Matt Slick Responds to David K. Bernard A problem for Trinitarians

The Trinity, Perichoresis, and the Incarnation

All right, welcome. This is a response to David K. Bernard's statement short a problem for Trinitarians, let me play it and We'll get to it equals the Sun. We're saying the Father is in the Sun because Sun refers to God as he's manifested in the flesh.

This this is a problem right here to begin with to say that the Father's in the Sun is true in one sense. But not in another. Because the doctrine of the Trinity is that the Father said Holy Spirit all are.

The one being who is God then to say that one is in the other makes sense. It's called perichoresis, which is a mutual indwelling of each member of the Godhead in Each of the other that's called like I said perichoresis.

This is just part of the doctrine of the Trinity if he were to however say that the Father is indwelling the Sun. Then we don't have it in true incarnation of the word becoming flesh. What we have is a father indwelling a human body if that's what he's getting at.

The Son Was Born and Died: The Hypostatic Union

Let's see. The Sun was born the Sun died. Well, even Trinitarians have a problem here because they don't believe the second person of the Trinity was born or died. That's incorrect. We do believe the second person of the Trinity was born and died but let me explain the second person of the Trinity the word Jesus became flesh and and Dwelt among us in the beginning was the word the word was with God the word was God.

That's John 1 1 and in and the verse 14 the word became flesh and dwelt among us. So we believe that and of course, that's Jesus and he died on the cross so we believe that but also we have to understand that in the doctrine of Jesus there is the teaching called the hypostatic union.

Which is that Jesus is one person with two natures one person with two natures a divine nature and a human nature. So Jesus said I'll be with you always even to the end of the earth. Jesus says I am thirsty.

So Jesus claimed the one person. Jesus claimed the attributes of both natures a divine nature and the human nature. That's what he did. We call this the hypostatic union. Furthermore, there's another doctrine called the communication of the properties and what this means is is that even though Jesus has one?

When he's one person with two natures as I've already described that the attributes of both natures are ascribed to the single person. So Jesus says I'm thirsty. Jesus says I'll be with you always he's claiming the attributes of both natures.

So what we would say is well, yeah God died but not in the sense that the divine nature died. But the person of Christ on the cross died and since the attributes of both natures are ascribed to that single person.

Then we would say that this sacrifice is a divine value and in that sense We'd say God died on the cross. We are dealing with human flesh. So I would say the prayers of Christ are a greater problem for Trinitarians.

If they try to use that to prove the Trinity because if their second person is inferior seeking help seeking guidance. We don't teach that Trinitarians, I'm a Trinitarian, of course, and he said if Trinitarians teach that Jesus is inferior We don't teach that Jesus was inferior.

We teach that Jesus was made Lord and the angels Hebrews 2 9 and that he was made under the law Galatians 4 4. But because he is God in flesh. He's not inferior. So Mr. Bernard is misrepresenting the doctrine of the Trinity.

Misrepresenting the Trinity and the Hypostatic Union

He doesn't seem to really understand what it is. It proves too much. It proves he's not co-equal but rather this is dealing with the incarnation showing that Jesus as an authentic human being Related to God just as we relate to God.

We're not but of course Jesus would relate to God as we do because he was made under the law Galatians 4 4. He's fully a man. And so he had to obey the law. He had to pray to God the Father. That's what he would do.

So in my assessment Mr. Bernard does not understand the doctrine of the Trinity and he fails to understand the Hypostatic Union the two natures of Christ and the one person and he fails to understand the communication of the properties.

Which is that the attributes of both natures are described the single person I have suggested to many oneness people as well as atheists and others. That I'd be willing to teach them what our doctrine really is not what it is not so they don't misrepresent it.

Bernard's Refusal to Debate and the Final Charge

I Offered to. I personally talked to David Bernard when he was here in Idaho and I asked him to Be involved with a debate with me on the nature of the doctrine of the Trinity who was true or not he declined.

We then agreed he possibly agreed to do a written debate. He then declined out of that as well. So You know, I I've talked to him. I've met him and in my opinion from this He doesn't understand the doctrine of the Trinity the hypostatic Union and maybe that's why he didn't want to debate me.

I don't know because I know the topic. I know the doctrine I could defend it from Scripture. David K. Bernard is not teaching the truth. He is teaching a false God and a false gospel.