Thomas' Confession "My Lord and my God!" (Round Two)

My Response:

First lets define what it means to take the Lord's

name in vain...

Thou shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain,.... Make use of the

name Lord or God, or any other name and epithet of the divine Being, in a light and

trifling way, without any show of reverence of him, and affection to him; whereas the name

of God ought never to be mentioned but in a grave and serious manner, and with an awe of

the greatness of his majesty upon the mind. The Targums of Onkelos and Jonathan

restrain this to swearing by the name of the Lord; and so the Jewish writers generally

interpret it either of swearing lightly, rashly, or falsely; and to this it may very well

be extended, though not limited; and so forbids, as all profane oaths; imprecations, and

curses by the name of God, which the mouths of wicked men are full of, so swearing by it

in matters trivial, and of no importance; for swearing even by the name of the Lord ought

not to be used but in matters of moment and consequence, for the confirmation of a thing,

and putting an end to strife, and where a matter cannot be determined and decided without

an appeal to God. And great care should be taken that a man swears to that which

is true, and not false; for false swearing, or perjury, is a very grievous sin, and as it

is strictly forbidden, it is severely punished by the Lord, as follows; see Leviticus

19:12, this is the third command, and the reason enforcing it follows:

for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name is vain; will not look upon

him as an innocent person, and treat him as such; will not acquit and discharge him as

just and righteous; but on the contrary will consider him as a guilty person, a profaner

of his name, and a transgressor of his law, and will condemn and punish him, if not in

this world, yet in the world to come; and so the Targum of Jonathan, by way of

explanation, adds, "in the day of the great judgment;" see Malachi 3:5. (John Gill's Exposition of the Bible, Commentary on Exodus

20:7, Source)

So as you see, just because someone might say God's name as an

expression or surprise that does not mean that he used God's name in vain. He did not

insult God in any way. He did not ridicule or degrade God in any way. If that was the case

then every time any of us say "Oh My God!" in a state of surprise then that

would mean that we are committing a gross sin, which is non sense.

Thou shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain,.... Make use of the name Lord or

God, or any other name and epithet of the divine Being, IN A LIGHT AND TRIFLING WAY,

WITHOUT ANY SHOW OF REVERENCE OF HIM, and affection to him; whereas the name of God ought

never to be mentioned BUT IN A GRAVE AND SERIOUS MANNER, and with an awe of the greatness

of his majesty upon the mind. (Capital emphasis ours)

Well obviously John Gill is a Christian and is going to

interpret the text the way he wants it to be interpreted. I already shown enough proof

that it is possible that Thomas did not call Jesus his God.

My Response:

The word for Lord in John 13 is

kurios (Source),

which could mean...

1. he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of

deciding; master, lord

a) the possessor and disposer of a thing

1) the owner; one who has control of the person, the master

2) in the state: the sovereign, prince, chief, the Roman emperor

b) is a title of honour expressive of respect and reverence, with which

servants greet their master

c) this title is given to: God, the Messiah
For Synonyms see entry 5830

Source: http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G2962&t=kjv

So big deal, Jesus had a title honor to be called Lord

as it signified being a master of a servant. Many others were also called Lord in the Old

Testament (see this). So that proves nothing.

The word kurios is the same word that Thomas called Jesus in John 20:28.

(Source)

"because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and

believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so

is saved. The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and

bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, ‘every one who calls

upon the name of the Lord will be saved.’" Romans 10:9-13

"To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus,

called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name

of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:" 1 Corinthians 1:2

"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and called there on

the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God." Genesis 21:33

"And it shall come to pass that all who call upon the name of the LORD

shall be saved; for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who

escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD

calls." Joel 2:32

http://forananswer.org/John/Jn1_1.htm
http://aomin.org/GERM_JWS.html
http://aomin.org/JOHN1_1.html
http://forananswer.org/Top_JW/JWs%20and%20Jn1_1.htm
http://forananswer.org/Top_JW/Scholars%20and%20NWT.htm
http://www.dtl.org/trinity/article/john-1-1.htm

My Response:

So what if Thomas was talking directly to Jesus? He

could still have said My Lord (referring to Jesus) and My God (referring to the Father)

in a state of shock.

If I haven't seen my mom in a long time and then out of no where she steps into the

room to surprise me and then I say "My mom and my God!" Does that mean I called

my mom my God? I exclaimed "My Mom" in realizing that the individual was

my mom and "My God" to express the shock that I felt seeing her.

