FATHER
AND/OR SON
By: H. Wayne Hamburger
The
doctrine of Trinity has been embraced by a vast majority of the Christian world
including both Protestantism and Catholicism. Yet it remains one of the most
divisive issues among Christians. Most people are hard pressed to explain how
God can be both three and one. Christian leaders from every century since
Christ have attempted to explain the phenomenon. A number of criteria have been
used and all have passed on a traditional concept of Trinity.
One of the most learned scholars
of this century, C. S. Lewis, tries to define the Trinity in his book entitled,
"Mere Christianity". Mr. Lewis explains it thus: "On the human
level one person is one being, and any two persons are two separate beings. In
God's dimension, so to speak, you find a being who is three Persons while
remaining one Being, just as a cube is six squares while remaining one cube. Of
course we cannot fully conceive a Being like that, but we can get a faint
notion of it". Well the truth is that I can't even get a faint notion of
such a being.
A fellow Christian once told me
that the concept of Trinity would be simple if I would just visualize it as an
egg. He said that an egg has three parts: yoke, shell and clear membrane, but
is still one egg. He could not tell me which part of the egg represented God,
Son and Holy Spirit.
Another person told me that the
Trinity was like a favorite food that was made up of three ingredients blended
into a recipe to make one dish. That did not register with me either. Most
people who are questioned about the Trinity simply say that they don't
understand it and can't explain it, but yet they believe it. A fellow-worker
once told me that her Sunday School teacher told her that she must believe in
Trinity and so she accepted it and has never had reason to doubt it. Another
friend told me that an unlearned person reading the Bible may come to the
conclusion that God and His Son are separate, and such a person would have to
be taught the truth.
The truth of the matter is that
most persons don't know what they believe and those that think they know can't
prove their beliefs from the Bible. Most just pick out the scriptures that
conform to the beliefs they hold true and ignore the rest of the Bible.
None of us are totally objective
in our thought processes or in our speech or in our writings. I have come to
some subjective decisions concerning the Trinity, however; I am going to try to
present my views as much as humanly possible from passages of Holy Scripture.
The most that I can hope for is that the reader will study these scriptures on
his/her own. The key word here is "study".
Jewish monotheism or the worship
of one God had been practiced from the time of Abraham throughout the entire
history of the Bible. When Jesus began His ministry, He stated in Matthew 5:17.
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not
come to destroy but to fulfil". At no time did Jesus attempt to destroy
their monotheistic views. For centuries the Jewish people had been expecting a
Messiah. The Messiah literally meant the Anointed One. They were expecting a
king and deliverer and did not expect that their invisible God would send His
own son to be their deliverer.
Many of the prophets wrote about
the Messiah although only one, Daniel, called Him Messiah. Some of the writers
of the Old Testament such as Daniel, David and Isaiah recognized that God had a
son. Daniel describes in 7:13-14 how God will give His son dominion and glory
and a Kingdom. David records in the Psalm 2:7, "Thou art my Son; this day
have I begotten thee", Psalm 91:9, "Because thou hast made the
Lord", and in Psalm 110: 1, "The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at
my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool". Isaiah 53 says,
"And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all and yet it pleased
the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief'. Moses mentions Jesus in
Genesis 21:17 and 22:11 when he refers to him as the Angel of God. Jesus
identified Himself to Joshua (5:14) as captain of the host of the Lord.
When Jesus came to earth in
human flesh, he referred to Himself as the Son of God. In fact, there are
almost seventy scriptures in the Bible that refer to Jesus as the Son of God.
Forty six of those scriptures specifically call Jesus the Son of God and the rest
simply refer to Jesus as "His Son". In Matthew 3:17 and 17:5, God the
Father speaks from heaven in an audible voice for all to hear in the presence
of Jesus. God says, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased". Matthew 17:6 records how frightened the apostles were by the
voice of God.
The Jews who heard Jesus declare
Himself the Son of God took issue with that because in their eyes He was
claiming to be equal to God. Jesus made no such claims of equality with God. On
the contrary, Jesus said in John 14:28, "I go unto the Father: for my
Father is greater than I". In John 5:30, Jesus says, "I can of mine
own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I
seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me".
Jesus said in John 6:44, "No man can come to me, except the Father which
hath sent me draw him". In Matthew 19:17, Jesus says, "Why do you
call me good? No one is good but One that is God". In John 7:16, Jesus
says, "My doctrine is not mine, but His who sent Me" and in John
7:18, "He who speaks for himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the
glory of the One who sent Him is true". Again in John 8:28, Jesus says,
"When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and
that I do nothing of Myself, but as My Father taught Me, I speak these
things". Jesus also said in John 8:54, "If I honour myself, my honour
is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your
God". All of these statements by Jesus clearly indicate that He does not
consider Himself equal to God. He always pointed people toward the Father in
heaven as the eternal God.
In a book written by Josh
McDowell entitled, "Evidence That Demands A Verdict", he spends a
whole chapter on Jesus as God's Son. Mr. McDowell quotes one author after
another that concludes that Jesus is God. Dozens of scriptures are quoted
relating the fact that Jesus was and is the Son of God and yet the writers all
conclude that Jesus claimed equality with God. No proof is offered from the
Holy Bible. Their explanation is that because Jesus claimed to be the Son of
God, He was also claiming to be co-equal and co-eternal. In a book written by
Carey L. Daniel, entitled, "The Bible's Seeming Contradictions", Mr.
Daniel cites John 14:28 as one of the Bible's apparent contradictions when
Jesus says that the Father was greater than He was. Mr. Daniel in effect is
saying that Jesus didn't mean to say that.
Until the apostasy of the early
church there was no confusion or controversy over the person of Christ as the
Son of God. For 4000 years Jewish documents and traditions followed the
monotheistic belief of one God. Jesus chose men to be his apostles from the
common people, none of which were highly educated, but all Jewish traditionalists.
All of the apostles recognized
Jesus as the Son of God and not the eternal God and Father of the universe. As
noted previously in the book of Matthew, they had heard God speak from heaven
to verify both His existence, and the fact that Jesus was His Son. At the
transfiguration in Luke 9:35, "And there came a voice out of the cloud,
saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him". Peter writes in I Peter 1:3,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ". Paul writes
in 2 Corinthians 11:31, "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I do not lie". Paul writes in
Ephesians 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ" and again in 1: 17, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in
the knowledge of him". These verses say Jesus had a God and these
disciples had no problem with the person of Jesus or God.
When Jesus asked Peter who he
thought that Jesus was, Peter's response in Mt. 16:16, "Thou art the
Christ, the son of the living God", and again in Mark 8:29, "Thou art
the Christ" clearly indicating Peter's full recognition of Jesus and God.
Some would have us believe that Peter stood there with the belief that God and
Jesus inhabited the same body which stood before him. In Luke 2:38, there is an
account of Anna, the prophetess, who looks upon the baby Jesus and recognizes
Him as the Son of God. Another account in Luke 2:25-32 describes how a just and
devout man called Simeon recognized the baby Jesus as the Son of God and the
fulfillment of Old Testament scripture. The apostles all referred to Jesus as
Lord and they referred to the Heavenly Father as God. Examples are as follow:
Paul writes in Romans 1:7, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father,
and the Lord Jesus Christ'. Similar greetings are found in I Corinthians 1:3, 2
Corinthians 1:2, 11:3 1, Galatians 1:1, Ephesians 1:2-3, Philippians 1:2,
Colossians 1:3, 1 Thessalonians 3:11, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, 1 Timothy 1:2, 2
Timothy 1:2, 4: 1, "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ", Titus 1:4, "To Titus, mine own son after the common faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our
Savior". In all of these references the apostle Paul uses the conjunction
"and" to indicate both Father and Son without confusion as to whether
they are separate.
