Unitarianism is a theological movement that affirms the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons in one being. Unitarian Christians reject the doctrine of the Trinity and instead believe that God is indivisibly one. Here is an overview of Unitarian beliefs based on the Bible:
The Oneness of God
Unitarians emphasize that God is absolutely one indivisible being (Deuteronomy 6:4). They do not accept that God exists as or can be divided into distinct persons like the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. For Unitarians, God is only the Father. Jesus is the Son of God, subordinate and inferior to the Father (John 14:28). The Holy Spirit is understood as an expression of God’s power rather than a separate person of the Godhead.
Key biblical passages that stress the oneness of God according to Unitarians include:
- Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.”
- Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.”
- 1 Corinthians 8:6 “Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”
- Ephesians 4:6 “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”
Unitarians believe that God manifests in different modes or roles, such as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, but remains one undivided being. God cannot be God and man at the same time or divide into multiple persons.
Jesus’ Humanity
Unitarians maintain that Jesus was fully human and not God incarnate. He did not preexist his human birth and was not equal to God. Scripture says Jesus was lower than angels while on earth (Hebrews 2:9) and subject to human weaknesses like hunger, thirst, tiredness and temptation (Matthew 4:2, John 4:7, Hebrews 4:15). A divine incarnate Jesus could not experience these fully human frailties.
Jesus often made statements acknowledging his dependence on God, prayed to God, and lacked precise foreknowledge of future events only known by God – all pointing to Jesus’ humanity and distinction from God (Matthew 24:36, Luke 22:42, John 17:1). Unitarians conclude that Jesus was not literally God in the flesh. He was the Son of God, but that Sonship indicates a special relationship with God, not intrinsic divinity.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is understood as the power and presence of God rather than a person or member of a Trinity. Scriptural depictions of the Spirit describe it as God’s divine energy, the means by which God accomplishes His will (Isaiah 11:2, Zechariah 4:6, Micah 3:8). The Spirit is not portrayed as having a distinct personality or agenda apart from the Father. Since God is indivisible oneness, then His Spirit cannot be a separate person.
Examples of the Holy Spirit being described as God’s power include:
- Luke 1:35 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
- Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”
- Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”
The Holy Spirit dwells in believers and empowers them to live holy lives, but is not a distinct person from the Father.
Salvation Through Christ
Unitarians affirm that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and savior of humanity. They believe people are saved and reconciled to God by grace through faith in Jesus (Acts 4:12, Romans 3:24-26, Ephesians 2:8-9). Salvation is attained by trusting in the atoning sacrifice of Christ.
However, Unitarians differ from Trinitarians in not believing that people must have knowledge of or assent to Christ’s divinity and incarnation to be saved. They maintain that faith in the humanity and messiahship of Jesus is sufficient for salvation since Jesus did not claim literal deity.
Key passages that reveal Jesus as savior include:
- John 3:16-17 “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
- Acts 4:10,12 “Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well… And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
- Romans 10:9 “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
So in summary, Unitarians embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and savior through whom mankind can be reconciled to God. But they do not equate this saving faith in Christ with an affirmation of His deity.
The Authority of Scripture
Unitarians consider the 66 books of the Bible as divinely inspired Scripture containing authoritative, Spirit-breathed revelation from God. However, Unitarians tend to also value individual reason and freedom of interpretation when studying Scripture.
Key verses about biblical authority include:
- 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”
- 2 Peter 1:20-21 “Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Unitarians seek to understand and apply Scripture guided by faith in God. But they do not insist that others must conform to fixed creeds or dogmatic statements to be considered true Christians. There is room for diversity in interpreting Scripture.
Origins
Early Unitarian theological views date back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries with church fathers like Theodotus of Byzantium who believed Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit at baptism rather than being eternally divine. Other early Unitarian thinkers include Arius of Alexandria who affirmed Christ’s created and subordinate nature compared to God. But organized Unitarian movements did not gain momentum until the Protestant Reformation.
