I'm not really one to be in Oneness with other Unitarians! I just wanted to point out your error by using Stephen ... Who clearly put your thoughts back into reading out of scripture... instead of into Scripture!darinhouston wrote:Paul, though I'm still digesting them, much of what you have said in recent posts has resonated with me. On the subject of the Trinity, are you aware of any solid debates with Oneness or other Unitarians who are up to the task? So many seem too weak in explaining these issues and especially in their alternative exegesis of critical passages. James White's a bit of a bully in debates, but he does have a knack of revealing bad exegesis and failures in addressing key objections in his opponents. Roger Perkins had a decent "positive case," but did very poorly in responding to the scriptural/exegetical challenges.
He clearly states that it was “an angel who appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush” (Acts 7:30) As Moses approached this phenomenon, “there came the voice of the Lord: I am the God of your father. The Lord said to him, ‘Take off the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. (31-33). Like I posted...
Quite clearly this is an example of agency. It is an angel who appears to Moses and it is the angel who speaks. But note that this angel evens speaks for God in the first person. The angel of the Lord says, “I am God.” The angel is distinguished from God yet identified with him. In Hebrew eyes, it is perfectly natural to consider the agent as the person himself. In Hebrew thought, homage given to God's agent or representative is homage ultimately given to God Himself.
Paul