Mr. Al-Kadhi sets 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 up as a "strawman" argument in favor of the Trinity and then attempts to knock the "strawman" down with his arguments and by citing Eerdmans Bible Dictionary..
Mr. Al-Kadhi's argument is: "Is it impossible to receive "gifts," "administrations," and "operations" except from ONE person? There is a big difference between this verse and between saying "God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are one and the same." Even in the very best case, no one who reads I Corinthians 12:4-6 will claim that it explicitly states that the three are one, they themselves will have to admit that it only implies such a connection."
The problem with Al-Kadhi's argument is that this passage is not discussing the Trinity, hence it is a "strawman" and easy to defeat. The passage is describing the differences among spiritual gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12: 1- 3, Paul established the principles we are to use to recognize the legitimacy of "spiritualities," Paul then says that there is great diversity in the ways that these gifts are manifested.
Looking at verse 4, "there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit". In other words, Paul is saying that there are "varieties" of these divine allocations for the ministry of God's word and that every believer is not "gifted" in the identical way, but that each "distribution" of grace is of "the same Spirit."
Looking at verse 5, "there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord." Paul is taking diversity one step further, saying that people who are gifted in the same way may not use that gift in ministry of the Lord in the same way. Once again, Paul emphasizes that the gifts are given for the reason "ministry", serving the body of Christ. When Paul places emphasis on "the same Lord" , he is talking about the spiritual life within the church and that the Church is the body of Jesus Christ.
In verse 6, Paul tells us "There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons." Paul is making us aware that God gives the gifts to believers and "energizes" them to use their gifts. The "Varieties of effects" tells us that God energizes the gifts that he gives us depending on His will and His divine plan.
Mr. Al-Kadhi fails to present a convincing argument against the Trinity using 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 but continues his argument against the concept of the Trinity: "So now we need to ask: Why would God Almighty need to resort to implying His triune nature if this is indeed what He intended? What is preventing Him from simply coming out and stating His intent clearly if this is indeed what He meant?" He then continues to cite several Biblical passages (Deuteronomy 4:39, Isaiah 43:10-11, and Zechariah 14:9) which proclaim the oneness of God - something that we Christians firmly believe. Rather than repeating the Biblical evidence for the Trinity, please go to Proof of the Trinity.
The Rebuttal to "What Did Jesus Really Say?"
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