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”Accepting James White’s Challenge to Provide an Exegesis of 1 John 5:1" The following is Dr. David W. Allen's refutation to internet reformed apologist James R. White's butchering of 1 John 5:1 for the purpose of forcing his calvinistic misreading into it. James White has issued once again one of his elementary school playground challenges. SinceI am on the road this week and this weekend, I will only be able to respond briefly. But there isreally no need for me to respond,

According to the Talmud, there are three things that God does without an intermediary, one of which includes resurrecting the dead:   § The Gemara cites related statements concerning the idea that rainfall provides evidence of God’s might. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: There are three keys  maintained in the hand of the Holy One, Blessed be He, which were not transmitted to an intermediary,  i.e., God tends to these matters Himself. And they are: The key of rain, the key of birthing,

Is Jesus God’s “Only Begotten” Son? The following lengthy excerpt is taken from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theoolgy (Second Edition): An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine , published by Zondervan Academic, Grand Rapids, MI 2020, Part 2: The Doctrine of God, Chapter 14. God in Three Persons: The Trinity, pp. 293-298. “In John 3:16, Jesus is said to be God’s ‘only-begotten Son’ in three translations: ‘For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son , that whoever

In this post, I quote the Assyrian Christian apologist Aphrahat’s refutation and repudiation of the Jewish claim that Sabbath observance is necessary for salvation. This blessed apologist shows that true Sabbath is that of God’s rest day, which is ushered in by the Lord Jesus Christ.   DEMONSTRATION 13: ON THE SABBATH     I. CONTENTS   1 summary of the commandments concerning the Sabbath, in which the Jews take pride   2 Sabbath for rest, not salvation: animals required to ke

I continue my discussion of the variants of Hebrews 2:9 and its impact on Christology and soteriology: HEBREWS 2:9 & SYRIAC CHRISTOLOGY  ( https://www.samshmnthelogy.net/post/heb-2-9-syriac-christology ). One of the most interesting, in fact remarkable, variants of Hebrews 2:9 is found in the Syriac translation known as the Peshitta. According to this version, Jesus is said to be the God who chose to die for everyone out of his grace for mankind: “But we see that he is Yeshua

According to the underlying Greek text of Hebrews 2:9, Jesus is described as tasting death for every man by the grace of God: “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels—Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God ( chariti theou )  He might taste death for everyone.” Legacy Standard Bible ( LSB ) The meaning here in the context is that God in his favor sent Jesus to become a flesh and blood h

In this post I will cite some of the examples showing how God grants spiritual graces and blessings to individuals on account and in behalf of the faith and/or righteous standing of those who are close to his heart. This in turn provides biblical support for believing that God will honor the baptism of infants and small children on account of their parents’ faith and trust in him. All scriptural citations are taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Holy Bible. FIR

A UNITARIAN DILEMMA The book of Revelation presents God, specifically the Father, as the One seated on the throne: “John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne , and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,” Rev

The Physical Embodiment and Visible Appearance of Israel’s God In this short post, I am going to present evidence from Mark which clearly proves that Jesus is described as none other than the very God of Israel in the flesh. In Mark, Jesus performs two specific functions, which the Hebrew Bible ascribes to Jehovah alone, namely, the subduing of the winds and seas, as well as his ability to walk on the waters: “That same day, when the evening came, He said to them, ‘Let us go

WHY BIBLE TRANSLATIONS MATTER In this post I will be employing the Bible versions recommended by a unitarian heretic in an interview he did with anti-Christian Muhammadan polemicist Paul Williams for the express purpose of showing that Jesus is worshiped as Yahweh God Almighty in the flesh: The Trinitarian “bias” in Bible translations with Professor Sean Finnegan . In one of his livestreams Finnegan recommended the following versions:   Jewish Publication Society Tanakh (JPS)

