36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A unique book with a unique approach, March 1, 2003
This review is from: Jesus-God or the Son of God? A Comparison of the Arguments (Paperback)
The strength of this book is not so much the answers to Trinitarian proof texts. Most Trinitarian scriptures have been discussed in other non-Trinitarian works though the author does consider a few that I had never heard of before. I will say that even though a number of these Trinitarian texts have been answered numerous times over, the author does a more thorough job at showing scriptures to back his point.
Consider as one example Matthew 3:3's quoting of Isaiah 40:3 which reads, "Listen! Someone is crying out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way of Jehovah, you people! Make his road straight." This verse is speaking about John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus and Trinitarians note that Isaiah 40:3 says he would be preparing the way for Jehovah. Their conclusion is that Jesus must be Jehovah. I've read in several non-Trinitarian books the explanation that since Jesus was Jehovah's representative, preparing the way for Jesus is considered the same as preparing the way for Jehovah. End of discussion.
Mr. Holt, though, gives a far more thorough reply that lends credence to the argument. He not only states the same argument but also backs it up with scriptural examples. First he notes that a similar situation occurs at Matthew 25:35-40 where Jesus says Christians fed him, watered him and clothed him. These Christians ask 'When did we do these things to you?' Holt quotes Jesus' reply of "to the extent that you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." Here we see Jesus said Christians did these things to HIM yet in reality they did it to his followers. Holt rightly notes that no one concludes from Matthew 25 these followers ARE Jesus so why think Jesus is Jehovah because of a similar account? As he states, Trinitarians use a double standard in interpreting these two accounts.
The author further shows that preparing the people to receive Jesus is the same as preparing them to receive Jehovah without meaning Jesus is Jehovah. He does this by noting Jesus' words at Matthew 10:40, "He that receives you receives me also, and he that receives me receives him also that sent me forth."
But the author is not done yet; he finally shows that Isaiah 40:3 does not mean Jesus is Jehovah by noting Jesus' own quote of Isaiah 40:3, "Look! I myself [Jehovah] am sending forth my messenger [John] before your [Jesus] face, who will prepare your way ahead of you." (Matthew 11:10) Here Jesus quotes the same prophecy but clearly says Jehovah would send John ahead to prepare the way for Jesus, not Himself! So Jesus' own quote of the scripture in question shows he did not think he was Jehovah.
This is just one example of dozens of Trinitarian scriptures answered in this book. The author, unlike many other non-Trinitarian books, doesn't just provide an answer; he provides scriptures to back it up. The evidence presented on this one verse alone is powerful enough that even the staunchest of Trinitarians will have to admit the bias in arguing Isaiah 40:3 and Matthew 3:3 mean Jesus is Jehovah. A double standard must be held to stick to a Trinitarian interpretation. The other 50 plus Trinitarian scriptures are answered in the same manner. This is not to say other non-Trinitarian works do not present a well-thought out argument; it only highlights that Holt keeps his opinions to a minimum and tends to offer more scriptural support to his arguments.
However, as I said above, the strength of this book is not the powerful arguments against Trinitarian scriptures. The best part of this book are the hundreds of scriptures covered in the second half, which suggest Jesus is not God. The author basically says 'Here are hundreds of verses specifically showing Jesus is someone other than God. You need to convince us these common people with little to no education heard Jesus say he was sent by God and yet still believed he was God.' This is a format that raises this work above other non-Trinitarian works. While they are mostly consumed with answering Trinitarian scriptures, (and they often do a decent job at that), the author focuses more on getting Trinitarians to deal with the hundreds of non-Trinitarian scriptures.
This book is a gem and the arguments against Trinitarian verses are the most powerful I've seen. And the scriptures showing Jesus is not God are even more powerful. Great buy!
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26 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Reference Work!, August 6, 2003
This review is from: Jesus-God or the Son of God? A Comparison of the Arguments (Paperback)
I got this book as a result of a theological dilemma I had found myself in after studying with Jehovah's Witnesses for several years. Though they presented a very good scriptural case that Jesus was not Jehovah the Trinitarian views that I would listen to on Christian radio were also very compelling. Most notably are D. James Kennedy, Adrian Rodgers, Hank Hanegraaff's "Bible Answerman", and "The White Horse Inn" discussions. They all are wonderful ministers and are very convincing in their Trinitarian theology yet in a "Trinitarian" sermon I would always note a lack of consistency from beginning to end. For example, early in a sermon one would preach that Jesus was God but then later on a passage that clearly showed that Jesus was not God would be quoted; Not necessarily to prove Jesus was God but maybe to illustrate a different point. At any rate there always seemed to be at least one contradiction in the person's own sermon not to mention what I could discern from my own scriptural knowledge. This bothered me as I was still torn as to who stood more on scriptural truth rather than doctrinal tradition.
I believe in Sola Scriptura as the only true way to interpret the scriptures as most Protestants do. However, I discovered that Jehovah's Witnesses tend to stay truer to the philosophy of letting scripture interpret scripture. I got to the point where I knew I needed to do a very detailed study of the scriptures that both support and refute Trinitarian thinking. A very daunting task to say the least! It was at that time that I discovered Brian's book. I cannot begin to describe what a blessing it has been! Not only has this book saved me countless hours of research but also provides me with a very handy reference in that when I hear a passage quoted supporting Trinitarian theology I can go straight to the Scripture Index in the back of Brian's book, find the scripture and examine the argument. At the very least this book provides a great starting point for a research project. At best Brian resolves the issue to my satisfaction right then and there! So far there has not been a scripture used to support the Trinity that is not referenced in this book. This is a very comprehensive book on the subject and anyone interested in the modern day "Arian Controversy" should have a copy of this book in his or her library.
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16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy to Read and Enjoy, July 13, 2002
This review is from: Jesus-God or the Son of God? A Comparison of the Arguments (Paperback)
Instead of dazzling us with grammatical acrobatics on obscure and arguable rules of Greek as many do on this topic when defending what cannot logically be defended, Brian Holt takes us straight to the Bible, and breaks everything down so all can understand. What a breath of fresh air.
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