James, the brother of Jesus,
records in 1:1, "James a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ".
Peter records in I Peter 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ". John records in 2 John 1:3, "Grace be with you, mercy,
and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the
Father, in truth and love".
Many people take Paul's passage
in Philippians 2:6, "Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery
to be equal with God", to mean that Jesus claimed equality with God. Paul
goes on to explain in 2:9, "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,
and given him a name which is above every name". Paul leaves no doubt here
that Jesus is not equal to God. The second chapter of Philippians concentrates
on how Jesus had humbled Himself before God and had taken on a role of servant
before both God and man. God exalted Jesus and the Son always recognized that
fact. Paul says that Jesus was obedient to the Father even unto death on the
cross which was not His will but the will of the Father who sent Him.
The apostles used the Greek word
Theos in relation to God the Father and the corresponding Hebrew words for God
were Elohim and Jehovah. The Greek words the apostles used for Jesus the Son of
God were Kyrios and Despotes. The terms were used to designate Jesus as their
Lord and Master. There is no doubt that the apostles recognized His Lordship as
the Son of God and at the same time they were aware of His subordinate role to
God the Father. There was no conflict in their monotheistic view of God and of
His Son Jesus. These were clearly two different deities to them. They saw
nothing wrong in the Son being submissive and obedient to His Father.
Just how did these beliefs of
the apostles get adulterated? Where did the terms like deity, divinity,
trinity, homoousios, co-equal, co-eternal, consubstantial come from? The terms
aren't in the Bible so how did they come to be used in relation to Jesus and
God? The word "divine" is used mostly to connote understanding,
prophecy, and intuition.
For four thousand years the
Hebrews accepted God as an unseen spirit whose power and presence was beyond
comprehension. When their Messiah finally came as Jesus the Son of God, they
could neither recognize Him nor accept Him as the Messiah. Part of this was
that they were expecting a King and part of it was due to the fact that they
could not accept deity among them that they could see, touch and feel.
Conversely, the Romans who ruled the known world at that time embraced their
own mythological gods as well as some of the Greek gods of that time. These
mythological gods were given human attributes and many were thought to have
walked among men and participated in daily activities. When the Romans finally
realized that they could not stamp out Christianity and decided to embrace it
during the time of Constantine, they found it the natural thing to do to
combine both their mythological religion with Christianity. The Romans could
easily relate to Jesus because they had seen Him in the flesh, but they could
not relate to God the Father who was an unseen spirit.
For example, Constantine was a
solar henotheist, believing that the Roman sun god, Sol, was the visible
manifestation of an invisible "Highest God", who was the principle
behind the universe. This god was thought to be the companion of the Roman
emperor. Constantine was reported to have dreamed that Christ appeared to him
before a major battle and he had the first two letters of His name in Greek
placed on the shields of his troops. When he won the battle, Constantine, who
had been a pagan solar worshiper, now looked upon the Christian deity as a sign
of victory. Of course, the apostasy of the early church began long before
Constantine's time, but is related here as an example of how the religious
philosophy prior to Christ contributed to the adulteration of Christ's
teachings and that of the apostles.
As the apostles died off, church
leaders came from the ranks of the learned philosophers rather than from common
people like Jesus chose. These philosophers found it advantageous to combine
both Greek and Roman mythology with Christian teachings. These leaders could
relate to Jesus who had been here in the flesh, but found it harder to relate
to an unseen God. Their answer for this dilemma was to embrace the idea that
this Jesus who had been seen had to be the one and same God of the Hebrews who
had never been seen. This gave credence to both mythology and Christianity.
This received wide acceptance from the Roman masses which provided a favourable
environment for novel religious ideas. There were many mystery religions and
mystery cults that made their way to Rome. All of these philosophies had a
Greek rootage into which Christianity moved. Aristotle seemed to have a
striking influence on Christian thought following the demise of the original
apostles. Christianity quickly moved out of the Jewish community and became
prevailingly non-Jewish. In the book, "A History of Christianity" by
Kenneth Scott Latourette, it states: "Christianity, still relatively
flexible in thought forms, would tend to find expression through the ideas
abroad in Hellenism and perhaps would even be molded by them and some of the
initial converts came straight from pure paganism". In a book by Howard F.
Vos entitled, "Highlights of Church History", he writes: "The
approach and purpose of the Apologists was entirely different from that of the
Apostolic Fathers. The Apologists sought to win legal recognition for
Christianity and to defend it against certain charges leveled against it by the
pagan populace. In constructing this defense, the Apologists wrote in a more
philosophical vein than the Apostolic Fathers. A generation of Christians from
a higher social class and with more extensive education had arisen".
It was into this climate that
the formation of Trinitarian thought began to materialize. The apostles and
their followers did not cast off Jewish monotheism simply because the Son of
God had been revealed to them in the flesh. Trinitarians argued that the Jewish
traditionalists did not have to give up their beliefs to accept it. Paul warned
his followers about this in Romans 16:17, "Now I beseech you, brethren,
mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye
have learned; and avoid them". Again Paul writes in Ephesians 4:14,
"That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried
about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning
craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive". Jude 19, "These be
they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. Peter writes in 2
Peter 3:17, "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before,
beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from
your own steadfastness". The Gentile concept of God in the trinity surely
fulfilled the prophecies of both Paul and Peter. It was a pagan idea that came
straight from mythology that there was a triune God. The theory of God and
Jesus being one deity is like saying that black and white are variations of the
same color.
As late as the Council of Nicea
in A.D. 325, church leaders such as Arius were still trying to preserve the
teachings of the apostles and was labeled a heretic for doing so. His beliefs
that Jesus had a beginning is founded in scripture and will be presented in
this document. We have already shown where Christ Himself wrote that He was
subordinate to the Father. The real heretics were legitimized by Constantine.
In order to understand the
separateness of Jesus and God the Father we have to start with what is referred
to in the Bible as the beginning. The beginning can't refer to God the Father
because a number of scriptures say that God the Father is eternal and has no
beginning nor ending. God the Father is called the everlasting or eternal God
in Genesis 21:33, in Psalm 90:2, Isaiah 40:28, Habakkuk 1:2, and in Romans
16:26. The words everlasting and eternal are always used in describing God the
Father and never in relation to Jesus because He did have a beginning according
to the scriptures. All the scripture refer to Jesus as the only begotten son of
the Father. This is mentioned in the Old Testament in the book of Psalm 2:7,
"Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee". This is not talking
about the birth of Jesus in human flesh but rather His existence from the
beginning. John 1:1, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God". When Jesus was begotten of the Father He
became the Word. This denotes the initial existence of Jesus the Son of God.
In numerous places in the New
Testament the writers speak of Jesus as the only begotten son. Some of these
are as follow: John 1: 18, "the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom
of the Father", John 3:16, "He gave His only begotten Son", John
3:18, "not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God",
Hebrews 1:5, "For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art
my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father,
and he shall be to me a Son?" Hebrews 5:5, says "Thou art my Son, to
day have I begotten thee", I John 4:9, says, "because that God sent
his only begotten Son into the world". Revelation 1:5, says "And from
Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the
dead". John 13:3, says "Jesus knowing that the Father had given all
things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God".