The following extract is taken from St. Augustine’s refutation to Julian who cites the work of St. John Chrysostom. St. Chrysostom’s words show why the early Christians baptized infants despite the fact of not having any sins of their own:   Chapter 6   (21) But I know what you are muttering. Speak now, speak and let us hear it. At the end of your work with which we are now dealing, that is, in the last part of Book 4, you say: 'St. John of Constantinople says there is no ori

How Muhammad Turned Allah and Jesus into two Lords Muhammad didn’t simply elevate Jesus and his blessed mother to divine status ( https://www.samshmnthelogy.net/post/the-prophet-of-shirk-strikes-again-pt-1 ), thereby turning them into two separate gods besides Allah. He also associated Christ with Allah in  the following reference: They have taken their rabbis and their monks (as) Lords besides Allah AND the Messiah, son (of) Maryam . And not they were commanded except that t

How Muhammad Turned Jesus and Mary Into 2 Gods besides Allah Muhammad, in the Quran, falsely accused Christians of his day of believing that Allah was Jesus, and further censured them for taking Christ and his blessed mother as two gods in the place of Allah: They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. Say: Who then can do aught against Allah, if He had willed to destroy the Messiah son of Mary, and his mother and everyone on earth? Allah’s is

It is apparent to anyone having carefully read the Quran that Muhammad was clearly influenced by the various Christian sects that flourished during his time. It is equally obvious that his views on Mary were heavily impacted by the teachings of Byzantine Christianity, much of which can still be found today in both Roman Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. Although we have written extensively on this issue in other articles and rebuttals (the links to which will be posted a

In this post ( https://www.samshmnthelogy.net/post/john-s-gospel-the-worship-of-jesus-pt-1 ) I will demonstrate that John’s Gospel affirms that Jesus is to be worshiped as God in the flesh. I will prove that John depicts Jesus as the human incarnation of the uniquely begotten Son of God who is worthy of the same exact worship, which the Father receives.   Honoring the Son   The Lord himself plainly stated that it is the Father’s express will for everyone to give the Son the e

Guest Post   In the landscape of Christian theology, few doctrines stand as central as the deity of Jesus Christ. This belief—that Jesus is not merely a prophet or moral teacher but the eternal God incarnate—forms the bedrock of the Christian faith. It underpins the efficacy of the atonement, the hope of resurrection, and the call to worship. Drawing from a rich repository of biblical scholarship, particularly insights from the New Testament’s multifaceted witness, this artic

Many so-called Bible believing Christians oppose what has been the universal teaching of the Church from the time of the Apostles up until the Protestant Reformation, namely, water baptism is the means through which God sends forth the Holy Spirit to regenerate an individual and unite him/her to Christ in order to obtain salvation. This is known as water baptismal regeneration. The fact is that the historic Christian faith has always taught that a person was made spiritually

In this post I will provide a biblical case that sprinkling and pouring are acceptable and valid forms or methods of baptizing individuals. To begin with, the promise of Scripture is that God would pour out his Holy Spirit upon believers so that they could be immersed in/with the Spirit’s power and presence: “For the palace will be forsaken. The populous city will be deserted. The hill and the watchtower will be for dens forever, a delight for wild donkeys, a pasture of flock

The following excerpt is taken from St. Cyprian’s discussion on the necessity and centrality of infant baptism where he stresses the importance of baptizing infants immediately without delay. In doing so, Cyprian breaks down the significance of physically circumcising male infants on the 8 th  day. The blessed saint explains how this points to Christ’s physical, bodily resurrection on Sunday, which happens to be the 8 th  day being the day after the Sabbath or 7 th  day. All

I quote what prolific church writer Origen and prominent Christian theologian Hippolytus of Rome wrote in respect to the baptism of infants and little children. Origen (11) Therefore our body is the body of sin, for it is not written that Adam knew his wife Eve and became the father of Cain until after the sin . 504  After all, even in the law it is commanded that sacrifices be offered for the child who was born: a pair of turtledoves or two young doves; one of which was offe