These guys are so well rehearsed in their arguments and know so well how to put their opponents off balance. it just goes to show that we live in an age in which it is imperative that we have a good grasp on what we believe and why.
I agree. 1 Corinthians 2 1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. That is the gospel. The wisdom of God not man. Philosophy is good but not when it comes to salvation. We are supposed to be boasting in the power of Christ Jesus and in our own weaknesses so the power of Christ will rest on US.
Firstly, do not argue with others over the Word of God. God’s Word needs NO DEFENSE. Satan twists Scripture and tried to use it against Jesus Christ-God Himself. Faith is what is required to believe in Jesus Christ. People are free to choose themselves straight into hell.
"That muslim was right, this is not a good argument" This is why you are refreshing to listen to in this discussion space, Sean. Acknowledging when those on "your side" made bad arguments and when those on the "other side" made good refutations.
To be honest, the Trinity can never be defended Biblically. There are Texts that "hint" at a dual nature between the Father and Son, but Biblically there is no solid evidence, yet the Bible clearly shows a hierarchy with Yahweh above Yahshua (1Co 11:3; Jhn 14:28)
@@2besavedcom-7 not true. it's not hard to defend the trinity. that's not the problem. the problem is that people try desperately to defeat it , so they can give themselves permission to reject the bible, and then live in sin all they want. wicked people create imaginary problems in the bible.
@johanneshartman4618 - WHat you have described here is eisegesis (reading INTO the Bible) as opposed to exegesis (reading what is written). You can't disprove a theory that has no proof and all the "Trinitarian" Scriptures (Matt 28:19; 1Jn 5:7) appear to be later additions, especially the "Comma Johanneum."
@@davidjanbaz7728 - Do a word study on the Hebrew (the language of the Bible) word "Elohim." Angels are "elohim," Moses and Aaron were "elohim," read Psalm 82. Yahshua is called Elohim, but He is not Yahweh Elohim. Elohim simply means "mighty one/s" and anyone or anything can be called an "elohim" if Yahweh so decides.
Thank you for these thoughts. I teach a college and career Sunday School class and I bring many of these things to their attention. Many do not know how to answer these things even though they know what they believe. These videos are valuable to me because I do not hear many of these objections in normal every day life. Doug Stoliker
This was enjoyable to watch! And yes, I would like to see more of these. Its like a teaching tool of what people say, and the response we can use based on the Word of God. Thanks for sharing. 😊❤
Well thought out and reasoned responses as always! It's so true that it's hard to make these arguments in a short time, which I suppose is what makes TikTok compelling. If you can make an argument compelling in 30 seconds without anyone to respond to it, you can convince a lot of people!
I LOVE these kinds of videos. They really give me bite sized ideas of what other people are thinking in the world, and the truth to back up my own position. Please do more!!
I was just reading about Islam's arguments against the trinity, so I was excited to see this title! Definitely keep doing responses like these, they are so helpful!
Actually, it is Islam that contends that there is more than one eternal entity. Most Muslims hold that the Quram (As the word of God) is eternal but not God. So giving us 2 eternal entities. The Quran also says that Jesus is a word from God. John 1. puts this together and corrects the Islamic error. Jesus the word is the eternal God - there is only one eternal entity in three persons.
great, very helpful because there are too many people with little knowledge and training running off at the mouth with untruths, and you do a great job of presenting the truth thanks
Is our climate crisis an untruth…I’m concerned that so many Christians will claim to know the truth about supernatural things that are unknowable and deny the truth about natural things..that really are known…does this concern you also?
@johanneshartman4618 So you distinguish between soul and spirit? Maybe you mean body, mind and spirit? But Either way we have no way to determine how an individual’s sense of self awareness or self agency can exist without the body. Neurology studies how the brain functions within our physiology. I’m glad that those suffering from epilepsy have evidenced based treatments that really help them understand and manage that condition. Demon possession speculation was not helpful … right?
If you don’t know, say so, ignorance is not a crime. Arrogance in not looking into the issue or impudence or whatever, doesn’t work. We can’t be wishy washy. We need to be of good courage. Shalom
I think this is great content especially with the amount of people that use tik tok and see these videos and think they have a point without thinking it through. I also think its good for Dads like me with kids that might see these videos and become convinced it is the truth. Helpful to me to help refute these things without a life long study in philosophy.
Love the focus on specific questions with answers that are "bite-sized." Myself...I like a general focus for 10 TikToks dealing with one major issue/topic. That way I can see it from different logic/facts/perspectives/arguments...all of this in a concise 10-15 minute show. Thanks! Will look for more of these.
Thank you for this! More of these would be helpful in illustrating how to approach dialogue (openness with logic and clear thinking) and how to think about these questions.
The baby off a building being seen as wrong in a godless world can better be described like this: Some people like babies and some people would feel it was wrong only because they like babies. Others do not like babies and would feel that it is fine to toss the little turds. It's only in a world with a God at the top do we have any reason to tell the baby hater he his actions are wrong, regardless of his feelings.
That was a good video definitely do more. It's important to hear what random people say about God, Christianity, our beliefs and world view so that we can be prepared to defend and/or explain our faith.
Make friends with people of other faiths and see what they think. Then research your Bible for reasonable answers. Do you think Christians spend enough time doing their own research?
I believe “baby off a cliff” example it wouldn’t be wrong. In a world without God, civilizations are left to write the moral codes of the society. In our world alone, the one with God, if you simply take several steps back in history, throwing a baby (at least down the stairs off a temple) was completely acceptable.
It all comes down to who decides what is wrong or right. Feelings don’t nor should decide what’s right or wrong. Without God, there cannot be objective morality.