These scriptures state that Jesus was begotten or born or created by God first
as a spirit and then later as a human being. The creation of Jesus was His
birth as an offspring spirit of God the Father.
The word, "begotten",
in current usage means to father or sire or procreate a child. In Vine's
Dictionary of Biblical words transcribing the Greek into English, the following
is found in relation to begotten: "gennao" means to be born; another
form of the word is "apokueo" meaning to give birth to or bring
forth, and yet another form of begotten called "k-ueo" meaning to be
pregnant, and finally "tikto" which also means to bring forth.
Had Jesus always co-existed with
the Father as Trinitarians proclaim, there would be no need for Him to have
been begotten by the Father. The only co-existence prior to the time that Jesus
was begotten of the Father would have been in the seed or the mind of God. The
Bible would have had to have erred in more than sixty entries relating the fact
that God the Father had begotten a son. Jesus always deferred to the Father as
a good son should do. He prayed to the Father and not to Himself The very act
of praying is an act of submission to something or someone. Jesus clearly
emphasized that both He and the Father had separate wills. In Matthew 26:39,
Jesus says, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me:
nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt". Paul writes in Romans 15:3,
"For even Christ pleased not himself'. Jesus states in Psalm 69:7,
"Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my
face".
These passages show that there
are two different deities with two different wills. Jesus specifically told His
disciples that the Father was greater than He was in John 14:28. Jesus states
in John 5:19, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of
himself,” but what He seeth the Father do". God begat Jesus to perform
certain responsibilities as the Son of God. His primary responsibility was to
become the creator. John 1:3, "All things were made by Him; and without
Him was not anything made that was made". In Colossians 1: 15, Jesus is
described, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every
creature", 1: 16, "For by Him were all things created, that are in
heaven and that are in the earth"; 1: 18, "And He is the head of the
body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in
all things He might have the preeminence". Hebrews 11:28,"lest he
that destroyed the firstborn should touch them". Hebrews 12:23, "To
the general assembly and the church of the firstborn". Hebrews 1:6,
"And again when He bringeth in the first begotten into the world, He
saith, And let all the Angels of God worship Him". In Revelation 3:14,
Jesus calls Himself the beginning of the creation of God.
The author of Acts becomes even
more specific in his reference to Jesus in verse 2:36, "Therefore let all
the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye
have crucified, both Lord and Christ". Isaiah writes about Jesus in verse
45:1 1, "Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and His maker".
Paul writes in I Corinthians 3:23, "And ye are Christ's; and Christ is
God's". He also writes in Ephesians 1:17, "That the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Father of glory", Peter writes in I Peter 1:2 1,
"Who by him do believe in God, that raised Him up from the dead, and gave
him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God". Again these
scriptures have emphasized the predominance of God the Father over Jesus the
Son.
Jesus is quoted in John 4:25,
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and
in truth". Also in John 1: 18, "No man hath seen God at any time; the
only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared
Him". Jesus again in John 6:46, "Not that any man hath seen the
Father, save He which is of God, He hath seen the Father". I John 4:12,
says "No man hath seen God at any time". John 4:20, "If a man
say, I love God. and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not
his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?"
Jesus said in John 4:37, "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath
born witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his
shape". Paul writes in Colossians 1: 15, "Who is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of every creature". In Exodus 3:6 it is
written that Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look on God. In I
Kings 19:13 it explains how Elijah was not allowed to look upon God and he
wrapped his face in his mantle. How is it then if Jesus was God that literally
thousands of people were allowed to look upon Him and converse with Him?
In a prior reference, John 4:24,
Jesus is quoted as saying that God is Spirit. Since Jesus was begotten of God,
He too was Spirit. The Son became flesh at God's command, but the Father did
not change from an unseen spirit. The Father used the same process to
impregnate the virgin Mary with His Spirit as He did when He begat Jesus in
heaven eons ago. The only begotten son was the firstborn of all creation.
Colossians 1: 15, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of
every creature". Colossians 1:18, "And He is the head of the body,
the church; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all
things he might have the preeminence" and in Revelation 3:14 Jesus is
called the beginning of the creation of God. Paul writes in Romans 8:29,
"For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the
image of His son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren".
Having
been the firstborn or first creation of God the Father, Jesus was given the
responsibility of all other creation as stated in John 1:3 and the first chapter
of Genesis. Jesus is rightfully called God because His beginning was as the
only begotten Son of God giving Him the rightful family name of God. Jesus was
the first and only offspring of God the Father and as such inherited authority
and power from His Father. Paul writes in Hebrews 1:2, "Hath in these last
days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by
whom also He made the worlds". In Romans 8:17, Paul writes, "And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ". Paul
also writes in Galatians 4:7, "Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a
son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ". If Jesus is God
the Father as the trinity doctrine emphasizes, how then did he become an heir
of Himself. How can Christians be joint heirs with Jesus if Jesus isn't an heir
of God?
The plural pronouns and verbs
used in the Bible in reference to God and His Son designate two separate Gods.
The first chapter of Genesis uses the pronouns "us" and
"our" in describing the Father and His Son Jesus. Isaiah 6:8,
"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who
will go for us?. Jesus says in John 14:23, "If a man love me, he will keep
my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our
abode with him". Jesus once again uses a plural pronoun in John 15:24,
"If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had
not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my
Father".
A number of scriptures state
that God sent His Son Jesus. If Jesus and God were the same deity there would
be no reason for one to send the other. John 3:17, "For God sent not his
Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might
be saved". In John 3:4, "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words
of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him". Acts 3:26,
"Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless
you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities". Galatians 4:4,
"But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law". In I John 4:9-10, "In this was
manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten
Son into world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins". Jesus says in John 7:28, "Ye both know me, and ye know
whence I am: and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye
know not" and again in 7:29, "But I know him: for I am from him, and
he hath sent me". Jesus says again in John 8:29, "And he that sent me
is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things
that please him". And again Jesus says in John 8:42, "If God were
your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither
came I of myself, but he sent me". Why does Jesus keep saying that He was
sent and that He came from God if He were God the Father? If He actually was
God in one being, why didn't He just say so instead of all the statements about
His separation from the Father?
The oneness of the Son and the
Father is stressed repeatedly in the book of John and this has been the basis
of confusion among the Trinitarians. Paul writes in I Corinthians 8:6,
"But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and
we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by
him". Solomon writes in Proverbs 30:4, "Who hath ascended up into
heaven, or descended? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath bound
the waters in a garment? Who hath established all the ends of the earth? What
is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell? John 10:30 seems
to be the primary scripture used by Trinitarians in their belief that Jesus/God
is one entity. Jesus simply said, "I and my Father are one". Had they
been the same entity Jesus would have had to make the same statement that Moses
made in Deuteronomy 6:4, "Hear, 0 Israel: The Lord our God is one
Lord". Jesus fully explains what he meant by one in John 17:11, "Holy
Father keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may
be one even as we are". He further explains it in verse 21 "I in
them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in Him, and that the world
may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved
me". Paul stresses this same concept in Philippians 2:2, "Fulfill ye
my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of
one mind". Paul again in Ephesians 4:5, "One Lord- one faith, one
baptism. One God and one Father of all". Once again Paul is calling Jesus
Lord and the Father God. Romans 12:4, "for as we have many members in one
body", 15:6, "that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify
God", Acts 2: 1, "and when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they
were all with one accord in one place", 4:24, "they lifted up their
voice to God with one accord", 8:6, "and the people with one accord
gave heed unto those things which Philip spake". Vine's Dictionary of
Biblical Words specifies that the term "one accord" appears eleven
times in the book of Acts and means of the same mind. Jesus could only have
meant that He and the Father were of one mind in John 10:30 especially when
Paul says in Ephesians 4:5-6, "One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God
and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all".
