Thomas said.. WHAT!!???
(John 20:28)
The following is written by Rory Moore. You can find him at: http://preparinghisway.blogspot.com
Let’s examine carefully.
Part 1.
"MY lord and..…"
What is a “lord”?
“lord” is NOT “LORD,” the word used for YHVH, aka Jehovah.
KJV use: lord (54x), master (11x), sir (6x).
he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord
1. The possessor and disposer of a thing, the owner; one who has control of the person, the master.
2. In the state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor
3. Is a title of honor expressive of respect and reverence, with which servants greet their master
This is how Thomas used the word “lord.” He did NOT mean “THE LORD YHVH-GOD.” (The context in Jn 20:17, 20:31 proves this).
Sarah and women were to call their husbands lord. The exact same word!
1Pe 3:6 “...as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any fear.”
Jesus is not “God” in this reference to “lords”.
1 Cor. 8:5 For though there be what are called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many “gods” and many “lords”).
It is the SAME WORD in the Greek and the definition. It is not applied to the “One true God” by Thomas or Paul. But Jesus, Paul, Thomas, and John all applied “lord” as defined, to Christ!
John 13:13 Ye call Me Teacher <Master> and Lord; and ye say well, for so I am.
Thomas calling Jesus “Lord” was not calling Jesus Almighty God, aka LORD, aka Jehovah, aka "the God of our fathers.”
Part 2.
Thomas said, “...and MY GOD,” and dropped his mic, walked away while the Oneness champions on the right and the Trinitarians on the left both applauded.
“PROOF!” And there’s the text they agreed.
But then three of the apostles John, Peter, and Paul, walked over and picked up the mic.
The Oneness side of the building and their Trinity brethren all paused. They thought the matter was settled by Thomas.
John then said: “Where was Thomas when Jesus said, ‘I ascend to MY GOD AND YOUR GOD’?” (Jn 20:17).
The Oneness group became nervous, let out a gasp, and said, “Huh?” Eleven verses prior they had somehow skipped over Jesus’ statement. "We don't talk about that," they said. The majority view of the Trinity, consisting of three persons, looked at the Oneness and said, “SEE! We told you, and there are TWO there, both are GOD!
But, before they could begin shouting at each other, John said, “I wrote for you to believe Jesus is the SON of God, not God!” -Just three verses after Thomas.
Then Peter said, “and 50 days later I preached to 3,000 converts in Jerusalem that Jesus of Nazareth, whom I knew personally, was a man and that God raised that man from the dead, and GOD made him both Lord and Christ” -not that Jesus is God. I never said that!”
The Oneness faction, visibly agitated with John and Peter, growled, “BUT THOMAS SAID!”
So Paul stood up, beckoning with his hand, and the crowd again settled down. Men and brethren, this is all a big misunderstanding. I was not there when Thomas said what he said, but I heard it from brother Peter.
I am very sorry this has gotten so out of hand, but I wrote some things as the Holy Spirit directed me.
Thomas is a good man. He loved Jesus and called Jesus his lord and master. -Just as Sarah called Abraham “lord,” I did the same when I first met Jesus on the road to Damascus and asked, “Who are you, Lord?” At the time, I wasn’t sure if it was God, Jesus, or an angel. But Jesus answered, “I am Jesus of Nazareth,” and in that moment, I knew it wasn’t God or an angel.
“BUT THOMAS CALLED HIM GOD!” came a few voices from the crowd.
Paul again raised his hand. "Let me remind you I spoke both Hebrew and Greek, and was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel. My knowledge and understanding of God’s word is established by many of my peer group.
To wit, the word Thomas used was ‘theos,’ which can be used when speaking of the blessed Almighty, but it can also refer to men or angels.”
“WHAT!!” the Oneness and Trinitarian brethren gasped. But they went silent because they all knew Paul had written much of their New Testament Bibles.
Paul then said, “Both ‘eloheim’ and ‘theos’ are used and translated as GOD, God, and gods. Thomas knew that too. Men are called ‘god’ or ‘gods’ by Almighty GOD, and Jesus referred to exalted rulers, men, as gods from Psalm 82 where it spoke of men ‘ye are gods...’
“Furthermore, Almighty God said He would make Moses ‘a god to pharaoh’ in Exodus. The judges that ruled Israel long ago were also called gods, but in none of these was any man on the level with Almighty God.” He went on, “This is why I wrote as plain as I could in First Corinthians 8:5-6: 5
For though there be what are called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many “gods” and many “lords”), 6 yet to us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all, and we in Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things, and we by Him.
See the difference? “ONE GOD THE FATHER” is not Jesus because the FATHER made Jesus both lord and Christ, as brother Peter said in Acts 2:36.”
Paul said, “So when the question arose again, I repeated this to brother Timothy in 1Timothy 2:3.”
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Paul continued, "I don’t honestly know why you Oneness and Trinity brethren cannot reconcile those and accept my words. Is it because you have accepted and believed the words and ideas of others who say what we apostles never said?”
Paul’s loving concern: “I am in fear for you in this. We ALL call upon the name of Jesus but Jesus was a man, and still is a man, now glorified and highly exalted. Even Jesus said Almighty God is ‘MY GOD’ because John wrote that five more times in the Revelation.”
Paul summarized with, “NOW are you beginning to grasp that Thomas could not and would not call Jesus Christ of Nazareth ‘MY ALMIGHTY GOD?’ Thomas simply used the word ‘theos’ as Jesus did, in calling the man Jesus Christ his lord, judge, ruler, and king?”
He said, “My goodness, don’t you realize the brothers and I preached to tens of thousands of people in cities around our world and never told any of them ‘Jesus is God?’”
Both the Oneness supporters and Trinity proponents sat in stunned silence. Some whispered, “If I accept that, I will lose my position as pastor, and others might forfeit their high-ranking roles in the church.” And trembled at the thought that they might have been wrong all these years.
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