A Question That Cannot Be Avoided
Christianity stands or falls on the identity of Jesus Christ/Yahushua1. The New Testament consistently presents eternal life as dependent upon knowing and believing in the true Christ.
Christ himself declared:
“And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
If eternal life depends on knowing both the only true God, Yahuwah, and Christ
whom He sent, then Christ’s identity is not a secondary issue.
Two major interpretations dominate Christian theology:
- The Unitarian Christ — a miraculously conceived, fully human Messiah, the Son of God but not God Himself or a divine Son.
- The Trinitarian Christ — the eternal divine Son who became incarnate, fully God/divine and fully man.
These two conceptions are not minor variations. They describe fundamentally different beings. They cannot both be correct. Nor can they both be wrong, for Scripture presents a real historical Christ whose identity is objective and definable.
Only one view conforms to the biblical testimony.
The Principle of Non-Contradiction
The two models differ at the most basic level of ontology — the nature of Christ’s being.
The Unitarian position affirms:
- Christ began existence at conception (Luke 1:35).
- He is fully and solely human.
- God is one person — the Father alone (1 Corinthians 8:6).
The Trinitarian position affirms:
- Christ eternally preexisted (John 1:1).
- He possesses two natures: divine and human.
- God is one essence in three persons (Matthew 28:19).
These are not complementary descriptions. They contradict each other.
If Christ did not preexist, he could not have eternally existed.
If he is only human, he cannot also be fully divine.
If God is one person, He cannot simultaneously be three persons in one essence.
Neither framework can simultaneously describe the same individual.
The Biblical Emphasis on Christ’s Humanity
The New Testament repeatedly emphasizes that Jesus/Yahushua is a man.
Paul writes:
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
Peter proclaims:
“Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him.” (Acts 2:22)
The language is consistent:
Yahushua is a man whom Yahuwah empowered.
Furthermore, redemption is explicitly framed in human terms:
“For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.” (1 Corinthians 15:21)
Paul’s argument depends on symmetry. One man (Adam) brought death. One man (Christ) brings life.
If Christ were fundamentally a divine being in addition to being human, the symmetry collapses. The parallel requires equivalence in nature.
Can God Die?
One of the central theological tensions concerns death.
Scripture affirms unequivocally:
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3)
“He poured out his soul unto death.” (Isaiah 53:12)
Death in biblical terms is not partial. It is the cessation of life. James writes:
“The body without the spirit is dead.” (James 2:26)
If Christ truly died, then the whole of him died.
Trinitarian theology attempts to resolve this by saying that only his human nature died, while his divine nature remained immortal.
Yet this raises profound questions. If the divine Son remained fully alive, can it truly be said that the person died? If only part of him died, was the sacrifice complete?
Scripture does not say “Christ’s human nature died.” It says:
“The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
If divinity is intrinsically immortal (1 Timothy 6:16), then a divine being cannot truly die. The Unitarian argument maintains that the biblical testimony of Christ’s full death aligns naturally with his full humanity.
The Issue of Worship and Monotheism
Christ affirmed the Shema:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Mark 12:29)
Paul echoes:
“For us there is one God, the Father.” (1 Corinthians 8:6)
The Unitarian position maintains strict personal monotheism: the Father alone is the only true God (John 17:3).
The Trinitarian formulation introduces a distinction between essence and persons. While claiming monotheism, it expands the definition of God to include three coequal persons.
These are not merely linguistic differences. They represent fundamentally different conceptions of God.
If Jesus is God/divine Himself, then the object of worship includes him as an intrinsic deity.
If Jesus is God’s Messiah and exalted Son, then worship is directed ultimately to the Father through him.
Both cannot be simultaneously correct.
Salvation Depends on the True Christ
The New Testament warns about believing in “another Jesus.”
Paul writes:
“If someone comes and proclaims another Jesus… you put up with it readily enough.” (2 Corinthians 11:4)
The implication is clear: not every Christ preached is the authentic one.
