The Mystery Demystified
Chapter one
Who Is God?
How Many Gods
There is only one God. This is a clear biblical truth. Both the Old and the New Testaments declare this fact in unmistakable language (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29). Every single person who holds the Bible as supreme authority acknowledges this truth. The biblical insistence on monotheism requires that God be defined as a unit. As a He. There is only one of Him.
Paul stated:
• “…there is but one God,…” (1 Cor 8:6)
• “ For there is one God,” (1 Tim 2:5)
James says:
• Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. (James 2:19)
Jesus says:
• “… The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:” (Mark 12:29)
HOW Did ONE GOD BECOME THREE PERSONS?
The Bible also clearly teaches the divine nature of Jesus and the Holy Spirit as well as the Father (John 1:1; 1 Cor.3:16). how can this be reconciled with the fact that there is only ONE God? At the council of Nicea in 325 AD theologians argued over this question, and there, laid the groundwork for the doctrine of the Trinity by declaring that Jesus was God. (see chap. 6) At a later council in Constantinople in 381 AD, they decided that the holy spirit was also God, and formulated the doctrine of the Trinity which has remained with us (with slight modifications) ever since. This doctrine says that instead of the word “God,” referring to a single great, almighty individual who is Lord over all, it really refers to a divine “substance.” A mysterious entity which is made up of three parts, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, all three together making up God. This is the popular concept of the Trinity which was formulated by the Catholic Church and which has been embraced by the majority of Christian denominations.
THE HISTORICAL CONCEPT OF THE TRINITY
The doctrine as finally formulated teaches that the word “God” really refers to a single substance or Being. This substance manifests Himself (itself) as three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, who are not three Gods, but one God in three modes. This term “being” does not mean that He is one Person, but rather that He is a single substance called “God,” and that this substance expresses Himself (itself?) in three ways, as three manifestations or persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Therefore Jesus and the Holy Spirit are said to be “consubstantial” (of the same substance) with the Father. This is a radical departure from the Scriptural concept of God who is always regarded in the Bible as a personal, individual Being whom we may regard as Father and with whom we may enjoy personal fellowship. The Trinitarian concept of God turns Him into a faceless impersonal substance.
While the word being normally refers to a person it is given a different definition when used in connection with the doctrine of the Trinity. The following excerpt from an article on the subject of the Trinity describes this definition of God.
“The doctrine of the Trinity is simply that there is one eternal being of God - indivisible, infinite. This one being of God is shared by three co-equal, co-eternal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
“It is necessary here to distinguish between the terms “being” and “person.” It would be a contradiction, obviously, to say that there are three beings within one being, or three persons within one person. So what is the difference? We clearly recognize the difference between being and person every day. We recognize what something is, yet we also recognize individuals within a classification. For example, we speak of the ‘being' of man—human being. A rock has ‘being'—the being of a rock, as does a cat, a dog, etc. Yet, we also know that there are personal attributes as well. That is, we recognize both ‘what' and ‘who' when we talk about a person.
“The Bible tells us there are three classifications of personal beings—God, man, and angels. What is personality? The ability to have emotion, will, to express oneself. Rocks cannot speak. Cats cannot think of themselves over against others, and, say, work for the common good of ‘catkind.' Hence, we are saying that there is one eternal, infinite being of God, shared fully and completely by three persons, Father, Son and Spirit. One what, three whos. (Taken From: A Brief Definition of The Trinity - by James E. White )
Again however, this completely destroys the biblical concept of God as a loving feeling individual. A character with whom we may interact and have fellowship, rather than an impersonal existence inhabited by three persons. Notice that in this excerpt, God is referred to as a “ What ,” while the Father, Son and Holy Spirt are referred to as “ Whos .”
In actual fact, the Trinity concept is not far removed from the pantheistic ideas of the New Age movement and eastern mysticism which view God as a universal existence encompassing and including everything in the universe, rather than as a personal individual with His own unique personality.
In the Bible, God is a Person! He is a distinct individual. He is not a committee, an essence, a substance or a nature inhabited by three. This is a man-made definition and it will not fit the Scriptures.
