The Biblical Unitarian Podcast

This episode examines how the biblical authors in the Old and New Testaments personify the Holy Spirit. The personification of God's Spirit is often overlooked in favor of suggestions that the Spirit is a conscious, distinct person alongside the Father, but this is not the view of the biblical authors. We explore how God personifies His attributes, how He sends them as agents, and how the Holy Spi...

In Scripture, the biblical authors often portray the Holy Spirit as the personal presence of Yahweh himself. This week's episode explores the crucial role of the Spirit of the Lord, highlighting how the Spirit serves as the extended presence of God as he abides among his people. We also discuss how this portrayal of the Spirit is at odds with Trinitarian theology. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of...

If the Holy Spirit is not the third person of the Trinity, what is it? This week's episode examines how the biblical authors repeatedly describe the Spirit of Yahweh as his power. God's powerful Holy Spirit is shown to be active in creation, empowering key human beings, and even equipping the human Jesus for his ministry as the Jewish Messiah. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christ...

The latest data gathered by George Barna in 2025 indicates that belief in the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity is at an all-time low. This episode examines the data and the decline in Trinitarianism over the last decade. We discuss why fewer people believe in the Trinity and how unitarians can use this opportunity to share their truths. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology i...

Agreeing with the slogan "Jesus is God" has recently become the litmus test for authentic Christians. The problem is that this phrase is nowhere to be found in Scripture, and Jesus never claimed to be God. This episode exposes the problems with the phrase "Jesus is God" by examining thirteen common proof texts to assess the strength of their contribution to Christology. Instead of the phrase "Jesu...

John 17:3 is a staple in arguments for biblical unitarianism (and a thorn in the side for any belief in God being more than one person). This week's episode is wholly committed to exegeting John 17:3, examining what it says about the only true God, what it says about Jesus, how it portrays Jesus as God's agent, and the eternal life these truths offer. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdo...

How did Christ remain sinless during his earthly ministry? Is that an accomplishment that only God could achieve? This week's episode examines what the New Testament authors have to say about Jesus' sinlessness, particularly focusing on his unwavering obedience and faithfulness to his God and Father.  Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d...

What did the author of the Epistle of Barnabas believe about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? This week's episode explores this important early second-century Christian document's theology, christology, and pneumatology. This epistle is notable for its attribution of personal preexistence to Jesus and its explicit denial that he is a descendant of King David.  Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my...

Within the Book of Revelation, the Lord God and the Lamb are described as "Alpha and Omega." What does this title mean, and what significance does it have for Revelation's christology? This episode explores these important questions and demonstrates that the Lamb bears the title "Alpha and Omega" in his role as the Lord God's agent. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in th...

Does Jude 5 say that "Jesus" rescued the Israelites, or does it say that "the Lord" rescued them? Jude 5 possesses an interesting textual variant that some argue points to Jesus' preexistence. This week's episode will examine all the relevant data to determine what Jude 5 originally said about the one who rescued Israel during the Exodus period. Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Chri...

How do the Dead Sea Scrolls help inform New Testament Christology? In the Genesis Apocryphon, also known as 1Q20, we see a human being in whom God's wisdom has become embodied. This is the very same theology taught by Jesus and the early Christians, namely that Christ himself was the enfleshment of God's personified wisdom. This week's episode introduces this important Qumran document and demonstr...

This week's episode examines how the narrative of the Gospel of Matthew slowly reveals the role of the messianic son of God as a figure who must suffer and be rejected in accordance with the will of God. We look at how Jesus responds to the accusation of being a rebellious son, how the Transfiguration reinforces Jesus as the promised messiah to whom the disciples owe their allegiance, and the way...

How does the Gospel of Matthew portray Jesus as the "son of God" as he relates to Yahweh, the nation of Israel, and his disciples? Moreover, what does it mean that Jesus calls his disciples "sons of God"? This episode begins the task of exploring the theme of sonship in Matthew, noting how an ideal son of God is obedient to the true God--whom Jesus defined as "our Father."   Visit Amazon to buy yo...

