What is Christian Unitarianism?
Christian Unitarianism is Christianity grounded in the confession that God is one—the Father—and Jesus of Nazareth is God’s Messiah, Son, and appointed Lord.
Jesus is understood within the Jewish monotheistic faith in which he lived and taught. The starting point is the teaching of Jesus and the writings of the earliest Christian community rather than later theological definitions of God.
“Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:6
Who is God?
God is the Father, the one supreme God and source of all things.
Jesus identifies the Father as:
“the only true God”
— John 17:3
The New Testament consistently distinguishes between God and Jesus Christ, His Messiah.
The Father alone is God.
Is God a Trinity?
No.
God does not consist of three coequal and coeternal persons.
Jesus consistently distinguishes himself from God.
Jesus says:
“The Father is greater than I.”
— John 14:28
Paul writes:
“The head of Christ is God.”
— 1 Corinthians 11:3
Jesus refers to the Father as:
“my God and your God.”
— John 20:17
God is one—the Father.
Who is Jesus Christ?
Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, Son of God, teacher, prophet, and Lord of the Christian faith.
Jesus is a genuine human being.
“There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
— 1 Timothy 2:5
Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God, called people to repentance, taught a way of life centered on love of God and neighbor, and gathered disciples who recognized him as Israel’s Messiah.
Jesus is God’s uniquely chosen representative and the definitive human example of faithfulness to God.
Is Jesus God?
No.
Jesus is the Son of God, not God Himself.
Jesus prayed to God, worshiped God, obeyed God, spoke of being sent by God, and distinguished his will from God’s will.
Peter describes Jesus as:
“Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God.”
— Acts 2:22
Jesus’ authority comes from God.
The distinction between God and God’s Messiah is fundamental to Christian Unitarianism.
Why is Jesus called “Lord”?
Jesus is Lord because God appointed him to that role.
Calling Jesus “Lord” does not make Jesus God.
Paul speaks simultaneously of:
“one God, the Father”
and
“one Lord, Jesus Christ.”
— 1 Corinthians 8:6
Jesus is Lord while remaining distinct from the God whom he worshiped.
Did Jesus exist before his birth?
No.
Jesus’ personal existence began with his human life.
Biblical language about Jesus existing beforehand refers to God’s foreknowledge, purpose, wisdom, and plan.
Jesus is the promised descendant of David:
“Concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh.”
— Romans 1:3
Jesus is the human Messiah promised within Israel’s history, not a divine person who later became human.
What does John 1:1 mean when it says “the Word was God”?
The Word (logos) is God’s wisdom, purpose, message, and self-expression.
The Word is not a second divine person existing alongside God.
When John says:
“The Word became flesh.”
— John 1:14
God’s wisdom, purpose, and message became embodied in the life and ministry of Jesus.
Jesus reveals God’s character and purposes without being the God whom he reveals.
What is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God.
The Holy Spirit is God’s presence, influence, activity, inspiration, and power.
The Holy Spirit is not a separate divine person within a Trinity.
When Scripture speaks of people being filled with the Spirit, guided by the Spirit, or inspired through the Spirit, it describes God acting among and through His people.
Was Jesus fully human?
Yes.
Jesus was fully and genuinely human.
He experienced hunger, exhaustion, sorrow, temptation, suffering, friendship, conflict, and death.
The New Testament calls him:
“the man Christ Jesus.”
— 1 Timothy 2:5
The genuine humanity of Jesus gives force to his example.
His life shows what faithfulness to God looks like in human terms.
Was Jesus sinless?
Yes.
Jesus lived a life of exceptional faithfulness and obedience to God.
Hebrews describes him as one who was:
“tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
— Hebrews 4:15
Jesus is the supreme example of obedience to God.
His teachings and character provide the model for Christian discipleship.
What is the significance of Jesus’ death?
Jesus’ death stands at the center of the Christian story.
His death represents the culmination of his faithfulness to his mission despite opposition, suffering, and the threat of death.
Its meaning includes reconciliation, forgiveness, self-giving love, faithfulness, moral transformation, and the cost of confronting injustice and religious hypocrisy.
His death cannot be separated from the life and message that preceded it.
What about the resurrection?
The resurrection proclamation stands at the center of the earliest Christian movement.
The resurrection expresses God’s vindication of Jesus and became the foundation of the disciples’ conviction that his mission continued beyond his death.
The execution of Jesus did not end the movement he began.
His followers proclaimed him as Messiah and Lord and continued to teach the way of life he had taught them.
What does “Son of God” mean?
“Son of God” is a messianic title. It does not mean “God the Son.”
The title has biblical roots in descriptions of Israel, Israel’s kings, and God’s chosen representatives.
Jesus is the Son of God because of his unique relationship with God and his role as God’s Messiah.
Calling Jesus God’s Son does not make Jesus and God the same being.
Is Jesus worshiped?
Jesus is honored as Messiah, teacher, Lord, and the central figure of the Christian faith.
Ultimate worship belongs to the God whom Jesus himself worshiped.
Jesus said:
“The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.”
— John 4:23
The Father is the proper object of ultimate worship and devotion.
Is prayer directed to Jesus?
Prayer is directed to God the Father.
Jesus taught his disciples:
“When you pray, say: Father…”
— Luke 11:2
This is the pattern of Christian prayer.
