“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:7-8). Because it’s very difficult for us to grasp the magnitude of God’s love, Paul illustrates it from a human perspective to which we can more easily relate. It’s uncommon for someone to die for a righteous person, “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die.” And rarer that someone would die for a good person, “yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.” But who would give their life for an evil person? Can we imagine ourselves taking the place of someone facing execution for horrific crimes? Would we willingly die for someone guilty of horrible abuse, torture, and murder? Yet this still doesn’t depict the true depth of God’s unfathomable love toward us.
Taking it a step further, how much more difficult to give our own child and only child? Any good parent that loves their children dearly couldn’t imagine giving one of them to die for someone else, even if they’re good or righteous. How much more unimaginable to give our only child so that an evil convicted criminal can go free! Yet God gave His only begotten Son for us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son” (Jhn 3:16). God watched as His Son was horribly mistreated, publicly shamed, and executed as a convicted criminal while doing nothing to spare Him or ease His suffering in the least. Now, He simply demands us to submit entirely to His Son—obeying His commandments, living by His teaching, and standing for the glory of His name. But what if we only submit to His Son partially? Will He still save us? Imagine yourself in His place. You painfully gave your only son to save a criminal with the simple condition that they submit entirely to him. But they won’t do it, yet still want you to save them. What would you do?
Try to imagine ourselves from God’s perspective. We so loved the very people that had been committing all kinds of evil against us, that we gave our only son to endure such horrible mistreatment to save them. We gave them the greatest gift of our own son, and now our only term is that they submit to him fully. Yet they now want that salvation but on their own terms. Rather than being utmost grateful and submitting to our son entirely as we require, they want to pick and choose from his commandments and teaching. What would you do?
If you sent your son to teach people about you and die for what he taught, yet people won’t listen to him entirely, how would you take it? It isn’t that you just sent prophets to teach them about you, but that you sent your own son and did nothing to ease his suffering for what he taught. Would it grieve you that people won’t listen to him but still want you to save them? What would you do?
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him” (Jhn 4:23). Your son boldly taught the truth about you, yet people are unwilling to affirm and confess what your son taught. Your son was unashamed you. Will you allow them to be ashamed of your son? “For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels” (Luk 9:26). Your son was unashamed of the truth. Will you allow them to be ashamed of the truth? What would you do?
This is quite the picture of Trinitarianism today. God’s Son never called Himself “God” but called His Father “the only true God” (Jhn 17:3). He also called His Father “My God” while on the cross (Mat 27:46; Mar 15:34), after His resurrection (Jhn 20:17), and after His seating next to Him in heaven (Rev 3:12). Yet Trinitarianism says differently—that the Son is God, and that the Father and Son are co-equal. Why get this wrong? Did God’s Son fail to teach clearly? If your son taught about you so that people would get it right, would you overlook their getting it wrong? If they have no excuse, would you excuse them? What would you do?
I’m no longer a Trinitarian and I won’t affirm Trinitarians as saved. And the same goes for all other aberrant views of God: Jehovah’s Witnesses, Latter-day Saints, Muslims, Oneness, and Unitarians. To affirm them would be to deny what Christ taught about God and about Himself, thereby forfeiting my own salvation. If you’re a Trinitarian and think you can remain one and still be saved, that’s certainly your prerogative. But I would simply ask you to imagine yourself from God’s perspective. You sent your only begotten son to teach the truth about you to people that committed horrible crimes against you, then watched as your son suffered and died for them and for the truth he taught. You gave them the greatest gift of all. Would you now be willing to “fudge” on what your son taught and save them anyway? What would you do?
Understanding Scripture 