This statement by Paul specifically makes distinction between Jesus, God, faith
and baptism. Paul, in the second chapter of Ephesians explains how both Jews
and Gentiles are made one with the middle wall of partition broken down. Paul
again explains in the third chapter of I Corinthians how he had established
churches and Apollos had watered, but they were yet one: "Now he that
planteth and he that watereth are one".
The oneness throughout the New
Testament is not concerning individual personalities, but rather a singleness
of mind and purpose. This was the way Jesus describes His relationship with God
the Father. When He was praying for his disciples in the seventeenth chapter of
John He was asking that they become one in mind and not one single disciple. He
was asking that the disciples be in one accord, one mind and one spirit just as
He and His Father were. The Father and the Son are so attuned to each other in
will, purpose and intent that Jesus desired this same quality in Ms disciples.
This theme of oneness is carried throughout the New Testament. In Acts 4:32, it
is written, "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and
one soul; neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed
was his own; but they had all things common". Romans 12:16, says "Be
of the same mind one toward another". Romans 15:5-6, states "Now the
God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another
according to Christ Jesus: that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God,
even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ". I Corinthians 8:6, says
"But to us there is but one God the Father, of who are all things, and we
in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him".
In 2 Corinthians 13:11 it says, "be of one mind". Paul again says in
Philippians 1:27, "that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind
striving together for the faith of the gospel". He follows up in 2:2,
"Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of
one accord, of one mind". Paul once again in Philippians 4:2, "I
beseech Euodias and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the
Lord". Peter also stresses this in I Peter 3:8, "be ye all of one
mind". John in the book of Revelation 17:13, "These have one mind,
and shall give their power and strength unto the beast". I believe we can
conclude from these many references that Jesus in John 10:30 was not limiting
Himself and the Father to one individual deity.
It is recorded many times in the
New Testament that Jesus ascended and sat down at the right hand of the Father.
Jesus even spoke in Revelation 3:21 and said, "To him that overcometh will
I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down
with my Father in his throne". This statement says that not only are Jesus
and God separate, but Jesus has His own throne. Mark 16:19, "So then after
the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the
right hand of God". Acts 2: 4, "Therefore being by the right hand of
God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost,
he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear. For David is not ascended
into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on
my right hand". In Acts 7:56, "I see the heavens opened, and the Son
of man standing on the right hand of God". In Romans 8:34, "It is
Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right
hand of God". In Colossians 3: 1, "where Christ sitteth on the right
hand of God". In Hebrews 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God". I Peter 3:22, "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right
hand of God". If God and Jesus were the same deity, it would not be
possible for the Bible authors to describe Jesus as being at the right hand of
God the Father. It would have been easier to say that Jesus represents the
right side of God and the Father represents the left side of God. No such
nonsense is entered in the scripture. The Bible clearly delineates between the
Father and Son and the Son is in an ancillary role.
The very fact that the Son took
on human flesh is evidence of His subservient role to the Father. Jesus was
seen by hundreds or maybe thousands of people when He was in human form, but
the Father has never been seen by man as recorded in the Bible. Jesus was seen
by both Steven and Paul after He ascended as recorded in Acts 7:55-56 and in
the ninth chapter of Acts. In Exodus 3:6, it is recorded that Moses could not
look upon the face of God. In John 1: 18, it states, "No man hath seen God
at any time" and again in John 5:37, Jesus states, "And the Father
himself, which hath sent me, hath born witness of me. Ye have neither heard his
voice at any time, nor seen his shape". Paul records in I Timothy 6:16,
"Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can
approach unto; Who no man hath seen, nor can see". John 4:24 states that
God is a Spirit and as a Spirit no man has been able to see Him. God the
Father, a Spirit, beget a Son who was also an invisible Spirit until God
converted that heavenly spirit into a human seed in the body of Mary. This
transformation of Spirit into flesh was at the behest of God the Father who was
and is in supreme control of the celestial bodies, heaven and earth. Jesus does
those things that God the Father bids Him to do.
Even Satan is recorded to have
recognized Jesus as the Son of God rather than the Supreme God the Father.
Satan says in Matthew 4:3, "If you are the Son of God, command that these
stones become bread". Again in Mark 1:24, "Let us alone; what have we
to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth?--I know who thou art, the Holy one of
God". Luke 8:28, "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God
most high". Luke 4:41, "And devils also came out of many, crying out,
and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them
not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ". Jesus in the service of
His Father Was on a mission for the Father and was not about to destroy Satan
at that time. He knew that God the Father has a timetable for the destruction
of Satan and Jesus was not about to compromise His Father's plan.
David the King recognized Jesus
as the subservient Son of the Father. In Psalm 91:9 and again in Psalm I 10:1,
David writes, "The Lord, said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand,
until I make thine enemies thy footstool". Jesus quoted the Psalm in Matthew
22:42-45, "Saving, What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto
him, the son of David. He saith unto them, Now then doth David in spirit call
him Lord, saying, the Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, till I
make thine enemies thy footstools If David then call him Lord, how is he his
son?" Jesus repeatedly reminded His followers of His obeisance to the
Father even to the extent that He reminded His disciples that no one could even
come to Him unless they were drawn by the Father. Jesus acts like and manifests
the same Spirit as the Father and as the Son is of the family of God He is
called Emmanuel, God with us. Revelations 3:21 quotes Jesus saying to
overcomers that they will be allowed to sit down with Him in His throne, just as
the Son was allowed to sit at the right hand of the Father in His throne. The
message in this passage is one of two deities in two separate thrones.
The Bible uses many different
titles in reference to Jesus the Son of God. A number of these titles can't
possibly be used in reference to the Father, but apply only to the Son:
Jesus the Son of God--nowhere
in the Bible is this title used to describe anyone other than Jesus the Christ.
Advocate
-I John 2: 1, "We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous".
Propitiation--
I John 2:2, "He is the propitiation for our sins". Romans 3:25,
"Whom God set forth to be a propitiation by His blood'.
Mediator
-Galatians 2:19-20, "It was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one". I Timothy 2:5,
"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus". Hebrews 8:6, "By how much also He is the mediator of a
better covenant". Hebrews 9:15, "And for this cause He is the
mediator of the New Testament". Hebrews 12:24, "And to Jesus the
mediator of the new covenant".
Intercessor--Isaiah
59:16, "And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no
intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation" 59:20, "And the
Redeemer shall come to Zion". Hebrews 7:25, "Wherefore He is able
also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever
liveth to make intercession for them".
Reconciler--Ephesians
2:16, "That He might reconcile both unto God", 2:18, "for
through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father". Romans 5:
10, "We were reconciled to God by the death of His Son". 2
Corinthians 5:19, "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world
unto himself'.
Servant
-- Isaiah 42: 1, "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my
soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon Him: He shall bring forth judgment
to the Gentiles". This passage is repeated again in Matthew 12:18. Jesus
calls Himself a servant in John 13:16, "Verily, verily, I say unto you,
the servant is not greater than his Lord; neither He that is sent greater than
He that sent Him". Luke 22:27, "But I am among you as He that serveth".
Philippians 2:7, "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men".
Firstfruits
-- I Corinthians 1-5:20, "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and
become the firstfruits of them that slept", 15:23, "But every man in
his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ's at His
coming".
