Pilgrim
<img src="/forum/images/graemlins/scratch1.gif" alt="" /> I am confused at why you would say
It is disputable whether or not IF the doctrine of the Trinity is not biblical nor essential to the faith then "every Trinitarian is still lost in their sin".
I think we can both agree that as you put it:
to deny the Trinity is to deny biblical Christianity and thus any profession made upon that basis is spurious and thus the one making such a profession is liable to judgment and has not been genuinely converted.
(I had a hard time writing what you are about to read, in a way that got my points across, so if you are not completely sure what I mean, please say so, thanks.)
However since we are talking about such an important matter of the faith, if we are wrong (we are not) and say the JWs have the correct biblical view of God. Then would it not stand to reason that you and I and every Trinitarian is still dead in their sins?
This is something that JWs would whole heartedly say, because they know that the Trinity is a different God than they believe in.
JWs and Trinitarians can not both be correct about God, one of them is wrong and still dead in their sins.
So if that is true, then how could it be disputable that if the one True God is not "Trinity", that all Trinitarians are dead in their sins?
You said:
To tell a non-Christian that they are not as good as they should be is a far cry from telling them the TRUTH, i.e., that in their current state, they stink in the nostrils of Almighty God and without the grace of regeneration, repentance and believing wholly upon the Lord Christ they shall surely perish, living forever in eternal torment. Surely the Lord Jesus spoke many things to people which broke off further communication with them. (Jh 6:65, 66; 8:40-45) Yet, He never shrunk back from "telling it like it is". And the Apostle Paul testified of himself likewise. (Acts 20:27)
I have read what I wrote over and over again, and for the life of me I can not think of how you are given the impression that I have told a non-Christian that they are not as good as they should be.
In fact I told him (among other things) that the "Trinity" is the number one essential doctrine of the Christian faith.
I believe he knows that if something is essential, to not believe in it, is to deny an essential teaching of the Bible and thus is not a Christian.
I take it however from his and my conversations, that he is not aware that the Trinity is an essential doctrine.
Therefore with the hope to get him to understand the importance of the matter, I explained this matter to him with out being overly blunt, but still showing what I think should be obvious.
If I get a response back (no responce yet) and I believe a more direct approach is needed (aka. he is not a true Christian), I will not hesitate to use a more direct approach, unless I am given the impression that I am wasting my words.
In my last post I told you that I included quotes from Wes's post such as Boettner.
Here is one in particular:
Loraine Boettner wrote:
”The knowledge of God the Father who is the source of redemption, of God the Son who achieves redemption, and of God the Holy Spirit who applies redemption, is declared in Scripture to be eternal life. Every other conception of God presents a false god to the mind and conscience. So different is the system of theology developed, and the manner of life which flows from it, that for all practical purposes we may say that Unitarians and Trinitarians worship different Gods.”
If you ask me, by including that quote I don't think I was shinking back from telling it like it is.
Tom
