To Anthony Buzzard, Dan Mages and the Biblical Unitarians

" Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:19-20


19πορευθεντες ουν μαθητευσατε παντα τα εθνη βαπτιζοντες αυτους εις το ονομα του πατρος και του υιου και του αγιου πνευματος
20διδασκοντες αυτους τηρειν παντα οσα ενετειλαμην υμιν και ιδου εγω μεθ υμων ειμι πασας τας ημερας εως της συντελειας του αιωνος.
KΑΤΑ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΝ 28:19-20 (1881 Westcott-Hort New Testament)

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you"

ο δε παρακλητος το πνευμα το αγιον ο πεμψει ο πατηρ εν τω ονοματι μου εκεινος υμας διδαξει παντα και υπομνησει υμας παντα α ειπον υμιν εγω


John 14:26, NKJV and Westcott and Hort


Dear Sirs,

It was great to see you folks and debate with you on Mondays these important matters.

I believe my good brother Emilio Ramos was right when he said to you that these matters are of eternal significance, for if we worship the wrong God, we do not possess true salvation in Jesus Christ and will face eternity in hell ( Galatians 1:6-9 and Revelation 20:15).

I want you to know that I have nothing personal against you folks. Everything I am attempting to do in communicating with you has to do with theology and my attempt to defend what I believe in the faith once and for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3).

One of the glaring problems that I see with your non-Trinitarian thesis pertains to the person and identity of the Holy Spirit, whom you said on Monday night was the "Spirit of the Father" not a distinct and unique person.

This is definitely false. I believe it is clear from passages like Matthew 28:19-20, John 14:26, that there are three distinct persons being mentioned, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

To argue from these texts that the Holy Spirit is not a distinct person from the Father and the Son, appears illogical and to reflect a definite and determined unwarranted theological bias on your part.

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus said, "Baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit"

If your non-person-hood of the Holy Spirit thesis is correct and all the Holy Spirit is is the "Spirit of the Father" as you said on Monday night it seems like the height of redundancy for Jesus to mention the Father twice.

What you are saying in a sense, is that Jesus, in the Baptismal formula in Matthew 28:19-20 refers to the Father twice, "Father, the Son and Father again"

This does not make sense since in your theology the spirit of the Father pertains to His essence and attributes and not a distinct person from the Father.

Why would Jesus mention two distinct persons, the Father and the Son, then resort to mentioning an attribute (spirit) and essence (ontological essence) of the Father.

In it's normal reading, without theological bias being introduced, it makes more sense that Jesus Christ is mentioning three distinct persons and not referring to the essence and spirit of God the Father.

Also John 14:26 is clear as well, that three distinct persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are being clearly delineated and differentiated from each other. Jesus says, The Helper, The Holy Spirit, sent by the Father in the name of Chris, He will teach you all things.


"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you"


Why would Christ refer to the Holy Spirit in the personal pronoun "He" and not "it" if the Holy Spirit is not a distinct and unique person from the Father.

Please, please do not resort to the very bad and spurious interpretation that it should be rendered "it" in the English translations.

Gentlemen, I believe your theological presupposition and biases against the concept of the Holy Spirit being God and a distinct person from the Father and the Son is unjustifiably compelling you to force a foreign interpretation unto these texts.

Clear exegesis of these texts will establish that there are three distinct persons being mentioned here and that the Holy Spirit is not just the spiritual ontological essence of the Father and the Holy Spirit is not just an impersonal "it" but a unique and distinct person from the Father and the Son.

Please do not let your bias against the doctrine of the Trinity which seems to be taken from the Arian, Socinian, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christadelphian-Unitarian tradition blind you from engaging in clear historical-grammatical interpretation of these relevant texts bearing in on the true identity of the Holy Spirit whom Acts 13 says can speak and call people into the Ministry Himself and gives gifts individually as He wills.

Acts 13:2-4 and 1 Corinthians 12:13 says,

As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away. So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus

"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills"


These passages and Matthew 28:19-20 and John 14:26 clearly establish that the Holy Spirit is a distinct person from the Father and the Son and is not merely referring to the ontological essence of God the Father as you have postulated.


Please pray about these things, Sincerely in Christ,

Your Friend,

Ed Enochs