism, church, family",true,"\u002Fshema\u002Fconcerns\u002Fmajority",{"title":14,"description":255},"shema\u002Fconcerns\u002Fmajority","6foc0tDc_0v6fpkWc43COTsJthDwkADM05jsIaAnb5U",1794459723863]