Michaelis, a Trinitarian, writes:

I do not affirm that Thomas passed all at once from the extreme of doubt to the

highest degree of faith, and acknowledged Christ to be the true God. This appears

to me too much for the then existing knowledge of the disciples; and we have no intimation

that they recognized the divine nature of Christ before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

I am therefore inclined to understand this expression, which broke out in the height of

his astonishment, in a figurative sense, denoting only "whom I shall ever

reverence in the highest degree"…Or a person raised from the dead might be

regarded as a divinity; for the word God is not always used in the strict doctrinal

sense" (Concessions of Trinitarians, pp. 23-25, cited here)

"And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this on the sabbath.

But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is working still, and I am working.’ This

was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath

but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God." John 5:16-18

"‘Your father Abraham rejoiced that he was to see my day; he saw it and was

glad.’ The Jews then said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you

seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before

Abraham came into being, I AM.’ So they took up stones to throw at him;

but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple." John 8:56-59

"‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I

give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of

my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is

able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.’

The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, "I have shown you

many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?’ The Jews

answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy;

because you, being a man, make yourself God.’" John 10:27-33

"it is not the passage of time in itself but dramatic events that effect

any deepening or broadening of human thought." (Harris, Jesus As God: The New Testament Use of "Theos" in Reference to Jesus (Paperback) [Baker Academic, July 1998], p. 277)

… and we have no intimation that they recognized the divine nature of Christ

BEFORE the outpouring of the Holy Spirit…

Plus even if Thomas was calling Jesus theos,

which is the Greek word for God in the verse (Source) that does not necessarily

mean that Thomas was calling Jesus his God...

Jesus never referred to himself as "God" in the absolute sense, so what

precedent then did Thomas have for calling Jesus "my God"? The Greek language

uses the word theos, ("God" or "god") with a broader meaning

than is customary today. In the Greek language and in the culture of the day,

"GOD" (all early manuscripts of the Bible were written in all capital letters)

was a descriptive title applied to a range of authorities, including the Roman governor

(Acts 12:22), and even the Devil (2 Cor. 4:4).

It was used of someone with divine authority. It was not limited to its absolute sense as

a personal name for the supreme Deity as we use it today. (Source)

"Now Herod was angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; and they came to him in a

body, and having persuaded Blastus, the king's chamberlain, they asked for peace, because

their country depended on the king's country for food. On an appointed day Herod put on

his royal robes, took his seat upon the throne, and made an oration to them. And the

people shouted, ‘The voice of a god, and not of man!’ Immediately an angel

of the Lord smote him, because he did not give God the glory; and he was eaten by worms

and died.’" Acts 12:20-23

"Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. We

have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways; we refuse to practice cunning or to tamper

with God’s (tou Theou) word, but by the open statement of the truth we would

commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God (tou Theou). And

even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case

the god (ho Theos) of this world (or age - aionos) has blinded the minds of the

unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who

is the likeness of God (tou Theou). For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus

Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God (ho

Theos) who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our

hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God (tou Theou) in the

face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent

power belongs to God (to Theou) and not to us." 2 Corinthians 4:1-7

"which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit

at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and

dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age (aioni) but also in

that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the

head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all

in all." Ephesians 1:20-23

"And he said, ‘Go, and say to this people: "Hear and hear, but do

not understand; see and see, but do not perceive." Make the heart of this

people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and

hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be

healed.’" Isaiah 6:9-10

"And he said, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’ And when he was

alone, those who were about him with the twelve asked him concerning the parables. And he

said to them, ‘To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those

outside everything is in parables; so that they may indeed see but not perceive,

and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again, and be

forgiven’ … And he said to them, ‘Take heed what you hear; the

measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to him

who has will more be given; and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken

away.’" Mark 4:9-12, 24-25

"Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see

may see, and that those who see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near

him heard this, and they said to him, ‘Are we also blind?’ Jesus said to them,

‘If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, "We

see," your guilt remains.’" John 9:39-41

"When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in great

numbers. And he expounded the matter to them from morning till evening, testifying to the

kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from

the prophets. And some were convinced by what he said, while others disbelieved. So, as

they disagreed among themselves, they departed, after Paul had made one statement:

‘The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

"Go to this people, and say, You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you

shall indeed see but never perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and their

ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should perceive

with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for

me to heal them." Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been

sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.’" Acts 28:23-28

"I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite,

a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his

people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Eli'jah, how he pleads

with God against Israel? ‘Lord, they have killed thy prophets, they have demolished

thy altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.’ But what is God's reply to

him? ‘I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to

Ba'al.’ So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is

by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

What then? Israel failed to obtain what it sought. The elect obtained it, but the rest

were hardened, as it is written, ‘God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that

should not see and ears that should not hear, down to this very day.’ And David

says, ‘Let their table become a snare and a trap, a pitfall and a retribution for

them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs for

ever.’" Romans 11:1-10

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and

wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about

God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them

. Ever since the creation of the

world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly

perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; for although they

knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in

their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they

became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man

or birds or animals or reptiles. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their

hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they

exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than

the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to

dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the

men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one

another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due

penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave

them up to a base mind and to improper conduct." Romans 1:18-28

"The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and

with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to

perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends

upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be

condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

"But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would have none of me. So I

gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels." Psalm 81:11-12

"O LORD, why dost thou make us err from thy ways and harden our heart,

so that we fear thee not? Return for the sake of thy servants, the tribes of thy

heritage." Isaiah 63:17

"And I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of

your fathers, nor observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I the

