first long form post using nostrudel - I don't know all the tricks yet.
We've dealt with Arianism before: [Athanasian Creed](https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/athanasian-creed). Yes, of course, there is "oneness of mind" and "oneness of purpose" -- but was that the offense that got him crucified?
The inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God tells us:
> The Word Made Flesh
> In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, *and the Word was God*. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ([John 1:1–3](https://www.esv.org/John+1/), ESV)
> The Preeminence of Christ
> He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ([Colossians 1:15–18](https://esv.org/Colossians+1), ESV)
Hear also the Westminster Larger Catechism (a faithful summary of the whole counsel of God):
> *Q. 8. Are there more Gods than one?*
> A. There is but one only, the living and true God.
> *Q. 9. How many persons are there in the Godhead?*
> A. There be three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one true, eternal God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory; although distinguished by their personal properties.
> *Q. 10. What are the personal properties of the three persons in the Godhead?*
> A. It is proper to the Father to beget the Son, and to the Son to be begotten of the Father, and to the Holy Ghost to proceed from the Father and the Son from all eternity.
> *Q. 11. How doth it appear that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father?*
> A. The Scriptures manifest that the Son and the Holy Ghost are God equal with the Father, ascribing unto them such names, attributes, works, and worship, as are proper to God only.
As for the "moral compass for all his followers," Jesus was not the first Christian. He is primarily an object of faith, not an example of it. Christianity is not a way of life, it is a body of truth to be believed. That belief will certainly affect the way one lives, but that is not the essence of it. It used to be popular to ask, "What Would Jesus Do?" but the more important question is "What DID Jesus Do?" He absorbed the wrath of God in place of his own enemies in order "that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."
Thanks for asking, @DRE. 👍
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