I feel like if I were to hand a Muslim a phone, call it, tell them to answer it, and then tell them that its also me speaking through the phone, they would puff themselves up and want to argue that that would be "logical contradiction" because only my voice can come from my body and whatever is coming from the phone is not my voice. (Of course it is not my "actual voice" but it is STILL me.)
@Sean McDowell I think what may be helpful is to acknowledge that Jesus is also just the name given to the Son once the Son is in the flesh. It’s confusing for Muslims when they hear “when JESUS took on flesh”, because Jesus was the human name for the Son. So JESUS technically did not take on human flesh. The SON took on flesh (and a name called Jesus). The name Jesus comes AFTER. I hope this makes sense! I think Muslims may picture a HUMAN existing eternally when they think of Christian doctrine, which is not the case. The eternal Son existed prior to taking on flesh, and we now just call him Jesus because that’s what God has provided name-wise. Maybe this little note will help Muslims see that Christians aren’t saying God is finite. He has been and always is infinite. 7:45
In the first clip; Jesus was not a political dissident. He never challenged Romes authority. Jesus said to Pilot (the Roman Governor) my Kingdom is not form this world. It's expressly written in the Old Testament that the Messiah would come to earth twice, and that the first time he came he would bring SALVATION, and that he would die for others, not himself.
I love how the question provokes a defensive posture but you leaned right into it with a firm, "yes," and then quickly explained _why_ He was intolerant and _what_ He was intolerant of, cutting off the sting of the question. Jesus was intolerant and it's good to be intolerant of certain things, although we may be tempted to quickly reject accusations of intolerance at face value.
This was super good. These discussions are useful for teaching the Bible. Would love to hear arguments for why Christian couples are more faithful and or moral and or suitable to have children than nonbelievers.
That second question about where Jesus said he has God has so much scriptural support, it wouldn't be difficult to answer at all. But this confidence comes from reading and knowing scripture. 1. Jesus forgives sins - Luke 20:20-25. Only God can do that. And the Jewish leaders recognised this and accused Jesus of blasphemy. 2. When Jesus says he's Lord of the Sabbath - Matt 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28 & Luke 6:1-5. A mere man cannot claim that. 3. When Jesus quotes Psalms 110: 1 "The Lord says to my Lord" in Matt 22:44, Mark 12:36 and Luke 20:42 - 43 to the Pharisees and asked them who they believed the Messiah "Son of David" was going to be. He was trying to get them to understand that the Christ was God himself. 4. When Jesus says in John 8:48-59, "before Abraham was I Am". In the Hebrew Bible "I Am" is the divine name of God.
As a Christian i have no idea about the beliefs of buddhism, wiccanism, or even islam. The fact that other religions study Christianity just in order to try to debunk by logically cornering ill equipped believers, it shows that deep down the debunkers know it is true. I dont need to study false teaching to know that my belief in Jesus Christ is sound.
I totally appreciate videos like this because we as Christians have to have a firm basis for what we believe. If we are not knowledgeable we can be swayed by the arguments of those trying to discredit the Bible and Jesus as God.
So helpful! These are the kinds of statements really Christians have to answer in real life. Maybe give us a life sized answer too at the end of an explanation - 1-2 sentences of how you would respond if you were actually talking to the person.
When i explain the trinity i tell people you have a spirit, thats what goes to be with God when you die, there is your soul, which gives you your thoughts and desires then we have the flesh, this is how we interact with the world around us. God is the same, he has 3 parts, his soul, which imparts his disires and wisdom upon the world, there is the spirit which fills us and directs us on our path with him and his flesh, his ability to interact with us so that we can hear him and see him. One cannot exist without the other they are a part of a whole being. Its not that complicated.
This is one of the regular trinitarian "explanations", but it's still unbiblical. The spirit in man is NOT part of the person. A living person is also a soul, as Genesis and Ezekiel show. God also does NOT have 3 parts, and no there isn't a single passage in the Bible that teaches this kind of ridiculous nonsense.
@@theeternalsbeliever1779 while i don't appreciate the attitude, that is in itself unbiblical, i try to explain this to people who are not Christian. This is the easiest way to ge ttheir heads around it. I understand what you are saying and you are right, but for someone who has never read the bible, and who is just arguing with me about my 'fake God" and trying to debunk the bible its easier to put it like this because they can wrap their heads around it.
1. No one said Jesus was the only one to be crucified. Why was that a point he brought up? 3. If there is no God and someone throws a baby off a cliff, that's not wrong in any objective sense. It's wrong in a relative sense. If there is no mind higher than and prior to the human mind, in other words, if the human mind is the ultimate authority when it comes to morality, then it all depends on which human mind you're referring to. If you refer to the mind of the person who threw the baby off the cliff, then no it wasn't wrong. It was right. If you refer to the mind of someone who objects to the baby being thrown off the cliff, then yes, it was wrong. But those are just opinions, and by definition, neither one is more correct than the other.
That second last one is even more easily refuted based on the next line in that verse. He is the way... To who though, God? Or the father? Well it very clearly says no one gets to the father except through him. He is not saying God but the person (the father) of the Trinity.
Well done beautifully explained 😊....... Today most of the muslims think trinity means three Gods but they are wrong because they don't know what the trinity teaches.
Jesus being the Way to God is also like knowing someone who can get you into the V.I.P. section at an event because they're the owner of the establishment. He IS the way in. He IS your ticket. He's also the guy in charge.