LORD am your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to observe my ordinances, and hallow

my sabbaths that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I the LORD

am your God. But the children rebelled against me; they did not walk in my statutes,

and were not careful to observe my ordinances, by whose observance man shall live; they

profaned my sabbaths. Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my

anger against them in the wilderness. But I withheld my hand, and acted for the sake of my

name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had

brought them out. Moreover I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them

among the nations and disperse them through the countries, because they had not

executed my ordinances, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my sabbaths, and their

eyes were set on their fathers' idols. Moreover I gave them statutes that were not good

and ordinances by which they could not have life; and I defiled them through their

very gifts in making them offer by fire all their first-born, that I might horrify them;

I did it that they might know that I am the LORD." Ezekiel 20:18-26

http://www.rctr.org/journal/8.pdf

Plus the word theos could mean...

1. a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities

2) the Godhead, trinity

a) God the Father, the first person in the trinity

b) Christ, the second person of the trinity

c) Holy Spirit, the third person in the trinity

3) spoken of the only and true God

a) refers to the things of God

b) his counsels, interests, things due to him

4) whatever can in any respect be likened unto God, or resemble him in any way

a) God's representative or viceregent

1) of magistrates and judges

Source: http://cf.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G2316&t=kjv

So the word theos could possibly mean

God's representative.

2) the Godhead, trinity

a) God the Father, the first person in the trinity

b) Christ, the second person of the trinity

c) Holy Spirit, the third person in the trinity

… Plus if Jesus' resurrection was the ultimate proof that

he was God then why didn't Mary Magdalene call Jesus God once she saw him after his

resurrection? Instead what does she call him?...

John 20:16

¹⁶Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him

and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!"

Mary called Jesus Rabboni, which basically was a title of

honor that means master. (Source

So why didn't she

just go ahead and call Jesus God if Jesus supposedly proved himself to be God by his

resurrection?

"But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to

look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus

had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman,

why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘Because they have taken

away MY LORD (ton Kurion mou), and I do not know where they have

laid him.’" John 20:11-13

My Response:

Okay fine I believe that Jesus is the Christ as well.

Yes Jesus is the son of god according to Hebrew terminology in which it means servant of

God. Same thing that Adam was called (Luke 3:38)

"Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin

is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues

for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’" John 8:34-36

http://answering-islam.org/Hahn/son.html
http://answering-islam.org/Who/jesus_monogenes.html
http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Vol2/8b.html
http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Challenge/chap3.html
http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Sharing/12son.html
http://answering-islam.org/Silas/sonofgod.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Silas/son2.htm

And they say: "The Most Beneficent (Allah) has begotten a son (or offspring or

children) [as the Jews say: 'Uzair (Ezra) is the son of Allah, and the Christians say that

He has begotten a son [‘Iesa (Christ)], and the pagan Arabs say that He has begotten

daughters (angels, etc.)]." Indeed you have brought forth (said) a terrible evil

thing. Whereby the heavens are almost torn, and the earth is split asunder, and the

mountains fall in ruins, That they ascribe a son (or offspring or children) to the Most

Beneficent (Allah). But it is not suitable for (the Majesty of) the Most Beneficent

(Allah) that He should beget a son (or offspring or children). There is none in the

heavens and the earth but comes unto the Most Beneficent (Allah) as a slave. S.

19:88-93 Hilali-Khan

http://answering-islam.org/Silas/no_father.htm

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_authority_given.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/eternal_generation.htm
http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_father_greater.htm

As for these claims that Jesus made, we have to remember that

Jesus used to talk figuratively. But then when he talked plainly with his disciples he

made it clear that he was sent FROM God and that he did not say that he WAS God.

John 16:25-33

²⁵"Though I have been speaking figuratively,

a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly

about my Father. ²⁶In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I

will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷No, the Father himself loves you because

you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. ²⁸I came from

the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the

Father."

²⁹Then Jesus' disciples said, "Now you are

speaking clearly and without figures of speech. ³⁰Now we can see that

you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This

makes us believe that you came from God."

³¹"You believe at last!"^[b] Jesus answered. ³²"But a time is

coming, and has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home. You will leave me

all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.