Last Adam
-- I Corinthians 15:45, "the last Adam was made a quickening spirit".
Bread of life
-- John 6:35, "I am the bread of life".
Chief cornerstone
-- Ephesians 2:20, "Jesus Christ Himself being the chief
cornerstone".
Chief shepherd --
I Peter 5:4, "When the chief shepherd shall appear".
Firstborn
-- Colossians 1: 18, "He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead". Romans 8:29, "For whom He
did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren".
Good shepherd
--John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd".
Great
Shepherd--Hebrews 13:20, "Lord Jesus, that
great shepherd of the sheep".
High
Priest--Hebrews 3:1, "High Priest of our
profession, Jesus Christ".
Holy
One of God-Mark 1:24, "I know thee who thou
art, the Holy One of God".
Emmanuel--Matthew
1:23, "they shall call His name Emmanuel".
King
of Kings -- Revelation 19:16, "King of
Kings, and Lord of Lords".
Lamb
of God -- John 1:29, "Behold the Lamb of
God".
Light
of the world -- John 9:5, "I am the light of
the world".
Only
Begotten of the Father -- John 1: 14, "the glory as of the
only begotten of the Father". John 4:42, "Christ the savior of the
world".
Seed
of Abraham -Galatians 3:16, "Now to Abraham
and his seed--and to thy Seed, which is Christ".
Son
of Man -- Matthew 18:1 1, "For the Son of
man is come to save that which was lost". Jesus referred to Himself as the
Son of man more than three dozen times in the Bible.
The
Word -- John 1:1, "the Word was with
God".
Our
Passover Lamb -- I Corinthians 5:7, "For even
Christ our passover is sacrificed for us".
Sacrificial
Lamb -- I Peter 1:19, "But with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot".
Redeemer
-- Revelation 5:9, "for thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood".
Heir
-- Romans 8:17, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ".
There
is no way to describe Jesus as an advocate, mediator, intercessor, heir, and
son of man without interacting between God the Father and human kind. These
terms specifically relate to actions between two or more parties. Why would
there be a need for a mediator if there is only one to relate to? How could
Jesus be an heir to Himself? When Jesus is described as an advocate, is He
pleading to Himself If Jesus can make decisions without consulting the Father,
why does He pray that God's will be accomplished over His own will? Only the
Father can be called the most high God, Genesis 14:18, Lamentations 3:38, Mark
5:7, Acts 16:17, and Hebrews 7: 1. There are about three dozen scriptures that
refer to the most high God. With the term "most high" there is a
delineation of deity between Father and Son. James 1: 13, states, "Let no
man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with
evil, neither tempteth he any man". Paul writes about Jesus in Hebrews
2:18, "For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to
succour them that are tempted". Hebrews 4:15, "For we have not an
high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin". Matthew 4:1,
"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by
the devil". Since Jesus was tempted and God can't be, there is no way they
could be the same deity.
The
portrayal of God and Jesus as two deities in the previously described
scriptures help to demonstrate the humility of Jesus in the presence of the
Father. Jesus the Son did not ever claim to be the most high God nor did He
ever lead anyone else to believe that. The teachings of Jesus pointed all His
followers to the Father in heaven and He never invited worship of Himself To do
otherwise would have been blasphemy toward the most high God who is the Father.
Paul in I Corinthians 15:20-24, "But every man in his own order, Christ
the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming. Then cometh
the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father;
when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power". I
Corinthians 15:28, "And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then
shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him,
that God may be all in all". When Paul writes about the fact that Jesus is
subdued and subject to the Father there is a clear division of authority
between the Father and the Son.
The deity of Jesus only began when He
was spoken into existence by God the Father. The most high everlasting Father would
not and could not reduce Himself into a helpless human infant totally dependent
upon its mother. Only Jesus the Son could fill that role. God the Father
sacrificed His Son in the same manner that He called upon Abraham to sacrifice
his son, Genesis 22:9-12. Hebrews II: 17, "By faith Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his
only begotten son". Only the Son of God could be a sacrifice for humanity.
The Bible states in 2 Corinthians 5:2 1, "For He hath made Him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
Him". Since Jesus was sinless, He had to be made sin in order to be the
sacrifice that would deliver mankind. God the Father could not be made sin and
He could not be a sacrifice. Romans 8:32, "He that spared not His own Son,
but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us
all things"? God the Father cannot die, but Jesus did.
Because Jesus became the sacrifice, it
was necessary for Him to die including both His soul and His body. He could not
duplicate the pattern of animal sacrifices under the old covenant without dying
both body and soul. Isaiah 54:10-12, "Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
Him; He hath put Him to grief when thou shalt make His soul an offering for
sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the
Lord shall prosper in His hand. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and
shall be satisfied; by His knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;
for He shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide Him a portion with
the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath
poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and
He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors".
Psalm 16:10, "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou
suffer thine Holy One to see corruption". This same scripture is quoted in
Acts 2:27.
Ezekiel says in 18:4 and in 18:20,
"the soul that sinneth, it shall die". James 5:20, "Let him
know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save
a soul from death". This leaves no doubt about the soul dying. Jesus had
to experience this type of death to replicate the human experience. A
Trinitarian was overheard saying that Jesus knew what it was like to lose a
child because He was both Father and Son. The futility of that statement is
that it claims that Jesus sacrificed Himself and raised Himself from the dead.
This is preposterous because the Bible says otherwise. A recent Christmas song
states that Mary looked into the face of God and I have quoted scriptures
previously that specifically state that no one has seen God. If we are to
believe that Jesus walked this earth as a human being, we cannot claim that He
is the invisible Father God. Humans give life to the soul and body of humans
through a seed and God gave life to Jesus from His own spiritual seed.
Paul tells us that God the Father
raised up Jesus in 2 Corinthians 4:14, "Knowing that He which raised up
the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with
you". Jesus could no more raise Himself from the dead than Lazarus could
raise himself from death. Jesus prayed over the body of Lazarus, John 11:41,
"Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me--because of the people which
stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me". Jesus
said in Matthew 10:28, "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not
able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul
and body". Many people say that Jesus raised Himself from the grave like a
cork that rises to the surface when submerged in water. The Bible repudiates
that idea. Jesus would still be in the grave without the Father raising Him
from death. Acts 2:31, "He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of
Christ, that His soul was not left in hell, neither His flesh did see
corruption". Romans 6:4, "Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism
into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life". Romans 6:9,
"Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath
no more dominion over Him".
Other scriptures which clearly indicate
that God raised Jesus from the grave are: Romans 4:24, "But for us also,
to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on Him that raised up Jesus our Lord
from the dead"; Romans 8:1 1, 'But if the Spirit of Him that raised up
Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall
also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you"; Acts
2:24, "Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because
it was not possible that He should be holden of it"; Acts 13:37, "But
He, whom God raised again, saw no corruption"; I Corinthians 6:14,
"And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by His
own power"; 15:15, "because we have testified of God that He raised
up Christ"; Ephesians 1:20, "Which He wrought in Christ, when He
raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly
places"; I Peter 1:21, "Who by Him do believe in God, that raised Him
up from the dead and gave Him glory; that your faith and hope might be in
God"; Philippians 2:8-9, "And being found in fashion as a man, He
humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross
wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above
every name".
The previous scripture is one of many
indicating that Christ humbled Himself before the Father. The very act of
prayer is indicative of Christ's humility and submission to the Father. Luke
5:16, "And He withdrew Himself into the wilderness, and prayed".
