I’ve talked to a lot of Unitarians. Many in my own family.
A while back I was introduced to some on Facebook by Rivers O Feden, a Unitarian who seemed to be a bit of a thorn in the side of other Unitarians. I found out that a lot of this came from the fact that, while he agreed with their theology, he did not like all of their arguments.
Tonight, he joins me to discuss some texts and arguments and hopefully we can make some progress toward truth and skewer some bad arguments in the process.
John 17:1-3 is a clear statement, and any interpretation of John 1 ff must lne up with what Jesus stated.
As for the “only master and Lord” Ephesians 4 states
4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Yes, John 17:3 is clear and perfectly in line with the Trinity.
Only Master and Lord is in Jude, not Ephesians, and says “only” not “one”, which is why it’s grammar is in line with John17:3.
Nice try, though.
Here is my commentary on John 17 (cited in response to Bill):
“Our Lord Jesus Christ petitioned the Father to give Him the glory that they both shared since before the timing of creation (John 17:4-5). The Son expresses having a relationship with the Father prior to creation, from eternity past (John 17:24). Notice also how God said in the Old Testament that He would give His glory to no other (Isaiah 42:8). If Jesus is not God, then how could He share that same glory?
The Son reveals an inextricable unity between Himself and the Father (John 17:11; 20; 22). Both have fellowship with each other. Both partake in the same work. Both are one. If the Father and the Son are one by nature, then does this not imply the latter to be divine? Just as everything belongs to the Father, so everything also belongs to the Son (John 17:10).
While the Father is superior to the Son in a positional sense, both are equal in essence. Both are divine. The Father and the Son share the same essence in deity. Jesus oftentimes spoke from a human standpoint, which should not surprise us because He is a composite being. He is fully man and fully God. According to John 17:25-26, Jesus Christ reveals to us the Father. The knowledge and understanding of God transcends our mental faculties by an infinite margin. How could Christ reveal to us the Father if He Himself were not also God?”
https://rationalchristiandiscernment.blogspot.com/2018/09/a-trinitarian-perspective-of-john-17.html