³³"I have told you these things, so that in me you

may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the

world."

Now if Jesus was talking plainly then why didn't the disciples

just go and say that they knew Jesus was God and not just sent by God?

"Though I have been speaking figuratively, A TIME IS COMING WHEN I WILL NO

LONGER USE THIS KIND OF LANGUAGE BUT WILL TELL YOU PLAINLY ABOUT MY FATHER. In that

day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.

No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me AND HAVE BELIEVED THAT I

CAME FROM GOD. I CAME FROM THE FATHER AND ENTERED THE WORLD; now I am leaving the world

AND GOING BACK TO THE FATHER.’ Then Jesus’ disciples said, ‘NOW

YOU ARE SPEAKING CLEARLY AND WITHOUT FIGURES OF SPEECH. Now we can see that you know

all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. THIS MAKES

US BELIEVE THAT YOU CAME FROM GOD.’ ‘You believe at last!’ Jesus

answered." John 16:25-31

I could care less about the interpretation of

the New Testament authors. I want to see what Jesus said about himself directly.

Plus, like I said before I could care less about what

the New Testament writers[sic] interpretations I just want to see what

Jesus said.

"Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ,

who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." Romans 9:5

Of whom (ex wn).

Fourth relative clause and here with ex

and the ablative. Christ (o Cristoß).

The Messiah. As concerning the flesh (to

kata sarka). Accusative of general reference, "as to the according to the flesh."

Paul limits the descent of Jesus from the Jews to his human side as he did in Acts 1:3.

Who is over all, God blessed for ever (o

on epi pantwn qeoß euloghtoß).

A clear statement of the deity of Christ

following the remark about his humanity. This is the natural and the obvious way

of punctuating the sentence. To make a full stop after sarka (or colon) and start a new sentence for the doxology

is very abrupt and awkward. See Acts 20:28; Titus 2:13 for Paul's use of

qeoß applied to Jesus Christ.

(Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament;

online source)

"For in him the whole FULNESS of Deity dwells bodily," Colossians 2:9

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in

very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human

likeness." Philippians 2:5-7 NIV

"… It is not doubtful that Paul thought of Jesus Christ in terms of God.

He says of Jesus that he was in the form of God. (Phil. 2:6). He then goes on to

say that Jesus was found in human form (Phil. 2:8, RSV), where the AV renders that

he was found in fashion as a man. The RSV somewhat misleadingly translates two

Greek words by the English word form, whereas the AV correctly distinguishes

between them. In the first instance the word is morphe, which means THE

UNCHANGING AND UNCHANGEABLE ESSENTIAL NATURE of a thing; the second word is schema,

which means the changing and altering external form of a person or a thing. For instance,

a man has always the unchanging morphe of manhood; that is what he essentially is;

but he will have different schemata, different outward forms, in babyhood,

childhood, youth, maturity and old age. A tulip, a rose, a chrysanthemum, a marigold, a

daffodil, a delphinium all have the same morphe, the same essential nature, for

they are all flowers; but they have very different outward schemata, outward forms.

Paul says that Jesus was in the morphe of God; that is to say, the essential

nature of Jesus IS THE SAME AS THE ESSENTIAL NATURE OF GOD; but he says that Jesus was

found in the schema of a man; that is to say, he temporarily took the form of

manhood upon him. The NEB renders the Greek well here. In translating the word morphe

it renders the passage: ‘The divine nature was his from the first.’ In

translating the word schema it says that he was 'revealed in human shape.’

This passage leaves us in no doubt that Paul believed that the nature of Jesus is

the nature of God." (William Barclay, Jesus As They Saw Him [Eerdmans Publishing Company; Grand Rapids MI, rpt. 1998], pp. 27-28)

"awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God

and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all

iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good

deeds." Titus 2:13-14 {1}

"Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have

obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and

Savior Jesus Christ: … so there will be richly provided for you an

entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus

Christ." 2 Peter 1:1, 11 {2}

"Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1 may be considered together, since both use a

stereotyped formula, ‘God and Savior,’ in reference to Jesus. This was a common

formula in first-century religious terminology, used by both Palestinian and Diaspora

Jews in reference to Yahweh, the one true God, and by Gentiles when they spoke of an

individual god or a deified ruler. In all of these uses the expression God and

Savior invariably denotes one deity, not two, so that when Paul and Peter employ this

formula and follow it with the name of Jesus Christ, their readers would always

understand it as referring to a single person, Jesus Christ

. It would simply not

have occurred to them that ‘God’ might mean the Father, with Jesus Christ as the

‘Savior.’" (Harris, 3 Crucial Questions About Jesus [Baker Books; Grand Rapids, MI 1994], pp. 96-97)