Consider how ridiculous the following verses would be if we were to think of God as three Persons:
For God(S) so loved the world, that he ( they ) gave his ( their ) only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
But to us there is but one ( three ) God (Gods), the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him ( them ); and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. (1 Cor 8:6)
One ( three ) God(s) and Father(s) of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. (Eph 4:6)
Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God(s), even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. (1 Cor 15:24)
If God is three, why does the New Testament say over and over that He is one, who is the Father (only)? In trying to explain this I heard one person say that God had deliberately put misleading statements in the Bible to mislead those who are predestined to be lost (he believed in predestination). It is interesting that people who believe in the Trinity/Three-God doctrine will say that the doctrine is “implied” in verses such as Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14. What does this word “implied” mean? Something which is merely implied or inferred cannot overthrow a plain “thus saith the Lord.” A plain statement beats an implied doctrine any day, and over and over we find plain statements in the Bible declaring that the only God is the Father.
Various Definitions
It is true that there are some Christians who have rejected the traditional doctrine of the Trinity and have realized that it is a false doctrine. Unfortunately, few have taken the simple route of merely accepting all that the Bible says on the matter. Instead, they have “sought out many inventions (Eccl. 7:29).”
(a) Some have concluded that Jesus and the Father must be the same Person operating in different roles at different times. These persons are often referred to as the “oneness” or the “Jesus only” people.
(b) Others have concluded that the word, “God” is a collective noun, which really refers to three Gods (!) working together in unity. This belief in three co-equal, co-eternal, co-omnipotent Beings who are not related to each other clearly teaches Tritheism, a doctrine of three Gods, even though it is claimed that the three are one in the sense that they are united in character, goals and purposes.
(c) Some, like the Jehovah's Witnesses have concluded that Jesus was a created being who has been elevated above all other created beings, thus making Him into a kind of god, but not a divine being in the same sense as the Father.
Sadly, none of these theories have attempted to harmonize ALL the biblical evidence. Indeed they have all served to becloud the truth in a fog so dense that the only explanation, which they can give to the contradictions of these theories, is to declare that the subject of God is a mystery. That the particular theory (depending on which group you encounter) must be accepted and its contradictions and inconsistencies assigned to the realm of “mystery.”
The Bible truth, however, is so wonderfully plain and simple that every child who reads the Bible without being poisoned by human influence will readily discern it.
One of the major reasons for all this confusion is the fact that we have not been using the biblical definitions when we use words. Can anybody show ONE place in the Bible where the word “God” means more than one person? If the Bible does not do it, how dare we take the liberty of doing it? Some will suggest that the word “ elohim ” does, but the evidence against this word meaning more than one when used with reference to the true God is too strong for anybody to fairly use this word as proof of a three-in-one God.
Elohim:
The word “ elohim ” is a Hebrew word which is used hundreds of times in the Old Testament to refer to the true God. Defenders of the Trinity have often stated that the use of this word proves that God is a Trinity, because it literally means “gods.” One supporter of the doctrine of the Trinity insists that Genesis 1:1 should read, “In the beginning GODS created the heaven and the earth.” The reason for this suggestion is the fact that the word “God” is translated from the word “elohim” which he insists should be translated as “gods.”
However, it is the opinion of many Bible scholars that the word does not necessarily mean more than one, but that it is often used to denote the majesty and greatness of God, rather than to indicate that God consists of more than one Being. A little common sense will easily demonstrate that the conclusion of these scholars is evidently correct. Let us examine a couple of facts:
1. The Hebrews themselves never ever did believe in a God who was made up of several persons, neither did they believe in more than one God. They did not do so in Bible times and they do not do so today. They never found the idea of plurality in the word “elohim” when used with reference to the true God. Do present day scholars who insist that the word “elohim” should be translated as “gods” understand the Hebrew language better than the Hebrews themselves did?
2. In Exodus 7:1 we read, “And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god (Elohim) to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.” What are we to understand by the use of the word “elohim” here? Are we to believe that Jehovah made Moses into several gods!! Perhaps into a three-fold deity! Read also, Judges 16: 23; Judges 16:24; and you will find where even individual heathen deities (Dagon and Baal) were referred to as “elohim.” 1 Kings 18:27 is particularly interesting. It reads, “And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god (elohim); either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.”
Here Elijah was referring to Baal, a single false god and referred to him as, “elohim.” Below you will find some quotations taken from highly respected publications which support the above stated facts concerning the word “elohim.”
“The fanciful idea that Elohim referred to the Trinity of persons in the Godhead hardly finds now a supporter among scholars. It is either what the grammarians call the plural of majesty, or it denotes the fullness of divine strength, the sum of the powers displayed by God” ( William Smith, A Dictionary of the Bible, ed. Peloubet, MacDonald Pub. Co., 1948, p. 220).