Vine's dictionary of Greek words defining prayer are euchomai, prosenchomai,
erotas, deomai, euche, proseuche, deests, entenxis. English translations mean
to ask, desire, to call to one's aid, a wanting or a need. Thus, the act of
praying is essentially communion with God, adoration of God, thanksgiving to
God, confession to God, petition to God or submission to God. Jesus did all of
these things in His prayers to His Father. Only Jesus could exhibit such
reverence to His Father. God the Father has no need to pray because He is the
supreme deity. To whom would He pray? Jesus felt the need to pray because He
was desirous to do the will of the Father and not His own will. John 5:30,
"I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is
just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath
sent me". I have already made reference to the prayer of Jesus at the tomb
of Lazarus, John 11:41-42. Jesus prayed for Himself in the seventeenth chapter
of John in addition to many others including His disciples and the church.
Jesus prayed for deliverance in Matthew 26:39, "O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou
wilt"; 26:42, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me,
except I drink it, thy will be done". And it is recorded in 26:44 that He
prayed the same prayer a third time. Jesus prayed for the forgiveness of others
in Luke 23:34, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they
do". Jesus prays His final prayer of submission in Luke 23:46,
"Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit". He had no further
control over Himself as He passed into death.
In Hebrews 5-5, Paul writes,
"Christ glorified not Himself to be made an high priest; but He that said
unto Him, thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee", and in 5:8,
"Though He were a Son, yet teamed He obedience by the things which He
suffered". Paul also writes in Hebrews 2:17, "Wherefore in all things
it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful
and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation
for the sins of the people". This passage refers to Christ's followers as
His brethren. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18, "for ye are the temple
of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them; and I will be their
God, and they shall be my people-and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be
my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty". Romans 8:16-17, "The
spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God,
and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ".
Jesus is not only our Lord and Savior, but also a brother and joint heir in
God's kingdom.
The key is that the Spirit bears witness.
Very seldom is the Spirit referred to as "it" or "itself"
as Paul does in Romans 8:16. The reason is that the Hebrew and Greek languages
express gender in nouns and pronouns and have no word for "it". Thus,
a masculine or feminine pronoun is used to describe gender and in reference to
the Holy Spirit as an extension of God the Father is called "he". The
use of the pronoun "he" in reference to the Holy Spirit is offered as
proof by Trinitarians that the Holy Spirit is a third person in the trinity of
one. John records in 4:24, "God is a Spirit; and they that worship Him
must worship Him in spirit and in truth". This Spirit of God is called the
Holy Spirit in some places and in other places in the Bible is called the Holy
Ghost. There are no scriptures giving the Holy Spirit a personal entity. I John
5:7, states, "For there are three who bear record in heaven, the Father,
the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one". I John 5:8,
explains further, "And there are three that bear witness in earth, the
Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one". John
lets us know immediately that his use of the word "one" is to denote
agreement as one and not one entity. David talks about feeling the presence of
the Holy Spirit in Psalm 5 1:11, "Cast me not away from thy presence; and
take not thy Holy Spirit from me". In I John 4:13, "Hereby know we
that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His
Spirit" we are reminded that this is God's Spirit and not an entity.
Romans 8:9-11, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be
the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin;
but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the
dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in
you". Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:16, "as God hath said, I will
dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God".
The Bible says in many places that we
can be filled with the Holy Ghost, be baptized by the Holy Ghost, we can
receive the Holy Ghost, we can be taught by the Holy Ghost, we can pray in the
Holy Ghost, we can commune with the Holy Ghost and we can be sanctified by the
Holy Ghost. To me, the most remarkable of these is the fact that we can be
baptized with the Holy Ghost just as we are baptized in water. Water and spirit
are used interchangeably often in the Bible. John the Baptist was the first to
state this in Matthew 3:11, "He that cometh after me is mightier and He
shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost"; Mark 1:8. "He shall baptize
you with the Holy Ghost"; Luke 3:15, "He shall baptize you with the
Holy Ghost"; John 1:33, "Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit
descending, and remaining on Mm, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy
Ghost". The book of Acts 1:5, "Ye shall be baptized with the Holy
Ghost not many days hence"; 11:16, "ye shall be baptized with the
Holy Ghost"; 8:17, "they received the Holy Ghost"; 19:6,
"and when Paul had laid hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and
they spake with tongues". Paul writes in I Corinthians 6:19, "What?
Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" Also in 2 Timothy 1:14,
"That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost
which dwelleth in us".
There are many references in the
scriptures to those who have been filled with the Holy Spirit and others who
have written about being full of the Holy Spirit. In Luke 1:15, "He (John)
shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall be filled with the Holy
Ghost". Luke 1:41, 'Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost; 4:1,
"And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan". In
Acts 2:4, "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost"; 4:8,
"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost"; 4:13, "And they were
all filled with the Holy Ghost"; 6:3, "Seven men of honest report,
full of the Holy Ghost"; 6:5, "Stephen, a man full of faith and of
the Holy Ghost"; 7:55, "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost";
9:17, "that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy
Ghost"; 13:9, "Then Paul filled with the Holy Ghost"; 13:52,
"And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost". It is recorded that Jesus was
filled with the Holy Ghost by the Father in Acts 2:13, "Therefore being by
the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of
the Holy Ghost"; 10:38, "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the
Holy Ghost and with power".
Jesus promised His disciples that the
Holy Ghost would be given after His ascension as a comforter and gift, John
10:26, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will
send in my name"; Luke 24:49, "And behold, I send the promise of my
Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with
power from on high". This passage was a reference to the promise God gave
the prophet Joel 2:28, "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will
pour out My Spirit upon all flesh". This gift of the Holy Ghost is
mentioned by Peter in Acts 2:-18, "Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost"; Acts 10:45, "that on the Gentiles also was poured out the
gift of the Holy Ghost"; Hebrews 2:4, God also bearing them witness, both
with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy
Ghost"; Hebrews 6:4, "and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were
made partakers of the Holy Ghost". In none of these scriptures is there
the slightest inference that the Holy Ghost is anything other than a gift of
God's own Spirit to both His son Jesus and His children who are saved through
the death of Jesus Christ. John 3:14, "For He whom God hath sent speaketh
the words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him"; I
Thessalonians 4:8, "He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but
God, who hath also given unto us His Holy Spirit". If the Holy Spirit was
a person as claimed by the trinity, how could it be given to mankind?
This same Holy Spirit as
mentioned in the foregoing scriptures dwells in me as a gift of God and teaches
me about the word of God. Luke 12:12, "For the Holy Ghost shall teach you
in the same hour what ye ought to say". My gift of the Holy Spirit directs
me when I allow it to, yet I often disobey or ignore such guidance. Just as
David wrote in the Psalm 32:8, "I will instruct thee and teach thee in the
way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye". John records in
I John 2:27, "But the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in
you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth
you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you,
ye shall abide in Him". Paul says in I Corinthians 2:10-14, "But God
bath revealed them unto us by His Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things,
yes, the deep things of God; for what man knoweth the things of a man save the
spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but
the Spirit of God; Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the
Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to
us of God; which things we also speak, not in the words which man's wisdom
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; but the natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned".
The Godhead is understood through the Holy Spirit and not through intellectual
reasoning.
