The Messiah Was a Biblical Unitarian!

John 17:3 describes the Messiah as praying to "the only true God." The Messiah was a biblical unitarian, who agreed with a fellow Israelite about what was called the "greatest of all the commandments." This is found in a fascinating passage in Mark 12:29. A modern commentary, entitled Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, gives us a very fine observation on John 17:3. It reads:

"That God is 'the only true God' (17:3) is affirmed supremely in the Shema: 'Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one' (Deut. 6:4; cf. John 5:44; 1 Thess. 1:9; 1 John 5:20). Jesus, in turn, is the exclusive agent, sole authorized representative of this one true God; he is the God-sent Messiah, God's anointed one, the Christ. Just as there is only one true God, so also there is only one way to the Father: Jesus Christ" (Beale and Carson, Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, 2007, p. 243).

It is easy to see that the Messiah in John 17:3 was a unitarian believer in the one and only true God of Israel, the Father. Why then are the Messiah's followers not in harmony with him? Ought not the followers of the Messiah to have the same understanding of who YEHOVAH God is as the Messiah had?

Hope of Israel Ministries
P.O. Box 853
Azusa, CA 91702, U.S.A.
www.hope-of-israel.org