2:55 "the question is, what does the gospel of John teach about the identity of Jesus?" The gospel of John answers this directly. Sean pulls from all the contentious passages for which there are numerous valid interpretations, but missed what John explicitly proclaimed: "But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is [who??] the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name." The gospel of John explicitly says outright without mincing a single word that the identity of Jesus is that He is the Christ, the Son of God. If John's intention was also that we may believe that Jesus is not just the Son of God, but is also God Himself, he didn't say a peep in the very place where he told us what he wanted us to believe about Jesus. And this should be a glaring problem that makes us pause. If the teaching in the Bible is not only that Jesus is the Son of God, but also God Himself, we would see at least SOME of the raging controversy recorded in Scripture about such a contradictory teaching that we have seen ourselves in the church for two milennia continuing on to this day. But it's just not there. Instead we get arguments about things like meat offered to idols, circumcision, etc. Nothing about a radically different view of God than the Jews were used to, and nothing along the lines of "I know this doesn't make sense that someone can be God and the Son of God at the same time, but here's what we mean - you see, it comes down to essence versus role, being versus person, etc..." I mean, literal punches have been thrown over this in the centuries of the early church fathers, and yet, there's not even a ripple of "hang on, can you explain this because it just doesn't make sense" recorded in the New Testament times. This shouldn't be something people get mad about. We are all commanded to test teachings, and the doctrine of the Trinity is no different - it's one that should be tested against Scripture. It's okay to acknowledge things like "hey the doctrine of the Trinity says they are one specifically "in essence", but the Bible never says that. Maybe I should look into this more." We are supposed to consider Scripture, meditate over it, think about it, etc. Peter himself says the things Paul wrote can be difficult to understand. I hope more Christians can really think about what Scripture says, rather than reflexively react when they hear something that contradicts something they haven't dug into yet but have just been told is critical to believe. If it's critical, then get into it! Read it for yourself! Understand it for yourself so you can defend it, if it really is true. Come to the text without preconceptions and see what it is saying. I say all this to myself too. God bless.
@johanneshartman4618 - Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately that comparison would be the "heresy" of partialism. Pro-Trinitarian theologians and debaters do not agree with that comparison. The doctrine of the Trinity says all three are fully God (not partially God, and not parts of God that make up God), and yet our body, soul, and spirit are not each fully us, but are each a part of us that make us up. Additionally, we would never say our body, soul, and spirit are three separate "persons" of our being. They are discrete components and are not each "us" in their individual entirety. Furthermore, we are to "love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength". That's not three, that's four. The Bible speaks of many components to our being, our existence. We cannot ignore all those parts in favor of the one place that happens to speak of three. In Genesis, when God says "Let us make man in Our image", what He does next is to make two - male and female. Not three. There is no mention of anything "three" after God says that in Genesis.
@johanneshartman4618 they are not each "fully" you. In other words, your body alone is not "fully johanneshartman4618" because without your soul or your spirit, your body alone is not fully you. I mean, we all know this inherently - when someone dies, a common response is to look at their body and say "that's not them". The doctrine of the Trinity says each person is "fully God". In just one of them, we get the entire God. The body/soul/spirit = Trinity comparison is not espoused by those who have studied the doctrine of the Trinity and who defend the Trinity.
He had already covered it in the very beginning of his gospel. "In the beginning was the word... and the word was with God, and the word WAS God... and the word was made flesh..."
@@JJ-yc2sv The beginning of the gospel of John is in reference to the Genesis creation, yes? So we need to look at the Genesis account to see what is meant by "the word". John 1:3 says "All things came into being through [the word], and without [the word] not even one thing came into being that has come into being." I used the translation of the verse that says "came into being" because that's what the Greek (egeneto) means - to come to be. And this is how the creation is described in Genesis. God said (that's the word) "Let there be" and the response is always "and there was (egeneto - there "came to be") X". The Septuagint uses the same word "egeneto". So John says all things that egeneto (came into being) did so through the word. And Genesis shows that word is simply what God spoke: "Let there be". And whatever He spoke into being, came into being (egeneto). Man was not spoken into being, but was formed from the dust of the ground, and so man was not formed through the word. The word referred to in John is plainly shown in Genesis to be what God spoke - God's word. It's not a second person of the Trinity or some kind of "word being". It's God's speaking. And in Jesus, God's speaking became flesh and was spoken through Jesus, embodied in the living and speaking of Jesus Christ. It's the word that is God, or divine, or God Himself, not Jesus.
@@maxspringer01 I never said anything about any "trinity," so don't assume I'm defending it. I've considered your interpretation & do largely agree. However, the Genesis account clearly depicts more than one "god." Elohim is plural, as is the statement "let US make make man in OUR image." That is multiple beings communicating, not one being speaking to himself.
Sean, There is a case to be made for becoming a Christian for the benefits it gives. Jesus said, " Come to me you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give rest". However, as you said truth is the essential reason, and these benefits are only available as they derive from the truth in Christ.
About debunking the Trinity, his error is he believes that the Trinity is made up of equal divisions of a single being. That's not what the Trinity is said to be. The Trinity is three co-equal Persons within the the Being called God, without any one of them being dependent on the other, but independent within the framework of being one God.