Eternal life depends on believing in the true Son:
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” (John 3:36)
But belief must correspond to reality. One cannot place faith in a theological construct that does not align with the biblical witness.
The work of the WLC ministry, dedicated to emphasizing the Unitarian view of Christ, is based on the belief that understanding Christ’s identity is clearly a crucial doctrine.
The Mutual Exclusivity Defined
To summarize:
- If Jesus is eternally God the Son, he did not begin existence in Mary’s womb.
- If he began existence in Mary’s womb, he is not eternally God the Son.
- If he possesses two natures, he is not solely human.
- If he is solely human, he lacks a divine nature.
- If God cannot die, and Jesus died, then either Jesus is not God or the concept of divine immortality must be redefined.
These propositions cannot all be true simultaneously.
Therefore, the Unitarian Jesus and the Trinitarian Jesus are mutually exclusive identities.
Only one corresponds to the historical and biblical Messiah, Yahushua.
Conclusion: Following the Real Christ
Christ asked his disciples:
“Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)
That question remains central.
The Unitarian conviction is that Scripture consistently presents Yahushua as:
- The miraculously begotten Son of Yahuwah,
- The fully human Second Adam,
- The obedient servant who truly died,
- The Messiah whom Yahuwah raised and exalted.
Because he is truly one of us, his death is real. Because he truly died, his resurrection is real. And because Yahuwah raised him, he is Lord [King] by divine appointment (Acts 2:36).
If eternal life depends on knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent (John 17:3), then identifying the true Christ is not a marginal doctrinal debate. As Followers of YAH, it is imperative that we embrace every ray of divine light and the nature of the Son, Yahushua, is no small matter.
Only one Christ conforms fully to Scripture.
And it is that Christ whom believers must follow.
1 We have replaced the English titles and names of the Father and the Son with those employed by the apostles. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the historical development by which the name Yahushua came to be rendered as “Jesus.” Additionally, we recognize that the English term “God” has been commonly employed as an equivalent for the Hebrew Eloah or Elohim. In this particular article, we have also chosen to leave some instances of “Jesus.” – WLC Team
The argument for Unitarian you provide is almost Arianism, except they believed in the pre-existence of Christ, a few things jump to mind:
Firstly one of the first examples of pre-existence come in Genesis 1:26 “Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness.” the use of us and our implies more than one, not the “mono” God and at this point in creation no other beings have been created.
As you mention John 1:1 although that goes through verse 14, which culminates in, “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth” became flesh, as well, made his dwelling among us, and we saw His Glory. This speaks of a Divine presence within the incarnation of the Jesus the Christ.
Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man, which is a direct reference back to Daniel 7, and the prophesy of the Davinic son of man, riding on a cloud.
You mention Mt 28:19, “… baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit” this is Christ Himself placing them all within the same level, if Christ is not God then this statement alone is Blasphemy. and he is a liar and not even a good person.
Matthew 16:16-17 Simon Peter confesses, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,….. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” once again the use of Son of God, Son of Man, this is not a title given to a Human in the rest of the Bible Moses, David, etc. implying Divinic but since He is made incarnate also human.
This was the ruling from Nicaea (AD 325) the Son was homoousios (“one in being” or “consubstantial”) with the Father. In other words, that the Son of God was himself God, was therefore eternal, and hence that there never was a time when he was not.- pre existence.
This is not an attack, but I feel there are many (this is a sample) of where Christ claims or is affirmed as God, and scriptural references to pre-existence – just my 2 cents.
It is true that both can’t be right, but if Bible supports pre-existing Jesus, then let the Bible explain itself.
For example, if we read proverbs 8 with its context, many will say “it is a personification of wisdom” but not literal. But the mystery was hidden in that same chapter that Jesus was with father. Wisdom was master craftsman and joined him in creation. Before all his created things God beget a Son (spirit).
That is why scriptures mentioned Jesus as “I am the first and the last” and “his only begotten Son”.