During the Reformation, theologians like Michael Servetus denied key doctrines like the Trinity and original sin, promoting a strictly unitary concept of God instead. Faustus Socinus later founded Unitarian churches throughout Europe in the 16th century. Unitarian congregations then spread to America in the 18th century, where Unitarian Christianity took deeper root.
Prominent early American Unitarian leaders included William Ellery Channing, Theodore Parker, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Today Unitarian Universalism integrates Unitarian Christian theology with additional liberal religious streams and principles beyond just Christianity.
Distinct Practices
Here are some notable Unitarian Christian practices:
- Worship: Unitarian services involve singing, prayer, and sermons focused on Bible readings. But without liturgies or rituals affirming Trinitarian creeds.
- Sacraments: Most Unitarians practice baptism and Communion like other Christian groups. But the sacraments are not seen as imparting grace; they are visual expressions of faith.
- Preaching: Sermons emphasize biblical ethics, social justice, human reason, and developing an inner spiritual life over doctrinal catechesis.
- Governance: Congregations have autonomy and democratic polities deciding ministry, worship, and governance collectively.
So in summary, Unitarian Christianity retains basic Christian practices and values but shapes them around their distinctive non-Trinitarian theological perspectives.
Contrast with Trinitarianism
Here are key differences between Unitarian theology versus traditional Trinitarianism:
- God: Unitarians believe God is only the Father in absolute indivisible oneness. Trinitarians believe God exists as three co-equal, co-eternal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Jesus: Unitarians see Jesus as fully human and subordinate to God. Trinitarians see Jesus as fully God incarnate, one with the Father.
- Holy Spirit: Unitarians understand the Spirit as God’s impersonal power. Trinitarians understand the Spirit as a personal member of the Godhead.
- Salvation: Unitarians believe confessing Christ’s Lordship alone is sufficient for salvation. Trinitarians teach that acknowledging Christ’s divinity is essential.
- Creeds: Unitarians uphold biblical revelation but do not insist on fixed creeds. Trinitarians affirm the authority of established creeds like Nicene.
These represent the most significant distinguishing points of Unitarian theology in contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity.
Modern Unitarian Groups
Here are examples of modern Unitarian Christian fellowships and organizations:
- Unitarian Christian Conference
- Unitarian Christian Emerging Church
- Unitarians of Transylvania
- Christian Unity Baptist Church
- First Unitarian Church of Baltimore
- Manchester Unitarian Church
In addition to specific Unitarian Christian groups, Unitarian Universalist congregations also share roots in Unitarianism while integrating additional liberal religious traditions today beyond just Christianity.
So in summary, Unitarian Christianity lives on through dedicated fellowships that maintain the unique Unitarian witness to God’s indivisible oneness and Christ’s human Sonship, even as most Christian churches uphold the doctrine of the Trinity.
Key Teachings
To recap, here are the core teachings of Unitarian Christianity:
- There is only one God, the Father.
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God, but not God the Son or literally divine.
- The Holy Spirit is the power of God, not a distinct person.
- Humans are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ.
- The Bible is divinely inspired Scripture, interpreted by reason.
- Creeds and dogmas are not binding for true Christian belief.
- Worship and sacraments follow basic Christian patterns but without Trinitarian elements.
Unitarian Christians uphold central biblically grounded teachings about God, Christ, salvation, and the Christian life. Yet they distinguish their views from orthodox Trinitarian dogma.
Key Takeaways
In summary, here are key takeaways on Unitarian Christianity:
- Affirms absolute monotheism – there is only one God, the Father.
- Believes Jesus is the human Son of God, not literally God incarnate.
- Understands the Holy Spirit as God’s power, not a person of the Trinity.
- Accepts Christ as Lord and savior, but not necessarily divine.
- Relies on Scripture interpreted through reason and conscience.
- Worships in a simple, biblically-based style without Trinitarian creeds.
- Trace origins to early church dissenters and Reformation-era theologians.
Unitarian Christianity maintains the ethical teachings and values of the Christian faith while upholding a strictly unitary concept of God rather than Trinitarian dogma.