Sean's response to the last tiktok that Jesus can't be God because He's the way to God was just to say "but look at John 1, John 8, and John 20 all of which say Jesus is God". The problem is, Sean doesn't get into the exegesis of these verses at all. He doesn't get into the logical contradiction that if John really teaches that Jesus is God, how can He be the way to God as well as God? The road to the airport as well as the airport itself? It's just confusion. Earlier Sean talked about the very smart people and theologians who have thought about this stuff over the centuries, but that doesn't mean we today cannot understand for ourselves what these various verses mean or wrestle with the interpretations to see what keeps scripture internally consistent. We know God is a God of logic and order and reason - this is how creation is structured. Do we really think that this same God is in His very essence confusion? That we are expected to have a sober mind and yet accept what we know are logical contradictions in this doctrine? Dear believers, there is one God, the Father. He is the one true God, the most high God. He has a Son, Jesus Christ, who took on flesh and died for us. They are one in the way we are to be one - not in essence or substance, but in care, in love, in holding tight to the sheep (John 10:28-29), in purpose, and in carrying out good works. This is not a confused relationship or a one-being, three-person entity of confusion. God the Father is the one true God, and His Son is Jesus Christ. This is what the apostles believed and taught, over and over at the beginning of each letter to the churches. Not a single time did they open their letter by saying "Grace and peace to you from God - who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit". Instead what we get repeatedly are greetings like the below. God, who is the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 1:7 - Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:2-3 - Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ... Colossians 1:2-3 - ...Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you... 2 Thessalonians 1:1-2 - To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 1:2 - Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
@johanneshartman4618 - Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately that comparison would be the "heresy" of partialism. Pro-Trinitarian theologians and debaters do not agree with that comparison. The doctrine of the Trinity says all three are fully God (not partially God, and not parts of God that make up God), and yet our body, soul, and spirit are not each fully us, but are each a part of us that make us up. Additionally, we would never say our body, soul, and spirit are three separate "persons" of our being. They are discrete components and are not each "us" in their individual entirety. Furthermore, we are to "love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength". That's not three, that's four. The Bible speaks of many components to our being, our existence. We cannot ignore all those parts in favor of the one place that happens to speak of three. In Genesis, when God says "Let us make man in Our image", what He does next is to make two - male and female. Not three. There is no mention of anything "three" after God says that in Genesis.
Jesus didn't die for our sins? But almost all of his apostles were killed because they wouldn't deny this. This is historical fact. So they died for a lie? Who would do that?
Actually, the John 1:1 Dilemma proves that John 1:1 precludes the Trinity. This means that your response at 3:07 fails. Many Trinitarians are unaware of the John 1:1 Dilemma. The John 1:1 Dilemma actually proves the Trinity false all by itself. Trinitarians read John 1:1 in one of two possible ways: 1) In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was WITH the Father, and Jesus WAS the Father. 2) In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was WITH God, and Jesus WAS God. If a Trinitarian picks 1, they must state that Jesus IS the Father, which is heresy to a Trinitarian. If a Trinitarian picks 2, they must state that Jesus was apart from God, WITH God, but not God himself. Option 2 carries the further issue of forcing there to be two Gods, one that Jesus is WITH and one that Jesus IS. Obviously option 2 is heresy to a Trinitarian as well. So that leaves you with zero possible options as a Trinitarian, and this is why John 1:1 precludes Trinitarianism.
Jhn 1:1 doesn't say Christ was the Father. It says the Word was the Most High God, and the Word was a _different God Being. There are _2_ separate beings mentioned in Jhn 1:1.
@johanneshartman4618 Actually we are 2: Mind & Body. Or "Soul" & Body. Or "Spirit" & Body. Mind/Soul/Spirit are all really different words for the same thing.
07:57. Jesus is The Way to God the Father.. From Answering Islam. "...This next example creates some additional problems for the Islamic position: ""In the Name of A___h Guide us to the Straight Way, The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians). S. 1:1-7 Hilali-Khan"" Not only is Allah praising and worshiping himself here, he even invokes himself to guide himself on the straight path in order to avoid becoming the object of his own wrath and judgment!..."
These guys are so well rehearsed in their arguments and know so well how to put their opponents off balance. it just goes to show that we live in an age in which it is imperative that we have a good grasp on what we believe and why.
I agree.
1 Corinthians 2 1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. That is the gospel. The wisdom of God not man. Philosophy is good but not when it comes to salvation. We are supposed to be boasting in the power of Christ Jesus and in our own weaknesses so the power of Christ will rest on US.
John 8:58 Jesus WASN'T making Himself equal with God HE "IS" God and made it known just as He did in Exodus 3:14
Firstly, do not argue with others over the Word of God. God’s Word needs NO DEFENSE. Satan twists Scripture and tried to use it against Jesus Christ-God Himself. Faith is what is required to believe in Jesus Christ. People are free to choose themselves straight into hell.
@@melissaculpepper7663 By Gods Grace. Nobody is perfect. Shalom
@@melissaculpepper7663 A believer in Jesus cannot lose their salvation. Jesus saved us, not ourselves
"That muslim was right, this is not a good argument"
This is why you are refreshing to listen to in this discussion space, Sean. Acknowledging when those on "your side" made bad arguments and when those on the "other side" made good refutations.
To be honest, the Trinity can never be defended Biblically. There are Texts that "hint" at a dual nature between the Father and Son, but Biblically there is no solid evidence, yet the Bible clearly shows a hierarchy with Yahweh above Yahshua (1Co 11:3; Jhn 14:28)
@@2besavedcom-7 not true. it's not hard to defend the trinity. that's not the problem. the problem is that people try desperately to defeat it , so they can give themselves permission to reject the bible, and then live in sin all they want. wicked people create imaginary problems in the bible.
@johanneshartman4618 - WHat you have described here is eisegesis (reading INTO the Bible) as opposed to exegesis (reading what is written).
You can't disprove a theory that has no proof and all the "Trinitarian" Scriptures (Matt 28:19; 1Jn 5:7) appear to be later additions, especially the "Comma Johanneum."
@@2besavedcom-7 was John 20:28 added later? You're the one trying to do Eisegesis !
@@davidjanbaz7728 - Do a word study on the Hebrew (the language of the Bible) word "Elohim."
Angels are "elohim," Moses and Aaron were "elohim," read Psalm 82. Yahshua is called Elohim, but He is not Yahweh Elohim.
Elohim simply means "mighty one/s" and anyone or anything can be called an "elohim" if Yahweh so decides.
