Hello Joseph, thanks for taking the time to respond.
You said:
“Kyle, why do you think the Son of God, and God (in Jesus) referred to the disciples as his brothers? Are they Gods "in the making as well". Honestly, I am not advocating for that idea but Jesus never said worship me.”
Jesus absolutely was worshiped and received worship.
Matthew 2:2 begins it:
[2] saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to WORSHIP him.”
Matthew 14:32-33
[32] And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. [33] And those in the boat WORSHIPED him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Matthew 28:9
[9] And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and WORSHIPED him.
Luke 24:50-52
The Ascension
[50] And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. [51] While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. [52] And they WORSHIPED him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
John 9:37-38
[37] Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and it is he who is speaking to you.” [38] He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he WORSHIPED him.
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Further, Jesus commands us to pray to Him.
Jesus commands us to pray to Him as God, promising that He will answer those prayers, as only God can:
John 14:13-14
[13] “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. [14] If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
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You said:
“In fact, referring to God, he did say Love God. Love is not worship and worship is not Love. The entirety of Christian theology, largely due to Paul's teachings, is all about worshiping Jesus and yet, throughout his entire ministry he did not ask for worship.”
My friend, go back and read all the verses above.
Jesus constantly received worship! He never rebuked the worshiper. He often commends them.
Jesus never tells them to stop worshiping Him. Angels do, constantly. Angel reject worship wherever a human tries.
But Jesus always accepts worship.
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You said:
“Trinitarian theory is a wonderful human construct developed to help us understand and embrace the mysteries of Jesus, the HS and God the Father. Even Origen believed in a subordination of Jesus to God for a time.”
Trinitarian theology simply summarizes what the Bible teaches.
It invents nothing. It only accepts that the Bible means what it says and takes all those statements together.
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You said:
“Just as a thought experiment, if Jesus were anthropos, the perfect human, I.e., what Adam was before the fall, being one with God and his creation, having come to earth to show us The Way, would his significance, teachings and sacrifice be seen as anything less in your eyes. Would he not be worthy of love, reverence, and worship for his sacrifice?”
If Jesus was not God, then worshiping Him would be blasphemy.
If Jesus is only a perfect man, then He is infinitely less than what He claimed to be. That makes Jesus a liar and a con man, if not a lunatic.
If Jesus is only a man, then telling the disciples to pray to Him is the cruelest trick, promising help while able to give none.
