<a href="https://biblicalmissiology.org/blog/author/adam/" target="_self">Adam Simnowitz</a>

Adam Simnowitz

Adam Simnowitz is a minister with the Assemblies of God. He lives in Dearborn, MI. He holds a M.A. from Columbia International University from their College of Intercultural Studies. His thesis is available on this website: "Muslim Idiom Translation: Assessing So-Called Scripture Translation For Muslim Audiences With A Look Into Its Origins In Eugene A. Nida's Theories Of Dynamic Equivalence And Cultural Anthropology: https://biblicalmissiology.org/2016/03/21/muslim-idiom-translation-assessing-so-called-scripture-translation-for-muslim-audiences-with-a-look-into-its-origins-in-eugene-a-nidas-theories-of-dynamic-equivalence-and-cultural-anthro/

7 Comments

  1. Adam Simnowitz

    Lawal, regarding the word, “Trinity,” see my comment below from Feb. 25, 2021. As for Jehovah’s Witnesses, they are not Christians. They follow a form of “Arianism” as they believe that God is not triune, that he created Michael the archangel through whom he then created the universe and that Jesus is Michael the archangel who became human. They also have mistranslated a number of verses in the Bible in the attempt to uphold this heretical teaching such as John 1:1 and Hebrews 1:8 in their “New World Translation.” If Jesus is not God incarnate, He would have no authority nor ability to forgive our sins against God. Psalm 49:6-9 make it clear that no human can redeem another human from death. Psalm 49:15 tells us that God, however, has this ability. Isaiah 59:15-17 also makes this point. Jesus pointed out that only God can save: Matthew 19:25-26; Mark 10:26-27; Luke 18:26-27. Isaiah 43:11; 1 Tim 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; Titus 1:3; 2:10; 3:4; Jude 25 state that only God (YHWH) is the Savior. Because Jesus is God incarnate (e.g. John 1:1, 14), the New Testament explicitly refers to Him as such (e.g. Matt 1:21; Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Acts 5:31; Acts 13:23; Eph 5:23; Phil 3:20; 2 Tim 1:10; Titus 1:4; 2:13; 3:6; 2 Pet 1:1, 11; 2:20; 3:2, 18; 1 John 4:14.

  2. Lawal Oluwashina

    The question of trinity as been so much challenge by some christian especially the Jehovah witness. Which results to misunderstanding of the word among the christian fold , please which doctrine are the Jehovah witness using.

  3. Adam Simnowitz

    Richard, I highly recommend that you read all the occurrences of “Son of God” and “Son” in reference to Jesus. You can find them on this website under the title, “Occurrences of Father, Son, and Son of God, or Familial Language Terminology in the New Testament.” I also refer you to another article on this website, “Son of God in the Old Testament.”

    As for your question, “If Jesus is just a man and not God or a god, why would that make any difference?,” yes, it makes all the difference. The Bible teaches that sin – our disobedience to God our Creator – is so destructive that only God has the ability to save us from it. While there are many Scriptures that can be referenced, Isaiah 59 is very instructive in this regard. For the first 15 and a half verses it speaks of the destructiveness of sin and then clearly states that He could find no man to be the intercessor/mediator. God, therefore, had to do it Himself. If Jesus is not God in the flesh, His death on the cross and resurrection could not save us because mere humans are unable to intercede for sin; further, the incredible prophecy of Isaiah 59, given some 700 years before the eternal Son of God came to earth as the Son of Man (or, Son of Adam), that is, Jesus Christ, would be left unfulfilled.

  4. Richard

    Why does Jesus revealing that he is the son of God make him a god or any part of God? He was conceived through Mary and therefore is directly the son of God, unlike the rest of humanity. Even Adam cannot claim to be the son of God because he was made and not begotten. Because Jesus was begotten doesn’t make him a god or God. So I don’t understand why he needs to be placed that high. If Jesus is just a man and not God or a god, why would that make any difference? He was still sent by God.

  5. Adam Simnowitz

    I do not know why the word, “Trinity,” is not found in the Bible but the revelation that the one, true God is triune within Himself is present in its text and is not dependent on this word. The same also holds true for other truths such as the Incarnation (i.e. God became man). Coining words to describe a concept, idea, teaching, etc. is common to humanity. For instance, Muslims coined the word, “tawhid” (توحيد), to describe their view of God’s oneness – which is anti-trinitarian – even though this word is not found in the Qur’an. The word, “Trinity,” is derived from the Latin words “three” and “one” and was coined to describe the witness of Scripture that the one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (e.g. Matthew 28:19). The word, “Trinity,” is known to have been used as early as the late 2nd century A.D. by Theophilus of Antioch as well as by Tertullian in the early 3rd century A.D.

  6. Ishiaka Joshua Ogbadu

    Good evening pastor, please why is the term Trinity not found written in the Bible?

  7. Adam Simnowitz

    The following passages also emphasize the importance of love with regard to the commands in the Old Testament:
    Romans 13:8-10
    8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9 For this, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
    James 2:8
    If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.

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