Thank you for these thoughts. I teach a college and career Sunday School class and I bring many of these things to their attention. Many do not know how to answer these things even though they know what they believe. These videos are valuable to me because I do not hear many of these objections in normal every day life. Doug Stoliker
This was enjoyable to watch! And yes, I would like to see more of these. Its like a teaching tool of what people say, and the response we can use based on the Word of God. Thanks for sharing. 😊❤
What do you think about the John 1:1 Dilemma? Nobody has come up with a response yet?
So good Sean!! Engaging, humorous, and of course, Biblically sound. Great content 👌
👊
@@SeanMcDowell❤All who reads
Warning 3 days. Friends will to. J power..
Thanks, Sean. A couple of these popped up in my feed, but after watching the first one, I largely ignored it. Thanks for refuting them.
👊
Well thought out and reasoned responses as always! It's so true that it's hard to make these arguments in a short time, which I suppose is what makes TikTok compelling. If you can make an argument compelling in 30 seconds without anyone to respond to it, you can convince a lot of people!
I LOVE these kinds of videos. They really give me bite sized ideas of what other people are thinking in the world, and the truth to back up my own position. Please do more!!
Excellent, thoughtful. We live in a sound bite society that "demands an answer" in the same amount of time. 🤦🏻♀️ Thank you for these! Make more!
Thank you Sean! Like father, like son!
@johanneshartman4618 You sound like a bot! Go away!
I was just reading about Islam's arguments against the trinity, so I was excited to see this title! Definitely keep doing responses like these, they are so helpful!
Actually, it is Islam that contends that there is more than one eternal entity. Most Muslims hold that the Quram (As the word of God) is eternal but not God. So giving us 2 eternal entities.
The Quran also says that Jesus is a word from God.
John 1. puts this together and corrects the Islamic error. Jesus the word is the eternal God - there is only one eternal entity in three persons.
Definitely do more. Given the snippet culture today, this is a great way to respond.
great, very helpful because there are too many people with little knowledge and training running off at the mouth with untruths, and you do a great job of presenting the truth thanks
Is our climate crisis an untruth…I’m concerned that so many Christians will claim to know the truth about supernatural things that are unknowable and deny the truth about natural things..that really are known…does this concern you also?
@johanneshartman4618
So you distinguish between soul and spirit? Maybe you mean body, mind and spirit?
But Either way we have no way to determine how an individual’s sense of self awareness or self agency can exist without the body.
Neurology studies how the brain functions within our physiology.
I’m glad that those suffering from epilepsy have evidenced based treatments that really help them understand and manage that condition.
Demon possession speculation was not helpful … right?
I’d love to see more of these. Great practical examples of how to handle these sort of challenges!
Thank you so much for makeing this video if I came acrossed some of these challenges on my own I would have not known how to respond.
If you don’t know, say so, ignorance is not a crime. Arrogance in not looking into the issue or impudence or whatever, doesn’t work. We can’t be wishy washy. We need to be of good courage. Shalom
Thank you that is really good advice.
I think this is great content especially with the amount of people that use tik tok and see these videos and think they have a point without thinking it through. I also think its good for Dads like me with kids that might see these videos and become convinced it is the truth. Helpful to me to help refute these things without a life long study in philosophy.
Awesome and super helpful!!! Yes more of these please 🙏🏼
Plus we can tell that you enjoy it! 😉
Love the focus on specific questions with answers that are "bite-sized." Myself...I like a general focus for 10 TikToks dealing with one major issue/topic. That way I can see it from different logic/facts/perspectives/arguments...all of this in a concise 10-15 minute show. Thanks! Will look for more of these.
Thank you for this! More of these would be helpful in illustrating how to approach dialogue (openness with logic and clear thinking) and how to think about these questions.
Love these replies to tik toks- keep them coming!
Thank you. It's always good to see what people are saying. It seems like people like to use bits and pieces and not the whole message.
The baby off a building being seen as wrong in a godless world can better be described like this: Some people like babies and some people would feel it was wrong only because they like babies. Others do not like babies and would feel that it is fine to toss the little turds. It's only in a world with a God at the top do we have any reason to tell the baby hater he his actions are wrong, regardless of his feelings.
That was a good video definitely do more. It's important to hear what random people say about God, Christianity, our beliefs and world view so that we can be prepared to defend and/or explain our faith.
On it!
Make friends with people of other faiths and see what they think. Then research your Bible for reasonable answers. Do you think Christians spend enough time doing their own research?
I can't believe I missed this live. I had the notification on, but renovating my kitchen is so loud!
Excellent! We have a slot in our church service for apologetics. You are sometimes quoted!
Amazing!! Thank you for posting videos like these. They have been very helpful for my spiritual knowledge and growth. Blessings Sean.
Great video, Dr. Sean! Praying for your surgery and recovery.
Great video. I was named after this guys' dad, Josh McDowell. Great ministry.
I believe “baby off a cliff” example it wouldn’t be wrong. In a world without God, civilizations are left to write the moral codes of the society. In our world alone, the one with God, if you simply take several steps back in history, throwing a baby (at least down the stairs off a temple) was completely acceptable.
It all comes down to who decides what is wrong or right. Feelings don’t nor should decide what’s right or wrong. Without God, there cannot be objective morality.
read romans chapter 1 and 2. there is no excuse for anyone.
Enjoyable and informative video! Please do more of these videos. God bless!
Lol the editing in these videos is hilarious! Shoutout to the editor! Great taste in memes!
Please please please do more of this exercise. I learnt so much through this style of teaching. 🎉
I very much appreciate this video and the way that you formatted it! Very helpful! Please do more, God willing!
Thank you!
I feel like if I were to hand a Muslim a phone, call it, tell them to answer it, and then tell them that its also me speaking through the phone, they would puff themselves up and want to argue that that would be "logical contradiction" because only my voice can come from my body and whatever is coming from the phone is not my voice. (Of course it is not my "actual voice" but it is STILL me.)