“Elohim must rather be explained as an intensive plural, denoting greatness and majesty” (The American Journal of Semitic Language and Literature, 1905, Vol. XXI, p. 208).
“It is exegesis of a mischievous if pious sort that would find the doctrine of the Trinity in the plural form elohim [God]” (“God,” Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics)
“Early dogmaticians were of the opinion that so essential a doctrine as that of the Trinity could not have been unknown to the men of the Old Testament…No modern theologian...can longer maintain such a view. Only an inaccurate exegesis which overlooks the more immediate grounds of interpretation can see references to the Trinity in the plural form of the divine name Elohim, the use of the plural in Genesis 1:26 or such liturgical phrases as three members of the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:24-26 and the Trisagion of Isaiah 6:3” (The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. 12, p. 18).
“The plural form of the name of God, elohim, in the Hebrew Scriptures has often been adduced as proof of the plurality of persons in the Godhead…Such use of Scripture will not be likely to advance the interests of truth, or be profitable for doctrine…The plural of elohim may just as well designate a multiplicity of divine potentialities in the deity as three personal distinctions, or it may be explained as the plural of majesty and excellency. Such forms of expression are susceptible of too many explanations to be used as valid proof texts of the Trinity” (Milton Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics, p. 587).
When Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:4 in his reply to the scribe (Mark 12:29), He did not say, “The Lord our GodS …”. He did not understand “elohim” to mean Gods, but quoted the word as God. The scribe agreed with this when he replied
“… Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he :” (Mark 12:32).
He also understood the Hebrew word elohim to mean One Person, to whom he referred as “he.” The interpretation of Christ is of more value than that of James Strong or a thousand such scholars.
New Testament Evidence
Did the apostles believe in a trinity? Apart from the books of Luke and Acts the entire New Testament was written by men who had been personally taught by the Lord Jesus. Even the apostle Paul, though he never knew Jesus personally while He was on earth testifies that he was taught personally by Christ (Galatians 1:11,12). Did Jesus reveal a Trinitarian God to these apostles? Did He teach them this doctrine which was so radically different from the Old Testament concept of God? If He did, why didn't they proclaim it as forcefully and as clearly as they proclaimed that Jesus was the Son of God? Why is it that this doctrine “is not explicitly taught in the New Testament (Encarta Britannica)” but is rather “inferred” from certain passages? Is this the way that God reveals important truths? Merely giving hints and leaving us to formulate our conclusions? Why is it that the statements of the New Testament consistently declare that there is only ONE GOD and that this one God is the Father (1 Cor. 8:4-6; John 17:3; Eph. 4:6)? Didn't these apostles know the truth about God? How can we conclude that their writings suggest that God is a Trinity when they themselves proclaimed Him to be an individual? Do we have the contradictory situation where Christ's appointed depositories of His truth hinted that God was a Trinity, but declared that He was a single Person? Why would they do this? Is it that they were suggesting something which they weren't sure of and which they left to later generations of “theologians” to properly work out?
The New Testament evidence is critical for several reasons:
1. The New Testament is a reflection of the life and teachings of Jesus Himself, the only Being who ever came down from heaven to teach us of heavenly things.
2. The New Testament expands on, and explains the teachings of the Old Testament.
3. the writers of the New Testament were inhabited by God Himself in the form of His holy spirit. Their teachings were the purest ever given to men apart from the teachings of Christ Himself.
Why do the New Testament writers in several places refer to the Father as the ONLY God? (1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:6; etc.). Why did Jesus refer to His Father as the ONLY true God? (John 17:3) Shall we accept the Bible definition of God?
there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things…” (1 Cor 8:6)
“One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Eph 4:6)
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee [His Father] the only true God,…” (John 17:3)
“… I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” (John 20:17)
UNMOVED
Truth never dies. The ages come and go,
The mountains wear away, the seas retire;
Destruction lays earth's mighty cities low.
The empire, states, and dynasties expire,
But caught and handed onward by the wise,
Truth never dies.
Though unreceived and scoffed at through the years;
Though made the butt of ridicule and jest;
Though held aloft for mockery and jeers
Denied by those of transient power possessed;
Insulted by the insolence of lies,
Truth never dies.
Truth answers not, it does not take offence;
But with a mighty silence bides its time,
As some great cliff that braves the elements
And lifts through all the storms its head sublime,
So truth, unmoved, its puny foes defies,
and NEVER dies!