What did Justin Martyr, the second-century Platonic philosopher who converted to a Christian apologist, believe about the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit? Did Justin think that Jesus was the true God or that he was a second, lesser god whom the true God created? Were the Father, Son, and Spirit regarded within Justin's theology as coequal, or were they set in a hierarchy? Did Justin condemn Bibli...

Is Jesus "the beginning of God's creation" or "the ruler of God's creation" in Rev 3:14? This episode sets this passage in its context, follows the author's patterns, and offers reasons why the correct translation of this ambiguous passage is "ruler" (not "beginning").  Visit Amazon to buy your copy of my book Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/6nFEbZg           Please consid...

Proverbs 30:4 is sometimes pointed to as proof that Jesus, the son of God, was conscious and alive during the Old Testament. This episode explores Prov. 30:4, sets it in its context, and discerns the identity of the son. We also closely interact with the argument that this refers to a preexistent son of God, showing by many proofs and reasons that this interpretation is highly unlikely. Visit Amaz...

Since 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which took place in 325 AD, many have begun to reflect on its significance and lasting legacy. Unfortunately, several assertions commonly tossed around about what really took place at Nicaea are simply untrue. This episode examines facts and fiction surrounding the noteworthy church council of the year 325 to help listeners become m...

Partitive Exegesis is the interpretive strategy of reading into the texts of Scripture the doctrine of Christ's Two Natures, attributing to some things Jesus did as pertaining to his human nature and other things to Jesus' divine nature. This week's episode shows how key figures in the fourth and fifth centuries employed partitive exegesis in their understanding of Christology. We also examine the...

1 John 5:20 is one of the handful of grammatically ambiguous passages in the New Testament that either calls Jesus "God" (theos) or distinguishes Jesus from God. This week's episode examines the passage as neutrally and fairly as possible to determine whether Jesus is called "the true God and eternal life." 1 John 5:20 will be set in the broader context of the entire book and the context of Johann...

While Jews and Unitarian Christians have traditionally argued from Deut 6:4 that God is only one person, several Trinitarian apologists and internet theologians have insisted that "echad" (the Hebrew word for "one") refers to a compound unity of multiple persons. This episode examines the cardinal Hebrew number one ("echad") to determine if it is a word possessing the meaning of compound unity. Af...

Far too often, the biblical unitarian view of Jesus Christ is mocked as a "mere man." This episode seeks to correct this straw-man portrayal by looking at how the Old Testament authors described the coming messianic king. We examine six Old Testament passages that describe many ways in which Yahweh promises to empower, authorize, and establish the anticipated son of David as his human agent. Visit...

This week's episode explores the various throne room visions in order to locate Jesus Christ. While the early Christians were united in their belief that the risen and exalted Jesus now sits at the right hand of God, the Old Testament throne room visions offer a different picture. We examine the continuity and discontinuity between the Old Testament portrayals and the New Testament portrayals as w...

This week's episode examines the Megiddo Mosaic that reportedly bears an inscription calling Jesus "God Jesus Christ." This mosaic, crafted around the year 230 AD, has been recently hyped for promotional purposes, but a lot of fiction is being reported about its meaning and significance. This episode separates the wheat from the chaff, sets the mosaic in its context, and discerns the meaning of al...

Does the Gospel of Matthew use typology to portray Jesus Christ as the new Jeremiah? When Jesus asked about what people were saying concerning the Son of Man, some responded that Jesus was like Jeremiah. This episode explores the extent to which Matthew deliberately illustrates Jesus in terms of the preaching, symbolic actions, and attitude towards the temple that the prophet Jeremiah exhibited. ...

This episode demonstrates that the Gospel of John presents Jesus Christ as thoroughly human--as a genuine member of the human race. Despite claims that the Fourth Gospel presents a high divine christology, the data indicates that Jesus is called a human being, he calls himself a human being, he has normal human limitations, and he dies the death of a human person. At no point in the Gospel of John...