What bolloks are you on about dude?
@Sean McDowell I think what may be helpful is to acknowledge that Jesus is also just the name given to the Son once the Son is in the flesh. It’s confusing for Muslims when they hear “when JESUS took on flesh”, because Jesus was the human name for the Son. So JESUS technically did not take on human flesh. The SON took on flesh (and a name called Jesus). The name Jesus comes AFTER. I hope this makes sense! I think Muslims may picture a HUMAN existing eternally when they think of Christian doctrine, which is not the case. The eternal Son existed prior to taking on flesh, and we now just call him Jesus because that’s what God has provided name-wise. Maybe this little note will help Muslims see that Christians aren’t saying God is finite. He has been and always is infinite. 7:45
Love seeing you respond to these videos.
Loved this and always ready to see more like this!
Very helpful - I love these! Please do more!
You got it!
Yes, helpful. Love the short form content along with the interviews.
Yes please do more critiques! This was great! Thank you
The Bible is clear, Jesus is God. The Quran is clear, the Bible is the word of God. That's a headache for Muslims.
In the first clip; Jesus was not a political dissident. He never challenged Romes authority. Jesus said to Pilot (the Roman Governor) my Kingdom is not form this world. It's expressly written in the Old Testament that the Messiah would come to earth twice, and that the first time he came he would bring SALVATION, and that he would die for others, not himself.
Debunk the Trinity within 30 seconds?!? I can't even properly define the Trinity within 30 seconds.
These are super helpful! Thank you!!
Worth sharing. Thanks Sean .
I loved this. Thank you for explaining everything so thoroughly. Really great!
These videos are super important with their format for teenagers. Love it.
I love how the question provokes a defensive posture but you leaned right into it with a firm, "yes," and then quickly explained _why_ He was intolerant and _what_ He was intolerant of, cutting off the sting of the question.
Jesus was intolerant and it's good to be intolerant of certain things, although we may be tempted to quickly reject accusations of intolerance at face value.
Amen brother! I want you on my program brother!!!
Excellent. God bless your ministry.
Very helpful Sean, thank you! xo
Great!
Good stuff, thanks for putting this together 👍
This was super good. These discussions are useful for teaching the Bible.
Would love to hear arguments for why Christian couples are more faithful and or moral and or suitable to have children than nonbelievers.
I love watching these I’m finding them very helpful!
Awesome-more coming!
Good stuff! Keep them coming
That second question about where Jesus said he has God has so much scriptural support, it wouldn't be difficult to answer at all. But this confidence comes from reading and knowing scripture.
1. Jesus forgives sins - Luke 20:20-25. Only God can do that. And the Jewish leaders recognised this and accused Jesus of blasphemy.
2. When Jesus says he's Lord of the Sabbath - Matt 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28 & Luke 6:1-5. A mere man cannot claim that.
3. When Jesus quotes Psalms 110: 1 "The Lord says to my Lord" in Matt 22:44, Mark 12:36 and Luke 20:42 - 43 to the Pharisees and asked them who they believed the Messiah "Son of David" was going to be. He was trying to get them to understand that the Christ was God himself.
4. When Jesus says in John 8:48-59, "before Abraham was I Am". In the Hebrew Bible "I Am" is the divine name of God.
Love it. Please continue!
"Wait! This guy is a dissident!! We can't crusify him like all the other polticat dissidents!!!!!"
As a Christian i have no idea about the beliefs of buddhism, wiccanism, or even islam. The fact that other religions study Christianity just in order to try to debunk by logically cornering ill equipped believers, it shows that deep down the debunkers know it is true. I dont need to study false teaching to know that my belief in Jesus Christ is sound.
Wonderful conversations about our Savior Lord ⭐️❤️🔥❤️💝
I totally appreciate videos like this because we as Christians have to have a firm basis for what we believe. If we are not knowledgeable we can be swayed by the arguments of those trying to discredit the Bible and Jesus as God.
I enjoy these short explanations 🇨🇦🙌
Love it! Would also love to see more
Excellent points, my brother
Yes, please Sean, please respond to more videos. I learn better from this method of teaching 🎉
You got it!
Good stuff Sean!
Great video and, for me, emphasizes the need to be in God's word to know God more deeply. Thanks!
So helpful! These are the kinds of statements really Christians have to answer in real life.
Maybe give us a life sized answer too at the end of an explanation - 1-2 sentences of how you would respond if you were actually talking to the person.
Dawkins admits that if there's no God there's no morality. No good. No evil. Nothing
very helpful, thankyou Sean
Right on Sean 👍
When i explain the trinity i tell people you have a spirit, thats what goes to be with God when you die, there is your soul, which gives you your thoughts and desires then we have the flesh, this is how we interact with the world around us.
God is the same, he has 3 parts, his soul, which imparts his disires and wisdom upon the world, there is the spirit which fills us and directs us on our path with him and his flesh, his ability to interact with us so that we can hear him and see him.
One cannot exist without the other they are a part of a whole being.
Its not that complicated.
This is one of the regular trinitarian "explanations", but it's still unbiblical. The spirit in man is NOT part of the person. A living person is also a soul, as Genesis and Ezekiel show. God also does NOT have 3 parts, and no there isn't a single passage in the Bible that teaches this kind of ridiculous nonsense.
@@theeternalsbeliever1779 while i don't appreciate the attitude, that is in itself unbiblical, i try to explain this to people who are not Christian.
This is the easiest way to ge ttheir heads around it.
I understand what you are saying and you are right, but for someone who has never read the bible, and who is just arguing with me about my 'fake God" and trying to debunk the bible its easier to put it like this because they can wrap their heads around it.