In the second epistle of John is
recorded, "The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in
the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; for the
truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. Grace be
with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love". Paul records in I
Corinthians 8:2-6, "And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he
knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know, but if any man love God, the same is
known of Him. But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all
things, and we in Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and
we by Him". John 5:26, "For as the Father hath life in Himself, so
hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself.” Jesus speaks in John 17:8,
"For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have
received them, and have known surely that I came out from Thee, and they have
believed that thou didst send me". Paul writes in I Corinthians 15:28,
"And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also
Himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all
in all". The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 8:5, "For thou hast made Him a
little lower than the angels, and hast crowned Him with glory and honour".
This could only be speaking of Jesus being made a little lower than the angels
and God has never been lower than the angels. The scripture is repeated by Paul
in Hebrews 2:7-9, "Thou madest Him a little lower than the angels; thou
crownest Him with glory and honour, and didst set Him over the works of thy
hands; thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet. For in that He
put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But
now we see not yet all things put under Him. But we see Jesus, who was made a
little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and
honour; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man".
Paul writes in Hebrews 1:2-3,
"Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed
heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness
of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by
the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the
right hand of the Majesty on high". Paul's writing explains that Jesus
reflects the glory and light of the Father just as the moon reflects the light
of the sun. The source of the light is the sun and the moon just reflects the
source of the light. Jesus reflects the brightness of the Father in the same
manner, but let us not forget that the source of the light is the Father. It
has been said that one cannot have radiance without the source of the radiance
and that is God the Father. God is pleased at the adoration given to His son,
but I believe He is also grieved by the fact that man has given equal status to
the Son with the Father. God the Father gave a commandment to Moses that the
people should have no other gods before Him. When mankind places Jesus on an
equal status with the Father, they have broken this commandment.
The eternal God is both Father
and God to Jesus Christ the Son and this is clarified in Ephesians 1:3,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"; 2
Corinthians 1:3, "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ"; I Peter 1:3, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ". Jesus explained the difference between Himself and the
Father in the fifteenth chapter of John. Jesus states in John 15:1, "I am
the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman"; 15:2, "Every branch
in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that beareth
fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit". The Father is
the husbandman or farmer or landowner. The husbandman controls both the land and
the vine growing on the land. Jesus compares Himself to the vine growing on His
Father's land. In other words, He is owned by the Father. This comparison by
Jesus between a human being and a plant certainly draws attention to the fact
that He does not equate Himself to the Father in any way. Jesus specifies His
separateness from the Father by referring to Himself more than 65 times as the
son of man. He uses the personal relationship of Himself to God by calling God
"my Father" more than 50 times in the Bible.
Father God is called the
"Most High God" thirty three times in the Bible. Isaiah calls the
Father, "Lofty One", Isaiah, 57:15, "For thus saith the high and
lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy". Luke refers to
God the Father as, "the Highest", Luke 1:12, "He shall be great,
and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto
him the throne of David; 1:15, "And the angel answered and said unto her,
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee
shall be called the Son of God"; 1:76, "And thou, child, shalt be
called the prophet of the Highest". The Jews used a variety of names for
God the Father. Among these are Elohim as the creator of all things, Yahweh or
Jehovah as the eternal or immutable One, Elohim the omnipotent One, Eloah, the
living God, Elyon, the most high God, El Shaddai. the Almighty and Adonai as
ruler or Lord of the earth.
The Messianic passages of the
Old Testament clarified to the Jews that God would send a Messiah or Anointed
One to liberate them from their bondage. None of these passages indicate that
God Himself would leave the realm of Heaven, but would send a servant to
accomplish that purpose. The Messiah was to be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14),
in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), He would be a descendant of the house of David (2
Samuel 7:12), a man of sorrows, (Isaiah 53:3), rejected by his people, (Psalm
69:8), betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9), crucified between two thieves,
(Isaiah 53:12) His spirit commended to His Father, (Psalm 31:5), raised from
the dead, (Psalm 16:10), take His place at the right hand, (Psalm 110:1). Jesus
fulfilled all of these prophecies as the only begotten Son of God and not as
God Himself Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, "Think not that I am come to
destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfil." The book of Esther in the Old Testament serves as an archetype of
Jesus interceding to the King in behalf of the people.
Jesus invites worship unto
Himself as the Son of God but not as the eternal highest supreme God and Father
who is first in the Godhead. John 3:34-36, "For He whom God hath sent
speaketh the words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him.
The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into His hand. He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son
shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him". The Bible gives
instances of followers worshiping either God or Jesus or both without
reservation as long as it is recognized that God is the highest order of the
Godhead. Jesus is called the direct heir of God and we humans are heirs through
spiritual birth. God and Jesus are of the same spiritual substance, but because
Jesus took on a fleshly body, He now resides at the right hand of the Father
(Mark 16:19) with an image similar to what He had on earth (Luke 24:39). Jesus
and the Father are separated by a generation just as human fathers and sons
are. Jesus described how He was accountable to God the Father, but the Father
is accountable to no one. Jesus was given authority by the Father, (John 5:27).
John even labels those who deny
Jesus and God as being a part of the antichrist. This is recorded in I John
2:22, "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son". The belief that God and
Jesus are one and the same are denying the existence of both the Father and the
Son. Paul tells his followers in 2 Thessalonians 3:15-17, "Therefore,
brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught,
whether by word, or our epistle. Now our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God,
even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation
and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every
good word and work".
Every translation of the Bible
from the first printing to the present tends to lean more forcibly on the doctrine
of trinity. Modern translations unashamedly use marginal guides and study aids
to promote the doctrine of trinity without biblical basis for same. The
doctrine of the trinity was both introduced and embraced by church leaders many
years after the death of Jesus' disciples. As explained in the introduction to
this document, there were those who resisted the teaching of trinity and they
were labeled as heretics. I would rather hold to the Bible scripture and be
labeled a heretic than to adhere to some Roman priests' idea about a triune God
that has no basis in scripture. If all the scripture quoted in this
dissertation can be rejected or ignored by trinitarian thought, then so be it.
I choose to believe what the Bible says about Jesus and God. Jude 4 states,
"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ".
To summarize the content of the
previous pages, I will reiterate the following main points of the document. I
have included a history of Trinitarian and monotheistic thought. I have
reviewed what the Bible refers to as "the beginning". The various
scriptures that refer to Jesus the Son as the Begotten Son of God and the
Firstborn of God are included. A review of scriptures that describe God as
Spirit is made. There is an explanation of what is meant by "one" and
"oneness" in the Bible. Many scriptures are quoted to show that Jesus
now sits at the right hand of the Father. Several scriptures are quoted to show
that Jesus was and is the Servant of God. A review of the many terms used in
the Bible to describe Jesus that in no way can be applied to God the Father is
included. The various scriptures that reveal Jesus as God's sacrifice for
mankind are listed. Many scriptures are listed to show that God raised Jesus
from the dead and there is no way possible that Jesus could have raised Himself
from the dead. There is a section that describes the Holy Spirit and the
function of the Holy Spirit in understanding the Godhead. Many scriptures were
used to quote Jesus Himself in distinguishing the separateness of Him and the
Father.
My purpose in writing this
treatise is to get the reader to study the Bible for himself or herself. Over
the centuries, Christians have depended upon their leaders to explain the Bible
to them rather than study it for themselves. It is a fact that most of what we
believe we heard from someone other than God or Jesus. I strongly urge the
reader to study the scriptures noted and do not accept my personal assumptions
as fact. Neither should the reader dismiss what I have written as false. Please
study every scripture that I have listed and ask God to enlighten you personally
on the content of the Bible. Why should you or anyone let someone do your
thinking for you? Each child of God has an eternal right to know the truth and
God will reveal truth when we diligently seek it. Salvation is a personal
commitment between a man or woman and his or her God. The Bible tells us that
the Holy Spirit can teach us the meaning of any part of the Bible that we do
not understand. Through prayer and fasting and faith we can come to know God
and His Word in much greater depth than we now experience. Placing a label on a
person as a heretic or infidel is barbaric and has no place in God's kingdom.
