Mark,

To answer your question, if I accepted the authority of the NT, I'd still have to try understanding it through the lense of the Tanakh. Tanakh teaches clearly that creations (and Jesus was the 1st creation, right?) like humans should never be worshipped - only God alone deserves that. Jesus said only God was good. Jesus prayed to God. Jesus taught that as a servant, he was inferior to God, his master.

If Jesus' divinity is only revealed by the holy spirit after becoming a believer, then it seems you're refuted by spirit filled unitarians and others who believe in Jesus' divinity but are not Trinitarians like yourself.

I take it then that you would have worshipped at Jesus' feet. However, this is a violation of the 10 commandments - to not worship images, which is precisely what your worship at Jesus' feet would be.

How "might" a unitarian with good works be saved if the divinity of Jesus is essential to salvation? Obviously it's not essential. Or you don't really know, are not admitting to it, and are still on the fence with this issue. To say atonement and the need for salvation is first and foremost is to deny there's a problem with accepting or rejecting Jesus' divinity. To say that once one has atonement though Jesus, all is fine and well,....maybe or maybe not that person will see Jesus' divinity through Trinitarian eyes.....well, what is it? Is it maybe or maybe not? Is it fundamentally the bottom line or is it not? It seems it's not. It seems that the christians here on this board would conclude that idolatrous or heretical believers have absolutely nothing to worry about, so long as they have atonement through Jesus. Worshipping images or having an entirely idolatrous notion of God, while very bad, is still far better than the most faithful Jew who has no salvation.

If you expect faithful Jews to only worship the God of Israel they've known intimately, this excludes Jesus. Just as a dualist, gnostic or some other professing heretical christian who has an entirely different concept of God than you - their "god" is not your god, right? You wouldn't expect anyone to say you "intimately" worship "THEIR" heretical concept of "god", would you? Do you have an "intimate" relationship with the heretical god of all professing, idolatrous christians of historical significance? Is that your god?

Where's your outrage against idolatry and heresy? Does it exist? God is obviously not pleased with it according to Tanakh. Why does this seem to be a non-issue with you?

Again: Since atonement seems to be THE issue, with the divinity of Jesus a distant 2nd place......then why have a desperate need to defend the Trinity as though it's the most essential ingredient within salvation? I'm only asking because it looks like I'm getting conflicting messages from you and the rest of the christians here, Mark.

Thanks.

ps
Other christians please chime in!

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"He who saves one life... it is as if he saves an entire universe. He who destroys a life... it is as if he destroys an entire universe"

TALMUD - Sanhedrin 4:5

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