1. No one said Jesus was the only one to be crucified. Why was that a point he brought up?
3. If there is no God and someone throws a baby off a cliff, that's not wrong in any objective sense. It's wrong in a relative sense. If there is no mind higher than and prior to the human mind, in other words, if the human mind is the ultimate authority when it comes to morality, then it all depends on which human mind you're referring to. If you refer to the mind of the person who threw the baby off the cliff, then no it wasn't wrong. It was right. If you refer to the mind of someone who objects to the baby being thrown off the cliff, then yes, it was wrong. But those are just opinions, and by definition, neither one is more correct than the other.
Great video Sean ! New subscriber
Well done! Yes, by all means, please do more.
That second last one is even more easily refuted based on the next line in that verse. He is the way... To who though, God? Or the father? Well it very clearly says no one gets to the father except through him. He is not saying God but the person (the father) of the Trinity.
Great stuff Sean
Well done beautifully explained 😊....... Today most of the muslims think trinity means three Gods but they are wrong because they don't know what the trinity teaches.
I love this.... so helpful to train us to answer some "smart" people devoid of truth.
Jesus being the Way to God is also like knowing someone who can get you into the V.I.P. section at an event because they're the owner of the establishment. He IS the way in. He IS your ticket. He's also the guy in charge.
Yeah, I like it! There is so much misinformation, its nice to hear the truth🙌✝️Prayers for your surgery 🙏🫂💗
Praise God, I love the replies, and I am definitely studying more apologetics so that I can be used by the Lord.
Yes, more videos like this.
Coming!
2:55 "the question is, what does the gospel of John teach about the identity of Jesus?" The gospel of John answers this directly. Sean pulls from all the contentious passages for which there are numerous valid interpretations, but missed what John explicitly proclaimed:
"But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is [who??] the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name."
The gospel of John explicitly says outright without mincing a single word that the identity of Jesus is that He is the Christ, the Son of God. If John's intention was also that we may believe that Jesus is not just the Son of God, but is also God Himself, he didn't say a peep in the very place where he told us what he wanted us to believe about Jesus.
And this should be a glaring problem that makes us pause. If the teaching in the Bible is not only that Jesus is the Son of God, but also God Himself, we would see at least SOME of the raging controversy recorded in Scripture about such a contradictory teaching that we have seen ourselves in the church for two milennia continuing on to this day. But it's just not there. Instead we get arguments about things like meat offered to idols, circumcision, etc. Nothing about a radically different view of God than the Jews were used to, and nothing along the lines of "I know this doesn't make sense that someone can be God and the Son of God at the same time, but here's what we mean - you see, it comes down to essence versus role, being versus person, etc..." I mean, literal punches have been thrown over this in the centuries of the early church fathers, and yet, there's not even a ripple of "hang on, can you explain this because it just doesn't make sense" recorded in the New Testament times.
This shouldn't be something people get mad about. We are all commanded to test teachings, and the doctrine of the Trinity is no different - it's one that should be tested against Scripture. It's okay to acknowledge things like "hey the doctrine of the Trinity says they are one specifically "in essence", but the Bible never says that. Maybe I should look into this more." We are supposed to consider Scripture, meditate over it, think about it, etc. Peter himself says the things Paul wrote can be difficult to understand. I hope more Christians can really think about what Scripture says, rather than reflexively react when they hear something that contradicts something they haven't dug into yet but have just been told is critical to believe. If it's critical, then get into it! Read it for yourself! Understand it for yourself so you can defend it, if it really is true. Come to the text without preconceptions and see what it is saying. I say all this to myself too. God bless.
@johanneshartman4618 - Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately that comparison would be the "heresy" of partialism. Pro-Trinitarian theologians and debaters do not agree with that comparison. The doctrine of the Trinity says all three are fully God (not partially God, and not parts of God that make up God), and yet our body, soul, and spirit are not each fully us, but are each a part of us that make us up.
Additionally, we would never say our body, soul, and spirit are three separate "persons" of our being. They are discrete components and are not each "us" in their individual entirety.
Furthermore, we are to "love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength". That's not three, that's four. The Bible speaks of many components to our being, our existence. We cannot ignore all those parts in favor of the one place that happens to speak of three.
In Genesis, when God says "Let us make man in Our image", what He does next is to make two - male and female. Not three. There is no mention of anything "three" after God says that in Genesis.
@johanneshartman4618 they are not each "fully" you. In other words, your body alone is not "fully johanneshartman4618" because without your soul or your spirit, your body alone is not fully you. I mean, we all know this inherently - when someone dies, a common response is to look at their body and say "that's not them". The doctrine of the Trinity says each person is "fully God". In just one of them, we get the entire God. The body/soul/spirit = Trinity comparison is not espoused by those who have studied the doctrine of the Trinity and who defend the Trinity.
He had already covered it in the very beginning of his gospel.
"In the beginning was the word... and the word was with God, and the word WAS God... and the word was made flesh..."
@@JJ-yc2sv The beginning of the gospel of John is in reference to the Genesis creation, yes? So we need to look at the Genesis account to see what is meant by "the word". John 1:3 says "All things came into being through [the word], and without [the word] not even one thing came into being that has come into being." I used the translation of the verse that says "came into being" because that's what the Greek (egeneto) means - to come to be. And this is how the creation is described in Genesis. God said (that's the word) "Let there be" and the response is always "and there was (egeneto - there "came to be") X". The Septuagint uses the same word "egeneto".
So John says all things that egeneto (came into being) did so through the word. And Genesis shows that word is simply what God spoke: "Let there be". And whatever He spoke into being, came into being (egeneto).
Man was not spoken into being, but was formed from the dust of the ground, and so man was not formed through the word.
The word referred to in John is plainly shown in Genesis to be what God spoke - God's word. It's not a second person of the Trinity or some kind of "word being". It's God's speaking.