Prayer is directed to God in accordance with the teachings and example of Jesus.
Are Christian Unitarians Christians?
Yes.
Christian Unitarianism is Christian because it is centered upon Jesus Christ.
Jesus is God’s Son, Messiah, teacher, and Lord, and Christian discipleship consists in following his teachings.
The disagreement with Trinitarian Christianity concerns the relationship between God and Jesus, not the centrality of Jesus to the Christian faith.
Is Christian Unitarianism the same as Unitarian Universalism?
No.
Christian Unitarianism is specifically Christian.
It affirms one God, the Father, and Jesus as God’s Messiah.
Modern Unitarian Universalism is a broader religious tradition encompassing many theological and non-theological perspectives.
Christian Unitarianism and Unitarian Universalism are distinct religious identities.
Is Christian Unitarianism the same as Arianism?
No.
Jesus did not personally exist before his human life as a heavenly being.
Classical Arianism teaches that Christ existed before his human life as a heavenly being brought into existence by God.
Christian Unitarianism understands Jesus as a human being whose life belongs within the history of Israel and the Jewish expectation of a Messiah.
Both positions reject Trinitarianism, but their understandings of Jesus are different.
Did all early Christians believe exactly the same thing?
No.
Early Christianity contained disagreement and theological development.
The New Testament nevertheless repeatedly distinguishes the one God, the Father, from Jesus, God’s Messiah and Lord.
This distinction provides the clearest framework for understanding the relationship between God and Jesus.
Why did later Christianity become Trinitarian?
Trinitarian doctrine developed over time as Christians debated the relationship between God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
These debates continued over several centuries and eventually produced formal doctrinal definitions associated with councils such as Nicaea in 325 and Constantinople in 381.
These creeds are important documents in Christian history, but their theological definitions are not binding.
The teachings of Jesus and the New Testament take precedence over later creedal formulations.
Are the historic Christian creeds authoritative?
No.
Later Christian creeds are not authoritative definitions of God or Jesus.
They are historically important documents produced during later stages of Christian theological development.
Scripture comes first.
The central confession is simple:
There is one God, the Father.
Jesus is His Son and Messiah.
Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God.
He taught humanity to love God and neighbor.
He remained faithful to his mission even unto death.
His followers confessed him as Lord and continued his movement.
Christians are called to follow his teachings and example.
What is the role of Scripture?
The Old and New Testaments are the foundational documents of the Christian faith.
Scripture is interpreted historically, linguistically, and contextually.
Biblical authors are read within their own Jewish, Greek, Roman, and early Christian settings.
Later theological concepts are not read back into earlier texts simply because those concepts later became traditional.
No later creed or theological system determines in advance what Scripture must mean.
What is the Kingdom of God?
The Kingdom of God stands at the center of Jesus’ teaching.
Mark summarizes Jesus’ message:
“The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
— Mark 1:15
The Kingdom is God’s righteous rule and the transformation of human life according to God’s purposes.
Jesus connected the Kingdom with justice, mercy, forgiveness, humility, faithfulness, care for others, and wholehearted devotion to God.
The Kingdom of God is essential to understanding Jesus and his message.
What is the gospel?
The gospel is the good news proclaimed by Jesus concerning the Kingdom of God.
It also includes the Christian proclamation concerning Jesus himself—his life, teachings, death, continuing significance, and identity as Messiah and Lord.
The gospel calls people toward repentance, faith, reconciliation, and a new way of life shaped by the teachings of Jesus.
What is salvation?
Salvation is reconciliation with God and the transformation of human life through faith, repentance, forgiveness, and commitment to the way taught by Jesus.
Salvation is not merely agreement with theological propositions.
Genuine faith is expressed in how a person lives.
Jesus connected faithfulness with loving God, loving one’s neighbor, forgiving others, practicing mercy, pursuing justice, and remaining faithful.
Salvation is both a restored relationship with God and a transformed way of life.
What is the role of baptism?
Baptism is an important practice inherited from the earliest Christian communities.
It represents repentance, commitment, entrance into the community of disciples, and identification with the Christian way.
Baptism expresses a conscious decision to follow the teachings of Jesus and live in faithfulness to God.
What does Christian discipleship look like?
Christianity is more than holding correct beliefs about Jesus.
Jesus called people to follow him.
Christian discipleship means:
- Loving God wholeheartedly.
- Loving one’s neighbor.
- Loving one’s enemies.
- Forgiving others.
- Practicing humility.
- Caring for the poor and vulnerable.
- Pursuing justice and mercy.
- Speaking truthfully.
- Rejecting hypocrisy.
- Serving rather than dominating others.
- Practicing generosity.
- Seeking reconciliation.
- Learning from the teachings of Jesus.
- Living faithfully before God. Theology finds its purpose in the life it produces.
What is the simplest summary of Christian Unitarian faith?
There is one God, the Father.
Jesus of Nazareth is God’s Messiah and Son.
Jesus was genuinely human.
He proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught humanity how to live faithfully before God.
He distinguished himself from God and directed people toward the Father.
His life, teachings, death, and enduring influence stand at the center of Christian faith.
Christians are called not merely to believe things about Jesus, but to follow the way he taught.
Jesus summarized the heart of eternal life in these words:
“This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
— John 17:3