Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
About
Christology
Israel/Palestine
Publications
KermitZarley.com
Archives
Categories
- Angels
- Blog Description
- Book Reviews
- Christian Living
  - Unconditional Love?
- Christianity
- Christology
  - Deity of Christ?
  - Holy Spirit
  - Incarnation?
  - My Change
  - Trinity?
- Church History
- Current Events
- War on Terrorism
- Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- Eschatology
- Ezekiel 38-39
- Last Empire
- Primitive Weapons
- Film Reviews
- God
- Golf
  - Billy Graham
  - Karsten Solheim
  - Lee Trevino
  - Major Championship Winners
  - Masters
  - Purpose
  - Ryder Cup
- Gospel Harmonization
- Interview
- Islam
- Jesus
- Literary Announcements
- Monotheism
- My Books
  - The Restitution of Jesus Christ
- Old Testament
- Politics
- Society of Biblical Literature
- The Bible
- Trinitarianism
- Uncategorized
FREE NEWSLETTER

Home
Progressive Christian
Religion News
Hating Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Hating Brothers and Sisters in Christ

Last updated on: July 8, 2023 at 9:06 pm by Kermit Zarley

0 Comments

Hating Brothers and Sisters in Christ 2023-07-08T21:06:12-07:00 Kermit Zarley

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I was a Trinitarian Christian for twenty-two years until I read myself out of that belief in the Bible. That is, I came to believe the Bible does not say God is three persons, as in the doctrine of the Trinity that was not believed until it was formulated in the latter fourth century. And along with that, therefore, I came to believe that Jesus never said he was God and that the Bible does not teach that he was or is God. Yet I have always continued to believe all of the church’s other major teachings about Jesus because they are affirmed in the Bible, such as that he was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, did miracles, healed many people, was Israel’s promised Messiah, died on the cross, arose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and awaits his return to earth with his kingdom.

Because I made this change in theology forty years ago, I have suffered much rejection and therefore persecution from my spiritual brothers and sisters in the faith. But I knew this would happen when I was considering this change in theology. I lost over half of my closest Christian friends, many of them in full time Christian ministry. When they learned of my theological change, they usually no longer had anything to do with me. I was like a pariah to them. I lost Christian ministry. Churches would not have me. All regarded me as worse than a non-Christian. They considered me as a heretic.

After much study about this subject for thirty years, I wrote a 568-page book about it in which I cite over 400 scholars. The title has recently been changed to The Restitution: Biblical Proof Jesus Is Not God, and it is available on amazon.com or my website kermizarley.com. And those former friends who then rejected me certainly wouldn’t look at my book.

The interesting thing about it was that once they learned about my change in theology–which I pretty much kept to myself and did not go public with it for thirty years–they would not initiate any conversation with me to actually learn what it was I believed and why. I believe that in doing so, they were not practicing the love of God in Christ. Plus, they violated a principle that Nicodemus alerted the Sanhedrin about when they were trying to get Jesus arrested and killed.

Nicodemus was one of the seventy members of the Jewish Sanhedrin (council) who came to Jesus at night to inquire about him. Jesus immediately told him he needed to be “born again” to enter the kingdom of God (John 3.3). Nicodemus didn’t understand. Jesus even acknowledged that he was a leading Torah teacher (v. 10). We do not know what happened to Nicodemus, that is, if he believed Jesus was the Messiah. But we do know that he had enough respect for him that he and Joseph and Arimathea took Jesus’ deceased body from the cross and entombed it (John 19.38-39).

But before that, Nicodemus had said to some judgmental Pharisees who had sent the police to arrest Jesus and try to get him killed, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it” (John 7.51).

Due to what the Bible says, it is a sobering thing to contemplate about Trinitarian Christians rejecting people as Christian because they don’t believe Jesus is God, yet they believe he is the Messiah and the Son of God. The author of the Gospel of John reveals the purpose for writing his gospel by saying, “these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (John 20.31). It doesn’t say anything about Jesus being God. Then 1 John echoes likewise by saying, “God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 Jn 4.15). And it adds, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” (1 Jn 5.1). So, believing Jesus is the Messiah/Christ and the Son of God results in being born again and thus inheriting eternal life.

Yet, 1 John also has some sobering words about not loving our spiritual brothers and sisters who share this common faith. It says, “All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them” (1 John 3.15). It also says, “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen” (1 Jn 4.20).

I think Trinitarians should think seriously about this warning. These texts say that people who truly believe Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God are born again. Yet Trinitarians say that is not enough to be born again, that people also must believe Jesus is God. And if they don’t, Trinitarians say they are not born again, thus, they are not Christians.

Is that hating their brothers and sisters? Are they murderers? What do you think?

Education and Religion

Doctrine of the Trinity

Heresy

Trinitarianism

Previous Post

July 4, 2023

James Tabor on "Death and Afterlife"

Next Post

July 29, 2023 Jesus' Virgin Birth Is Not Alone

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Glen, you seem to be advocating a preterist viewpoint, with which I disagree." I'm a ..."

Kermit Zarley

Family Estrangement Versus Honoring Father and ..."

"THESIS is a SCRIPTURE QUOTE.“Remember the predictions foretold by the holy prophets and by the ..."

glen smith

Family Estrangement Versus Honoring Father and ..."

"How are they going to answer it. They don't have unlimited financial resources. They're trying ..."

Kermit Zarley

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Getting Much Worse

"...but isn't that an important question to answer?"

Harold Porter

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Getting Much Worse

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Angels Billy Graham Blog Description Book Reviews Christian Living Christianity Christology Church History Current Events Deity of Christ? Disarmament Eschatology Evangelicalism Ezekiel 38-39 Film Reviews God Golf Gospel Harmonization Health History Holy Spirit Incarnation? Interview Islam Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Jesus Last Empire Literary Announcements Major Championship Winners Masters Monotheism My Books New Testament Old Testament Politics Primitive Weapons Ryder Cup Science Society of Biblical Literature The Bible The Restitution of Jesus Christ Trinitarianism Trinity? Uncategorized Unconditional Love? War on Terrorism

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I am a book of sermons and laws, Moses' final words before entering the Promised Land. What book am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

The second law Deuteronomy Moses' testimony The law

Books by This Author Books by Kermit Zarley Blog

See All Titles »