THEORIES OPPOSED TO THE DEITY OF CHRIST

THEORIES OPPOSED TO THE DEITY OF CHRIST

1b. The Arian Theory: The Arian concept of Christ is that the Son of God did not always exist, but was created by—and is therefore distinct from—God the Father. This belief is a false interpretation of passages like that in the Gospel of John (14:28) passage: "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I."

2b. The Socinian Theory: The Soccinis, rejected the pre-existence of Christ and held that Jesus Christ did not exist until he was conceived of the virgin birth as a human being. This view had occurred before with the 4th century bishop Plotinus, but differed both from the mainline Protestant and Catholic views, which hold that the Logos referred to in the Gospel of John was God, thus is uncreated and eternal.

3b. The Unitarian Theory: Unitarians believe that mainline Christianity does not adhere to strict monotheism but that they do by maintaining that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself. They believe Jesus did not claim to be God and that his teachings did not suggest the existence of a triune God. Unitarians believe in the moral authority but not necessarily the divinity of Jesus. Their theology is thus opposed to the Trinitarian theology of other Christian denominations.

Unitarian Christology can be divided according to whether Jesus is believed to have had a pre-human existence. Both forms maintain that God is one being and one "person" and that Jesus is the (or a) Son of God, but generally not God himself.