And in Jesus, God's speaking became flesh and was spoken through Jesus, embodied in the living and speaking of Jesus Christ. It's the word that is God, or divine, or God Himself, not Jesus.
@@maxspringer01
I never said anything about any "trinity," so don't assume I'm defending it.
I've considered your interpretation & do largely agree. However, the Genesis account clearly depicts more than one "god." Elohim is plural, as is the statement "let US make make man in OUR image." That is multiple beings communicating, not one being speaking to himself.
I wouldn’t even say the Trinity is logically contradictory but maybe paradoxical
Yes. Please do more videos like this.
Yes, these are helpful!
Great video…thank you!
I’d like to see more of these
Sean, There is a case to be made for becoming a Christian for the benefits it gives. Jesus said, " Come to me you who are weak and heavy laden and I will give rest". However, as you said truth is the essential reason, and these benefits are only available as they derive from the truth in Christ.
About debunking the Trinity, his error is he believes that the Trinity is made up of equal divisions of a single being. That's not what the Trinity is said to be. The Trinity is three co-equal Persons within the the Being called God, without any one of them being dependent on the other, but independent within the framework of being one God.
Loved this!
Sean's response to the last tiktok that Jesus can't be God because He's the way to God was just to say "but look at John 1, John 8, and John 20 all of which say Jesus is God". The problem is, Sean doesn't get into the exegesis of these verses at all. He doesn't get into the logical contradiction that if John really teaches that Jesus is God, how can He be the way to God as well as God? The road to the airport as well as the airport itself? It's just confusion.
Earlier Sean talked about the very smart people and theologians who have thought about this stuff over the centuries, but that doesn't mean we today cannot understand for ourselves what these various verses mean or wrestle with the interpretations to see what keeps scripture internally consistent. We know God is a God of logic and order and reason - this is how creation is structured. Do we really think that this same God is in His very essence confusion? That we are expected to have a sober mind and yet accept what we know are logical contradictions in this doctrine?
Dear believers, there is one God, the Father. He is the one true God, the most high God. He has a Son, Jesus Christ, who took on flesh and died for us. They are one in the way we are to be one - not in essence or substance, but in care, in love, in holding tight to the sheep (John 10:28-29), in purpose, and in carrying out good works. This is not a confused relationship or a one-being, three-person entity of confusion. God the Father is the one true God, and His Son is Jesus Christ. This is what the apostles believed and taught, over and over at the beginning of each letter to the churches. Not a single time did they open their letter by saying "Grace and peace to you from God - who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit". Instead what we get repeatedly are greetings like the below. God, who is the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:7 - Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 1:2-3 - Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...
Colossians 1:2-3 - ...Grace and peace to you from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you...
2 Thessalonians 1:1-2 - To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 1:2 - Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
@johanneshartman4618 - Thanks for your comment. Unfortunately that comparison would be the "heresy" of partialism. Pro-Trinitarian theologians and debaters do not agree with that comparison. The doctrine of the Trinity says all three are fully God (not partially God, and not parts of God that make up God), and yet our body, soul, and spirit are not each fully us, but are each a part of us that make us up.
Additionally, we would never say our body, soul, and spirit are three separate "persons" of our being. They are discrete components and are not each "us" in their individual entirety.
Furthermore, we are to "love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength". That's not three, that's four. The Bible speaks of many components to our being, our existence. We cannot ignore all those parts in favor of the one place that happens to speak of three.
In Genesis, when God says "Let us make man in Our image", what He does next is to make two - male and female. Not three. There is no mention of anything "three" after God says that in Genesis.
Jesus didn't die for our sins? But almost all of his apostles were killed because they wouldn't deny this. This is historical fact. So they died for a lie? Who would do that?
Actually, the John 1:1 Dilemma proves that John 1:1 precludes the Trinity. This means that your response at 3:07 fails. Many Trinitarians are unaware of the John 1:1 Dilemma.
The John 1:1 Dilemma actually proves the Trinity false all by itself. Trinitarians read John 1:1 in one of two possible ways:
1) In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was WITH the Father, and Jesus WAS the Father.
2) In the beginning was Jesus, and Jesus was WITH God, and Jesus WAS God.
If a Trinitarian picks 1, they must state that Jesus IS the Father, which is heresy to a Trinitarian. If a Trinitarian picks 2, they must state that Jesus was apart from God, WITH God, but not God himself. Option 2 carries the further issue of forcing there to be two Gods, one that Jesus is WITH and one that Jesus IS. Obviously option 2 is heresy to a Trinitarian as well.
So that leaves you with zero possible options as a Trinitarian, and this is why John 1:1 precludes Trinitarianism.
Jhn 1:1 doesn't say Christ was the Father. It says the Word was the Most High God, and the Word was a _different God Being. There are _2_ separate beings mentioned in Jhn 1:1.
@@theeternalsbeliever1779 I don't personally think that's the correct interpretation, but I appreciate your thoughts, I'll have a think about it!
@johanneshartman4618 Actually we are 2: Mind & Body. Or "Soul" & Body. Or "Spirit" & Body. Mind/Soul/Spirit are all really different words for the same thing.
07:57. Jesus is The Way to God the Father..
From Answering Islam.
"...This next example creates some additional problems for the Islamic position:
""In the Name of A___h Guide us to the Straight Way, The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians). S. 1:1-7 Hilali-Khan""
Not only is Allah praising and worshiping himself here, he even invokes himself to guide himself on the straight path in order to avoid becoming the object of his own wrath and judgment!..."
Great stuff!!
Loooooove these videos!!!!!! 💙✝️💙
I like it and would enjoy seeing more like this
Can someone explain to me why Jesus prayed to God? I am a believer but I just struggle with some concepts