These labels should be reserved for those who totally reject God and His Son.
My Trinitarian friends tell me
that they can't explain how God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are three and yet
one. I have no such problem in explaining the separateness of the three. John
lays out the complete plan of man's salvation in I John 5. In the first verse
is explained how we humans are born of God when we believe upon Jesus the Son
and that He was begotten by the Father. This leads to love as described in
verses two and three. In verses four and five we learn that we can overcome the
world if we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. In verses six, seven and eight
the author delineates between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Verse
ten emphasizes the need to accept the two deities as God has given us His Son
Jesus. Verses twelve and thirteen conclude that eternal life is given by God
through the Son. In I John 4-15 the author describes how God sent Jesus into
the world and we can be saved when we acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus tells us over and over again in His own words in the Gospels how He was
sent by the Father as a servant to God in behalf of mankind. We can expect no
firmer confirmation of that than the recordings of the personal statements of
Jesus.
BIBLE REFERENCES
GENESIS
1:26,14:18-20,21:17,21:33,22:9-12
EXODUS 3:6
DEUTERONOMY 6:4
JOSHUA 5:14
I
KINGS
19:13
ESTHER
PSALM 2:7, 8:5,
16:10, 31:5, 41:9, 51:11, 69:7-9, 90:2, 91:1, 91:9, 110:1
PROVERBS 30:4
ISAIAH 6:8, 7:14,
9:6,40:10, 40:28, 41:20, 42:1, 42:6,45:11,52:13-14, 53:1-12, 55:5, 57:15,
59:16, 59:20,61:1-3
LAMENTATIONS 3:38
EZEKIEL 18:4,18:20
DANIEL 7:13 -14
JOEL 2:28
MICAH 5:2-4
MATTHEW 1:20-23,
3:11-17, 4:1-10, 5:17, 5:45-48, 6:1, 7:21, 8:29, 9:6,10:28-40, 11:25 27, 12:18,
12:50, 15:13, 16:16, 16:27, 17:5-9, 18:11, 19:17, 20:28-31, 22:42 45, 24:36,
26:39-42, 26:53, 26:64, 27:46
MARK 1:8-11, 1:24,
1:34-35, 5:7, 8:29, 8:38, 9:37,10:45,12:36,14:36,14:62,15:34, 15:39,16:19
LUKE 1:1 5,
1:32-35, 1:41, 1:67, 1:76, 2:25-26 2:52, 3:22, 4:1-12, 4:41, 5:16, 6:35, 9:56,
10:21-22, 11:2-4, 11:13, 12:12, 12:50, 18:19, 21:27, 22:27-29, 22:42, 22:69-70,
23:34, 23:46, 24:49
JOHN 1:1-3, 1:14,
1:18, 1:29-36, 4:23-24, 4:34, 5:17, 5:19-32, 5:37, 5:43, 6:37-40, 6:44-46,
6:57, 6:65, 6:69, 7:16-18, 7:39, 8-18-19, 8:26-29, 8:38, 8:42, 8:59, 9:4,
9:35-37,10:18,10:29-32,10:36,11:4,11:41-42,12:26-30,12:44-45,12:49-50, 13:1-3,
13:16, 13:31, 14:2-31, 15:1-10, 15:15-16, 15:20-24, 16:3, 16:5, 16: 1 0,
16:15-17, 15:25-28, 15:32, 17:1-11, 17:18-26, 19:7, 19:11, 20:17, 20:21-22,
20:31
ACTS 1:2, 1:4-5,
1:8, 1:16, 2:4, 2:22-24, 2:27, 2:30-33, 2:38, 2:46, 3:13-15, 3:26, 4:8-10,
4:24-27, 4:32, 5:3, 5:12, 5:30-32, 6:3-5, 7:51-56, 8:5, 8:15-19, 8:37, 9:17-20,
9:31, 10:36-47, 11:16-17, 11:24, 1:2-4, 13:9, 13:2-:30-7, 13:52, 15:8, 15:28,
16:6, 16:17, 17:31, 19:2-6, 20:23, 20:28, 21:11, 26:14-18, 28:25
ROMANS 1:3-4, 1.7-9,
2:16, 3:22-25, 4:24, 5:1, 5:5-8, 6:4, 6:9, 6:23, 7:25, 8:3, 8:11, 8:14,-17,
8:27, 8:29, 8:32:34, 8:39, 10:9, 12:4, 12:16, 14:17-18, 15:3, 15:6, 15:16-19,
15:30, 16:20, 16:27
CORINTHIANS 1:3, 1:9,
2:13, 3:6-8, 3:16, 3:23, 6:14, 6:19, 7:17, 8:6, 11:3, 12:3, 15:12-15, 15:20,
15:24, 15:2 8, 15:47, 15:57
2
CORINTHIANS
1:2-3, 1:19-21, 2:14-17, 3:3-4, 3:17, 4:4-6, 4:14, 5:18-21, 11:3 1,
12:19,13:3-4, 13:14
GALATIANS 1:1-3, 2:20,
3:17, 3:29, 4:4, 4:7, 5:16-17, 6:8
EPHESIANS 1:1-3, 1:17,
1:20-22, 2:4-10, 2:14-19, 3:9-10, 3:14, 4:5-6, 4:13, 4:32, 5:2, 5:5, 5:20,
5:31, 6:23
PHILIPPIANS 1:2, 1:11,
1:27, 2:2-11, 2:20, 3:3, 8-9, 3:14,
4:2, 4:19, 4:23
COLOSSIANS 1: 1-3,
1:15-18, 2:2, 2:9, 2:12, 3:3, 10, 3:17
I
THESSALONIANS
1: 1-10, 2:15, 3:2, 3:11, 3:13, 4:8, and 5:9
THESSALONLANS 1: 1-2, 2:16
I
TIM0THY
1: 1-2, 1:17, 2:5, 6:13, 6:16
2
TIM0THY
1 1-2, 1:14, 2:8, 4: 1
TITUS 1: 14, 3:5-7
PHILEMON 1:3
HEBREWS 1: 1- 1 3,
2:4, 2:7-10, 2: l1, 2:17-18, 3:2, 3:6, 4:14-15, 5:5-10, 6:4-6, 6:20, 7:22-25,
8:1-6, 9:11-15, 9:24, 10:7, 10:9, 10:12, 10:15, 10:21, 10:29, 11:27, 12:2,
12:23-24, 13:20
JAMES 1: 1, 1:13
I
PETER
1:2-3, 1:12, 1:20-21, 2:23, 3:8, 3:22, 4:11, 5:10
2
PETER
1:1-2, 1:17, 1:21
I
JOHN
1:2-3, 1:7, 2:1-2, 2:13-16, 2:20-23, 3:1-2, 3:8, 3:23, 4:9-15, 5:1-13, 5:20
2
JOHN
1:3, 1:9
JUDE 1, 4, 20, 21
REVELATION 1:5-6, 2:18,
2:27, 3:12, 3:14, 3:21, 7:10, 7:17, 11:15, 12:10, 12:17, 14:4, 14:12, 19:13,
22:3, 22:13